>>12367395
Check on the status of repairs and the general mood of the crew.

>>12367395
Ya know, if her emaciated-ness is creeping us out, we could always, you know, try getting her to eat a bit more. Hell, it would probably be good for her health too.

>>12367455
If it proves we will be down for some time yet, having the "Us" talk with Invidia might be good.

>>12367482
The thing is, as I understand it, the mortified form of the average psyker is not due to malnutrition. It is due to stress.

>>12367510
Also, a psyker can lose their sense of taste after being bound to the Emperor (rite of sanctioning?). If this is so, the feeding plan will fail doubly.

>>12367455
The two of you depart to the bridge to get a full tactical update. Along the way, the seneschal gives you a small briefing of the current situation. The repairs are well underway, though slow due to being away from any professional repair docks. Gabriel currently has his squadrons running cyclical sorties through the debris fields and destroyed ships to collect salvageable equipment, which is helping speed up the repair process. The mass funeral for those lost in battle from the Igneus will be later tonight. As for morale, it seems to have taken a hit.

The seneschal explains that because you ran headlong into a battle after promising not to be so rash with the NCOs, it seems that you lied to them. While the lesser crew thinks it was very heroic, or at least acts like that the upper echelons are not pleased. Also, the looted Tau ships seems to still have plenty of orks on board that survived the devastation. As endurable as even, they seem persistant and may require stamping out through force.

>What do you do?

>>12367553
That said, if we are to keep porking our lovely astropath, we should try to improve her padding.

>>12367510
Either way, consuming more food will counteract the expenditure of energy used, whether that be from stress or simply lots of activity or normal activity with under-eating. Unless the emaciated-ness is caused somehow by the warp or something, eating more should do her good.

>>12367575
See if Jeff has any wants with regards to Xenotech. If so, purging the remaining greenskins may be a double boon.

>>12367575
I would not call a 12 hours trip that it took to get there "running headlong". And even so, when did we ever say that we wouldn't? I remember promises not to lead men to their deaths in vain, which so far we seem to be doing quite well; unless they mean that they think that the men killed in the battle lost their lives in vain?

>>12367575
Also, see to preparations for the funeral. We need to get this right to salvage a bit of morale.

>>12367575
Dying to take down a bunch of orks and assist our Imperial brethren is hardly in "vain" I would think. Is it not the duty of every Imperial citizen to fight for his fellow human?

>>12367575

Make sure Captain Cetus is making good on his deliveries of supplies, money and men. Tell Gabriel that if they encounter ships that look inhabited by Xenos they're to back off and slag them, we're not that desperate for supplies as long as our deal with Cetus holds.

Ask the Seneschal "You seemed nervous at the banquet. Anything on your mind?"

>>12367606
Upon arriving at the bridge, you are bombarded by information. Thankfully, the seneschal interrupts the overflow of data, and has it redirected to him. What would you do without that man? Relieved by his intervention, you take a seat on your amazing command chair and contemplate the situation. You are soon interrupted though, by a young red-headed woman who hands you a cup of recaf. Overjoyed by the simple yet much needed gift, you thank her and give her one of your charming smiles. She blushes, and quickly exits the bridge. You smirk at the knowledge that you can still do that to woman, and call the seneschal over to you to clarify what’s going on.

Without losing a beat, he hands you a data slate containing the list of the dead, and informs you that several things have transpired while you slept. Invidia has once more requested your presence, as the Navigator and H1256-J47. Jet would like for you to come speak with him before the funeral, and Captain Cetus has arranged another meeting in several hours. Also, mass in an hour, and the seneschal informs you it might do well for your image to attend it with the common crew.

Hm, you have several options at this point. What do you do?
>Visit Invidia
>Visit the Navigator
>Visit Jet
>Go to church
>Other

>>12367792
>visit Invidia

>>12367792
Let's get this over with. We need to get things in order with Invidia.

>>12367792

Dress down and go to church, after the ceremony go visit Invidia.

>>12367805
Scratch that, attend mass then Invidia, didn't realize how soon mass was and it takes like, and hour in the Elevatus just to get to her, doesn't it?

>>12367811
Disregard this, I suck cocks and lack reading comprehension. We need to get our religiosity on.

>>12367792
Church. First priority is getting morale back up. We might be here a while, so keeping folks happy would be good.

>>12367831
This might work. Kill two birds with one stone and all that.

>>12367862

Yeah... No.

Showing up with creepy psyker on our arm is going to cause serious issues.

Rumors are one thing... but this is quite another.

>>12367862
He meant to visit her AFTER mass. Besides, if Mass is in an hour, and it takes an hour to get to her, we'd be at least an hour late getting to mass. Also, it's just a really bad idea.

>>12367922

Sorry... misread the comments.

>>12367805
To the astropath!

You exit the bridge to visit the astropath. Slowly, you trudge towards the Elevatus, dreading the journey there just as much as the destination. Once inside, the doors close and you’re left alone with your thoughts. They drift inevitably towards her, and you visibly shudder when she comes unbidden into your head. That dream… it seemed so real. The idea of having that creepy woman as your personal care taker is so wrong it is beyond even calling it disturbing. She can’t even seem to take care of herself. Once more, you find yourself regretting what happened previously between the two of you.

And yet, for some reason you went along with it. To a point you even enjoyed it. But what part of it was just human urges, and what part was you actually caring for her? Your thoughts turn somewhere dark, as you soon find yourself wondering, and what if part of it was her making you enjoy it?

You dismiss such thoughts quickly, but not out of some misbegotten loyalty towards her. Instead, you fear to what length she may be able to influence you without noticing. Inwardly, you resolve to double that search for a blank.

After a painfully long ride in the Elevatus, you arrive at her bulkhead guarded door room. What do you do?

>>12367960

Knock on the door.

>>12367975

seconded

Dammit, are we gonna be late for Mass, then?

>>12368001

If we're not going to show up on time it probably behooves us not to show up at all and just work on a suitably impressive speech for the funeral.

>>12367960
Really wish I'd gone to Mass instead and then knock.

Hrm.... You know, seeing what's just happened, I can't help but wonder if it might be a good idea to maybe try holdiong off on going with the very first thing that's put in as a reply/course of action. Look what just happened for an example; Anon ! puts forth a course of action, anon B chooses another. Anon A then withdraws his idea in favor of Anon B's, with an addition at the end. Further replies seem to support the idea(s).

I can certainly understand the desire to keep the quest from stagnating due to long response times, but maybe give a trial run of waiting for the first 3 responses and choosing whatever has the majority, or if all 3 are different then going with the first? Just a suggestion.

>>12367975
You knock on the bulkhead doors. They part the second you touch it, revealing Invidia waiting for you. Once more, she can be found in her Astra Telepathica robes, pouring tea. When the massive metal doors slowly slide open, she ‘looks’ up, clearly surprised that you have come to visit her. She lets out a small eep and stop pouring, stunned at you presence. Her bony fingers begin to shake and rattle the tea pot, and sickly blush forms on her chalk white skin. For a moment she is frozen, before she puts down the tea pot on the table and she rushes you. Astonishingly, she doesn’t trip over the hem of her robe, and she grasps you, hugging you tightly. Throughout the whole thing, she doesn’t say a word, just tightening her grip.

>>12368060
"Invidia, we need to talk."

>>12368060

Return the embrace, kiss her on the forehead and say "You wanted to see me?" as charmingly as we can muster.

>>12368034

This idea also means that it doesn't become a race to see who can type the fastest, and allows us to take longer actions in response.

>>12368072
>>12368090
Some medium between these two.

>>12368060
Brush her off, and give her a stern look.

"Have you been messing with my head while I sleep? Last night I don't know if it was damn warp dreams, or your witch powers. No matter, you requested my presence, what information do you have?"

>>12368111

Endorsing this

>>12368111
I like it too. I'll admit that I put in going to invidia pretty much as soon as I saw it as an option, but if I had some more time to think I'd have put down going to mass first.

I think a little retcon is in order. Attending mass first clearly had the majority.

>>12368150

Eh. It's Tablet's game to run as he likes in the end. And I'd rather not start going backwards.

Or is he doing this on purpose? Our "attraction" and "involvement" with Invidia is starting to seem extremely deliberate. Given his lack of response to the Mass discussion, Invidia might be screwing with our heads a bit.

>>12368090

second , also tell her to eat more so we have mor cushin' for the pushin'

>>12368090
She blushes even more at the kiss, taking your every action at face value. Man, she really likes you, doesn’t she? More like obsessed, you think bitterly. She continues to keep her hold onto you for several minutes, before slacking on her grip. She slowly lets go, aghast at her actions, and says, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t m-mean to em-em-embrace you s-s-so suddenly. It’s just that, I didn’t get to see you yesterday, and I didn’t know if you were going to… y-you know, come back to me.” She then looks back at the table and says meekly, “Would you like some tea?”

>>12368234
Yes.

>>12368234

Sit down, accept her offer of tea. "I didn't come to see you because we fought a battle and I had to negotiate for supplies afterward. I got busy. It's going to happen again, but it doesn't mean I'm going to abandon you."

Also, ask her if we've gotten any response from our brother.

>>12368234
"Yes, thank you Invidia.

We need to talk. I think we have been... too hasty. I'm in a new situation, a little out of my comfort zone. You've been isolated and I come along and treat you with kindness when you know doubt put up with a lot of hostility and coldness. You and I rushed into this and I think we need to reevaluate our relationship.

>>12368286
You calmly walk over to the table and take a seat an anticipation of the tea. While Invidia may be alls out disturbing, you’ve noticed her tea has become steadily better and better over time. While it might not be the best like the stuff your seneschal gets for you, it has gotten half-way decent by now. Perhaps actually making tea for someone else is getting her some practice?

She nudges the already pored tea towards you, indicating it is for you. You take the cup, and drink from it, savoring the taste as Invidia pours herself a cup. The astropath set the pot in the middle of the table and takes the seat opposite you. She nervously adjusts herself in her seat until she is satisfied with her new position, and takes a drink from a chipped cup. She takes a sip, and glances towards you, blushing like some kind of psychotic school girl. Finally, she works up the nerve and asks, “What b-brings you down here to see me?”

>>12368367

"i wanted to check on you , and make sure you take care of yourself. you need to eat more , invidia , and i dont want you to waste away , i care about you."

>>12368367
"I was told you requested my presence."

Is our seneschal fucking with us? Is Invidia?

>>12368367
"Have you received any message from my Brother? Also I need you to use your witch powers to peer into the immediate future to see what we might be up against on the planet. Also, I've came down here to tell you to back off a bit, you've become too attached to me and frankly it's freaking me out."

>>12368367
These
>>12368294
>>12368311

>>12368367

"You asked me here, I was hoping you either had word from my brother or other news."

>>12368410
“Oh, um, yes. Of course. I-I wanted to see you, because I was worried,” She says coyly. Suddenly, she switches to serious mode, informing you she means business. “Also, the night before I received a message from the Domus, sealed with a royal pass code."

>>12368462
Excellent. What did it say?

>>12368462
Take a sip of tea, "Excellent. Relay it to me."

>>12368474
She seems to enter a trance like state when you request the message. She opens her mouth, revealing several scars on the inside. With a monotone voice that seems not to belong to her, she says, “Wonderful. I am proud you have found your place in the galaxy at long last. It have no doubt being able to beat a hasty retreat will suit you well. Have you enjoyed you life of travel? I am sure as a Rogue Trader, the nonstop parties and piracy is tame compared to what you’re used to in the Inquisition. Of course, at least this way you’re getting your name out.”

The voice pauses for a moment, and there a sounds that you can’t quite make out in the background. However, the voice quickly returns, saying, “I do hope this letter finds you well, and does not interrupt whatever work you may be doing. I’m sure with the people running that ship, it is full of constant toil. Full of miscreants and the insane, it must be tiring doing real work. Of course, it is nothing like being planetary governor. That requires real work and leadership. Perhaps that is why you left it to me? Father and Virginia send their regards. Fair well, and I wish you success. Love, Judias.”

>>12368656
Huh... I'm getting mixed signals here.

>>12368656

Fight the urge to immediately turn the Rhino over the the Mechanicus and tell them our brother was the one who got it.

"I need to send him a reply." Compose yourself. "Let me make this blunt and ignore your backhanded compliments, since you entirely missed the point. The Rhino you gave me is worth quite a lot to the Mechanicus, it's supposedly some design they don't have access too. If you can get more, and turn it over to them you and Domus would both benefit. If you'd rather send more insults, I'll feel free to act without consulting you further on the matter"

>>12368656
Thank you, Invidia.

Now, first off, we need to discuss where we stand with one another. I don't think we can begin this in earnest without knowing one another better. So, please tell me more about yourself.

>>12368656
What a cock, we don't need to respond to this. Let's wait until we're in control of that world and then send him a message along the lines of; "Yo little brother, I know what you mean. I just conquered a lost world of humanity, shit was cash. Imperial Governing's not as bad as all that. Love, Dolemite."

Thank Invidia, promise you'll see her again tonight *wink* and leave. No doubt the seneschal is lurking outside somewhere - arrange to have her needs (IE; Food, Tea etc...) better taken care of and then off to see what it was the Navigator wanted (as I'm sure that's semi-important.)

rolled 12 = 12

>>12368731

seconding this

>>12368731
Why bed the Psyker when you have a hot red head you could bang.

>>12368731
Thirding. Perhaps add that a personal servant be appointed until Invidia puts on about 20 pounds.

>>12368711
Invidia returns to consciousness, wavering in her seat. As she struggles to stay upright, she memorizes you message, and says that she’ll have it sent when you leave. Until then, she asks, is there anything she can get for you?

>>12368796
Less dangerous, therefore less exciting. Also, I am a sucker for both creepy and awkward girls.

>>12368818

"Not for me, I just want you to take care of yourself. Make sure you eat well. I'm worried that you're going to waste away down where."

>>12368818
Nothing at the moment.

Then head to the Navigator and see what he has to say.

>>12368796
You fool, that's Tablet's plan!

>>12368818
"That will be all, Invidia. Now I'm afraid I must go, I have additional business to attend to."

Leave, go see either the Navigator or H1256-J47, whoever's closer.

>>12368796
Because the Psyker would likely accidentally the whole parsec.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invidia
Maybe we could suggest Invidia make a pet out of the redhead? If Invidia dominates her first she'd likely be up for a threesome.
I think my /d/ is showing.

>>12368830
If you want dangerous you could try to go and court the bear that Riley was wrestling earlier.

>>12368818
Reach over to help support her. Thank her for the message, and ask her to join us this evening in our quarters for supper.

>>12368854

As hot as that sounds, it's probably a slippery slope from there to our Astropath becoming corrupted by the ruinous powers.

>>12368904
Not really, she hasn't got any outlet but us at the moment and that's obviously had an effect on her.
A sane, slightly kinky Psyker is better than a hair-trigger psychotic, no?

>>12368843
>>12368834
“Of course. The seneschal, he makes sure the machine-humans bring me food and have enough tea and such every day,” she explains with her cruel mockery of a smile. After some more idle chatter, the you manage to find yourself and opening and leave the room, but not before she requests that you come visit again soon.

About an hour and twenty minutes later, you find yourself outside the entrance to the Navigator's room.

>What do you do?

>>12368941
Is the door reflective? If so, check out appearance. Then knock, once, loudly.

>>12368941

Knock, as usual.

Also we should talk to the seneschal about getting real crewmembers to bring her food. Get volunteers or have them draw lots.

Even a few minutes talking with whoever brings tea and sammiches might help her be less tightly wound.

>>12368980
When you enter, lights flashing on and off assault your eyes, while strange yet somehow awesome music flows into your ears. Inside is a mass of bodies covered with some strange paste that makes them glow in the dark as they writhe about. It takes you a moment to notice something odd about them, but you soon realize what it is. The weird, jerky movements and the metal gleam in the light reveals the crowd to be made of servitors, and they seem to be trying to dance. You search the crowd for the navigator, only to find him still in his swiveling chair high above the crowd, pressing invisible buttons that you believe manipulate the music.

What do you do?

>>12369125

Dance our way to him of course.

>>12369125
Wave at him, then shout "Sup, Daft Punk! You needed to see me?"

>>12369125

Walk up to him and tap him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention. Ask him what he wanted to talk to us about.

Tell him that if he doesn't spin more Aphex Twin NOW we will fuck him up. (maybe scratch that last one)

>>12369143
You bust a mad move, and dance your way through the crowd. About halfway through, a several metal clamps grab a hold of you and lift you up. Before you know it, you are crowd surfing toward the Navigator. Well, this is certainly a new experience.

Apparently, he sees you above the top of his mechanical crowd, as he lowers his seat down to ground level as you reach the base of his pneumatic chair. Looking up at you from the seat, he inquires in his auto-tune voice what brings you to him.

>>12369243

"You sent for us." Think it's time to put a stop this shit soon. We're the captain and some of these people have to learn to come to us.

>>12369243
... do you keep forgetting when people request our presence? Or does our entire crew suffer from short-term memory loss?

"Suit-guy said you wanted to see me. What's up?"

>>12369261
But if they came to us on their own initiative, we'd never leave the bridge.

>>12369243
He taps his finger against his helmeted head, before jerking it upwards. “That is right. I lost myself in the song and forgot. Anyways, I wanted to let you know something. I mean you no offense, but I need a break. These constant warp jumps are tiring. I can be back at full strength soon, but I need a break.”

>>12369296
"Well, it will take some time to enact repairs, so it seems I'm in a position to entertain your request.

Try inviting some real people some time. You might enjoy it more. Or not."

>>12369296

"This was an emergency, but point taken, how much time should I allow between jumps?"

>>12369296
"We're gonna be sticking around for repairs anyhow, so don't sweat it. Only warp jumps anytime soon should be back to that planet, then we'll be sticking around long enough to get all that in order."

>>12369296
That's cool, we need to fix shit anyway. And we'll probably be hanging around that planet for a while.
Unless he's talking about anything more than a few days now or weeks at the planet, I see no reason not to give him time off.
Do we have a replacement? Or even someone to temp? We're likely going to need in-system jumps sometime in the near future.

>>12369312
He tilts his head to the side at you mention of real people, and asks with genuine curiosity, “What do you mean real people? The guys are real.”

>>12369346
"I mean people with minds. At least invite the techpriests, for the Emperor's sake."

>>12369346

"Either the servitors on this ship are capable of free will or we have different definitions of 'real person', either way I need to know how long you need between jumps if I'm to command effectively."

>>12369346
"Ah, yes. Fair enough, they are real. Whether they can truly be considered people anymore, however, is a philosophical question. I meant, however, inviting non-servitor humans."

>>12369346
"Someone who isn't a lobotomized cyborg. Someone you could hold an actual conversation with.

Although I must say, I'm surprised at their response to your tunes."

>>12369355
He thinks about this for a moment, before replying, “Hm, you might be on to something. How about you and the rest of the senior staff come to my show tonight? I heard from Ripley that you and that astropath girl hooked, so you could bring her as a…. what do you call it… date?”

>>12369381

"I have a funeral to attend, so no sorry I can't make it. Also, I need to know how many days I should plan on leaving between jumps to allow you to recuperate."

>>12369341
You know Navigators aren't the only ones who can pilot the ship. Navigators take breaks (usually) when they hit real space and let another pilot in real space, then when it's time to jump back they take over.

>>12369381
Sounds like plan. Now, to business with H1256-J47.

We'll see him later. Dance our way out.

>>12369393
“Oh, it’s after the funeral. All my normal fans will be doing work for that, so if I did it during the funeral no one would come. Besides, after a sad thing like that, people need something to look forward to, like The Song. Anyway, I’ll as for relaxation I need a day or so between rapid jumps, or extremely long ones. Short ones won’t be really strenuous, but if done over and over it really takes a toll on me.”

>>12369381
"Do what you need to do to rest first. Tonight, I must see to a funeral. My men died for me. The least I could do is see the judged before the Emperor properly."

>>12369381
I'd say we shouldn't do that.
Funerals and all that are supposed to be somber. This is also the perfect chance to drum up a serious amount of support from the NCO's. Before the funeral, we should have a meeting with the senior command staff. I think it's time we sorted out a few... misconceptions about our actions with them.

Of course, we can always visit TOMORROW night.

>>12369430
"...That is agreeable. Is there anyone you really wanted to see?"

>>12369430

"I'll see if I can make it."

Then this: >>12369414

>>12369430
>taking a crazy astropath on what is probably her first date
>going to a rave

This will be worth it, if for nothing more than to see her reaction.

>>12369414
With a quick good bye, you moonwalk your way out of the navigator’s room like a king of some kind. A hour later, you find yourself outside H1256-J47’s room, guarded by metal bulkheads. Seriously, what’s with all the bulkheads? Is all your senior staff so deadly that they requires gigantic meter thick metal doors to keep the rest of the crew safe?

>>12369514
Most definitely.

Knock.

>>12369514

Yes.

Knock on the damn buklhead, and if he doesn't know why were here, seriously consider ripping off one of his mecha dendrites and violating him with it.

>>12369522
Check for fluffy first, always make sure of his location when visiting the magos

We seem to have reached 100 hundred posts. Seeing as this seems to be a good halfway point to take a break, I’d like to temporarily step away from the quest and give you my next attempt at writefaggotry.

Hope you enjoy storytime

>>12369514
Dude. We are on a ship where if the slightest thing goes wrong, massive daemons intent on raping our butt will pop into existence.

Of course everyone wants thick massive bulkheads between them and assrape.

Show your manners and knock.

The rat snarled at the scrawny boy, as it backed up father in the corner. Small patches of fur was missing from it, and jagged incisors were worn from constant use. This particular breed of rodent had long since adapted to life in the hive, so much so that its teeth could even chew threw rockcrete. Not only that, but it was the size of a small dog, and if pressed could be much more fierce than one. Its red eyes promised nothing but pain for the child if it got to close, but the obviously malnourished boy showed no fear. His small form covered with rags, but they did little to hide his bony frame. His skin is a pale white, and he has never gazed upon the sun before. Indeed, the idea of a ball of fire seems like a myth to him, as does an outside world. No, to him there only endless walls of steel and wires and vents.

He reaches out with a small hand towards the rat, only for it to continue to perform its odd little growl at him. He doesn’t seem to mind in the least, or even has appeared to notice. Slowly, the hand inches forward, closer, closer, until the beast snaps at him and bites down upon his outstretched hand. He cries out in pain, as red globules of precious life fluid begin to form, and leak away from the wound. The child yanks his hand back and begins to cradle the hand. Somehow, he still isn’t worried about the rat that continues to growl at him. No, now he is focused purely on the blood before him.

>>12369549
Storytime!.jpg

The boy knows what this means. The dangerous of disease or bleeding out don’t come to mind. Rather, he knows what happens blood is spilled. They smell it. The monsters, the gangers, the various beasts of the hive can smell spilled blood no matter how far away. It smells like dinner to them, of weak prey and possibly someone to fight and steal from. No, the boy is alone and without help there is no way he will survive the night if any of them were catch wind of this. The boy presses his mouth to the wound and sucks on the blood, drinking it down as soon as it escapes the skin. Too many times had something like this happened, and he has had plenty of practice in keeping the blood from getting exposed.

Several minutes pass, and the rat and the boy are still there. The wound has finally stopped bleeding, and once more the child turns his attention to the creature before him. With walls on either side of it, and the boy in front of it, there is no place to run. The rat continues its strange rodent growl, while the boy watches. This creature was so strange to him. They lived like another in so many ways, yet they looked nothing alike. Both were perfectly adapted to the environment. The rat’s fur blends into the dirty walls and machinery, and is a natural at hiding in the shadows. The boy’s skin, though pale, is covered with dirt and ash, and he is so skinny he can hide in the vents while he waits for the predators to pass.

The two exchange looks, and for a moment one could forget which was the feral animal. Both are scavengers, thieves willing to do whatever it took to make it through another day alive. They’ve eaten trash before, as well as any number of foul things they’ve had no qualms about digesting. Uncounted days have passed by, and neither have any idea as to their age. Parents where lost long ago, More than likely each has killed before. However, unlike the rat, the boy still holds onto some of his innocence, however buried it may be. Too often has found a friend of his dead, hunted down and killed for food. No, he will never be like that. He will never kill his own kind, even if would be the death of him.

Once more, the boy begins to reach out to grab the rat, this time far more cautious. Slowly the hand approaches, and the rat’s eyes never leave it. Suddenly, the boy strikes out! As fast as lightning, he reaches out with his other hand as fast as lighting, and plucks the rat off the ground. He grabs it behind the head, on the scruff of the neck to avoid being bitten once more, and soon he has the rat pulled up to his chest, holding tightly so that it won’t squirm or get away. But they boy isn’t trying to hurt it. He is careful not to hold it so tight it won’t breath. Several minutes pass, and it stops fighting back as the boy hums a little tune to it.

“We’re meant for here, you know,” he remarks to the rat. “We were made for this place. Those people, they complain about things breaking down, how the sky flickers and the stars stop shining sometimes. Sometimes, even the vents have poison in them, but they’re not supposed to. The machines, they’re broken, and they don’t always get fixed. Not like us. We live, we’re perfect. They don’t, they not perfect,” the child remarks, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. To him, it likely is.

“The nice man, the one in the robes who gave out food for free told me that the Golden Emperor is a god, and perfect. We were made in his perfect image, so that makes us perfect to. Even you I bet. He said god was perfect, so he made us, and that’s why only we can make more of us. Machines can make machines, and humans make humans. You make little yous too. But humans can make more machines, while machines can only make more machines. The nice man said it was because ‘perfection begets perfection, while imperfection can only imitate.’ I think it means we’re better than them. You’re better than them too.”

The rat jerks again, and makes another attempt to escape. The boy olds on tighter, refusing to let it go. Once more, it is pacified, and the boy lets go of his grip slightly. For someone so skinny, he is certainly stronger than his appearance lets on. The rats is still, though very much alive. The boy sits down, holding the small dog sized rat up to his chest. Slowly, he begins to use one of his hands to pet the rat, cuddling against it as a normal person their pet dog.

Suddenly, there is a large ruckus that can be heard. The sound of mettle banging on metal, and horrible inhuman screams. Guttural voices, speaking in languages so wapred and changed that they barely count as gothic anymore. Both the rat’s and the boy’s ears perk up and hear the vile noise. The rat is driven to a panic at the sound, and begins to lash widely at the boy. Unable to hold onto the rat without possibly injuring either the rat or himself anymore, the child lets go of the rat. It leaps away from him, and runs off into the night of the underhive. The boy is alone and scared, for the monsters are coming.

He runs away from the area where he cornered the rat in a panic. He must have been to late with the wound. They smelt the blood and were obviously coming for more. The boy wouldn’t let them take him though, he wouldn’t. No, the child had contingency plans for things like this, even if he didn’t know what the word contingency meant. He would never go too far from a hiding spot or safe place, not in this area. Too dangerous, far too likely one the monsters or gangers would find him. If they did, it would be a slow, painful death for the boy.

Oh shit! Jeff Origin story!

He sprints through alleys, climbing up fences and crawling on his fours as through crawlspaces. However, they keep chasing him, following his scent. It will not be long before they find him if he does not reach a safe place. He runs over wires and almost trips, but years of practice keeps him standing as he makes his way through the cramped underhive. This labyrinth offers no safety for the careless, and has been the death of more than one of his old friends. Some died when they were caught by gangers or monster, some eaten by beasts. A few truly unfortunate died of starvation, lost and unable to return to whatever counted as home for them.

Tired from all the running, and driven to fear by the mad crackling of the monsters, the child eventually finds his hiding spot. It was a backroom in an old hab building. It was likely used for some illegal purpose, but had long since been abandoned. The entrance was hidden in a back alley, on what counted as the “first floor” of the building. Truth be told, there was no first floor of anything in the underhive. The buildings here just kept going downwards and downwards and downwards, so far down that people who try to reach the bottom never return.

He carefully opened the secret hatch that allowed access to the room and closed it, sealing it shut. He prayed to the Golden God that they wouldn’t find him, that they’d just lose interest and go away. God, he begged, please don’t let them know about this room. Don’t let them find me. He then slumped down in the dark room, and waited for the monsters to pass. He prayed as he tried to wait them out, but found he was too scared to utter a sound. His voice having forsaken him, the boy clutched his legs and shook with fear. He didn’t want the monsters to find him. He didn’t want to end up like his friends.

The laughter and scream make their way to the alley. Only a thin wall of rockcrete stands between the boy and the source of his fears and misery. Their base, broken language can be heard through the walls. They call out, come out little prey. We won’t hurt you. We just want to have fun? Don’t you want to have fun? They coo and call, and ask nicely. The child just sits in the hiding place waiting, holding too his legs. They get bored, then angry. Come out! They yell. They scream and bang on the walls with metal, trying to scare the lost, frightened child out of his safe room. He holds himself tighter, and tries his best not to cry, not to run away where they’ll find him.

They cajole him even more, begging for him to come out and play. They know he’s tired and hungry. They offer food, and sleep. They’ll make sure he never has to worry about it again. It sounds too good to be true, the child says, it can’t be. But it sounds far too appealing. He almost wants to g for it. He’s so hungry, he just wants some food. He is stopped short though, when the monsters make the decision for him.

Their attention is turned elsewhere, and they leave the child alone. A bang of metal, a screech and a scream later and one of them says with his guttural tongue, “I’ve found something! It looks like fun!” There is an explosion of sound and movement, the sounds of blade on flesh can be clearly heard in the air. Horrible, gut retching noises can be heard. Hideous laughter and the jokes of the monsters pierce the child’s souls. The boy cries, and soon passes out from fear.

When he comes too, he listens for the monsters. Nothing can be heard, and all is silent save the mechanized hum of the hive. He waits there for a half-hour, until he’s sure that they’re gone. Unable to stand the wait any longer, the boy exits the hidden room, and searches for any sign of the monsters. He finds none, but what he does find horrifies him.

A rat, possibly the same from before, lies vivisected in the alley. It has been torn to shreds, and only from the few reaming part of its fur and skull can it be identified. Blood is everywhere, and small bones can be found in the strangest of places. A few lumps of meat can be found amongst the blood, but even in your hungry state you refuse to even think about touching it. This isn’t just out of due to the dead, but because you know when the monsters leave behind meat it isn’t because they’re careless, it’s because they’ve poisoned it and are hoping something will be stupid enough to take the bait.

The boy drops to his knees and begins to cry once more. It isn’t the first time he’s seen something like, and it won’t be the last. But the thought that it could be the rat from before, that rat he held in is very arms and cared about sickens him. He looks at the remains and says, “It isn’t right. We’re perfect, we’re not supposed to die.”

A realization hits him like a slap to the face. “No, that’s not it. We can be better. I can be better. I will make us better, so these imperfect things won’t ever hurt us again.”

The boy leaves, but now, he has a dream. Perfection.

Alright, story times over. What did you think?

I'm somehow betting this is our Seneschal's backstory.

Very well done as well.

>>12369653
I am 99% satisfied with this. There are a few spelling mistakes, but other than that it's great.

Confirmation on whether this is Jeff or not please?

Definitely explains Jeff's fixation on biology and his "improvement" of animals. I love it.

>>12369611
This here be the story of Jet, good sir.

>>12369694
Yeah, I typed this as I've been doing the quest today so I haven't had much time to spell check.

Anyway, I thought it was kind of obvious who it was about, given the clues I gave. But hey, maybe I was a little secretive with details. Go ahead and guess away, Make a theory, and If I like it I'll make it canon.

You enter the monstrous metal cave the H1256-J47 calls home. It is a truly bizarre realm of the mechanical and arcane, with stacked crates and machines everywhere. It seems as if the Magos doesn’t have time to unpack, or just doesn’t care enough to bother too. Off in the distance, Fluffy can be seen in his gigantic metal cage. A reassuring sight, yet you wonder what other smaller, yet equally dangerous could be running about. As much as you love your exploratory, there is now way he’s keeping his job if you get attacked by one of his weird experiments.

You wander around the room, searching for the mechanical man. There seems to be no end in sight to the places he could be hiding. Far off in the hidden maze of machines and crates you hear the sound of many animals, howling for freedom. Off to the right there seems to be a particularly large clump of machinery, where the hum of electricity can be heard from the machines. And of course, there is always fluffy standing tall, serving as a metaphorical skyscraper to this city of machines.

Where do you search first?
>Fluffy
>The animal cages
>The machine hub
>Hold your position
>Press a button

I'm a Rogue Trader! Adventure is my calling. Of course I go for the animal cages. Seeing the state of the experiments might give me a clue as to what makes Jeff tick.

>>12369771
Animal cages.

>>12369771

Hold position and bellow, "JEFF! This is the CAPTAIN."

>>12369639
The techpriest. I know it.

>>12369767
Well, I'm guessing Jeff, what with the affinity for animals and we haven't seen him under the robe so he might still have white skinf rom lack of sun.And the AdMech's creed is basically to seek perfection. Though most of them do so through machinery, this more biological view of Jeff's certainly fits if this is his background.

I just hope we can go to his homeworld one day and go shoot some of those monsters. Just because.

>>12369890
Given that he's a badass Explorator Magos now I say he's put those demons to rest. Probably turned the fuckers into servitors.

>>12369787
To the animal cages!

You decide to head off towards the animal cages. Perhaps by going there you can an insight in how H1256-J47 thinks? You search for a passageway to the cages, but you have no such luck. Look like you’re going to have to climb the mountains of crates and wayward machinery. The trip up is long and ardous, as there always seems to be one more crate on top of each one. It kind of reminds you of when you and the rest of the cell had to climb that mountain so your sniper could get a good shot on that ork warboss. You laugh at the memory of Sister Callie almost fell into the pit of quicksand on the way up. Damn, she was always so clumsy, but she certainly was funny. A shame what happened to her. Eventually, you make it to the peak of the hill of crates. You search the skyline for cages, and-

“Ofuckohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuckofuck!” H1256-J47 yells as he flies through the sky, a jetpack propelling him through the air. You wave at him in morbid curiousity as to what has him all riled up. The Techpriest sees you, and without bothering to stop or wave, screams, “BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!”

What the hell is he- HOLY SHIT THERES A SWARM OF MECHNICAL BEES CHASING AFTER HIM.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

>>12369915

Look for a flamer and cowboy the fuck up, it's BEE FIGHTIN' TIME!

>>12369915
Look for a flamer. My plasma pistol is worthless here. If nothing else, there's bound to be some form of Promethium aerosol. Tech-priests have kept weirder stuff before.

>>12369915
Are we carrying any weapons?

Please tell me we're carrying weapons.

If not, look around for something useful. Flares. Something that makes fire. A stick. Anything!

>>12369915
FLAMER
BURN AND PURGE BABY!

HOLY SHIT, THIS IS GETTING REAL INTENSE REAL FAST HERE.

H1256-J47 turns around and flies towards you, dipping low enough to grab you off the top of the crates and flies off with you. With his synthetic voice, he says, “I can explain everything.”

>>12369986

"FLAME GUN! NEED! WHERE? EXCUSES LATER!"

>>12369986
Good. Right now, though, we need a solution. I'm thinking FIRE.

>>12369994
“Right. Well, since they’re made of metal I don’t think that would work. Mainly because I already tried that, and then I had flaming bees chasing me for a while. Not as fun as it sounds,” he says in a completely calm manner. “However, I think if I bring them close to a really strong electric bug zapper I can kill them all. I just need some help.

>>12370018
"You're the man with the Jetpack. Your lab, your show. What do you need?"

>>12369986
This

Is the best fucking quest ever holy crap.
>>12369915

>>12370018
Happy to help, Jeff.

By the way, you wanted to see me?

>>12370018

"What do I need to do?"

Plan on having him welded to a bulkhead.

>>12370029
“Well, you see that little hub of machines over there?” he asks, indicating to a large grouping of machines of in the distance. “Over there is the “bug zapper” I need it turned on. The problem is, I’d have to land to do that, and that would result in be being stung by BEES. That is not something I want to happen. So how about I drop you off, and you turn it on while I distract them?”

>>12370068
"...I've worked with the Inquisition. There's no way it can be so simple. How long will the proper prayers to turn it on take?"

>>12370068

"Fine, do it and tell me how to turn it on en route"

>>12370068
Something tells me this won't be that easy, but we don't have much choice, eh? How do I turn it on?

>Captcha: bonors 275

...what else has he been working on?

>>12370085
“Proper prayers? That would imply that machine was legal enough to have proper prayers. Just go down there and press the button that says power,” he responds deadpan, as he drops you off. A second later, he zips of into the distance with the BEES chasing him, yelling, “Oh, and watch out for flying scorpions!”

>>12370068

If he's hybridized the honeybee and the Necron Attack Scarab we should have him fired out of a macro cannon.

>>12370117
So he's going to give me a signal right?

Also, Jeff just dropped a few points in stock for me. Fucking scorpions.

>>12370117
Tablet.

Tablet I love you.

>>12370117
I love and hate this man.

FIND POWER BUTTON AND PRESS

>>12370117

Run for the machine and decide these bastards are definitely going to have to learn how to send you a memo rather than you rucking up in person.

>>12370117

Flying scorpions...

...Whelp, I guess that's it. Press the button, then about face and prepare for your inevitable demise.

>>12370135
You sprint through the machines, running over boxes and strange wires link the computers and machines together. Several times you find yourself at a dead end. No time for that though, because H1256-J47 is relying on you. Still, a small part of you would try to kill the man after this is over if it wasn’t so much fun.

You search and search for the machine he pointed to while you were flying, but no such luck. Instead, you turn the corner and find a wall of balloons. Dangling below on strings tied to their abdomens are several scorpions.

FUCK

>Roll to see how this turns out, 1d100

rolled 60 = 60

>>12370220
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

SHIT

>>12370220
WAT?!?!?!?!!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!!?

rolled 33 = 33

Come on, low roll!

>>12370236
OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK

You instantly draw out your plasma pistol, and unleash a small volley of shots. However, you miss widely, and the only thing you accomplish is popping a couple balloons, which only pisses them off.

MAXIMUM FUCK

rolled 49 = 49

>>12370304
COVER FACE, HANDS, AND OTHER EXPOSED AREAS, RUN THROUGH THEM

rolled 57 = 57

>>12370304

Run around looking for the button.

rolled 36 = 36

>>12370304
Wait... so they're just floating there?

Walk around them. Or try to carefully push them out of the way to get to the button. Use our might arms of RELATIVELY GREAT LENGTH.

See... flame gun would have been helpful here.

>>12370304
You turn around and sprint, making a HEROIC retreat. You sprint around the labyrinth of metal, chased by angry flying scorpions, hell bent on ruining your day. Honestly, it was already kinda ruined, but this is just the cherry on top.

Then, suddenly, you see it! The “bug zapper!” However, the scorpions are closing in on you! You run for it, moving as fast as you can to press the power button. Roll to see what happens.

rolled 89 = 89

>>12370392
ROLLAN'

>>12370407
oh god why

>>12370407
FUCK

rolled 15 = 15

>>12370407
>>12370392

Ah HELL...

Not the face! Not the Hat!

rolled 46 = 46

>>12370392
FRY THOSE BUGS

If we survive this, we're deploying squads - no, FLEETS, SWARMS - of these things against our enemies.

>>12370407
With a mighty burst of speed, you lunge forward to press the button. But alas, your hat, given to you as a gift by Captain Cetus, falls off your head and is swarmed by the scorpions. Truly, it is lost forever…. But all is not lost, with the flying scorpions distracted you manage to press the power button. With a mighty hum of electricity, the machines boots up. However, what happens is not what you expect in the slightest.

The entire room goes dark. For a moment, your fear the entire ship has suffered a massive power failure as a result of the machine not having prayers done for it. However, to your great relief the other machines are still powered, meaning only the light have been turned off. Suddenly, the ceiling shakes as a sliding panel opens from the top of the room. Down from it descends… a ball?

A great ball of glass emits lights all around the room in a checkered pattern as it rotates like a planet. Suddenly you see through the miniature light the robot bee swarms flying up to the ball of light, only to be zapped and fried into oblivion when they get to close. As you stand there, mouth a gap in shock, completely dumbfounded, H1256-J47 lands next you and says, “What do you think of the disco ball? The navigator requested I make it for his party tonight.”

>>12370518
"It's fucking awesome.

But my hat's fucked now. Fucking scorpions."

>>12370518

"Jeff... Three things." With an almost unnatural calm in your voice.

"First, you are going to tell me what you wanted me here about."

"Second, you are going to explain why I shouldn't have you welded upside down to the wall of the enlisted latrine."

"Third, you are going to explain how you plan on replacing my hat."

"You may tell me these things in any order you like, but the explanation for all three must be VERY convincing"

>>12370540
“My apologies. Was bored, wondered what the application of flight technology to scorpions would result in. Will not repeat that particular experiment in the future,” the Explorator responds. He then asks, “I assume you want an explanation?”

>>12370559
SEE
>>12370578

>>12370578

I reiterate:

>>12370559

>>12370578
Yes. Yes I do.

Additionally, you will explain why I should not have you shot out of a cannon, and how you will go about replacing my hat.

>>12370596
“Well, I was trying to make a bee gun. You see, a bee gun shoots bees. At people you don’t like. I thought you might want one of those.”

>>12370667

Let the bee gun drop because it is fairly cool.

What did you want to see me about and when can I expect a replacement hat?

>>12370684
"Well, I had sent for you, so I could demonstrate the bee gun. Obviously, that didn't work out. As for the hat, the seneschal banned me from making hats."

>>12370667
"Well that sounds fine, but use some kind of IFF so the bees don't turn around and come at the guy who just shot them out of a gun, please."

>>12370704
...I'll have you ask you about that sometime.
I'm touched, really, but I hope this kind of thing doesn't happen too often in the future. I'm cool with your work, so long as it doesn't endanger the ship. Or the rest of the crew. Or me. Point is, be more careful, eh?

Anyway, I have some other stuff to attend to. See you at the party after the funeral.

>>12370704

You make a mental note to ask the Seneschal about that.

"Right... I've got a funeral service to get ready for. Make sure the seneschal gets the list of parts you need for repairs."

Go and get ready for you meeting with captain Cetus.

>>12370709
"Of course. Anyways, thanks for the help, and i'm sorry about the hat," he says in his nusual synthetic voice the leaves you unable to determine whether or not he's really sorry.

>>12370735
We'll let it slide. It was only a hat. A magnificent hat.

Anyway, we need to see Jet and then prepare a speech for the service.

After a day like this, you doubt you’re going to have many sweet dreams. You had tea with a creepy and possibly insane astropath who may by molesting you in your dreams, went to a rave attended by servitors, and got chased by flying scorpions. And your only half way through the day.

End Part 7

Alright, I'm done. Any questions for me? requests? Suggestions?

>>12370766
How does a Servitor attend anything?

>>12370825
By the power of music of course

Sooo... Our navigator hosts raves, Techpriest is professor Farnsworth that takes ideas from legorobot, we're banging something that can kill us and the sector around us with a thought...
FUCK YEAH BEST QUEST EVER

>>12370974
oh and also flying scorpions
lemme find that thread...

>>12370774
Please look at and consider >>12368034 >>12368111