Is the shuttle takes off Praetus collapses into an empty jump seat and gives his blades a thorough check before the Slaught shakes take over. then he waits for them to pass.
Hitting the button caused the shuttle to launch with a ferocious kick, driving the acolytes back into there seats for a short period. The viewscreen showed the wall of the hive crumple inwards with a sudden jerk, and then the whole section collapsed inwards with a sharp motion.
The shuttle ran through several possible sites, crossing them off one by one due to problems at the other end. Eventually, only the orbital dock facility is left, and the shuttle heads towards it on a column of flame driving it into the atmosphere.
Before it can arrive at the facility, the shuttle receives another code. The machine spirit clicks and confirms - Inquisitorial Override Accepted. The shuttle changes course with a flick of its thrusters and approaches a ship on the far side of the docks. All in all the shuttle flies for two hours before approaching an Imperial Ship, a cruiser-sized vessel. Those familiar with the Inquisition recognize the Manifest Destiny, a warship used heavily by there Inquisitor.
Invited onboard, the acolytes are met by a large man with a number of equally large weapons strapped to there polished red carapace armour. Staring at everyone for a moment, he said, "For thems as don't know, I'm Skull, the Inquisitor's man. For them as do know - report. What the bloody hell happened down there? You was meant to confirm reports of cult infiltration and next we hears half the hive is imploading."
Lothar stands rigidly to attention to leave Erkhan report to his superior.
As the locations are crossed off, Vasyl looks on with interest, removing his gas mask and hood of his environmental suit.
Nothing to be done now. We either get clear of the hive - or we don't. This orbital dock looks promising.
He is pleasantly surprised when he sees the cruiser.
So, definitely Inquisition.
And notes the many large weapons of Skull.
Definitely an enforcer, a right hand man type.
Vasyl offers his hand for Skull to shake and replies with a smile:
"Vasyl Zima, civilian. Willing and able to smoke traitors before they smoke me."
"A wise mindset, very efficient." the armed man nodded. "Does not answer why a large chunk of Hive vanished with what was described as a..." He looked at a dataslate. "A loud sucking noise followed by the screams of tortured machine spirits and metal."
Aenarius wasn't an officer. He wasn't even an NCO. He knew a sh&tstorm when he saw one. Putting on his best 'blank stare' that all troopers learned, he did his utmost best to not draw attention to himself while looking like he wasn't trying to do just that.
Erkan was the last to board the shuttle, ensuring they were all on board. As they rocketed into the sky and away from the collapsing reactor, Erkan fell back into a chair and offered a prayer to the God Emperor.
-----
Erkan steps out of the shuttle and finds Skull standing before them. Though exhausted from the day's conflicts, Erkan stands to attention as is the way of one raised in the Schola Progenium, offering the sign of the Aquila, and bows his head in respect. At Skull's question, he takes a moment to process the chaos that had transpired. Stepping forward slightly, he speaks, calmly and clearly.
"In the first few days planetside, I had uncovered several clues and leads to possible cult activity. I was heading to link up with the other acolytes investigating wuej a massive surprise assault was launched on the defenses of the Hive, with precise, coordinated strikes at multiple targets. A corrupted Titan was used to breach the Hive wall, allowing accursed forces of the daemonic horror Nurgle to descend into the great square before the Basilica Decus. I reunited with Corporal Laetus on the edge of the square, where he was part of a hastily assembled defense. These others here with me were part of that defense. We fought our way to the nearby Arbites precinct, where we linked up with more defenders.
There we learned that the attack had been exceptionally well organized, and they were managing to jam communication throughout the hive. With little ability to reach any of the Lord Inquisitor’s other agents, I decided as a servant of the Emperor that such communication was vital to the defense of the Hive and we set out to destroy one of their jamming vessels. On the way, Corporal Laetus gave his life to stop a cowardly planted bomb from eviscerating the lot of us. After that, we were able to catch their vessel jamming communications at the core of the hive and detonate it.
In the escape from our strike on the traitor target, comms returned and we heard reports of critical damage to the Atmospheric Processing Secondary Reactor and an evacuation of the area had been called for. Worried that some manipulation of the atmospheric systems could be part of the traitors’ plans, Magos Bahrenfahrer suggested that he might be able to stabilize the system, and so we felt we must act in the best interest of the Hive, Emperor be blessed. The Magos lead us to the Reactor facility, where we came into conflict with one of the unhallowed fallen Astartes, one who had been corrupted by the powers of Nurgle. With the Emperor’s might, we were able to fell the accursed beast.
Reaching the control chamber, we witnessed a squad of Nurgle-infested terminators accompanied by a unique Astartes that neither bore the colors nor blighted corruption of the others, discussing their plans. Unaware of our presence, we were able to use the internal comms system of the facility to listen to them. The larger ones referred to the other as “Warsmith”, and in turn it referred to the leader of the blight-cursed as “Gardener”. The Warsmith gave the Gardener vials of some technovirus as payment for their work in assaulting the Hive and helping it gain some information. The Warsmith said he was heading to a lost station, one he had previously saved. The Gardener intended to unleash whatever warp-spawned chemical it was on the populace, turning it into some unholy paradise.
With the dual threats before us, and no ability to assault them in an outright firefight, we determined the best course of action was to bring down the reactor on top of them, stopping their ability to infuse their chemical into the Hive’s whole air supply and possibly stop this Warsmith from reaching its goals. The magos was able to manipulate the reactor thusly, and as it collapsed, we defeated several other traitors and commandeered their shuttles. Thus, Emperor be praised, we now stand here before you."
"Bloody hell, you spare the words like a stubber spares bullets," Skull rubbed his jaw with a gloved hand. "Still, sounds like you all did the smart thing. Taking out a traitor Marine, even a wounded one? Impressive. Knowing not to charge a bunch more? Even more so. The Emperor, and therefore the Inquisitor, thrown on wasting the Imperium's resources. That includes your lives."
Shaking his head, he added, "Alright, alright. You did well enough. Head to quarters, and show them as has no bunk where they can kip. I'll give fill her nibs in on what happened, and she can see to you herself."
~~~~~
A day passed, food delivered to the rooms by tactirun crew members. Dataslates with books and holovids allowed a certain level of boredrom to be ignored, but requests to find out what was happening or to communicate with others were put off with,'When the Inquisitor allows'.
Finally, Skull appeared again. "The boss has requested your presence." He scratched his head. "Technically speaking, I suppose that means you can say no, but I takes you for people with wits rather than a large calibre hole in the brainpan."
Vasyl is delighted.
Not only has he not been gunned down, put in chains, or thrown into a plascrete cell, he is getting decent grub *and* reading material.
Time to hit the books.
Vasyl will request any technically-orientated material he can get his hands on. Aside from that, primers on any topic he can. Warfare, economics, politics.
When Skull arrives, Vasyl grins.
"Yes, of course. Please, lead the way to the boss."
Aenarius follows, a bit less pleased. This was the inquisition! The bloody inquisition! Most likely the Inquisitor was going to say that they were exposed to the great enemy and that they’d have to be turned into servitors for the sake of their souls. He didn’t want to be a servitor...but what choice did he have? With his heart threatening to jump out of his throat, the arbriator followed.
The Magos grins internally as he realises his talents may finally be appreciated. He takes the opportunity to rest and examine the systems that he can during the break.
Initially Lothar had expected redeployment or debriefing in short order so kept his bags ready to move out at a moments notice while he checked over his wargear.
After a while it seemed redeployment or debriefing might take a while as those on the ship had matters of greater import to deal with. Lothar like an sensible guardsman took the opportunity to make sure he was rested up and smoked away on his pipe while reading.
"I gladly will accept the invitation." Buttons and boots now shone once more with reflected light having been cleaned and polished several times in case of such an invitation. He had no intention of making a show of the Imperial Guard or Kinog.
Praetus is dumbfounded buy the situation, his training was designed to ready him for any situation, however an opportunity to serve the Inquisition seems to have rocked him more then direct conflict with agents of Chaos.
He readies his gear and himself, lost in this ritual the day passes quickly for him.
"My life is service to the Empire" he moves to follow Skull
After showing the others to the various rooms available to them, Erkan returns to his own spartan quarters. He drops his kit and kneels before the small shrine he had established upon first being assigned the room. After an hour in prayer, thanking the Emperor for His blessings throughout the day, Erkan returns his equipment to the ranks on the near wall. He spends time cleaning each of his firearms, then polishes his sword, placing it in the hanger above the shrine. Finally, he commits the events of the encounter into the cogitator mounted in the desk, then uploads them onto a dataslate that he can present to his Lord Inquisitor.
-----
When Skull comes to summon him, he is in a fresh, utilitarian black robe and ropes, as befits his order within the Ecclesiarchy. He nods, and replies simply, "I am at the Lord Inquisitor's command, Emperor be praised." And follows the large man as they gather the rest of his new comrades.
Skull nodded cheerfully, clearly just as pleased not to have to waste ammunition on the stupid. Whistling tunelessly he led the acolytes to a large room below the ship's bridge that had been converted into a command chamber. Large hololiths flickered fitfully, showing the situation on the planet and Hive Secundus. A dozen adepts of various ranks poured over cogitators of different sizes and functions.
In the middle of the maelstrom of information a tall, blonde woman stood looking at an overview of the planet below. She glanced over at your entrance and smiled. Skull approached and waved airily. "Presentin' to your presence the surviving imperial forces from the atmo-atmosfer-air pumpin' place. Survivors, you stand in the presence of Inquisitor Darvidia Eliza. You may bow. Or not. I never does, 'cos I clank."
"Thank you, Skull," the woman said with a long-suffering sigh and fond smile. It was clear that she had worked with Skull for a long time and tolerated his odd behaviour for some reason.
Looking you all over for a moment, she continued, "Thank you for coming. First, I'm sure you'll wish to know what has happened on the surface since your hasty departure." She touched the control plynth nearby and the hololith zoomed in. "Thanks to your restoring the Imperial communications, disabling the traitors and probably the destruction at the atmospheric processing plant," she eyed Skull in amusement, "The traitor forces pulled out of Hive Secundus and reinforced their lines, there advance paused. Hive Sedundus stands in large part thanks to your efforts."
She nodded to you each in turn. "Now, I have an offer. Some of you already serve me, but some of you are not formally part of the Inquisition. I would like to extend an invitation to those of you who wish to join. Of course, if any of you would prefer to continue fighting on the planet, I understand."
Aenarius stared. So...they weren’t going to die? He had a taste of the inquisition before. From the cleansing of the Red Vaults of Luggnum. Even thinking about it made him shudder. It also made him have a healthy fear of the inquisition. You didn’t say no to them. Nobody who refused them walked away. He had friends who were scanned and then “reassigned” after the bloody fighting in the vaults. He had no illusions of what happened to them. In his heart he knew that there was only one answer.
”Arbrator Laedram.” He said as a way of introduction. ”It is an honor. I will serve with my life.”
Lothar bows with practiced ease, the etiquette coming easy after a lifetime of practice. He stood then at attention listening to every word Inquisitor Darvidia Eliza said. It was good to know from the viewpoint of the battlefront as a whole their actions had indeed helped.
When the call to duty was made there was no hesitation. "Inquisitor, I am Corporal Lothar Von Bismarck of the 12th Kinog Grenadiers recently returned from the Margin Crusade and currently on medical leave. I would request that my unit be informed of my reassignment so they do not think me dead and still fight for the Emperor and Kinog. If that would be acceptable Inquisitor." The last part was intoned very much not as a question, his acceptance was not contingent on it. He did not voice the possibility of them thinking he had fled, derelict in his duties though that was more of a fear he would not speak it.
Vasyl keenly eyes up the command chamber, the sheer resources at the command of one person.
One person who has just asked him to join the Inquisition.
The hiver looks straight at the Inquisitor when he replies, no hesitation once he gets his chance.
"Inquisitor, I am Vasyl Zima. Sign me up."
I'll be leaving this system in better shape than when I arrived, that's for sure.
Already, Vasyl is thinking about how he might be able to make this work for him.
Patience, Vasyl. Let the Inquisitor speak. And then I make plans, yes.
Erkan calmly enters the chamber with the others. Coming before the Lord Inquisitor, he made the sign of the Aquila and bowed formally. He listened silently, standing at attention with his hands clasped in front of him. At the offer for confirmation, Erkan allowed each of his new comrades to speak before replying.
"Inquisitor Eliza, I am pledged by both faith and duty to serve you in the Emperor's most holy works, and am humbled to do so as your banisher and confessor. May I offer that each of these men have acted in accordance with dedication to the ideals of the Inquisition, in such that my limited experience would lend credence to, and I would be further humbled to serve alongside them."
Praetus bows before the Inquisitor, without looking up he removes Oblivion in it's sheath and holds it before him.
"I offer by blade, and my life to your service", He hopes the Inquisitor notes the intentional order of importance in the wording of the offer.
Heironymous inclines his head towards the Inquisitor, acknowledging her authority. "I will provide the assistance of the Mechanicus to you. These individuals have proved themselves, and I would work with them."
The Inquisitor nodded. "For obvious reasons, it will not be possible to specify where you have all gone, but a cover story will be created where you are honourably transferred." She smiled. "Hopefully it will not be task that requires your lives, but your blades and other weapons will certainly serve." Wliza looks around. "But the Inquisition's work is bloody, and dangerous, destroying the heretic, the mutant, the alien and the traitor. If some or all of you fall, at least recall this - you fall doign His work, and He will see." She looked over at Hieronymous. "In your case in His aspect as the Omnissiah, I am sure."
Waving her hand, the holo changed. A massive Imperial cruiser appeared in place of the planet."Thankfully, at least some of you seem to have some experience with travel," her eyes flickering for a moment to Vasyl, before she continued, "The Emperor has work for idle hands and the weapons they wield. Your task here shall be investigating this. Hospitaler Ship the Sigilite's Grace, a retired blockade runner taken by the Order of the Torn Lily. She travels from warzone to warzone, tending to the wounded Imperial soldiers."
The holo flickered and changed, showing the system as a whole, with the planet itself and the Sigilite's Grace, showing the ship about three weeks out. "This is her last known position. For reasons we don't know the ship dropped out of the Warp, sending several garbled astropathic messages for aid before going silent. Normally a Naval detatchment would be sent to investigate, but due to the nature of those messages it has been decided the Inquisition will examine her first. As you have worked well together, and have a uniqe assembly of skills, I would like you to spear head that investigation."
Vasyl nods at intervals during the Inquisitor's speech, his eyes meeting hers when they flicker towards him.
If half of the rumours I have heard about the Inquisition are true, she has worked it out. I still have a full brain-pan, so it's likely not something she's that bothered by. Fine by me.
He motions to speak, and if not shot down literally or figuratively, will begin asking questions in a matter-of-fact fashion.
"Inquisitor Eliza, I have a few questions."
"First, do we have any standing orders?"
"Second, do we have technical specs for the Sigilite's Grace?"
"Third,do we have any useful details from those messages?"
"And forth, what resources will we have access to for the undertaking of this mission?"
The Inquisitor nodded. "Wise questions, Acolyte. Your standing orders, beyond the obvious - to oppose the enemies of Mankind - are to simply make sure any information found is returned. Even if you die, your life will have had meaning. More specifics will vary from mission to mission, and when needed. For example, on this occasion, you will be acting openly as agents of the Inquisition. On other occasions, you will need to be more circumspect."
Turning, Eliza brought up the plans to the ship. "We have the plans for the ship from before the Order obtained it, and have updated it with what we know of the changes they made. However, the ships data will almost certainly be out of date. A datalsate with what we do have will be assigned to each of you."
Facing you again, she continued, "As well as yourselves, two squads of the ships Armsmen will be accompanying you. The Sigilite was once a grand cruiser, and her size is vast, so even with those two teams you will mostly have to focus on the main areas of the ship - the command deck, the Enginerium, the medical deck, weapon control and any essential crew quarters. You'll also be given void suits and ammunition suitable to firing in a vacuum, just in case the hull has been breached."
"As for the messages..." She glanced at Skull.
The bulky trooper nodded, and bellowed, "All them as is not authorised to know the secrets of the Inquisition graded Malleus Minoris and above, 'op it or feel my boot, by His light." About half of the adepts began walking from the room in a stately manner, until Skull thumped his foot on the floor and they sped up.
"...thank you, Skull." The Inquisitor shook her head. "The Astropahic messages were tainted by something. Several of our own Astropaths are still...recovering, but we suspect the source is from the Immaterium."
"That means Chaos," Skull added helpfully.
"Yes, Skull. As you have all dealt, recently, with Chaos was one mor factor in my choice to send you."
I made a good first impression. And a grand cruiser? That looks far larger than a transport. That reminds me, I wonder if the Bountiful Abundance is still in system?
"Understood. So likely something or somethings very bad are on board. How important is salvaging the Grace? Say would it be a problem if we need to repeat the tactic in the atmospheric processing plant?"
"I will review those specifications. The accursed Immaterium will not sunder more of the Omnissiah's works under my watch. Some further questions - what was the population of the ship prior to the disturbances, and what are the capabilities of the Armsmen we will be given?"
Erkan was about to ask several questions when the hiver asked the very concerns he had been contemplating. Vasyl, eh? Hmmm, seems there's more to this merc that meets the eye. He can cut it up well enough in a fight, but clearly he is an intuitive man, and he seemed to have some technical knowledge as well. That is a good sign.
After Inquisitor Eliza offers her response to Vasyl's questions and the magos interjects, Erkan speaks up. "Magos, as is standard of an imperial vessel, the armsmen are trained combatants tasked with putting down raiders and boarders, ending mutinies, and handling a ship's minor squabbles. Much akin to Aenarius and his fellow arbites, if you will. It goes without saying that the Lord Inquisitor expects the highest of the crew onboard, and thus we can trust them to be capable in their duties."
Thinking for another moment, he turns toward their liege. "Inquisitor Eliza, do we have access to a personnel log of those souls tasked with the command and operation of the Sigilite's Grace? If so, do we have any targets of interest?"
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Aenarius' heart sank. He had an idea what was happening. The inquisitor didn't know what was happening in the ship, so he was sending in expendable fodder to check it out. Well, more likely, the inquisitor had an idea. The inquisition didn't muck around with random ships, the navy could handle that. Something about this ship was wrong, he just knew it. The inquisitor probably didn't expect them to survive. To send some signal back of what he had to deal with, sure...but to actually make it back? What if the gellar fields had failed? Daemon possessed crew, machines...emperor's throne, the machines. He thought back to what he had seen with daemonic servitors. He felt his hands twitch. Looking around he wondered if anyone here would live past the next few days. Nobody else seemed to have realized this. It made him feel both pity for, and jealousy towards, his comrades. Their optimism seemed so misplaced.
"Ideally, I'd prefer the Sigilite's Grace returned to service," Eliza noted. "However, even the loss of a ship that size is preferable to exposing fresh souls to the taint of Chaos. Especially as the ship was a Hospitalier one. If the ship herself is irrevocably tainted then her destruction is assured, and if it aids your mission you may be the ones to do it."
Nodding to the Tech-Priest, she added, "It will take some time to reach the site, so you'll have time to review the specifications. And yes, the Armsman accompanying you will be of the highest calibre, selected by the Captain himself. Sadly we have other buisness, so that's all we can spare for now."
Flicking through the dataslate before her, the Inquisitor added, "We have only limited information about the crew themselves, and no logs. I'll send a request to the convent fortress that such be sent to you, but it's unlikely to reach you by astropath before you get on site."
She glanced at Aenarius. "A problem, Acolyte? You seem ill at ease." She paused. "Which is probably not unusual when faced with boarding a potentially tainted ship, but do you have some concerns?"
Aenarius nearly choked when the inquisitor’s gaze fell on him. Instinctively he snapped to attention. ”N-no sir! Ma’am! No ma’am!” He stammered.
Fragfragfragfrag she’s going to kill me. Is she a psyker? The last one was. I bet she can read minds too.
”I mean. It’s just...are the geller fields down? I’ll fight anything I can shoot; and stand my ground against that which I can’t. But I’ve heard that when the shields go down you’ll lose your soul, and...” He trailed off, suddenly feeling very foolish.
"Understood, Inquisitor. I would also ask if what means we will be using to infiltrate and extract from the Grace."
Vasyl pays close attention to all of the responses.
Listen. Very carefully. Aenarius might be onto something here.
Lother listens and takes in what is said. "Aenarius, they can kill your body but commit your soul to the God Emperor and it is beyond the reach of any foe."
Turning to the Inquisitor still at attention he makes an inquiry "I am sure the armsmen are more accustomed to ship board combat than I so will be appropriately equipped. I would make a request or a piece, a lascutter. Though not as swift as a krak grenade or meltabomb for causing a breach it is quieter and provides us with a means of forcing an entry into a location if needed with the aid of Techpriest Bahrenfahrer." He bowed his head respectfully to Inquisitor respecting whatever decision he made.
Highborn unit or not in the Imperial Guard you know you'll rarely get all the gear that you would be like. Ask merely for a small quantity of gear and it may be issued.
Praetus stands quietly, all but overwhelmed by the turn of events. His blades would spill blood on the direct orders of an Inquisitor.
A ship of that size it will be easy to get lost in the crowd, just another crewman, I would need a bloodless kill to get a disguise...
Everyone seems to be making direct requests from these two
"Would it be possible to acquire some Toxins," fear interrupts his questions, "If it is not too forward of me to ask.
"The ship itself is in real space," the Inquisitor assured the acolytes, "So the Gellar fields won't matter unless you wish to jump the ship. Gellar Field Control is likely somewhere you should check." She paused. "The forces of Chaos are insidious, however, and posessions can happen. But the more powerful the being the more difficult a time it has remaining manifested in this realm without additional energy. A problem with the Gellar Field is possible, and therefore Daemons might be an issue. But we don't expect them to be in large numbers, or heavily present." She smiled "After all, much of the ship has been Blessed. I would imagine most Daemons will find it very...uncomfortable."
She nodded to Praetus. "The Quartermaster will allow you some poisons, as you wish. You can purchase them from him as you need." She made a face. "Unfortunately, our funds are tied to other things right now, or I would simply grant you better equipment."
Erkan looks across the rest of the company to see if their are any further questions. As no one else raises any, he speaks up. "Inquisitor Eliza, it would seem our course forward is clear. Perhaps the only question is how do we reach the Sigilite's Grace? Once that is laid out, I can see to it that the new acolytes' needs and preparations are attended to with the quartermaster."
"We'll be dropping you off in system, but the Sigilite is close to the sun - far too close to safely drop out of the Warp. The ship will instead drop you off at the edge of the system and a transport will take you to the ship. In an emergency it can evacuate you too." She nodded to the group. "Anything else?"
"I am satisfied."
"No, ma'm. We will prepare for this mission, and will not let you down."
Besides he thought. If we do let you down, we'll be too dead to regret that promise.
"Actually, addendum: I would request a servo-skull if one is available. It would be of great assistance in scouting the possibly hostile environment of the ship, and unfortunately I was repairing mine when the incident in the Hive occurred."
"I will begin making preparations Inquisitor."
"That's fine by me, Inquisitor. We'll gear up."
Let's see what they have to offer.
"The Emperor's Will be done." With his final words, he motions for the others to follow him as they head to the quartermaster 'ad hold.
Once they are done at the quartermasters Lothar turns to the others with a satchel. "I have procured a krak grenade and two frag grenades for each of you. We will be outnumbered in potential enemy territory, if the investigation encounters large numbers of hostile resistance a few frag grenades tossed together can make a horde of charging enemy in it's tracks. The krak grenade, as we've seen it's got some utility uses but can do quite well against heavily armoured targets and light vehicles."
He spends some time getting used to the new grip on his gun while wielding it with the large naval shield in his other hand. "With these modifications to my gear holding a doorway should be much easier."
"I've looked over the technical specs for the 'biter - I mean *Arbitrator* - carapace armour. While the specs are excellent, it is very obvious. Is there a variant for Inquisition use without the giveaway symbols? Or could one be procured for a future mission?"
Don't say 'custom-built' out loud, but imply it with plausible deniability. If the answer is a vehement no, then I'm just an 'ignorant hiver' who doesn't know any better. But damn, that is some solid armour, even the potential weak point of requiring a power source for certain functions.
"I'm happy to hang onto the multikey if that's alright with you all. I have some marks on breaching security systems."
A definite upgrade. Lighter and superior armour, a camo cloak, pads, and manstopper clips - wait, what's Lothar doing with that satchel?
Before he reacts, Lothar explains about grenades.
Ever the guardsman, Lothar. Thank the Emperor.
"That all sounds like a big plus for us. Thanks, Lothar. Did you have to use them a lot in the guard?"
"Many a time, when you're getting charged by a group of heretics a squad tossing these sends them scurrying back to their lairs. A disciplined firing line will take them out too but at points there were a lot of heretics."
"The Bugs were the worst, like fighting an ocean. The little ones weren't too bad if you had enough ammo. The big ones now, nasty I saw one of their screamers project some kind of acid onto a sentinel, turned to slag with the man and all. A few lascannon shots from the heavy weapons platoon but him down though." He tuts with a far away look. "Still the biggest I saw was as big as a Titan, we decided not to get close enough for the lascannons to be in range and called in an artillery strike."
He put some plant matter into a pipe and lit it. "No even with all the glories to be won the Margin Crusade wasn't for the faint of heart. Saw some Orks running around after patching up one of our Chimera's, the tech priests were enraged. Poor thing, it was the Emperor's Mercy strapping the krak grenades to it." He puffs away looking wistfully.
Damn, but he's seen some scrag. I'm not going to bring up tales from dear old home, that might be a give away.
"Sounds rough. How did you end up in the guard anyway?"
"Oh it was tough alright." He puffs on the smoke. "Only those of noble birth are allowed the honour of travelling off world to fight the God Emperor's enemies. We know well other worlds don't keep to such a thing but only our best are sent off world. Your lineage doesn't secure such a posting alone, various tests of skill are undergone. Those who fail." He shakes his head "Have to settle for the lesser honour of being officers leading the planetary defense forces."
"There's still honour to be had in it but being sent out and returning from active duty in a Warzone. The glory you earn for the Emperor as well as House and Kinog, it opens up a lot of doors. I was on my way back home for that but a new path has been set before me."
The Inquisitor nodded. "I'm sure we can spare a servo skull if you can afford its replacement, yes. We'll pick up a new one when we have a chance."
~~~~~~~
As the ship jumped to the Warp to travel to the system where the Sigilite lay stranded, you were able to review the basic information. The Sigilite's Grace was, 500 years ago, an Exorcist Class Grand Cruiser that had been mothballed by the Imperium as she was outdated and underpowered for her size.
Due to an unrecorded deed, the ship was passed to the Sisterhood completely. At the Navy's expense, her launch bays were replaced with medical wards and her arsenal updated to a more modern, reliable variant. The records end once the Sisters take ownership, and any modifications during the last 500 years are unrecorded here.
~~~~~~~
The journey through the Warp is as pleasant as possible, with only the usual nightmares, and the Manifest Destiny arrives on sight with no issues. From there, a smaller sublight transport can take you to the innermost planet, where the Sigilite sits in a stable orbit, still unresponsive to hails.
The Inquisitor and the members of her retinue aboard the ship see you off, with Skull reminding you, 'Don't be crap then die.'
As it will take a few days for the sublight ship to reach the inner areas of the solar system, allowing you to get to know the two troops of armsmen under your command, and their leaders - Seargents at Arms Volga and Kepania