Gala Delegation
"What support I can give, yes. I have no military forces that I can place under your command, but I will set my preachers to work making sure the people of Damaris fully understand what you're here for..."
He stops talking and seems to concentrate for a moment
"...that is to say, to do your duty to the Emporer rather than profit from our plight. I assure you, you shall have no more trouble like that which hounded you on the steps outside"
"You and I both know this is another venue for negotiations, nothing more. We both want to stick to bussiness, let's do so"
He sips from his glass of spirits
"Yes, the defences of Damaris both in orbit and planetside are well designed. Our defence monitors are well armed and their crews well trained. You will be bought up to speed on their exact strength at the next defence council meeting but...I have to ask, what exactly do you bring ot the table?"
His next few words sound slightly confrontational
"The Casimir dynasty has appeared with nothing but an empty transport. She's big, of course, but slow and under-gunned. If she carried ground forces she would be our greatest asset, but she does not. Before we talk of what breifings you do and do not need, I need you to set me straight. It seems from where I stand that you have made your way ot Damaris with a useless vessel in the hope of claiming rewards meant for the captains of war ships. I take it this is not the case? What have I missed?"
"The Empyrean has been quiet as of late. I fear that all the aid we cna expect has arrived. Since we have the luxury of communicating in total privacy, tell me: Do you truely believe the forces we have mustered here and now can stop and Ork invasion?"
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Data-Vault Infiltrators
"Private Carlith, adept. Most of the palace guards have been moved to secure the gala at the banquet hall...this scoundral thought to take advantage of that!"
He never takes his eyes off Lucius. This guy is far from being an untried conscript. He continues to address Sarvus.
"Now move back to the far side of the bridge for your safety. I will summon backup and remove this wretch from your path"
Using his gun's sholder strap to hold it steady and still pointing at Lucius, he raises his left hand towards the comm-bead in his ear
Commander Kage chuckles, but no mirth reaches his eyes. That's much better. I thought you might just have your job by the will of politics. It's good to know the defenders of this planet have some bite. As to The Steadfast, she's better armed than she looks. While slow, she's a match for most warships. Besides, if you know anything about Orks, you'll know they won't be able to pass such a large prize up. They'll all want a piece of her hull and every one of them attacking us means one less fighting your own fleet.
Eli pauses a moment. The Casmirre Dynasty has brought expertise as well as an armed voidship to your planet's defense. If you think you can find better, you're more than welcome to go looking. I'll let the Orks know you need some more time.
"Alright, alright, no need to do anything hasty, nobody needs to get hurt."
Sighing as he gets to his feet and begins to slowly detach his Hellgun from its holster and power pack, clearly doing it in a non threatening manner, when he sees the guard start to call for support.
One guard ought not to be a problem. More than one will get messy. Oh well. Suddenly his Hellgun which was in his left hand flies to his right and Lucius fires at the guard.
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That is good to hear, thank you Bishop. I must assure you, my first priority is the defence of Damaris. If we profit by it we will focus the funds gained on bringing new worlds of the Expanse into the Imperium's light; but that is a long way off right now. It pleases me that the common men and women of Damaris will know that myself and my crew are loyal men of the Emperor. Perhaps you will share a glass of fine amasec with me before I must converse with the others?
Had he been less efficient he would be alive::
"Open the gate and I will help you::"
Gala Delegation
"It...did not occure to me you would consider using yourselves as bait. Forgive my rudeness, I did not realize you were this committed to protecting Damaris. If you were willing to do such a thing you could pass close to the ork fleet, drawing out their faster vessels. They would take you to be a refugee ship or something along those lines. That said...they will catch you. Can the steadfast really hold her own against a raider squadron?"
As you pour your glasses, there is a chorus of laughter nearby. You see that Jeramiah Blitz has concluded some tall tale or other and is making his way over to you. He greets you cheerfully.
"Lord-Captain Casmirre! Good to see you've made it. I assure you this party won't disappoint. Not every day those of our calling get to be heroes, eh?"
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Data-Vault Infiltrators
Sarvus provided just enough of a distraction for Lucius to get the first shot off. The guard is starting to raise his own weapon when the high-powered las shot from Luscius' hellgun punches into his leg. He lurches to one side, seriously wounded, but gets a shot off in return
The pain throws his aim off, however. A short burst of las-fire rips up the ground around Lucius' feet. Sarvus, the gate is pretty sturdy but you'll be able to lift it off it's hinges as a half action if you pass a challenging (+0) strength check.
Las weaponry is loud, though not as loud as projectile guns. You may or may not have attracted attention.
Given the speed of The Steadfast, I'm pretty sure we'll be finding out no matter what the plan ends up being. With that said, it is difficult to form a battle strategy with our defense so unorganized. That will have to change for any of us to survive.
Sarvus grips the gate and attempts to move it.
Focus power.
Jarrion makes his way away from his comrades and moves toward Rogue Trader Elizabeth Orleans. Jarrion snatches a glass from a servatior as he makes his way to the Rogue trader.
"Good evening Lord- Captain Orleans.' He says with a small bow "I pray thee I am not intruding, but I find such occasions a bit off putting. So many...groundlings in such a space" he says"And I took note of your ship as we came into the system, an impressive vessel, Lord-Captain."
Fel(39)
Shifting his hellgun back to his left hand, Lucius's finely crafted warhammer leaps into his hand as he suddenly bolts toward the guard, bringing the hammer down in a vicious arc, intent on hitting the injured guard.
The hangers-on who had been jostling for the Rogue Trader's attention laugh on cue.
His irreverant tone isn't how you'd address a priest of the emporer, and Arint seems slightly irritated. He spies another guest and moves away as Blitz continues:
"You made a good impression in the defence council today. Interesting idea, putting you in charge. I guess you haven't got the baggage the others have built up. Thing is, I'm not so sure you're the best choice. I said I'd be happy to vote, but my vote would go to Lady Orleans. I reckon if you were to throw in your lot with her us offworlders presenting a united front would be enough to get the PDF guys to follow her lead too"
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** spoiler omitted **...
Tristan takes a long draught of his drink, seeking a moment to formulate his response. Blitz may be a Rogue Trader, this strange breed of elite that he was new to, but he could be won over like any other man. Tristan recalled what he knew of Blitz and attempted to gauge what the man would best respond to.
Really having little idea of what might motivate such a man, Tristan opted for logic and charm in equal measures in his response, seeking to win Blitz over.
If Lady Orleans wins the vote then by all means I will fall in behind her; the most important thing is for us all to be under a single commander, for the sake of Damaris. I won't bother touting my own expertise in the Imperial Navy or my life in Battlefleet Koronus; I am sure Lady Orleans has her own accomplishments she could name to match mine. One of us must lose the vote in order for Damaris to survive.
Let me be frank with you though, Jeramiah. I will not stand down or fall in behind her unless I lose the vote. Without my intervention it seems apparent that Damaris is doomed- you were still at an impasse when I arrived and such a messy command network would spell doom against the Orks. They are merely days away now and even this vote is costing us and the people of Damaris.
Tristan puts his drink down forcefully, staring Blitz in the eyes, his own blazing with purpose.
Why should you follow my command instead of Lady Orleans? Because my crew and I are the march of progress, in our Emperor's name. I already have the backing of both Bishop Arint and Governor Kapak- soon I shall have the backing of the people and the other members of the Defence Council. If Lady Orleans were able to get everyone in line behind her, she would have done so by now. Give me your vote, mighty Rogue Trader. For Damaris, for Profit and for Emperor.
The hangers-on who had been jostling for the Rogue Trader's attention laugh on cue.
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Lucius' hammer hits the guard hard in the chest. His flak armour softens the blow slighty but it's still enough to break ribs and make him collapse, stunned. With the threat of the guard gone, Sarvus is able to take the time to use his power axe on the gate bolt and soon it swings open giving him access to the palace grounds.
Both of you can hear faint chatter coming from the vox-bead in the fallen palace guard's ear
"I'm painfully aware of this. You're implying the Casimirre dynasty should be allowed to take the lead, correct? Tell me - and this is an honest question, respectfully asked - what makes you and your captain qualified for such a task beyond being a neutral party unmired in the quarrals that have bought is to a standstill?
Eli frowns as he responds, If that's what I meant, then I'd have said it. I don't much care who leads us, but I'm not interested in being torn apart because we're acting like a bunch of green recruits that all want to lead the squad. If the Lord-Captain can convince the others to vote for him, then so be it. I just do my duty and leave the talking, and convincing, to others. Someone needs to lead and the rest need to fall in line, and quickly. We've precious little time before the Orks arrive and far too much to do, it seems to me.
Once we're done with the fighting everyone can go back to measuring their private parts all they want. In the meantime, I'd prefer to discuss what defenses we have, and what intelligence we've gained concerning the greenskins.
Having observed enough, Iacton walks into the crowd and approaches Rogue Trader Jaramiah Blitz.
"Greetings lord captain Blitz. high factorum Havelock of the Casmirre dynasty at your service. How are you enjoying this little gathering so far? In your travels you must have been to quite a few to compare it to.
Sarvus lets out a mechanical whine that could be a sigh.
I must plan more carefully:: I have failed this man::
Sarvus leans over, servos working as his hand extends and plucks the vox-bead from the man's ear. Sarvus listens in on the conversation, ignoring the guard bleeding to death at his feet.
Dropping his hammer to the ground and stowing his warhammer, Lucius reaches down to the collapsed guard and wraps his arms and hands around the guard's head and neck. With a quick twisting motion, he snaps the guard's neck before quickly frisking the guard and stripping him of anything that might be useful, such as keys and the like.
If they have the time, Lucius looks over the body of the guard and strips it in order to create a passable disguise for himself to act as an escort for the tech priest. Stowing his weapons, Lucius arms himself with the guard's lasgun and his other weapons.
Jarrion takes Lord- Captain Orleans comments in stride, knowing he is ill suited for this kind of thing. But marks the comments of his leasers with diligence. How dare they laugh at him! Yes he will recall them, oh yes.
" It is true the Steadfast is a slow best, but she is not made for combat. Lord-Captain Casmirre was blessed to serve in the God- Emperor's Navy and would very much like to one day have such a fine warship as your own. But The Steadfast is far from useless in a fight, but far from the power of your own vessel."
Fel( 39)
Reroll
Fate roll
She awaits your name. It's worth noting she will almost certainly have heard of your clan, for better or for worse.
"If I killed all who slighted me Lord Captain I would never get anyone trained." He says with a smirk "Pardon my Manners, I am Navigator Primaris Jarrion Nostravi. Currently of Casmirre Dynasty. as for why I have intruded many things Lord Captain. I am not much for such gatherings, being Dirt side makes me ill at ease and all these groundings are....well lets just say I do not enjoy the company of such long." He says with a strained smile.
" I could tell by your bearing you to are a child of the void and outside of political use my Dynasty could have with an alliance or agreement with yourself I simply crave the company of someone of similar rank who understands what is is to be of the void. Even among my peers in the Dynasty I often lack this"
Fel (39)
"Hmmm. That's a wise outlook, commander. I hate to say it, but the intel we have looks bleak. I will be blunt - we are not going to stop the Orks making planetfall. All we can hope to do is blunt their attack. I personally think we should seek to diminish rather than break them. There will be several waves, we should make sure we can oppose them all."
I agree, and said as much in my report to the Lord-Captain. It seems to me that we could stand our fleet in their way and they'll simply roll through us. Or we could attempt to thin them out with hit and run tactics and their main force would ignore us and continue on. In either case, they'll get planetside.
My preliminary assessment is that we should use our faster vessels to draw out the fighter support of the main Ork fleet. Our slower vessels should be set to bait minor warlords of the Orks to greater glory. The main part of their force will still get to the planet, but if we maintain air superiority we can force them down where we want them and make them fight on our terms. With their fighter support gone, this should be possible. And if they ignore our bait, then our fleet can lay into them as they try to send their forces down to the planet.
Of course, this is a sketch of a plan, at best. And based on what limited knowledge we have of the defenses at our disposal. I know Orks though, and I think it'll work. But I'd prefer to hear more about your plans, and General Dante's. You both know this planet far better than I.
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Lucius, you find that the guard's uniform is not too dissimilar to your old dress uniform from your time as a crusader. You don it with practiced ease. You can see through the trees that the east wing enterance is guarded, but there are manylarge ground-level windows and most are dark. Sarvus can carry your hammer for you, but for your disguise ruse to work you will have to ditch your hellgun.
Sarvus, you listen into the comm-link:
"Repeat, routine check-in. Private Calith, respond"
Sarvus hands the vox bead to Lucius and takes the hammer and hell-gun, carrying and hiding them respectively.
You are Private Calith::
We must remove the body from the grounds::
Sarvus drags the body of Private Calith into the moat while Lucius dons his uniform. He will look around for a spot to wedge him so he will not be found for a while.
"I think such a discussion should be had in the presence of the General. Let us seek him out - better to talk here than in the defence council where every sentance sparks and argument. Do you want to wait for Lord Casimirre to finish so that he might join us?"
Very well. I believe the Lord-Captain will be too busy during this...gala. But, if you'd prefer his expertise I'm sure I can convince him to separate himself from the others for a time. Otherwise I can report back to him anything that we discuss.
Iacton gives Rouge Trader Blitz a respectful half bow.
"And to maintain such a purse one would also need to be aware of the overall situation, to spy an opportunity and avoid the rotten deals."
Iacton gives Lord Captain Cassmire a strict salute.
"Nothing to report so far lord captain."
A Seneschals duty is to make his captain look good, and sometimes nothing can make a better impression than having competent and respectful crew working for him.
Straightening the hastily donned uniform, Lucius turns to Sarvus as he is hiding the body. "Thank you Enginseer Prime, but hopefully nobody will ask my name, as they may know the Private." Checking the guard's armament, Lucius mutters to himself, "Haven't used a lasgun like this in a while..."
Private Calith must check in now::
Sarvus finishing stuffing the body and then moves back to the path, waiting for Lucius to adjust his uniform and bluff his way past the communications check.
We will need a story to explain this::
Nodding in response to Sarvus, Lucius touches the vox-bead in his ear and responds, trying to do his best impersonation of the late Private while keeping his voice calm.
"Private Calith here. Nothing of note happening out here; I repeat, nothing of note out here. Private Calith out."
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** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **
Tristan smiled grimly.
Under current circumstances, Damaris will fall. You may not be able to escape even with your fine cruiser, Blitz. Under my leadership and overall command, we may have a chance to make profit out of this yet. This is a better offer than this chaos that Orleans has so far managed, which looks sure to doom the planet and any lucrative trade conracts available from saving it.
"Huh. You know, I've been riding on my luck an aweful lot as of late...that stuff you were saying about fighting for the Emporer. You actually mean that don't you? Damn. I haven't fought for something for an age and a half. Maybe you're right, maybe this isn't something i can cut and run from."
He knecks the remains - well, the second half - of his drink
"Go tell Lady Orleans that I'm jumping ship. I'll wager you'll be able to get her to follow suit. Word to the wise, though. Don't go trying the divine mission angle on her. She's got issues with the ecclesiarchy. Me, I'm going to find a girl a lot easier to negotiate with than her Ladyship"
He moves over to General Dante, who basically waves away those he was conversing with. Reynolds introduces you:
"Remi, this is commander Eli Cage of the Steadfast. Like us, he doesn't like to waste time on festivities with the enemy approaching and is interested to know your plans for the planet's defence"
The general nods to you but doesn't smile
"Well, I suppose that you have a right to know, being a member of the defence council. I must admit, I was optimistic when I heard the steadfast entering the system. I envisiged a private army coming to stand beside my levy. Now I learn that she's empty. Tell me, why exactly do you need to know how I intend to hold the surface? Can't you stick to arguing with Orleans and Locke over who gets to do Commander Reynold's job for him?"
It's clear you have an uphill struggle ahead of you. On the plus side, Reynolds is looking slightly appologetic - you seem to have talked him round, and he must have some measure of influence on Dante.
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Luckily for you, the micro-bead is distorted with static and you convincing military manner does the rest.
"Confirmed, Private Calith. Remain lax with your check-ins and you will be punished"
The palace guard's kit includes a common-quality shock maul in addition to the lasgun, along with a good-quality knife that Lucius realizes is almost certainly a gift from an old unit.
The general nods to you but doesn't smile
"Well, I suppose that you have a right to know, being a member of the defence council. I must admit, I was optimistic when I heard the steadfast entering the system. I envisiged a private army coming to stand beside my levy. Now I learn that she's empty. Tell me, why exactly do you need to know how I intend to hold the surface? Can't you stick to arguing with Orleans and Locke over who gets to do Commander Reynold's job for him?"
It's clear you have an uphill struggle ahead of you. On the plus side, Reynolds is looking slightly appologetic - you seem to have talked him round, and he must have some measure of influence on Dante.
Commander Eli returns the nod, also without a smile. I don't take you for a fool General. You're well aware that our success in defending this planet depends on how both our forces do. My need to know your plans is so that we can coordinate our defense to compliment your actions. No member of the defense council has the experience with ground combat that you have. We need to know what we can do in order for you to succeed. The Orks will make it to the planet. You and I both know that.
With that said, had we the time to find, arm, and train an army, we would have. I suppose we could have dragged thousands of unarmed and untrained bodies to this planet. In the void, the incompetent just get in the way of trained men. Is ground combat more forgiving? Eli frowns indicating that he doesn't think for one second that it is.
Iacton strokes his beard to hide a small half smile beneath his hand.
In spite of himself, he was quite impressed with the captain.
He speaks from the heart, genuine belief, it seems he can touch the heart of others as well.
"A wise decision master Blitz, a truly wise man knows when to lead and when to follow, when to argue and when to agree. You stand to make a substantial profit from your clear headedness."
One fall and the rest will follow?
"Would you like me to start up negotiations with Lady Orleans my lord captain Casmirre?"
Iacton moves over towards Lady Orleans, but he does not approach her right away, instead he takes a few moments to study her, to watch who she converses with, if she pays attention to the food or the conversation and so on.
Lowering his hand from his ear, Lucius talks to Sarvus quietly as he begins to approach the manor house. "Well, Enginseer, how do you think we should enter the building? The best idea that I can come up with is to simply take the shortest route to the data-vault and act as if I was escorting you. They will eventually notice that Private Calith is missing, and then they will come after us; I just hope to be nearly done by then. Thoughts?"
"Well of coarse Lord-Captain he thinks of himself as the leader" He says with a Smirk "What Lord-Captain deserving of the title does not always think of themselves as the ones in charge, even if they are in the shadows as the lead" He says garbing a glass of wine from a passing tray."And not ll houses of our blood can be such...bastions of ...valor as the Magistal lines. Still we all have our uses Lord_captain , out in the void even those of us whose lines are not as well known or recalled upon holy terra have a blessed duty to uphold."
Charm(38)
"No, you're quite right, it would be unreasonable to expect you to find many mercenaries in the Expanse who can match the quality of the Highland Levy."
Commander Reynolds interjects
"Remi, I should note that I was mistaken about the commitment of the Casimirre dynasty. You recall I said the steadfast is good only as bait? Well, Commander Kage agrees with me. The Casimirre dynasty is in fact willing to draw the Ork's fury away from Damaris."
General Dante raises an eyebrow slightly in approval
"Well, I suppose that's worthy of some respect. I still cannot help but wish that the 'imperial-aligned battlecruiser class warp signature' that was reported to me two weeks ago did in fact herald a battlecruiser, but I suppose it's better to have you than not. Very well, I will discuss the ground war. For a start, removing enough Ork fighters to give us air superiortiy will be a very tall order. We have but a few squadrons of interceptors and no bombers. However, the AA turrets in the capital can be combined with these squadrons to provide a strong air defence. Also, Damaris is sparsely populated beyond these walls, with much open ground. This makes it a dream battlefield for an Imperial Guard general with the tanks and artillary to stage a set-piece battle. Alas, I do not have enough of such units. My infantry will be helpless against the Ork Kults of Speed."
He sips his drink and continues
"My point is that the war will start and end at the walls of the capital. You noticed Damaris City is well fortified, yes? The defence protocols slipts it into four quadrants. Our transport networks and streets are designed so that it is easy to move troops within a quadrant but hard to move between them. You see the wisdom of this?"
Tristan, you head over just in time to hear that your flagship is apparantly going to be bait.
Havelock, it doesn't take great perception to see Jarrion isn't doing well. However, you think you know why: Lady Orleans is the sort of Rogue Trader who prefers to speak to other Rogue Traders, not their underlings. You doubt Jarrion's bloodline really bothers her that much.
She needs to be convinced that you and Jarrion are the equals of Tristan rather than his servants. Either that, or you could run and get him - though then Orleans will then wonder why he sent his Navigator to greet her in the first place.
It goes against your instincts, but you think the best way to proceed here is to show Orleans that your and Jarrion are leaders of the dynasty, not servants.
Jarrion, you have spied clear patterns in his thoughts even though you are not using your powers to probe them, merely listen. You sense that he is witholding information regarding Captain Locke.
It's a shame your fellow command crew members will never know of this feat of psychic skill - it would go a long way towards making up for the embarresment in the council chamber.
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Sarvus, you do indeed spy a staircase leading down to a small service doorway, some fifty meters away from the main eastern enterance and it's guards. The lock of such a doorway will likely be watched over by a dutiful but somewhat dumb machine-spirit. Reaching the door unseen will not be difficult, and it will lead right into the basement of the palace.
Let us use the side door Master-At-Arms::
Sarvus makes his way to that side door and attempts to bypass the machine-spirit.
Excellent::
01010100 01101000 01100001 01101110 01101011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00111010 00111010 00100000 00100000 01001001 01100111 01101110 01101111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110101 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 01100111 01100101 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100101 00100000 01110111 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00111010 00111010
Thank you:: Ignore us and forget we were here::
Iacton slowly approaches Lady Orleans and Navigator Nostravi. He takes his time, affecting a relaxed and yet somewhat haughty mien. To establish the role he needs to play he will need to appear to belong here, in fact to do more than belong, to OWN the room in a sense.
This does go a little beyond my instincts...but I live to serve, even when it is...unpleasant.
Iactons mind works furiously, betraying his calm exterior as he formulates a plan to set in motion, In the end he decides that the best way to do it is to appear to be the power behind the throne, the Lord Captain being competent, but Iacton being the one who makes the plans.
"Lady Orleans, we have not been formally introduced, Iacton Havelock, High factorum for the Casmirre dynasty."
I hope the Lord Captain does not hear about this...Well, let the games begin. You have the first move Lady Orleans, I've given you some rope, let us see if you hang yourself with it.