You are Elesh Phryx, rogue techpriest and captain of the Sword class frigate 'Sword of the Omnissiah'. Standing at the head of your bridge's planning table, you look across at your assembled officers: Your XO, Athe; Voidmaster, Quein; Chief Enginseer, Advi; Master-at-Arms, Julin; and your Chief Navigator, Teris. The former slave, Kelly, stands behind Athe, a dataslate in her hands. With a grin, you conclude that you've gathered a merry little band of misfits over the past few months.

"We head out for Valkyria and get these xenos off my ship, though one will remain with us as payment for freeing the others. I can only hope that her skills will turn a profit for us down the road. We'll be taking on a temporary crew for 'Heavenly Forge', though we'll need to provide a captain for the crew. Advi, you'll be taking command, be sure that the crew become familiar with steering such a large vessel. You'll have several days to get them up to speed before we return."

You note Quein's minor flinch as you assigned Advi as captain, but your Chief Enginseer simply nods at your orders. "I believe that I can handle such a task, Captain."

>cont

Having privately informed Athe to acquire the additional information on Magos Grumman's missions, you dismiss the gathering. Athe and Kelly linger, as does a strangely stiff Quein. "Captain, a word in private?"

Athe and Kelly both excuse themselves, exiting the room as your scarred Voidmaster collects himself for something. "I'm not sure how to say this, Captain, so I'll be blunt. Are you sure Advi is a wise choice to captain 'Heavenly Forge'? She's great with the ship itself, but she lacks any experience running a crew." You study your Voidmaster carefully, noting his queer posture for such a statement. Perhaps he has something else on his mind?

>Response?
>Dismiss Quein, he's clearly grabbing for power
>Dismiss Quein, his worries are unfounded, but appreciated
>I don't have time for this, I want these Xenos gone! To Valkyria!
>other

Hell yeah actually here at the start for once.

Fuck yeah I'm ready for privateering.

>>18939811

we will listen to the concerns of our crew. we should tell Quein that his skills would be wasted on that ship as we could be jumping straight into some kind of foul xenos ambush or some other kind of danger, and that he is the only meatsack we trust to pilot our ship.
offer him the chance to 'make his case' as to why he would be a better choice, also if there is anything else he wishes to speak about.

Fuck yes, my favorite quest is back!

>>18939811
Dammit Quein, it's a factory ship. A tech priest is obviously better qualified to command the ship than you are. Perhaps if we get a second combat ship under our command in the future, you can be promoted to captain, but for now your skills are best put to use here.

Couldn't we have set Quien as captain of the forge and Advi as his second? I don't see why we would have set Advi as captain instead.

rolled 41 = 41

>Dismiss Quein, his worries are unfounded, but appreciated

>>18939904
I agree. We should probably send a normal officer along to act as a buffer between Advi and the crew.

Although we should probably introduce the crew of the factory ship to the machine cult anyway.

>>18939992
I dunno, I'd rather like to see what Advi would do if left to her own devices.

Six months out, half the crew is missing and there are servitors everywhere.

>>18940017
And the remaining half has turned to the gods of chaos because those can't possibly be worse than the monster in the red robe, right?

>>18940043
Well, the Sisters never specified in what condition we had to return the trainee crew...

>>18939992

dont forget that the crew are SoB serfs using our ship for training, NOT our actual crew, which we still have to aquire...

"Your concern is appreciated, Quein, but unfounded. Advi's skills are best suited to the operation of a factory ship. If we can acquire a second combat ship, you'll be my firs-"

"I've been offered my own ship, Elesh." Your Voidmaster levels his gaze upon you, but he quickly turns it elsewhere. "I know that I'm allowed to take my leave at any port, but... it isn't that I don't respect you, Captain. It's, too good to pass up, really."


>SON OF A BITCH
>This is me hating you to death, Quein
>WHO DARES TO... wait a minute...
>Quein

>>18940125
It was to be expected. The flesh is weak, after all.

>>18940125

congratulations on being offered such a position. we will miss your presence on the bridge and the skills you bring to our ship.
may the Omnissiah keep your new ship functional and in good condition.

then leave to begin serching for a new Voidmaster...

if he cares, he will stop us. if he doesn't, he will leave.

>>18940125
fuuuu-

Well, we might as well let him go freely. Better to have another pirate captain out there we can call a friend than an officer on our own ship who harbors a grudge against us.

>>18940125
*shrug*
Ok, good luck.
We will have to find a new voidmaster

>>18940125
"May your efficiency continue to increase on your new ship."

Hope to see you in the void some time soon, maybe we can help each other out then. Best of luck to you and the Omnissiah's protection upon you and your new crew. But before you go, might I ask what ship and why they're offering to pay you so much? Just don't want a friend taking a death trap of a mission for money or funds I could provide myself.

You shrug, noting the weakness of his flesh to its desires. "May your efficiency continue to increase on your new ship and the Omnissiah keep it functional."

Quein studies you for several long cycles of your cogitators, his eyes searching you for something. "I'll be on my way, then. Thank you for your time, Captain."

Word quickly spreads among the crew of Quein's departure, though it is whispered when officers are nearby. As a group gathers to wish your former Voidmaster farewell, a lone arms-woman approaches you with a large equipment bag. You vaguely recall the woman as the leader of the survivors that captured the xenos weaponry during their escape from the Dark Eldar vessel. "I'd also like to render my resignation, Captain." Noting your inability to actually prevent such an action, you simply shrug and wish her the blessings of the Omnissiah before she hurries to catch Quein before he departs.

Soon your ship has departed the orbital station of Serentus IV and heads toward the system's edge to jump to Valkyria. During the journey to Valkyria, you set about applying your possible ciphers to the ancient star charts recovered from 'Righteous Flame'. It is quickly apparent that one seems to be some sort of tidal chart, while the second appears to be an amalgamation of maps from before warp storms consumed the sector in ancient times. The third map is quite interesting, as you quickly determine the locations of three nearby systems that are currently unknown to Tortuga's maps. Though you are unable to locate a name for the nearest system, you are able to discover the names for the other two: Lor's Beacon and Hemrosa Sound. You sense profit within one of the systems, though you are unable to follow your intuition to a specific one.

>cont

So we need a voidmaster... And to find a way from our whole crew flowing off ship... How would our new eldar work our as a temp voidmaster? Or would the crew revolt over that one?

>>18940530
>Quein studies you for several long cycles of your cogitators, his eyes searching you for something.

Did he hope Elesh would beg him to stay?

>>18940530
Reconsider the idea of replacing any future losses with servitors.

Tearing back into real space, 'Sword of the Omnissiah' quickly reaches orbit over the planetoid death world of Kromvo. For several hours you linger in orbit, pondering if you should join your departing guests on their trip to the surface or simply wait for the one that shall remain to be returned by your shuttle's pilot.

>To the ruins, we might see something cool
>Screw that, people don't come back from those ruins!
>Screw that, I should do something useful
>I'd better do damage control on Quein's departure!
>other

>>18940609
I imagine he was at least expecting an emotional response of some sort, whether a request that he stay, or anger.

Silly meatbag.

>>18940609

he was slightly confused by your casual "eh whatever have a blessing of the Omnissiah" response.

>>18940632

TO THE RUINS!!! my cogitators sense adventure, cool meatsacks to aquire and a very subtle hint of archeotech...
what could possiably go wrong?

>>18940632
I'd rather avoid those ruins. If that's where the Eldar captives want to be left, there's no good that can come of going down there.

I'd rather look among our junior officers for anyone who could replace Quein, and consider venturing into one of those uncharted systems.

>>18940632
>>To the ruins, we might see something cool
Dooooooooom! So, no.

>Screw that, people don't come back from those ruins!
If a even a proper Magos gets lost in these, we should probably wait a few more years before we even think about going in there.

>Screw that, I should do something useful
Continue researching that lockbox.

>I'd better do damage control on Quein's departure!
Why the hell did one of the arms men we payed for get to decide to leave the ship without our consent?

>>18940663
Silly meatbag.

>other
We still need to thank Teris for the idea that saved our collective asses back on the pleasure world.

>>18940679
But we ARE delivering them home... Think it'd be fine if we went down in our own drop ship and took a peak to see if it's worth further investigating, or at best just to say we've been there and come back. Hell our pilots going to fly the, down and back so unless we think his face is gona melt off the second he lands I don't see a problem.

>>18940679

That is a valid point. We shall have the landing team make a quick sweep of the area then return with some information. While we tend to the moral of our crew.

Wow. Generally, when I'm absent from a thread, socially... "challenged" fleshbag-hater that I am, I expect us to be LESS likely to alienate the meatbags. Nice job, everyone.
You DO all remember we got the Natural upgrade largely so we could be a more efficient captain and leader of fleshlings, without being seen as an alien and unknowable monstrosity of metal, do you not?

>>18940632
Assuming the "yeah they don't care if you go down and they say there's nothing down there likely to kill you and use your arm as a toothpick" thing still holds true, ADVENTURE! Also ensuring our shuttle comes back, we aren't made of shuttles!

>>18940730
The armswoman left her gear, which is technically yours, then took her leave of your service. (you pay for equipping green armsmen, while recruiting experienced ones is more like luring them to your service with an up-front bonus)

-any- crew member of a pirate vessel is free to leave a ship's service at any port of call.

>>18940794
He presented us with a fait accompli. He didn't even ask before making his decision. I like to think going mechanicus-mode is Elesh's way of dealing with his sudden betrayal.

I'd rather stay on the ship and try to find a new voidmaster than go down to those ruins.

Last time we were planet-side with a bunch of Eldar, we lost an arm. Now maybe those were the spiky eldar instead of the "nice" eldar, but still I'd rather not repeat the experience.

>>18940899
Bu-buut... Xenotech! *drool* and cool drinking stories of survival where no one else has... I mean... How can you pass this adventure for beuocractic nonsense?

>>18940794
>>18940738

"Bob, would it be safe for me to send a few men down with your people? I'd like to gather a bit of information on the ruins for my personal data banks."

"I can not guarentee the safety of any Mon'Keigh... Captain. Though I doubt the guardians will attack our deliverers." Bob's xenos superiority complex really does fragment your cogitators.

>>18940875

our flesh brain can show it's concern later. a rousing speech for our crew!
you all know that our voidmaster has departed from our crew. This does not mean that our adventures are at an end. This is the first step in his new journey, while our journey starts a new chapter, what happens depends upon each and every one of you, the crew of 'Sword of the Omnissiah'...

>>18940948
Well, we *did* just find an opportunity for exploring whole new solar systems. That sounds like a better adventure to me. And we've got a hold full of xenotech weapons we looted from the DE that we haven't even looked at yet.

>>18940976
Rousing speeches to non-mechanicus personel is the job of our flesh brain. And I doubt it's operating with anything close to peak efficiency at the moment.

What kind of a fool would leave our crew at a time like this? Soon we shall lord about this sector like it ain't no thang. We just got a new ship.

Maybe he jelly.

>>18940967
Give Bob a camera or whatever it's called in 40k, tell her to make a few nice pictures and then let them go. I think Elesh had to deal with enough inflated egos for one day.

>>18940978
>Implying the Webway is not the Bestway.

>>18940794
Because I took the "we aren't made of shuttles" comment rather more literally than I should have, and because a comment about transformers in Steam leads inevitably to me messing up my cartoon themesong selection and defaulting to Captain Planet...

"Adamantium!
Plasma!
VTOL Jets!
Deuterium!
Heresy!

GO PIRACY!

With your elements combined I am Captain Shuttle!

Captain Shuttle, she's our hero,
Gonna take passengers down to zero! (Meters above sea level)
She's our elements combo-fied,
And she's fighting on the Emprah's side!

Captain Shuttle, she's our hero,
Gonna take passengers down to zero! (Meters above sea level)
Gonna help her smite asunder,
Various competitors for Loot and Plunder!

"YOO'LL PAY FER DIS, KAPTIN SHUTTLE!"

We're the Privateers,
You can joing our crew!
'Cause servin' the Omnissiah is the thing to do,
Lootin' an' recruitin' is totally the way,
Hear what Captain Shuttle has to say:

"BY THE POWER OF MAGOS GREYSKULL!!"

>>18941099
>By the power of Magos Greyskull

>mfw

>>18941099

i move to make this the privateer quest theme song.

You order a squad of armsmen to join the heavy lift shuttle down to Kromvo's ruins, instructing the men to recon and map the outer area of the site while Bob wishes her fellows farewell. After the pilot reports position in the pipe as five-by-five, you take your leave of the bridge. For an hour you speak with crewmembers and minor officers, partially seeking to limit any rumors over Quein's departure, but mostly seeking a replacement voidmaster for your crew. Finding only a minor amount of potential, you resign yourself to your quarters to investigate the box that irritatingly remains locked despite your best efforts.

"Captain to the shuttle bay. Captain to the shuttle bay. You'll want to see this, Captain!"

Hurrying to the shuttle bay, you arrive in time to see your relaxed armsmen exit the shuttle, followed by the pilot and Bob. At least you believe that is Bob, under the helmet and hooded robe. Your flesh brain attempts to salivate as you notice the strange rifle slung over Bob's shoulder, but you quickly attempt to salivate for another reason. The small, strange bag that your pilot carries protectively.

>roll 1D100, please
>investigate Bob's gear!
>investigate strange bag!
>question Armsmen!
>other?

rolled 21 = 21

>>18941508
>question Armsmen!
Ooooh, research data.

>investigate strange bag!
Could that be... dragon dildos?

rolled 55 = 55

>>18941508

from appearances, the trip was not entirely without interest. who would like to inform me of the events planetside?

>>18941569
>21
Let me guess, this was one of the "low is crap" rolls.

>>18941612

heh, I actually meant a D10 roll, but typo'ed.

its just a mini loot table. someone mind rolling a D10?

>>18941508
What's in the bag? What's in the fucking bag?

rolled 1 = 1

>>18941648

there you go

>>18941655
Nothing nice, I guess. >>18941658

>>18941673

you never know. 1 might be delicious archeotech... or a pet.... or a archeotech pet....

>>18941508
>Still dealing with the fallout of our recently-heroic officer leaving us
>Now we have a bunch of minions who may be the first humans ever to investigate this site and live, and the captain was to busy trying to open a box to go with them
We must have the best reputation ever.

>>18941569
It better not be a dusty mug full of dragon dildos.
Though I wouldn't put it past the Exodites...

>>18941580
>from appearances, the trip was not entirely without interest.
>"may be the first humans ever to investigate this site and live,"
I don't even.

>>18941711
Or an Eldar jack in the box. Maybe some nice glass pearls.

>>18941750

a bag of soul stones?
despite unlikelyness, it could happen...

The shuttle's pilot hurries over after spotting you, still cradling the bag protectively. "Captain! Something colourful gave this to me. I thought it was a statue at first, and I'd followed 'Bob' into the ruins a bit."
"You are fortunate that your life was spared, mon'keigh. The kiss was upon you." Bob's voice is disturbingly unchanged by the helmet that now covers her head, though you note a minor change in her body's size. "I was gifted items to fulfill my oath of service."

The pilot meekly looks between Bob and yourself as an uneasy silence lingers between you and the xeno. "I believe the colourful one wanted this delivered to you, captain. It handed the bag to me and then, umm, shoo'ed me back to the ship." You take the offered bag, opening it slowly to inspect the contents.

Strange crystals glitter within, seemingly producing a mild luminance of their own as you note small fluxuations move within. You struggle to place such a crystal within your encyclopedic banks, but draw a blank on several attempts.

>Ask Bob?
>Get pilot's name?
>Experiment with SCIENCE! ?
>lick the crystals
>other?

>>18941932
>We had the opportunity to meet a Harlequin who wanted to give us shiny presents
>We decided to stay behind and talk to idiots and fail at opening a box
I hate you all. So very, very much.

Get the pilots name, resign self to mockery, ask Bob for details.

>>18941932
>FOR SCIENCE!

>>18941932
Get the pilot's name and ask Bob what these are.

Btw. what kind of roll did we screw up when it came to Quein? Fellowship?

>>18941969
Elesh's just playing hard to get. Harlequins tend to show up more often than one likes once they've taken interest in a person.

>>18941999
rolls aren't everything.
characters can lose or gain loyalty or change their attitudes toward you based upon how you react to them or things they say/do

>>18941932

clearly this is a sign from the Omnissiah, we must get the pilots name for he shall be the pilot who shall steer us to fortune, fame and victory...
we should thank bob for looking after our crew. we should then ask bob if she knows anything about the crystals. if not then we should put them into storage in our personal quaters for study later as there is still the issue of a certain lockbox that is evading our demands...

>>18941932
I'd be inclined to do SCIENCE! but take Bob's advice into consideration.

Wouldn't want to blow our selves up or some such awful fate.

>>18942134

or end up imprisoned within a soul-stone while some eldar parades around in our body...

Get that pilot's name, and consider him for our new voidmaster.

Otherwise, glorious science awaits!

>>18942156
Pic related?

>>18941999
>"Captain, I've been offered a job as a ship captain, and it's a really good offer, and you just promoted someone else as captain of one of your ships despite my performance as acting-captain which was apparently heroic despite my needing counselling over how fucked up the situation was."
>"Ok, goodbye."
>"... Right."
>.
>.
>.
>"So, was it our fellowship roll we messed up?"

There are no words, no images, no deeds that can describe my reaction to this.

>>18942096
Ever thought of implementing a tiny idiocy buffer to account for the fact that not all of us can be in the thread all the time?

>>18942314
I might have interpreted OP's post incorrectly, but I thought he had already decided to leave at that point.

>>18942314
Such is life serving under a techpriest.

"I haven't the faintest clue what kind of crystals those are. The harlequins exist on their own for the majority of time. I assume that they have some sort of use to a metal mon'keigh, or perhaps are a joke at your expense." The pilot sinks at Bob's words, specifically the posibility of the gift being a joke at your expense.

"What is your name, pilot?"
"Dess, Captain." A grin spreads across the woman's face as you study several repaired sections of her void suit. She's either seen combat recently or has taken up a dead crewman's voidsuit. Perhaps she has what it takes to replace Quein...
"I'll be keeping an eye on you, pilot. I sense potential. Now report to the officer's mess and get yourself a good meal, I believe we require a new flight leader."

Dess takes a moment to soak in her promotion before running off, likely to inform some friend of her promotion. "May I also retire... captain?"
"What was that?"
"May I also retire?"
"Speak up, Bob."
Bob takes a deep breath, calming her frustration at your game. "May I also retire, Captain?"
"Thank you for looking after that pilot, Bob. You may retire."
"I'd have watched that foolish mon'keigh take the kiss and not reacted at all, Captain."

You really need to do something about that attitude of Bob's...

>orders?

>>18942354
the hidden loyalty stat -is- that buffer.

Quein's loyalty was admittedly the lowest of all the officers, but it was barely keeping him on board.

>>18942411
Losing 99% of their race to the warp god of RAPE hasn't helped with their species' attitude.
I think we'll need to get creative.

>>18942411
Get our officers' opinions on Quein leaving the ship.
Make it clear to them we'd like to hear it when they're unhappy before they decide to leave.
Also try to get to know them a bit bitter, we know next to nothing about anybody other than Athe.

>>18942411
Let's enlist Bob as a research assistant in our inquiries into the crystal. Should help guarantee she isn't holding back anything about possible hidden dangers if she's right there exposed to it when we're experimenting on it.

>Loyalty stat in a nutshell

loyalty is basically used as a "save" that prevents characters from exiting your service (unless something extraordinary happens), plotting to betray you, or other things of that manner.

Loyalty caps at 90% normally, but special events may push a certain character's loyalty cap higher.

Characters also have loyalty to other characters, which may cause them to follow another's mutiny or rat them out before they can make their move.
(Example: the armswoman leaving with Quein; Kelly currently being more loyal to Athe than Elesh)

No, you will never know current loyalties of characters, but you should be able to estimate it roughly, if I do my job correctly.

>>18942411
>mfw I just realized we've managed to assemble a bridge crew of entirely girls
Never change, /tg/...

>>18942584
Nobody's loyal to Elesh ;_;

Advi would clearly choose the mechanicus.
Athe prefers Kelly.
Julin has had barely any character development so far, so she's just a dice roll away from rebellion.
Bob doesn't even know the word for loyalty in gothic.

>>18942411
We should leave bob alone for the night. After all, we still have THAT LOCKBOX to deal with...

>talk to officers
>experiment on crystals

what would you like to order the ship to do?
Return to Serentus and 'Heavenly Forge'?
Explore the new unnamed system that is now a jump away?
other?

note that you CAN contact Advi via astropath if you change your plans.

>>18942699
Actually, all of your female bridge crew had a major + Loyalty event, Aquari.

>>18942719
Let's head for that unnamed system. High adventure awaits!

If if proves to be profitable and relatively safe, we can message Advi to join us with the factory ship.

>>18942719
Personally take care of the repairs to the flight leader's void suit.

>Advi
Is she doing anything profitable with that ship while we're away

>>18942740
Good to know. I'm surprised Quein accepted his own command after the events on and around that planet.

>>18942719
What sort of tech priestess would we be if we didn't experiment on the crystals? Experiments up in this motherfucker!

And chart a course for the unexplored system. Profit and glory awaits!

>>18942411
>"I haven't the faintest clue what kind of crystals those are. The harlequins exist on their own for the majority of time. I assume that they have some sort of use to a metal mon'keigh, or perhaps are a joke at your expense."
Assuming the Xenos isn't lying to us, we can probably rule out Soulstones (or as we apparently know them, Dreamstones), and given the flashyness, I'm thinking possibly some sort of power source/battery. This would have been a good thing to ask the Harlequin, but oh well...

>>18942699
I'm pretty sure Athe is (or was) loyal to Elesh.

>>18942454
>I think we'll need to get creative.
>Cegorach: What colour do you think Dark Eldar skulls are?
>MachineSpirit: a sort of pale, semi-translucent version of normal bone
Surveillance Servoskull designation Crystal Ball is go. We can tell Bob it used to belong to one of her captors and that we're assigning it to be her method of contacting us and a way to ensure no crewmembers decide to get rid of the Xenos for the Emprah because the irony amuses us.

We do have a couple of jobs waiting for us, people... Those systems aren't going anywhere, but Imperial control of the Sector might be.

>>18942719
How much time do we have to complete the missions for the SoB?

>>18942931
SoB mission: Train Crew
Time left: 2 months

Magos Grumman Raiding mission: 3 weeks until target arrives in sector

Magos Grumman trading mission: no limit

>>18942993
How long would it take to survey the nearby system we found on the charts?

Would there be enough time to do so and still intercept that target for Magos Grumman?

>>18943021
you estimate that you'll have a two week window to strike the target transport once it arrives in the sector.

The time required to jump to the unexplored system would be just under a week, barring any unexpected road bumps

>>18942921
>This would have been a good thing to ask the Harlequin, but oh well...
Yeah, because Harlequins are know for giving mon-keigh straight answers.

>>18942993
We should do some recon on potential ambush spots for the target, set up some traps and devise a stratagy for boarding and capturing their ships. If we can't keep them, we could melt them down and make new things...

>exploration!

3D100 for SCIENCE! (low is good)
1D100 for WARP TRAVEL (high is good)
2D100 for Auger Scans (low is good)

rolled 25 = 25

>>18943456
One roll for SCIENCE!

rolled 62 = 62

>>18943456
First roll for science!

rolled 75 = 75

>>18943496
Omnissiah damn you, it's SCIENCE! not science,

rolled 55 = 55

>>18943456
rollin' for warp travel

rolled 45 = 45

>>18943456
Augers

rolled 83 = 83

>>18943456
another for augurs

>dem rolls
Why you do this, Tzeentch?

>>18943590
For intreague?

>>18943590
BECAUSE.

>>18943590
Because we accepted a filthy xenos into our crew, abandoning the Emperor's light.

NAVIGATIONAL HAZARD!

1D100 to Evade! (low is good)

>>18943670
I'm letting someone else roll this one. My "dice" are cursed by the ruinous powers tonight.

rolled 34 = 34

>>18943670
I predict bad times.... with another spacehulk... probably

>>18943712
Could be worse.

It takes a short while to gather your officers around the bridge's plotting table once more, though there is a distinct air of unease. "I'd like to know how you all feel about Quein's departure, and I'd like to know before any of you choose to take your leave. Speak freely." Athe and Julin exchange a look as Teris raises an eyebrow directly at you before speaking. "I fail to see how one can inform you we have chosen to leave before we make the choice. I see the warp, not the future."

"I believe the Captain meant to inform her should we become unhappy with our term of service, not after such feelings have lingered for weeks, Teris." Athe smiles pleasantly at the navigator before turning to Julin. "You knew him best, Julin. What's the word?"

Your master-at-arms drums her fingers upon the planning table before responding. "Quein always wanted to be a captain, and he may have believed his standing in Elesh's eyes too low for such a promotion under her command. I can't blame him for taking the offer if it was a good one, though. Did you happen to get that information from him, Captain?"

"He seemed nervous, but did not mention the offer's details, simply its existance. I believed his mind already decided, so I wished him the Omnissiah's blessings."

"Perhaps you read him wrong, Elesh. He may have been conflicted on taking the offer. Regardless, the matter is in the past. We can only hope that he is still our friend when we next meet." All present nod in agreement with your XO.

>cont

The matter concluded, you dismiss your officers and begin your investigation of the strange crystals.

Your initial findings are quite promising, and you quickly learn that the crystals are perfectly suited to be used in potentia coils and other such energy conversion applications or superconductor needs. Concluding your initial research into the latent properties, you attempt to alter the crystal's form. High temperatures cause the sample to become malleable, but your experimentation eventually destroys a small sample of the specimen. Finally, your attempts to propagate the crystal and acquire a larger supply fail miserably, and you quickly exhaust all theoretical means of growing additional samples. Frustrated by your final results, you decide to catch some sleep before arriving at the unexplored system.

'Sword of the Omnissiah' suddenly radiates a strange calm as it nears its destination, and Teris reports seeing a strange warp creature that seems to ride the ship's warp wake. How peculiar.

>cont

The transition back into real space nearly ends your adventure as you emerge at the edge of a vast asteroid field. Struggling to pilot your ship thru the chaotic field of rock, you listen to Athe's reports from the auger arrays as your mind is completely occupied with preserving your ship. Eventually you clear the worst of the debris, emerging several hours later within the erratic sphere of deadly rock. Augers struggle to filter the massive amounts of debris present within the system, but Athe soon has the calibrations altered to reveal a nearly perfect image of the system.

A massive blue star rests at the center of the system, surrounded by several layered spheres of erraticly orbiting asteroids. Nestled within the second and third debris spheres is a small planet with an oxygen-rich atmosphere. "Captain, there is something orbitting the second moon of that planet. Its small, perhaps 4 or 5 kilometers." Athe's eyes meet yours as you both have a shared thought. 'Profit'

>orders?

>>18943968
Approach the object of interest cautiously. Might not be anything in this system but let's be sure this isn't some kind of ancient trap to lure someone in.

rolled 47 = 47

>>18943968
We must gather more information on this object. Also prepare a boarding team.

>>18943968
It would seem a closer investigation is in order.

>>18943968
Have the crew prepare the guns as we approach.

It might be a derelict we could loot, but it's just as likely to be a foul xenos warship or a rogue trader who knew of this system.

>>18944054
We're 1.6K, an escort-class. It's 4-5K on some dimension, which if we assume is length would equate to an Imperial Light Cruiser or Cruiser, either of which could well be armed with a weapon capable of destroying us in one shot.
Personally, I'm more worried about our shields and engines than weapons.

Though on the bright side, if all goes well this system with its debris will make a very nice place to mine. After we get the Sisterhood off our mining ship.

...Oh shit. We got here by charts we got from a Genestealer tainted Rogue Trader. NOT GOOD.

"Helm, plot an intercept course. Athe, I want that object identified before it can decide that we're a target. Crew to battlestations until further notice."

Mentally activating the battlestation klaxton, you ready your crew to flee or fight this unknown foe. Several hours later, Athe hoots with delight. "She's a hulk, Captain! I'd call her a Dauntless class, but we likely won't be able to tell for sure until we have visual range."

Releasing your crew from their stations for the time being, you relax as your ship nears the hulked ship. "No energy readings from the ship, and I'd venture to say her spine took a solid hit at some point during her death."

The twisted ship eventually emerges from the black void as 'Sword' draws along side the massive ship. Likely styled after the dauntless class light cruiser, this ship seems to have several major differences. Instead of a prow lance weapon and macrobatteries along her sides, this ship seems to have a dorsal weapons battery and a pair of what appear to be launch bays. Gutted by several devastating strikes to her port side, the ship orbits the largest of the planet's moons.

"She's completely dead, Captain. Should we send boarding teams to investigate or try to get her systems running?"

>orders?

>>18944498
I say send a team on board to investigate. Guess we're going to need to need to promote someone else to captain eventually, depending on how busted up this one is.

>>18944356

yes, charts from a sealed container on a ship lost to the universe since the Gothic War

Everyone -must- know about this place!

>>18944498
Boarding parties away!

Have them investigate the hulk to see if it could be made spaceworthy again. If so, we can call in the factory ship and set about working to patch her up. All those asteroids should provide ample raw materials for whatever parts may need to be fabricated.

>>18944551
No, knowledge of it is probably rare or non-existent, which is why I'm worried there may be genestealers somewhere in the system.

>>18944529
>We tell Quein we'd prefer to give him a combat vessel command than a Factory Ship.
>He decides not to wait and goes off to be a captain somewhere else
>We find a Light Cruiser
PIC RELATED.

>>18944498
That's an odd configuration. Still, me likey.

The real question is how this light cruiser ended up being reduced to a floating hulk.

Was it destroyed by the cruiser we got the charts from after it was taken over by genestealer cults? Was it attacked by a yet-unseen enemy?

I dunno, but I'd rather not let our guard down entirely just yet.

Your boarding teams plumb the hulk for any signs of repairable systems or lootable artifacts.

"I'd say they evacuated her at some point, Captain. Perhaps they recovered what they could before abandoning the system. As for the ship, I'd say she was something else before they turned her into a war ship. We think we found what was originally a transport's main cargo hold. I doubt we'll be able to get her under way on our own." reports Julin.

"Captain, I believe that the strange spheres of debris are the remains of at least a dozen planetary bodies." reports Athe.

"The unnatural spheres of debris do help explain why this system has never been discovered. Few would venture past the warp storms that conceal this location without a visible star as a target in reals pace." Teris seems exhausted from piloting your ship to this system.

>roll 1D100 to analyze boarding team reports
>orders?

>>18944832
better question. what are the chances that anything that jumps us is going to have something of value. because always assuming an ambush in this situation is smart

rolled 32 = 32

>>18944895
Analyzing.....analyzing....

>>18944895
>also, this is a HIDDEN roll. high/low is randomly rolled for on my end. you won't be informed on it.

>>18944895
>I'd say they evacuated her at some point
Scan the nearby planet. Perhaps the crew of this ship managed to make it down to the surface.

If there are any survivors, or descendants of the survivors, we might be able to get a sense of what happened here.

>>18944910

Condensing the reports of the boarding teams as they return from their exploration, you estimate that the hulked ship will require four months of dedicated repairs, though you'll require a docking station to repair the ship's warped spine.

>>18944995

The nearby planet has an oxygen rich atmosphere and a generally temperate climate. A five degree axis tilt relative to the system's star results in an inverted seasonal cycle for the planet's polar regions. The northern polar region is dominated by a series of massive craters roughly matching the size of several methods of lesser exterminatus, or perhaps a shattered natural impact. The only life forms upon the planet are highly primitive, and there are no discernable sentient life signs upon the planet.

we should focus on finding out what happened to it right now.
Searxh for logs, scan the area etc.

>>18945000
Let's explore the planet and fly around the system a bit to be sure there aren't lurking pirates/xenos/lovecraftian horrors, then signal to Advi to bring in the factory ship and get to work on this light cruiser.

>>18945089
Definitely need to get an idea on what happened on the ship. Don't want any genestealer surprise.

>>18945080
Somehow I have a bad feeling about this system.

Definitely investigate the fuck out of this ship before starting repair operations. Check out the damaged portions and see if we can tell what sort of weapon did this to the cruiser.

>>18944895
>"Captain, I believe that the strange spheres of debris are the remains of at least a dozen planetary bodies." reports Athe.
Well. I expected they were not natural, given the whole ASTEROID BELTS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY thing, but... A dozen planets?!?!

>>18944900
"Remember, you cannot ambush a Space Marine. They expect treachery at every turn. The most you can do is confirm their suspicions."

>>18945098
Right up until "then signal" this seems like a good idea. I'd rather not bring in the factory ship till there are no Sisterhood-lovers on it. You know, keep our secret base secret.

>>18945089
>>18945183
>>18945112
Agreed.

Further scans of the system reveal debris suggesting a massive battle in this system's past, though what remains of the shattered hulks mostly lie broken along the second asteroid sphere. Analysis of a minor data bank from the hulked light cruiser suggests that the craft was lost near M33, nearly 11,000 years past. You suspect that the ship was destroyed by a combination of macrobatteries and lance strikes after an intense external investigation.

So far as you and your officers can tell, this system was likely lost shortly after the majority of the Corgus sector was engulfed within massive warp storms shortly after initial colonization attempts during M32. There are no obvious signs of any hostile craft, or life signs besides the primitive life upon the lone planet.

It strikes you that you may be the first living beings within this system in thousands of years.

>>18945354
if you prefer, the asteroids could be filled with warp energy.

>>18945361
All I'm reading is $$$$ $$ $$$$.

>>18945361
>11 thousand years old
Interesting. Definitely going to want to salvage the craft then. Even if it will need substantial repairs, the parts that are left should be of exceedingly fine workmanship.

The fact that there aren't any signs of organic acids or other such 'nid related weapons damage makes me feel pretty confident we won't be sending our men into a deathtrap.

>>18945464
Machine Spirit's first in-thread mention that this quest is set in M43/M44, around 2 millennia after the current time period, and you don't consider that important?
Though I do admire your dedication to profit and exploitation.

>>18945361
So, we should probably tow the other ships closer in, and go over them for loot, salvageability, and who the battles were between.
Also, I'm suddenly wishing our entire crew had Volitor Implants. A pity, but such is the price of working with weak flesh...

>>18945488
Why on Mars would there be nid-weapon-damage?

>>18945354
Well, if we don't bring in the factory ship, we'll either have to postpone salvage operations for some time or miss out on the chance to raid that convoy for Magos Grumman.

>>18945607
Postponing operations sounds better than letting a bunch of resource-starved Imperial Authorities who are only tolerating us because we're of some use to them find out about this system.
Especially since some of them are AdMech, who would likely murder an Inquisitor to get their hands on this kind of salvage.

>>18945596
>Why on Mars would there be nid-weapon-damage?
Well, a hulked ship floating in a mysterious devastated system on the edges of explored space, found with charts from a ship overrun by genestealers... you can see why I might be concerned.

>>18945596
only the first hulk is intact.

all other detected 'hulks' are shattered bits of ships that have been deep in asteroid clusters for thousands of years...

>>18945607
bringing in your factory ship would provide the Sororitas' navigators with the location of your discovery.

You have 3 days to spend in this system before you should jump back to Valkyria, if you wish to participate in Magos Grumman's raiding mission.

>>18945645
Not really, since a) there would have to be someone here for the genestealers to fight, which seems unlikely, and b) even if there was they had infested a rogue trader ship, which would mean they'd be using human weapons, being infiltrators and all.

>>18945642
I suppose if this ship has sat undisturbed for thousands of years we can let it sit for a few more weeks while we run this mission with relative surety that it will still be there when we get back.

>>18945674
Definitely interested in joining the raiding mission.

Having the favor of Magos Grumman could come in handy when the time comes to refit this cruiser hull.

>>18945674
Survey as much of the debris field as possible to see if there's anything worth salvaging from the wreckage when we return from our raid.

>>18945674
>You have 3 days to spend in this system before you should jump back to Valkyria, if you wish to participate in Magos Grumman's raiding mission.

CAPTAIN SHUTTLE, AWAY!

>>18945854
Seconding. Let's visit the ship personally.

Athe sighs as you order three days of auger scans for additional ship hulks within the asteroid spheres. "Elesh, perhaps we'd be better off locating resource asteroids or deposits on the planet or moons? Or perhaps locating a suitable asteroid or location to base a repair station in the future?"

>continue with 3 days of scanning for ship hulks?

>>18945917
Well that would be nice. Give Athe leave to scan as she feels best.

But while she's running those scans, let's have a little trip over to the light cruiser hulk.

>>18945917
Let's have the scans focus on mapping the system so we can not nearly die next time we come here.

>>18945880
We will walk among the glories of the past, and see history enshrined in lifeless void.

>3D100 rolls for augers
>1D100 rolls for personal inspection

rolled 17 = 17

>>18946017
roll 1

rolled 92 = 92

>>18946053
...and another

rolled 25 = 25

>>18946017
Rolling for augurs.

rolled 37 = 37

>>18946017
One last roll.

rolled 72, 49, 39, 99 = 259

Here we go!

Dess is more than happy to shuttle you over to the hulked ship with a team of enginseers. The curious pilot joins your team as you make your way toward the ship's main plasma reactors and drives. Along the way you note that the ship's life support systems have been destroyed outright in several locations. Over the course of a half dozen different trips, you conclude that the ship's main drive has only taken minor damage, though the reactors appear to have burned the last of their fuel long ago. Pleased by this discovery, you retire to your quarters on 'Sword' to rest your exhausted flesh after three days of hard labor.

>System has been mapped! Warp travel to this system is now easier! Navigational Hazards in system are now known!
>auger malfunction prevented location of suitable base location
>Mineral sites detected! Will be added to system summary for next thread.

>calling it here, folks!
>next thread on Thursday @ 8:00-8:30 PM, EST.
>usual Q&A for a bit
>You guys want to name this system or shall an NPC come up with something?

>>18946283
>naming the system
I'm pretty sure only one or two of us are still awake, so perhaps leave that for the start of next thread?

>>18946346

for the best, I imagine.

Hopefully they'll read it in the archive and think about it before thursday, eh?

>archived

>>18946283

Elesh's Rest

It's going to be our base and hideaway after all

>>18946371
>Elesh's Rest

planning to die here?

>>18946387

Didn't think of that... so it wasn't a good name after all

Captcha has a suggestion:
Ernbas Succession

What's Elesh Norn's palace in New Phyrexia called anyway? We can use that. I do remember a Chancellor of the Annex, So how about Elesh's Annex?

>>18946371
Elesh's Shield?

rolled 63, 40, 66, 33 = 202

>>18946283
Do we know anything more about the planet other than it has primitive life on it?

>>18946456
"The nearby planet has an oxygen rich atmosphere and a generally temperate climate. A five degree axis tilt relative to the system's star results in an inverted seasonal cycle for the planet's polar regions. The northern polar region is dominated by a series of massive craters roughly matching the size of several methods of lesser exterminatus, or perhaps a shattered natural impact. The only life forms upon the planet are highly primitive, and there are no discernable sentient life signs upon the planet."

>>18946456
consider the planet to be fairly earth-like in climate, but with a larger axis tilt and a higher oxygen content in the atmosphere.

>>18946469
Ah ok seems like the perfect place for a summer home...or the perfect place to set up a Colony with factories to fuel our pirate schemes