Having been dismissed, Iacton bows once more and moves away. On the way out he pauses long enough to see if any of the other senior officers require him for anything. Assuming no he moves on.
As soon as he can he collects the junior staff assigned to him.
"You were all tasked with compiling lists of our various supplies; I trust you have all done your duties? Hand them over to me now so I can compile them for the captain’s perusal."
Finishing up all of the paperwork that he needs to finish, he swivels in his chair and stands facing the Captain. With your leave milord, I think that I will join the Confessor down among the men; they have not had an engagement in quite some time if my reports are correct and I need to see what sort of fighting shape they are in." Bowing to the captain he heads down to quarters of the fighting men, both infantry and ship-based gunners to assess their state of readiness more thoroughly.
On the way out, Iacton approaches Lucius for moment.
"Excuse me Master-At-Arms, might I trouble you for a moment? Were you planning on any for of live fire exercises? I am asking in case I need to take it into considerations when tallying our supplies."
Eli finishes reading the last of the reports handed to him and nods to Sarvus. Let's get a move on. We've got plenty to do before the day is done. He starts off at a quick pace and slows when he notices that Sarvus moves at a walking pace.
"I am coming 010000110110111101101101011011010110000101101110011001000110010101110010::"
Always in such a rush. The machine spirits must be upset to cause him to hurry so.
When he sees the Enginseer Prime keeping up pace, he continues on with a nod.
On the way out, Iacton approaches Lucius for moment.
"Excuse me Master-At-Arms, might I trouble you for a moment? Were you planning on any for of live fire exercises? I am asking in case I need to take it into considerations when tallying our supplies."
"Nothing too extensive; if I perform live fire exercise, I suppose I can stick to las weapons to conserve ammunition if it is a great worry. Is it?"
Iacton nods and makes a note on the slate before responding.
"Not a great worry no; I do not believe we are in any serious need.
The reason I ask is because we are not going to get a chance to resupply for awhile, but we do have the capacity to recharge the packs for las weapons.
The emperor protects, but a little planning never hurt either. I thank you for your time, I shant take up any more of it."
Iacton gives a slight bow before heading off.
Without breaking stride, Eli asks, What do you know of Orks, Sarvus?
Surprise:: Conversation:: Biological Eli Kage: Inquiry: Orks::
Accessing::
Accessing::
Inquiry Negative::
Access Biological Memory::
I have no knowledge of Orks. Troublesome.
After several seconds of clicking
"I know nothing of Orks Commander Kage::"
A pause and more clicking
"I can analyze their technology for flaws: or attempt to find records of this vessel's encounters with Orks: if that is your command::"
Eli nods as they continue on, Do so. We'll need to know as much about how to fight them as possible.
Sarvus: I'm afraid tech use cannot be used in place of lore. It covers repair and coaxing functionality out of machines that are broken or in adverse conditions. Imperial data storage is bad, but not that bad.
Havelock: You were able to hold back enough of the food shipment you just delivered to make sure the ship's larders are fully stocked. You are fully supplied, which in the case of the Steadfast means you are provisioned for two years of unbroken space travel. A side effect of this is that the ship's passenger capacity is truely vast - possibly enough, you note, to evacuate the population of a fringe world...
Jarrion: you can recall nothing of the location of Damris, but you qiuckly manage to locate it on your chart of the expanse. Strangely, it is catagorized as a civilized - synonimous with 'imperial held' - world. There are no other worlds of that type within the expanse. It is commonly thought of as entirely beyond imperial control. Regardless, it's high time for the Steadfast to get underway.
Eli: simply recalling basic facts about a race as widespread as the Orks using forbidden lore (xenos) is easy (+30). Everyone in the crew has heard horror stories of the 'beasts in the void' and their mindless devotion to ruin, but you know more concrete facts. You know about their social heirarchy, reproductive methods and have a basic grasp of their military doctrine (mass attacks followed by more mass attacks, but with a habit of catching those that underestimate them off-guard with cunning stretegums).
More importantly, you also know that (in the expanse at least) the size of an Ork attack is limited. Damaris will be threatened by one minor warlord looking for a 'worthwhile' fight. This means the palnets defences will have at least a real chance of beating him back - in the eye of an Ork, anything less is a waste of his time. The only other possibility is that 'undred 'undred teef has finally launched a Waaugh, and if that was the case the rulers of Damaris would be fleeing, not requesting re-enforcements. Most worlds in the Expanse, and indeed Port Wander itself, would probably be doing the same thing...
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Tristan continued to examine data slates, assessing the falling star dynasty that was his legacy. Outwardly he exuded confidence, but inwardly he was uneasy. Tristan hated warp travel and all the memories that came with it. He absent mindedly scratched the many scars criss-crossing over his back and noted they were healing over once more. Retiring to his private chambers with a handful of data slates, Tristan resolved to flagellate particularily hard today for his sins, in the Emperor's name. Once inside his lavish chamber, he bolted the door shut.
Opening the locked drawer in his fine wooden desk with a key he kept around his neck, Tristan smiled grimly as he saw the wooden bit and the vicious, blood-stained whip he kept inside.
Hello, old friends... he though to himself as he knelt down, put the bit between his teeth and began...
Calculating various figures, filing reports and looking up facts takes up a lot of Iactons time.
At various points it takes a brief pause to eat or drink something, but those moments are fleeting and few.
The fact that his favourite beverage, ploin juice is not available does take its toll on his mood.
His normal two or three word replies to his underlings’ questions soon degrade into grunts.
Good news at least, we are fully stocked, and we have enough space to make a lot of options available.
Iacton scribes a detalied but easy to read list down and sends an underling to give it to the captain.
"Remember, outmost courtesy to the Lord Captain."
Jarrion Having found the world within the charts, sets about laying the coarse.
He opens himself up to the wrap, gazing into its depths.
Rolls
Duration Estimation (39)
Locate the Astorinimican {61)
Charting the coarse (49)
Navigation (39)
Edit: with 5 degrees of success locating the astroinimocion, that makes his total Nav 89... so he passed if Barely
"The Cores is set Lord Captain, we shall transit at you leave."
Sarvus: I'm afraid tech use cannot be used in place of lore. It covers repair and coaxing functionality out of machines that are broken or in adverse conditions. Imperial data storage is bad, but not that bad.
After a moment of hissing and popping Sarvus turns to Eli with an audible whirring of gears.
"Commander: You anticipate problems with Orks:: We are fully functional and able to destroy them from orbit::"
Spoken in a matter of fact way, it is hard to determine if this is a question or statement.
Eli nods in response. Let's hope so. They'll cause a lot of havoc if we need to fight them on this ship. When we're done here I'll need to speak to the Master-at-Arms.
The thunder of the ship's warp engines echoes faintly across every deck and a great tear is opened in the flesh of reality ahead of her armoured prow. Geller field seething beneath sheets of eldritch fire, the Steadfast translates into the warp. Across numberless decks blast shields slam shut and crewmen gather together in prayer. A single shotgun blast rings out in the dorsal batteries - with a crew as vast as yours, someone is always unlucky enough to fall victim to the chance-in-a-million of a warp entity slipping through the shield as it is stressed by translation.
Jarrion estimates the voyage to take a week - you are fortunate enough to be close to Damaris and the tides of the warp are favourable.
The ship's passage goes smoothly and Jarrion can see from his throne that the ship is making good time. However, after three days in the immaterium the crew become unsettled. Dreams and whispers are creeping into the hull, their faint voices passing the barriers that hold firm against a storm of demonic claws. At first each of you merely dream uncharacteristically vividly, but then the warp begins to test your resolve and it is not subtle. Familier dreams become recurring nightmares of cities crumbling and burning whilst an endless, shadowy horde screams warcries in the distance.
The exact dream varies from person to person. Some kneel in blood-filled trenchs clutching broken weapons as an officer scream silent orders. Some watch the scene approach from above, pinned in the wreckage of a falling starship. Some stand alone and see the horde coming from every horizon with it's every eye fixed on them and them alone. And some dance on the prestine ballroom floor of a palace crumbled to burning rubble, their lost friends and forgotten lovers smiling happily as they alone watch the horde approach the fallen walls.
Every night that horde grows closer as the distance to Damaris ticks downward...
GM
Gm
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I'd like to use the warp dreams to develop Tristan's guilt a bit more if thats ok.
The Captain is particularily troubled by horrible dreams, often waking up in the night screaming. He dreams of members of his old crew, lurching towards him with their bullet-ridden bodies raising their dead arms to drag him into the countless horde of thousands he doomed by his commands. He can see so many familiar faces, each staring at him, silently accusing him with their eyes. Over the course of the warp journey Tristan attempts to keep a facade of calm about him- something he does with consumnate skill, easily masking his own horrible dreams and making speeches to his crew. With little to do while the Navigator leads the ship through the warp, Tristan tries to make an appearance everywhere on his ship, going for long walks throughout the decks with an armed escort, hoping his presence will help to maintain discipline among the crew.
(55) 4 degrees of success
Eli never sleeps well, but on this trip he seems to sleep even less. Constantly making rounds and searching out any problem, no matter how minor.
Master-at-Arms, we should speak about the Orks. He explains everything he knows about their battle strategy, making special note of their cunning and a warning to not underestimate their intelligence.
Jarrion does not sleep much, someone must gide the ship and he is not about the leave the fate of it in the hands of those incompetent Initiates.
The dreams are far from the first warp sent nightmares he has had, and are sure to be far from the last. Still they leave him tired and worn upon awakening after the few hours of rest he does catch.
Since that fateful trip, Iactons nights have often been short and not very restful.
But this trip is worse than normal, few hours of sleep each night, but only if he is lucky, then he wakes up in a cold sweat, clutching the pistol he keeps under his pillow.
A dream again...
The only way he knows how to combat the dreams is to bury himself in his work, and to do it so hard that he falls asleep completely exhausted afterwards.
Mercifully, Jarrion's estimate proves accurate and the Steadfast translates back to realspace a week after setting out. The jump is accurate - auger scanes reveal a relatively clear system ahead hemmed in on all sides by a massive ice field, which fits the description of the Damaris system. You have translated extremily close to it - some of the greatest chunks can be seen by the naked eye, illuminated a dim blue by the light of Damaris' mighty blue giant star that is painful to look upon despite being several light-hours distant.
Over the next two days the Steadfast makes it's ponderous way into the system. Eventually, Damaris itself registers on the auger scans. You detect a powerful battlestation in low orbit around it, along with many voidships. Most are system defence craft, escort-class vessels packed with as many weapon batteries as their engines can (barely) move. Three are more siginificant: A frigate with an uncharacteristically bright power signature, a light cruiser and, most impressively, a true cruiser.
You are guided into dock with the battlestation. Up close, you can see the frigate and cruiser are clearly Rogue Trader vessels (especially the cruiser - producing that much gold leaf could make or break a planetary economy). The light cruiser, however, is clearly an Imperial Navy vessel. It's rare to see anything from the navy larger than a frigate out here in the expanse
The officer frowns as he watches the display and mutters, Those maneuvers will be useless against a massed Ork attack. He turns and leans over the shoulder of a midshipman and looks at the communications report. Three distinct comm-nets, Lord-Captain, and uncoordinated. It appears we have a lot of work to do.
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Indeed, Commander Eli... They appear to be lacking any formal command structure. No doubt the Rogue Traders are butting heads with the Imperial Navy over who to act as commander of the fleet. It is my understanding that in the Expanse, Rogue Traders are as much of an authority as any other Imperial organisation. Introduce our ship to the others if you would old friend.
Broadcasting over an open comm-net, This is Commander Eli Kage, First Officer of the voidship Steadfast, flagship of the Casmirre Dynasty, under the command of the Lord-Captain Tristan Casmirre himself. Who is in command here?
There is an uncharacteristically long pause before a response is made. You suspect that a vox set is being frantically passed up the chain of command. Finally, a disciplined but faintly nervous sounding voice is recieved:
"Bulwark shipping control responding. You honour us with your presance, commander. I humbly appologize, but no officers fit to converse with one of your rank are presently available. Standing orders from the Governor, however, would have me direct you to a berth in the Bulwark, thank you on his behalf for responding to his request for aid and extend his invitation to your captain and command crew to join him and the Defence Council in the Planetary Palace. You shuttle will be welcomed at Sphinx's Landing Starport whenever you see fit to descend, sir"
Eli responds, Understood. He turns to face Tristan, Lord-Captain, your orders?
Still exhausted from his restless nights of dreaming of the countless faces of the men who have died around him while in the Guard, Lucius is uncharacteristically tired when the First Officer is giving him a briefing on the Orks, but he manages to pull though and conveys the intel to those under his command on the ship.
As he had assigned himself to be one the Captain's bodyguards, Lucius was on the bridge as the Steadfast arrived at the planet of Damaris. Hearing the muttered disapproval of Eli, he looks at the formations of the ships and thinks to himself, Hm. I suppose that I never really paid attention to Naval manuevers; I was always on the ground. he says nothing and waits for the Captain's orders, keeping busy with the last few bits of busy work he had to finish regarding armaments and combat-related supplies.
Enginseer Prime Sarvus stands ready for any orders.
Interesting. I should catalog these vessels. If my archives are correct many of them will not be here when this is over.
Jarrion allows his gaze to sweep over the assembled ships Shameful He thinks to himself Complete disarray, this is just going to make the task of Manuring a ship this size even worse
No matter, he stands and looks over the Initiates work, it would be a shame to have to space one for incompetent navigation. After all he almost had them broke into something useable.
As soon as the summoning comes, Iacton finishes up the last of his paperwork. While some of the younger members of the factorum might snicker at his insistence that he makes one copy of each report on paper and one on data slate, he has gotten used to doing things that way.
As soon as he is finished (because he will not let less competent people do the reports) he heads towards the cargo bays.
As he will make sure to be there early, he finds a comfortable seat and begins to file on a new report.
"A meeting in the: flesh:: How: inefficient::"
Eli responds over the comm, You may inform the Governor that the Lord-Captain Tristan Casmirre will attend the Defense Council within the hour. Commander Kage, out.
He turns to the ship vox-communicator, Cargo Bay 2, ready a shuttle and piloting crew for departure. Coordinate a docking with the Sphinx's Landing Starport. He goes on to contact the senior crew and inform them of the shuttle.
Your shuttle undocks, a miniscule point of light aganist the endless adamantine flank of the Steafast. It is strange to look down upon a planet studded with the lights of towns and road networks - you are used to dead or deserted worlds ripe for exploration. Still, Damaris is just a colony, and the lights are clustered in one corner of it's main continent. Those of your learned in such matters realize that those wilderness are doomed to become strongholds for feral greenskin tribes as soon as a single Ork sets foot on the planet's surface. It is a sombering thought.
The view is obscured by fire and the shuttle shakes under the stress of re-entry. A minute later you're hurtling through sparse clouds towards a sizeable city overflowing it's walls as cities are wont to do in times of peace and prosperity - times that will soon be at an end. Still, at least it has walls. You hurtle over the capital towards a set of concrete circles carved out of it's northern district - within it's wall, you note, so provisioning in a siege will be easy so long as orbital superiority is maintained. You pilot obeys the chatter in his earpeice, touches down and opens the boarding ramp.
The first thing that strikes you about the world is the chilly light. The air that blows into the shuttle is warm and only slightly tinged with the scent of smog, but the distant blue giant shining brightly in the clear sky tinges everything blue. The second thing you notice is that reception. Two lines of a three dozen PDF troopers in well-made flak armour form an aisle, at the end of which a man stands in front of a large, luxurious looks ground-car. He is well dressed, his tunic that of a high-ranking aide. As you close on him he makes the sign of the Aquila and greets you:
"Greetings Lord Casmirre. On behalf of the honourable Belkan Kapak, Governor of the Imperial-allied world of Damaris, I welcome you to our home. My name is Jorun Alexander, aide to Governor Kapak. I have been sent here at his request to transport you and your esteemed entourage to the Imperial Governor's Palace. I am also to place myself at your disposal as a liason for the duration of your stay."
He gestures to the ground car and bids you to enter.
Knowing he would be traveling Planet side Jarrion dons his Armor and weapon before his robes. He lifts his staff before heading to the lunch bay.
He gazes at the Steadfast as the Lander pulls away. Such a ponderous beast for a fight He thinks, glancing over at the other vessels Yes, those are much better for what is to come. But [i] He thinks looking at the light glimmering from the world into the void [i] They can not haul what she can and this world may be a prime asset
He leans forward "Odd such a world alone in the expanse, Still that is the goal to claim the wild voids beyond the Emperors light. There might be much profit to be had here, would you not agree Seneschal Havelock?'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once greeted Jarrion says nothing as the underling escorts them to Governor Kapak
Iacton nods as he is addressed.
"You have the right of it Navigator Primaris Nostravi, they need men to fight, if the battle goes well they will need supplies to rebuild, and if not then they will need transports to evacuate. We are more than capable of fulfilling all three requirements."
Iacton makes a note under Jarrions profile in his data book.
Shrewd...
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On the shuttle ride over Tristan paced back and forth, eventually sitting down and addressing the others.
We're already going into battle here, gentlemen. Our infantry are smiles, our cavalry are manners and our artillery is flattery. The implications of the tangled mess of a communications network they have set up troubles me- we must make a great impression of ourselves before the Governor and any other dignitaries we might meet. Do yourselves and the dynasty proud.
Leading by example, Tristan also makes the sign of the aquila as he replies, smiling and biting the urge to correct 'Lord' to 'Lord-Captain'-
Splendid, Jorun. It is a pleasure to receive such an esteemed escort. Allow me to introduce myself...
Tristan makes formal introductions including honorifics for himself and any of the command crew that do not introduce themselves, and then enters the vehicle.
Perhaps en route you could give us more detail as to the nature of your emergency, Jorun.
That would be my point to act I think...
"Indeed, we are yet a little low on factual information, and since we would not want to bother the governor overmuch, perhaps you can fill in some of the blank spots for us master Jorun?
"Well, to summarize, we know and Ork fleet under the so-called Warlord Snokgritz is approximately two weeks away. Lord-Captain Locke of the light cruiser Aegis arrived some weeks ago to warn of their numbers, but also informed us the Imperial Navy was unable to help. Our governor has wisely decided to call for re-enforcements to bolster our already-significant planetary defence force, the Damaris Highland Levy. However, this has proven to be a...mixed blessing."
You see him glance up into the afternoonsky, where the Bulwark is faintly visible through the sun's blue glare.
"Two rogue traders - Lady Orleans and Lord Blitz - have arrived with significant forces. It has become clear that our world does not stand much of a chance without both them and Lord-Captain Locke, but the three cannot bring themselves to work with each other nor our own military commanders - General Dante and Commander Reynolds. Which is a problem, because between them they make up the Defence Council"
He looks almost pleadingly at you all as you sit around in the spacious interior of the ground car. Refreshments are laid out next to the chairs, including spiced meats and spirits.
"It is the hope of both the governor and myself that you will somehow serve to smooth relations between Damaris' defenders rather than add to the problem. Simply doing that will help us as much as any military forces you can bring to bear"
Sarvus quietly contemplates this information, the whirring of gears audible from within his robe.
They know they need to work together to defeat this threat, but refuse to do so out of pride. Whomever leads this defense will gain great glory if it succeeds. Perhaps these Imperials are not so different from my own Mechanicum colleges.
I will need to procure some of this Ork technology. There may be something useful there that can be incorporated into my plan.