"All crew are advised to brace for impact, we may be in for a rough ride, but the lord captain militant expect you all to perform your best. For the emperor, for the captain and for your own sense of pride."
...
"Etherics, report!"
"-d's blood!" Vorgen snaps as some of the static discharged from the collapsing Geller field chooses to earth through the thrust controls.
"Brace for acceleration. We need to get this hulk under control. Full power, ninety second burn on .. MARK!
Vorgen feeds the latest etheric readings to the pilot's throne.
The ship slows some before being pulled into the planet's gravity. Alessaunder shoves the current helmsman out of his station and takes over. With all the skill expected of someone with his training and upbringing, Alessaunder deftly maneuvers the Will away from the large planetary body.
As the ship finally settles back into the void, all aboard breath a heavy sigh of relief.
"All stations stand down from alert status and resume your normal duties.
We are continuing our journey as soon as some standard maintenance checks have been made.
Hop to it!"
Turning to Alessaunder he smiles a bit.
"The old battle fleet training still comes in hand once in awhile, doesn't it first officer?"
'Would it be a good idea to scan the planet before we reenter the warp? This "course correction" may be a blessing in surprise.'
Alessaunder managed a small, smug smile in response to Ludicus.
Yes indeed. The navy made me the man I am today, of that you can be certain, Master at Arms.
Perhaps the Emperor has provided us with an opportunity. Within a place as uncharted as the Koronus Expanse, it is surely worth investigating, my Lord. Alessaunder said softly to the Lord-Captain.
"I agree, First Officer."
"Anything of interest in the auger?"
First the fathers comment, then the first officer and the Lord Captain Militant in quiet discussion, I think I know where this is going. Let's be effective and pre-empt a little.
"Sergeant, this is the master at arms, you will assemble two away teams, fire teams of 5 men each, armed with the new assault weapons and have them on standby for now."
If we go, then this will show I am on the ball, and if not, then it is a good drill for the next time. Yes, it feels like the right call here.
@Vorgen: The planet you are now orbiting is known only to Imperial atronomical charts as the Witch-cursed world. It is a large rocky planet set alone without a star to orbit in the deep void. Its atmosphere is frozen to glaciers upon the surface. Whether it is an exile from its former system or was formed within the lightless void is unknown. It is an ill-omened place.
Will you be mounting an expedition?
"Ah, well we know where we are at least. One of the safe stations on the way to Footfall."
Vorgen consults readouts
"Not much here.... cold... dead... Remains of an atmosphere now frozen solid. Not much of a vacation spot. We could orbit it a few times while we check the engines and Geller field. Give the etherics a workout trying to find anything down there."
Only ice and rock as far as you can tell from an etheric scan.
"Nothing but solid air and old mountain tops. Good if you want to get some skiing in then it is a perfect spot but pretty useless to us right now."
"As a precaution, run diagnostic on the ship."
Silas is letting his natural paranoia to call the shots.
"Navigator, how long before you can plot a course to Footfall?"
"The ship's running at optimal efficiency, Lord-Captain. All the readings on the warp-drive appear normal, and no damage was sustained by our gravitational emergency."
Sounds like anything of value would have been long stripped from the surface, but you never know...
They may have missed something and left it for us to find.
"Our appointment at Footfall will not wait forever."
"Initiate pre-jump sequence."
"Navigator, let us know when you are ready."
"Sergeant, stand the men down, we will not be needing them at this point.
However, take special note of any men who performed slovenly during this drill and make sure they are assigned suitable punishment detail."
+++20 DAYS INTO WARP VOYAGE+++
After the emergency, everyone is on edge, and the complacency from your first few days is long gone, as everyone is terrified it might happen again. Thankfully, the journey continues smoothly. You're almost to Footfall... or so the Navigator claims you should be.
+++25 DAYS INTO WARP VOYAGE+++
Everything seems to be going well, all things considered, and Yosarni assures you that you should now be approaching your intended exit point to Footfall. However, over the last few days, the crew's general safety concerns seem to slack, as careless accidents begin to occur. While many of the offenders claim that a daemon did it, you know good and well it's a lousy excuse as the Gellar Field has held.
:
:
The ship tears through the Warp back into real space, and the slightly unnerving feeling in the back of your mind that comes from Warp travel abruptly ceases as the ship returns and the Gellar Field is lowered. Unfortunately, Yosarni misjudged the distance from footfall, and it takes several more days of travel to reach the station from where you arrived. No one says much to the Navigator, though. At least you didn't exit into a planet's gravity this time.
"Ah, so here we are at last. It's good to be out of the warp. And it might even be good to get of the ship for a bit. Maybe we can find some action as well."
Vorgen looks about.
"Hmmm.. all the readouts appear to be dead. Did we flood the engines again?"
This game still going?
Arriving at Footfall, you are once again amazed at the space station's eclectic architecture - a mass of buttressed temples, plasma-pitted fanes, towers jutting out at all angles into the void, enclosed stoneworked tunnels, arch-bridges, and huge steel chains. At the very center of the massive complex is tethered a huge macro-statue of the God-emperor, larger than many warships.
Footfall is a dangerous, but highly useful place. As your ship is given permission to dock, and you exit into the station itself, you are immediately reminded of this fact. religious fanatics rub shoulders with narco-tribesmen, rowdy crew on furlough, and disreputable merchants. One of the latter is your contact. A proper-looking man is Atellus Tybalt, but you know better. Regardless, he is not difficult to find.
"Ah, Captain Silas. Excellent to see you again!"
"You stand out in a crowd master Tybalt, a good thing for us when we try to find you, less so for you in a place like footfall."
Malachi offers a prayer of gratitude to the Emperor and steps off the ramp onto Footfall. He sees the Captain speaking to a man trying all to hard to pull off the look of a "legitimate businessman."
"Greetings, Tybalt. Good to see you as well. You know Alessaunder, Ludicus, Yosarni and Vorgen. May I introduce the latest addition to our merry band: Malachi."
Silas deliberately omits the titles of his retinue, not wanting to attract too much attention to his business.
"I trust that the arrangement have been made."
Silas lightly rests his hand at his side, near his well-notched duellist plasma pistol. He trusts that that not to subtle gesture communicates his impatience at being made to travel to Footfall to collect his winnings.
"Indeed they have, Captain. Your information as promised," he says pulling out a data-slate. "There are many who would like this location for themselves, so I was leery of standard methods. And you know how easily-confused astropathic transmissions can be. Thought the old-fashioned method best."
He passes you the data-slate and grins. "Perhaps we shall have another game again sometime."
"Another time, perhaps."
Silas checks the data slate, one hand ready to draw a weapon at a moment's notice, very much wary of a treachery.
If there's anything afoot, Silas does not notice. Also, there is on the data-slate the location of the expedition on the planet, as well as a very stable Warp route to get you there quickly and more safely.