Into the Maw (Game Thread)

[Caulder]

Beyond the shadowed edge of the Calixis Sector, lies a trackless stretch of void shrouded in secrets and perils. The Koronus Expanse. For centuries upon centuries, explorers have crossed its midnight depths in search of power, wealth, and glory, hungry for the treasures it hides behind its ancient stars, and uncaring solar winds. A place of legends, and tall tales. A place of lost civlizations and ships devoured whole by the warp. A place of true adventure, and freedom. To reach it, however........Ships and their crew must steel themselves and traverse "The Maw" and all of its dangers. Even at its calmest, The Maw is a perilous journey, and for every Rogue Trader, traversing it is a right of passage.


On the very edge of the Drusus Marches of the Calixis Sector, a void station, rightly regarded as the last bastion of the rule of the Emperor this side of the Koronus Expanse, resides, slowly spinning in place. Port Wander.

The crew of the Beneficent Murder have come to this place in search of profit, trade, and likely more important than the other two, glory. Hanging silently in the baleful light of Rubycon II, surrounded by shattered remnants of ancient asteroids and serviced by a flotilla of Imperial vessels large and small, it is obvious how important the station is to this subsector of space.

As the Sword-class Frigate slides through the shipping lanes to dock at the station, numerous formal salutations and greetings from both Imperial Authority figures and other Rogue Traders flood the Vox-speakers upon the bridge, welcoming the Undynne Dynasty to Port Wander, and honoring your right to passage. This kind of reception is one that any Rogue Trader should be accustomed to, and is no less than a proper Rogue Trader should expect from an Imperial station. However, one of these messages stands out amidst the cacophony of formalities, and demands your attention. Recorded in the Undynne dynasty's personal cipher, the message is from a man who claims himself to be Orbest Dray. He says he has been waiting a long time for a member of the family line to return, and carries a message and a gift from one of the Rogue Trader's ancestors. He would like to meet with the Trader as soon as they have finished docking, and to meet him in the Court of the Dead, Port Wander's massive marketplace. It is a matter, he says, that promises great glory and riches.

((And so let the game begin.))

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

As the ship slid to dock, he continued his tired process of disassembling Luciel and reassembling her. Piece by piece, he took her apart, and then slowly pulled it back together, muttering a tired prayer to the machine spirit, with the good old tried and true naval and guard alterations that had come through over the years.

"Luciel, for the love of the god-emperor, don't break down. Shoot the bastard xenos scum...present company excluded...in the most crippling possible locations. Rip the filth to shreds, and show them the force of the Omnissiah's true power, make them feel the heat of the forge in their last minutes..."

As he continued the ritual, applying a few oils and cleaning the gun with a rag, he left his other gun alone for the moment. Janus, that had been the name for him. He was always the one to be treated second, after all, he'd inherited Siegismund's great...God-Emperor only knows how many times grandpappies name, so he deserved to hear it second. The data from Luciel showed she was pleased around the second completion of the mantra, so Siggy snapped her back into place in his left arm, the magnetic locks clicking it into position and concealing it well with the surrounding carapace armor, and then Siggy began the mantra and treatment for Janus.

It took three further recitations from Siggy before Janus was pleased. It seems Janus gets jealous.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"Line us up in an appropriate bay, Voidmaster, but make sure it's near the mercantile district. I do not wish to have to walk far to reach this Court of the Dead."

The magnificent Rogue Trader, Faydra Undynne was practically sparkling in her glittering finery - a Malfian half dress that looked the part of an eccentric nobility garment while maintaining enough give to allow for dynamic motion with its form fitting silver-blue, ceramite-reinforced body suit. Faydra would leave her stylized head gear - a silver-ceramite Malfian warmask with a slit at the top to allow for her outlandish mohawk to fit through - on the ship, as Port Wander was a relatively safe place for a woman of her status and headgear outside of a battle was the height of a fashion faux pas unless it was specified for the event.

She did take her normal, unarmored Malfian masque, as was her custom, and had her plasma pistol and power saber at her side in case of an emergency that she did not realistically expect.

"We are going to meet with this Orbest Dray and hear what he has to say while we prepare ourselves for the journey through the Maw. Inform the crew that they will be allowed out in staggered temporary shore leave - no more than a tenth at any one time, and only for a maximum of three hours. I do not intend to tarry here long."

She turned toward the assembled officers of her crew. "I want four volunteers to come with me and meet with Dray. The others are to stay here and check with our special guests in the diplomat's cabin. Make certain their needs are tended to and that you keep an eye on them for any sign of xenos treachery."

Here she was referring to the aliens known to her only as the Tau that they had picked up on the Feral world of Tygress V, not long after having acquired their Astropath from a nearby system trade station.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Heck of a damn trip. Sure, it wasn't like they had dogfights or being hounded by warp knows what all the way here, but who's bright idea was it to pick up a couple of noseless blue skinned xenos and drag them through Imperial space? Nothing against the things, not that Noemi could tell them apart, but taking xenos to a human port was asking to end up sunk and be on the receiving end of whatever the hell inquisitors actually did to people.

Probably involved knives.

Noemi glanced up as her commander directed her. She already knew what she was doing, but it was sort of expected for command to have a certain level of redundancy. Noemi preferred to already be doing the logical thing and assume the person in the lead knew what the hell they were doing. It usually worked. The time it didn't landed her on this ship in the first place.

"Aye, Captain, bringing her in.," responded Noemi before returning her mind to the task. The trader knew how to pilot, but Noemi WAS the ship, or least how she liked to think of it. They went together, fought together, and they'd probably die together. Didn't get closer than that.

She brought them in to dock, half listening to what the captain was saying. given a choice, Noemi would sleep in this seat, and the prospect of being only be able to move on the two dimensional plane irked her. You couldn't make a station dodge enemy fire, least not any that Noemi had seen. She rather be on board something that could realistically flee or fire back.

She ran a hand through her brown hair as they pulled in. She was a small woman, only 5'2", and pale from how long she had spent in a ship compared to out on the ground. Still, she was a tough one, with more than her share of scars across her body and along her face. She was lucky to have not lost an eye. Her clothing was ragged, little more than a ragged brown shroud of knife and bullet holes and tears that have been patched infrequently. Hidden amidst it was her hand sword. She refused to bring a gun on the bridge. One stupid missed shot and they were all sucking void.

"Logically I should stay on the ship if you're going ashore, Captain.," says Noemi, "Plus, might be tinheads on the station." She called Imperial Guard tinheads. She had multiple reasons for it, usually peppered with expletives. She waited for confirmation either way.

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya watched as the captian had the ship brought in to dock. Her eyes gazing out a window at the station and the great black expanse beyond. Her snow white skinned body was covered in black form fitting xeno mesh, displaying her curves. While dark rich purple cloth cover her arms in big billowing sleeves. A simple dark purple cloth hanging from her waist both front and back and hanging to about her knees. A simple black cloak with a hood wrapped about her frame to hide her extra limbs from the crew, and her third eye should she need it.

It had been sometime since she had set foot on such a large station. The though bringing a small smile to her pale lips. Her thoughts swirling the the curious things likely on sale with in the markets of such a place. Or the interesting or rare books she might find to add to her growing collection in her quarters. Hearing her captian ask for people to journey with her almost made her jump with glee, though she quietly contained her excitement for now.

Turning around to look down at her captian with a curious look as she made sure her weapons were on her hips. "Would you like me to accompany you?" Giving Faydra a smile with her snow white lips, the only sign of her excitement to show. Pulling her cloak tighter about herself as she looked out at the other command crew and curious who else would volunteer.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"You shall have the bridge while I am away, Voidmaster Noemi," Faydra declared, sensing where the pilot's preferences lay by reading the expression on her face and the hopefulness in her tone about being allowed to stay on board.

"And Anya, it is always an honor and a pleasure to have my Navigator by my side."

The noblewoman got along well with the Navigator, or at least she thought she did. There were many things she appreciated about the mutant, going beyond the mere fact that her third eye was what enabled Faydra's whole enterprise to be set in motion. Anya was of a renegade house and seemed very much to Faydra to be an independent soul with an appreciation for the finer things in life. The Rogue Trader was also fascinated by the intricacies of the Warp, heretical though it might be, and would listen attentively to all that her Navigator to could tell her of it.

"Any other takers?"

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Siegfried finished his last recitation and then straightened his back, shaking his head for a moment, as the last of his serious expression vanished. His face showed a far more yellowed smile then his compatriots as he considered the concepts that had been communicated "Hmm? We're talking about going ashore in Port Wander? Some people still owe me money down there, who happen to so love trying to shake down newcomers."

To call Siggy handsome would be to lie. He was an individual who had fought in narrow corridors and was as often as not considered expendable enough to be placed closer to the front of said corridors. His face was an exemplar of the results of this precise philosophy, with his nose broken rather heavily and several teeth missing. A good portion of an ear had long since vanished from his head, doubtless in some ditch somewhere. Where the man had acquired two bolt pistols was anybody's guess, presumably 'finding' them in a ranked officers' room and then 'finding' an opportunity to vanish within a short conjunction. His armor, which he seemed to insist wearing everywhere, was equally scarred, and actually had the symbols of another officer faded that he hadn't -quite- gotten rid of yet, his shore leave had been short to say the least.

He nodded his head for a moment, hearing something from his MIU link, perhaps imagined, perhaps not, before stating simply "And Janus seems to be offended I didn't help them out in understanding the simpler pleasures of bleeding in a ditch for not paying up. So I'd like to go along with, if that'd be alright with your ladyship, perhaps a score settled or two in the process of protectin' the matron of this ship."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Faydra let out a light laugh.

"Sure, Siggy dear, you can come along. But we are trying to avoid conflict here, not start it. So keep your gun in your holster and your cock in your pants while we're down there. Unless of course someone else starts something, then fire away.~"

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya gave a small happy nod at Faydra's words. Looking down at the smaller woman, a small smile playing on her lips. "As it is my pleasure to accompany you as well, Ma'am." Recalling the few long talks they have had in the past about the warp and it's dangerous and exciting details. Or the few times she spoke of her sight into such a place. Though she was still somewhat wary around the captian dispite her friendlyness, as mutants weren't usually treated well.

Listening with a light chuckle as she heard the conversation with Siegfried. "Will we be staying here long, Ma'am?" Looking at the captian curiously.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"Not long, not long... Just time enough to sate my curiosity and see if there's some good deal to be made before we take the ship out into the expanse." The shorter woman eyed the tall, milky white presence next to her.

"You'll not have to wait long before you show us what you're made of. They say the Maw is tricky at the best of times, but it's the only way in and the only way out. I have faith that you'll get us there safely."

Behind the blue face electoo that splashed across Faydra's eyes as a permanent mask, and within the icy pools of her challenging stare, a burgeoning madness kept eldritch fears at bay. The first warp jump the noblewoman had ever made nearly ended in disaster, and it had been in much calmer areas of the warp than the maw. A false bravado bordering on the foothills of insanity allowed the eager young Rogue Trader to face down the notion of a life skimming through the warp.

Bravery and insanity doing the Malfian rondo - that was what lurked behind the mask of command on the Beneficent Murder. But Faydra was not irredeemably lost just yet. Her mind was not broken, and her soul was still strong, having survived disaster before. She felt that with this new navigator, from a family known for having a knack to survive, her ship would be in good hands in the warp.

Perhaps that was why she chose to be so familiar and endearing with this mutant, who must have been used to others being wary of her. Faydra chose to look upon her with unquenchable optimism, for to do otherwise would to be to invite doubt upon the entire enterprise.

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya nodded with a smile. "I am hoping to get a deal in the market myself." Looking at the smaller woman as she began to speak about the Maw and traveling through it. "T-thank you. I will do my very best Ma'am." Looking embarressed and fidgeting slightly at the captain putting faith in her so soon.

After a few moments she quickly wrapped a white silk scarf about her forehead and pulled her hood up to hide her features and her very distinct third eye. Likely doing so to hide both her embarressment and the fact she was a mutant. After a quick check to make sure her features were hidden before speaking again. "Shall We?"

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Doing his best to remain as conspicuous as possible, straightening his posture for the first time since he entered the ship, with more then a little self-admitted disappointment, he moved to walk diagonally behind the Rogue Trader, knowing the good old fashioned ways to avoid trouble were to either seem like you were prepared for it, or to seem too unimportant for it, and Faydra...far as he knew didn't seem the sort to do subtle. Too much pomp and flair for that, bit of a peacock.

"Janus and Luciel should be prepared for the next day or so."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Ishta remained silent for a while, shifting in her seat a bit while the others spoke back and forth. She was a thin and frail-looking woman, but her strength wasn't physical, as her sunken and dead eyes would attest.

"It would probably be best if I came along as well." She said quietly during a lull in the conversation. Pulling her robe a little closer around the old armour she was given to wear, she stood up and 'looked' at the Captain, her white eyes seeing nothing, but her mind pointing her head in the proper direction anyways. "In case we need to call for reinforcements, just in case."

 

[Zilrax]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Noemi hummed a bit at the sound of others speaking up. The Navigator was cherished by the captain, perhaps undeservedly. She hadn't really done anything yet. Still, Noemi knew how important they were, and if Anya could keep them from sailing into a sun, she could respect the mutant. Wished she'd wear something more modest.

Then there was Ishta. She could never make head nor tails of those damn Psykers. Supposedly the Emperor cleansed them of all warp ties, but they were all wrecked shells of people who saw without seeing. They were mandatory for communications at range, but damn if they didn't make her feel like they were bringing a timebomb everywhere she went. And Ishta was no diffrent. Still, she had some sense around her, even if Noemi wasn't sure on her sanity.

Then they had Siegfried. Captain liked him. Well, Captain seemed to like men, probably too much. Sooner or later she'd catch something like some plague. Or a kid. Not that there was much difference. Well was her body.

Siegfried rubbed her wrong for some reason. He looked like most mercs. Beaten, broken, but alive and still willing to kill for a price. Still, the way he moved, the uniform, the guns. It irked her on some level she didn't entirely understand yet, and she trusted her instincts. But it also was not her call. Like it or not, he was here. He did however have those damn guns of his on the bridge again.

"Siegfried, I'm delighted to hear you are going ashore with your guns, as that means your guns are not on the bridge. How many times do I need to explain that if we get explosive decompression in here, this ship is slag? That means we're probably dead. I can't stop the Captain but I can tell you off for it.," growled Noemi, keeping her eyes on the job at hand. She got wordiest when she felt the ship was threatened. She really wished the Captain would stop that too.

Sooner she got this docked, sooner she could get the guns outta here. She'd be stuck babysitting the blueberries, but small price for not being stuck on that death trap.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"Four should do for our purposes," Faydra mused after the astropath volunteered to join them. She looked around, wondering where her seneschal had gone off to, but decided that wherever they were, it was best for them to remain on the ship along with the voidmaster. Their guests might need some entertaining.

"Right. Ishta, Siggy, Anya, with me. Noemi, keep your vox channel open, just in case. Let's move. It may take some time to locate this Dray character in the market."

Unless there were any interruptions, Faydra would leave the bridge with her three officers in tow. Nearing the exit, she co-opted two ship armsmen wearing the standard red-shirt uniform with the House Undynne blue and silver crest on the shoulder, taking them as additional muscle for her small entourage as they stepped off the ship and into Port Wander. They made for the Court of the Dead, with Faydra not all that interested in sight-seeing. However, if one of her officers requested to stop for some reason, she would not object to it outright.

Spoiler

Always bring red-shirts.

 

[maikochan]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Shao're sat in the room her and Shas'len'ra had been 'given' to by the humans of this ship. While she was grateful to them for having rescued her and the other surviving member of their cadre, at the same time, she found it hard to trust them. It was no secret that the humans of the Imperium were a pretty insular culture and had a hard time accepting new concepts. Thought she didn't mention it to Shas'len'ra, the real reason she was performing the maintenance on her gear was that she was expecting to have to use it, even if she hoped otherwise.

<Do you trust these Gue'la?>* She asked, looking up at her fellow warrior across the room as she finished making sure the pulse cycler in her rifle was fully functioning. The room they were in looked to be appointed more for members of the Water caste than a pair of warriors. <They seem honourable, but we've only known them for a short time. What are your thoughts on them?> She fitted the cycler assembly back into the rifle and set it down next to her helmet, which she had removed. Right afterward, she pulled her pistol out and checked the sights on it. She wasn't sure why she had a nervous energy, but all she could do right now was make sure her gear was in top condition and stay ready.

With her helmet removed, Shao're was hard for most humans to tell apart from any other Tau, except that the blue tone of her skin was a lighter cerulean than the majority of Tau. She had a black braid that was currently mostly contained by the backplate of her armor. Under her orange armor, Shao're was wiry and athletic, by Tau standards at any rate. The expedition she had been on when they had met the human crew of this ship had been her first assignment as a Shas'la. Though still young and mostly inexperienced, she still displayed a great deal of talent, both in marksmanship and in her technical prowess. She knew that there were some people back home that were expecting great things from her and didn't want to disappoint them by dying before she could properly contribute to the Greater Good.


*<Translated from Tau>

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Siggy grin remained, unaltered, as Naomi growled at him, looking at her politely and considering her point carefully before he stated simply "Don't care. I've got a job to do. Any assholes coming after our Glorious Leader ain't going to restrict themselves to knives, so I ain't either."


When they were out of earshot, he stated aloud, his tone heavily accented with what he thought of as 'sarcasm' and what other people thought of as a nasal whine "I think she likes me."

That attempt at a joke aside, he tried his absolute best to keep in step with Faydra, returning to his pattern of glaring at anyone more then slightly suspicious.

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya watched the brief exchange between the Noemi and Siegfried. Though she sided with the pilot on the issue of guns on the bridge. Being sucked out into the void by a misfire or stray shot didn't really appeal to her. Though her guns were currently in her quarters, her staff and eye would likely be more then enough should trouble arise in the station.

Anya followed after the captian, her long legs letting her keep pace fairly easily as she stayed behind the small woman. She let Faydra lead the way, deciding to stop to browse after they were done meeting their contact. Though she still decided to glance about for a merchant selling books she she could stop on the way back.

 

[Zilrax]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Noemi glared at Siegfried, turning her chair around to give him the full look. "I'll use small words then cus you're not getting it. If a gunfight starts in here, everyone in here is probably going to die. Because the void doesn't take sides. So you wanna protect the captain? Do it by standing outside the damn door! Else you're just part of the blasted problem! You wanna be in here, bring a blade, cus fancy enough I don't want us to be sucking space, or for a random shot in close quarters to brain the Nav and us getting tossed into the nearest Sun. If you are so damn latched to them, you can guard plenty by standing out in a hall where if you get yourself vented, the doors will keep us breathing instead of you dragging us out into the stars! Now bugger off.," snapped Noemi, before turning back around, adjusting the Vox to stay open in case the captain called her.

She huffed once they were all gone. Some days she wished she could just drift alone, but any one man ship wouldn't survive the warp, or carry enough supplies and fuel for her to survive very long. Fact was she was as reliant on these people as they were on her. They were the blood of the vessel, they moved what it needed to live through out. And she was it's brain that saw that live given to action. It's how she grew up after all. All parts working together to provide a concious functional whole.

Course, there was the hitches. Like her whole heresy troubles. She didn't really buy into machine spirits. Rather, she figured they were machine spirits really. It wasn't that far off from what the Adeptus Mechanicus believed, since organics were in fact living machines. However where they differed was she believed the machines, while divine, were not empowered by their own spirit but the spirit of those who held them. That it was the person who made the machine live, not some fragment of an entity of pure knowledge.

She sighed and leaned back in the chair. Nothing for it now but to wait and see if trouble brewed up, whether it be from station-scum or the blueberries in the back.

 

[TentanariX]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Len was shook from his recollection of the massacre the humans had saved Shao're and himself, which had destroyed his other comrades in arms and his own thoughts by his fellow squad mates question. <We owe them a debt of gratitude, Fire Warrior Shao're. We would not be alive if they had not arrived when they did. Perhaps we were spared the fate of our team so we could have the opportunity to spread the philosophy of Tau'va to others.> He said before getting up to pace about their cabin a short bit before sitting back down in a new seat. <Distrust is a dangerous thought to harbour. If worse comes to worst, we will need to keep such things to ourselves, and we could simply part ways once we return to the Tau Empire. For the time being we should continue to practice the tenants we were taught as initiates and do our part for the group. By doing so at the very least, we would not give them a reason to be wary of or distrust us.>