Sea of Stars - IC II

[Haval]

"I rather suspect that 'someone' would need to make it worth their while to get them to spill that information," Hannabel says with a smirk at Macharius.

'But what exactly do a bunch of mercenaries want in return? Besides food by all accounts.'

[Kaptin Keen]

'But what exactly do a bunch of mercenaries want in return? Besides food by all accounts.'

I don't think it's about how they're paid. Mercenaries fight. If someone is hiring lots of mercs, that means there's going to be a big fight. It might be nice to know who's fighting who - and why.

[PotatoGolem]

Excellent, thank you! Best to get them preserved, what?

He returns in the middle of the Kroot conversation. Planning your next campaign, Penthon? Have the Kroot been causing trouble? I suppose we could always capture and interrogate some. If someone is bringing a great lot of xenos to the expanse, it would certainly be a good idea to put a stop to it!

[rax]

"Now, now, no one said that all the Kroot Captain Penthon's been seeing are working for the same employer. Remember, the ones I met back on Footfall were looking for work. And with all due respect, Lord Captain, if you want to know something, sometimes all you need to do is ask politely," Hannabel interjects as the others begin speculating wildly.

[Haval]

" if you want to know something, sometimes all you need to do is ask politely," Hannabel interjects as the others begin speculating wildly.

'Exactly. You're not obliged to believe them, but imagine the potential benefit. An actual shortcut to the Eastern Fringe would be extremely valuable.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"More likely than not the xenos are bringing a great lot of themselves here, for some reason," Jerot said, brightly. "I was just talking with Hannabel here about where they might be coming from. While the warp could have just spit them out over here, it's still a tremendously long way from their normal hunting grounds."

"I've hired them from time to time," Winterscale said. "Loyal to their paychecks. Better than some people, that way."

[Blarghy]

This talk of Kroot didn't interest Kennoch--honestly, he was a bit disturbed by how many of the captains willingly hired these cannibal-birds--but he had a different kind of xeno in mind. Once they were all back aboard the skiffs, he made his way to the front next to Winterscale and took up a spotter's position. Maybe he'd see something noteworthy on the way back. Mostly, he wanted to spend whatever social capital he'd built with their host during the hunt. Even if his performance wasn't as striking as Macharius's, he hadn't embarrassed himself like Quinn, and detecting their targets might count for something.

"The Terrorax were were were a creative choice creative, Lord-Captain Lord-Captain Lord-Captain. I had not had not encountered one before one before, so it was certainly it was an experience an. Although although, I hoped to see hoped more of the natives more. I read a little I read of this planet's wildlife this wildlife. Even spoke with even the curator curator curator of your menagerie of your. He offered to acquire he a living memento living for my collection for my. A familiar familiar, you see you. I gather that gather the best beasts here best are too large large, but your curator your recommended a 'crimson malverine' crimson. I am excited I am to see it to see."

He was, too. The xeno sounded like a good addition, and yet, Echo had noticed that it wasn't the curator's first choice. He'd certainly take it, but what if Winterscale--master of this planet and a fearless mad bastard with a flair for the dramatic--himself could suggest something really special?

And if not, Kennoch was prepared to chat on the way back to lead into his real question. When they returned to the estate, before parting ways, he asked Calligos, "By the way way way, Lord-Captain Lord-Captain Lord-Captain, will any of will your Navis Navis be joining the party joining party? House Benetek House is nearly as famed nearly as you yourself you. Given the chance chance, I would pay I would my respect my."

Whether any of the better-regarded seers were available or not, Kennoch had more pressing concerns this afternoon. Benetek, xeno-beasts, and whatever else could wait until after he tracked down Lorenzo for a serious conversation.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

Winterscale seemed happy enough to make idle conversation on the way back, now that the hunt had proved successful. He focused on his piloting, but tried to answer Echo's questions at the same time. It seemed the Malverine - whatever it was - would be about the right selection for a familiar, given that Echo wanted something local. It also happened that the Navigators would likely not be attending, preferring, as Winterscale said, to keep to their spires. It was understandible, most Navigators didn't like parties, much. The ones that did were usually something of a special case.

Like Lorenzo. Echo didn't have to work especially hard to track down the other Navigator. Lorenzo was in the museum, wandering amidst the displays and stopping seemingly at random.

"Wondered when I might see you again," he said as Echo approached. "Busy morning?"

Macharius(+others?)

Once back at the estate, and the Terrorax bodies and their other kills had been sent off to the taxidermist, Macharius and crew found they had a little time before the evening's festivities were set to get going. Echo had vanished off on some errand of his own, but the rest of them had meetings to attend to. Williams the valet had done his duty, securing appointment slots with several of the persons Macharius had requested. Jonquin Saul was first up, having agreed to an early afternoon meeting.

[Blarghy]

"...Yes yes yes, you could say you could it was eventful was," Kennoch agreed dryly. He wasn't sure what else he expected; Lorenzo seemed to just have a natural casual air to him. By this point, though, Kennoch suspected a lot more was swirling underneath. Maybe he should take a subtle approach too, but that would probably be laughably transparent, and even if he wanted to, Echo was just too eager.

"I have your gift have gift, and I admit to admit...some curiosity some. How did you how come across across the items the? Are there more are there? Do you have do you the servitor servitor? Can you tell you tell me who found found this salvage salvage? Or coordinates or or to the unnamed planet planet?" As his questions spilled out, the young Navis spoke faster and less able to hide his interest, until he at last blurted, "What do you know what what what?"

[Haval]

Macharius

Anika will accompany Macharius to any meetings on the basis that there were probably things going on that she should be aware of. 'I take it this is for business rather pleasure? I understand that Captain Armelan might have a job for us.' Of course a Rogue Trader marriage might be considered to be a business decision as well. 'If this is partially about that other thing. Surely you haven't managed to narrow the list of options already?'

Spoiler: Questions / Talking Points

Show

Will let Macharius take the lead but will interject as needed

1) To the extent that this is a business meeting, what if anything do you need from us?
-I presume we're looking for any business relationship that can increase our PF or we're looking temporary jobs that will help us make allies.

2) Any enemies?
-The question is mostly for anyone that Macharius might be romantically interested in. Is there anyone who they are having problems with in the Expanse? Either we can offer to help them out or they might become our enemies as well if we're making alliances.

3) Have to ask for details of the Eldar sword. Was that Aoife Armengarde?

I'll roll for Charm as needed

Sarvus Trask

At some point, since Anika had heard more from Fel about the planet that Sarvus Trask had discovered, she'll go and see if she can run into him somewhere to hear more about it. It was entirely possible that he'd want to keep the location of the place secret but she'd like to hear an explanation of how it worked that wasn't filtered through Felidae's hangover.

Spoiler

Show

Will roll Charm for that
vs. Fel 47 (Peer Nobility +10) (Etiquette +10)
(1d100)[23]

[PotatoGolem]

Yes, thank you Anika. Yes, these are all business meetings, although I do enjoy seeing Morwenna. The business of marriage is certainly a concern for all but Saul, of course.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

Lorenzo chuckled. "Straight to the point. Alright. To start, I'll say that I don't know where the servitor is now. It was quite dead when we found it, and I pulled what I could from the memory banks and erased what was left before we sold it on as part of the salvage. The world we found it on... I might be able to dredge up the coordinates. It was one of the Expanse's far corners - an incidental discovery, before you ask. We hadn't gone looking for your house's secrets."

Speaking quietly amidst the exhibits, Lorenzo headed for an alcove containing some benches and a small vidscreen that was playing looped footage. It was out of the way, and would allow for both parties to speak with relative privacy.

"I can't say for sure what would constitute more. There was a great deal of salvage from that place, most of it ruined, not worth much more than the materials. I saved those particular pieces because of what they represented, but nothing else was so clearly marked. To your last, and most significant question... I know quite a lot. I have a fair idea of who Alessaunder was, and I can tell you that those picts are a lot more recent than you might expect, though still old. Did you recognise the ship, in the first pict?"

Anika

Sarvus Trask was easy to find, mingling in the ballrooms with a drink in each hand. Observing for a moment before approaching, Anika saw that the second drink was rather rapidly pressed upon anyone interested in speaking with Trask, after which he'd go find the servants and acquire another one before speaking with anybody else. It was an unusual sort of thing, but Trask was known as an unusual sort of man. Anika managed to pounce just after he'd picked up a new drink.

"Vanishing planet? Hah! Someone on my crew's been telling tales, I see. Here." He handed her the glass he'd just picked up, and raised his own. "Now we can talk. I'm happy to talk about my adventures, long as you don't want to know where it is. I'm keeping this one all for myself, aye? Going to fund a new ship with it. It's incredible nobody else found it before, but then it's not always there, hah!"

He laid out the story briefly, glossing over the location but giving a detailled account of what the planet actually did. It seemed it was only overlayed on real space some of the time, and the rest of the time it was who knows where. For people on the planet, this time passed normally, but when it re-appeared there were obvious discrepancies between any chronometers on the surface and ones elsewhere in the system. The planet was simply gone for longer than it was actually gone.

Meetings
Armengarde

Igraine was, once again, accompanied by her mother. Aoife was the current dynasty head, and would be the one to arrange any actual transactions. Though, as the story went she had avoided her own arranged marriage, which is likely why Igraine was also along. It was also likely that she didn't strictly trust Macharius. The meeting started off slowly, both sides lightly dancing around their actual questions, until Anika managed an icebreaker by asking about Aoife's sword.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Aoife drew the sword from its scabbard, and allowed Anika to take a look, though she didn't go so far as to relinquish the blade. "I won it in a duel, against one of their corsairs. You know the famous one, Ulthyr Ellarion? One of his subordinates. They had tried to board us, during a tense battle. As if I was about to let any prancing xenos have their way of it. We beat back the boarding parties, and finally broke them when I killed their leader in single combat. After that the guns of the Bansidhe were enough to see off the remainder of their ships. Chased them halfway to the cauldron." Anika's inspection concluded, Aoife sheathed the sword. "They've made many attempts to reclaim it, so something about these swords is significant to them. So far though, no luck for them, or for anyone else who has locked blades with me. Say what you like about the Eldar, they make perfectly fine swords."

Igraine was, Aoife went on to explain, her eldest and only daughter. Given the House's tradition, that made Igraine set to inherit everything. The ship, the dynasty's interests, and likely their enemies as well, the biggest of which was the Machenko dynasty. Anika brought out the books, and there was some comparing of assets. As it happened, the two houses were roughly even in wealth, something which surprised Aoife.

"Your recent affairs have been more successful than I'd thought," she said. "Last I'd heard your dynasty had been reduced to just the one small ship, and had greatly reduced holdings. Sorry to be blunt, but that's how it was."

From there the conversation turned more cordial, with Aoife relaxing a little and Igraine taking up some of the conversation. Given her mother's independant stubborn streak, it wasn't surprising that she was a little on the idealistic side, with religious beliefs that centered more around morality and standing on personal honour than a strict interpretation of the Imperial Creed. The Armengardes had friends everywhere, and a warrant that went back almost as far as, and perhaps AS far as, the infamous Haarlock warrant.

"I think giving Igraine her own command ought to be my next step," Aoife said, when Macharius brought up the subject of the girl venturing forth on her own. "There's no substitute for experience, whatever my old tutors might have said. I'll have to come up with a ship somewhere. In any case, it's too soon to consider marriage just yet. I'll not have Igraine set up with anyone she's not happy with herself."

Theophilus

Morwenna, being an old friend, was far more open from the outset than the Armengardes had been. She had considered looking for a marriage, but often found herself too busily occupied with her ventures to actively pursue the matter. There were plenty of other people in the Dynasty who could take on the warrant, even were she to have no heirs. She had also managed to avoid making too many enemies, by staying out of people's way where possible. Certainly she kept the bulk of her holdings far from Winterscale, whose drive to own everything in the region that bore his name was well known.

"You've looked at the brochures, then?" she said, when he brought up the resort. "It's not the first one I've done, of course, so I'm using what I've learned to improve this one. I told you I'd thought about calling it Elysium Fields? I think we'll be going with that as the final name, and I expect it to be some of the finest I've produced."

The dynasty had other investments as well, mostly money sunk into various trade routes and banking houses within the Calixis Sector. Morwenna was conservative, in beliefs as well as action. What she said meshed with what Macharius and Anika had gleaned from other sources; her dynasty was stable and well-off, but far less aggressive in pursuit of wealth than some and, as a consequence, was building up rather more slowly than Macharius himself.

Armelan

Charlabelle's warrant was old, and the house was well-respected with few notable enemies. More especially, their holdings were traditionally outside the Expanse, and even outside Calixis. The honour of her family name was the biggest thing on the table, though, and with some knowledge from prior digging, Macharius got the impression that while she might welcome a union, one of the big reasons for that was that her house was perhaps not as wealthy as it once had been. It wouldn't be polite to suggest as such, of course, nor would it be polite to inquire, but the picture that was building of the fortunes of house Armelan was not a positive one.

Of course, he might be able to help her salvage some of that. Thus the big picture on the table was the shipping routes she'd looked up for a joint venture.

"There are a few of these we could go for," she said, running a finger down the screen of the dataslate she'd brought with her. "This one here goes by the 'Undred 'Undred Teef, which from the name means orks. Profitable, but hardly a source for a salvageable warship. No, I was thinking this one." Flipping the slate to show Macharius, she tapped a thin line that wound its way across the grainy green representation of the Expanse.

"It's a supply run, but they're paying a lot more than usual because every previous convoy has been hit by pirates, right around here. No word on what exactly the pirates have got, but they've had at least enough firepower to see off a pair of escorts, which means whatever they've got, I want. How much can you bring to bear? The Manticore's Sting might not be enough on her own."

Saul

The self-styled Trade-Admiral was another who didn't come to see Macharius alone. True to his earlier word, he'd brought with him a man in missionary's vestments, who he introduced with a smile. "Good day, captain. This is Lucius Yorke, who I believe I mentioned? I wanted to acquaint you with each other, as I think we might all have a lot in common."

Lucius was, for his part, quite friendly. Not as tall or strongly built as Saul, he nevertheless had a firm handshake and an infectious smile. "Jonquin told me he bumped into you at the cathedral, shortly after you arrived. I'm always happy to meet another fervent follower of the God-Emperor."

"I've been following your recent career with some interest, I admit," said Saul, "at least in part due to the rivalry you seem to have started up with Tristan Quinn. I applaud your efforts, of course. It seems to have been the beginning of quite the successful return to fortune for your house. I'd like to hear the details of some of your adventures, if you've the time for it. Of course, if you're looking for business there will be opportunities there, as well."

Saul referred, of course, to his famous merchant fleets. He owned a truly vast number of ships, nearly all of them transports of some variety or another, and typically contracted out escort duty to a variety of captains with fewer resources and better armed ships. He was also known for spending money at whatever rate necessary to hunt down anyone who thought to enrich themselves by means of preying on his trade routes. The house of Saul was not one to trifle with.

[Haval]

Trask

'Quite right. We all have matters we should keep private, but I had to see if I could find out how it worked.' Anika is curious but isn't going to push the issue, especially with someone like Trask. 'Presumably it's a warp thing. I assume your psykers are broadly ok with all this or I'm sure I never would have heard about it. If you ever do feel like sharing feel free to pass on where in the hell the place goes if you ever work it out.'

Armengarde

Having once avoided her own arranged marriage Anika found the Armengardes easy to relate to, plus the sword honestly did look beautiful. 'It looks so well balanced. I'm sure actually using it in earnest is an experience.' She'll make small talk about the Scorpion wargear in the auction. 'I assume someone may have a sentimental attachment to the sword. Trouble is, with the alleged Eldar lifespan you might have to put up with them for a while yet.'

Honestly the Machenko dynasty were the kind of people Macharius would be glad to have as an enemy, so that was hardly a reason to be put off from making an alliance. On the comment on their recent fortunes, 'We're surprisingly industrious. Or perhaps we're had a stretch of good luck lately.'

She'll only nod in agreement with Aoife's sentiments on marriage.

Theophilus

'So it will be as if visitors had died and gone to heaven?' It was certainly good marketing. 'I admit the scale of the place is very impressive. It ought to be most profitable.'

Armelan

Anika grins, 'I have heard that Orks like to steal our machines all the time, it would honestly be only fair if someone returned the favour. Taking ships from pirates is probably safer though.'

She'll point to the system where the conveys had been ambushed. 'What are the chances that these pirates have a base around here. We could always take a look whatever else we decide. If they have something really nasty in the system it would be preferable to know about it in advance.'

Sun Lee

Anika is mostly interested in why Sun Lee might be in the Expanse in the first place, but she is as much going to get Hannabel an introduction.

To Hannabel, 'You realise you can probably do this without me if you really had to. Anyone worth talking to doesn't care who your family is.'

[PotatoGolem]

Armengarde

Macharius laughs at Aoife's surprise. No offense taken, hoho! Better to be underestimated sometimes. It makes your enemies overconfident, what? But yes, the Emperor has smiled on House Absalom in recent times. The flotilla is coming along nicely, and we've entered into some very profitable agreements. He makes polite small talk, trying to get the measure of Igraine and what sort of person she was likely to be. Aoife's comment puzzles him, not that he lets surprise show. The idea that happiness was essential to marriage was... odd, certainly, but Traders all had their idiosyncrasies.

You're right, of course, no better way to learn than by doing. A dozen tutors are no match for on pitched fleet battle. Actual danger works wonders on the mental faculties, eh? And the only way to make better deals to to practice making many deals. He turns to Igraine with a smile. What sort of beginning strikes your fancy? Trade convoy? Raid on a xenos holding? Pirate interdiction?

Theophilus

Macharius lets his guard down around Morwenna a little more than the others. She was an old friend, even if she was a potential rival as a Trader, and he always enjoyed her company. Besides, he felt a certain kinship to her busying herself with profit too much to focus on marriage. Yes, quite splendid brochures. It looks like a beautiful place. Though not as beautiful as the founder, of course, hoho! He winks at her cheerfully. This colony business seems to be going quite well for you. At the very least, I shall have to get one of these estates. He'll try to suss out her views on his bolder take on profits; he thinks their divergent approaches could allow them to make a lot of money from his bold ventures while also giving them a slow and guaranteed growth, but he wants to know her take.

Armelan

Macharius glosses over the house's declining fortunes, avoiding being rude. He does try to unobtrusively get a sense of Charlabelle's religiosity and her house's relationship with the Ecclesiarchy. Threading in references to the Emperor isn't much of a change in his speech pattern, after all.

Yes, orks aren't known for keeping ships in a salvageable state, what? This sounds quite interesting. You're right, the Sting alone wouldn't suffice. However, she's not my only warship. I've assembled a little flotilla, mostly from my encounters with pirates. Who knows, we may be able to capture more than one this time! He'll try to feel out how she sees the profit and ship splitting going on this venture. The goal is to get her a warship, but if they can capture several he's inclined to split them.

Saul

Splendid! Always a pleasure to meet another servant of Him on Terra. Macharius shakes the man's hand warmly. Yes, I make it a point of visiting a proper temple as soon as possible. After all, it's only by the grace of the Emperor that we succeed and thrive, what? His glorious protection allows us to survive the void and bring His light to the galaxy.

He turns back to Saul. Glad to hear it! Yes, I wouldn't say we're the best of friends, hoho! I take rather a dim view of piracy, you see, and it appears he and I disagree on that point. He regales Saul with the tales of his exploits, and asks him about his own. Without being overeager and gauche, he indicates that he would be very glad to work with the Trade-Admiral.

[Blarghy]

Echo

Lorenzo chuckled. "Straight to the point. Alright. To start, I'll say that I don't know where the servitor is now. It was quite dead when we found it, and I pulled what I could from the memory banks and erased what was left before we sold it on as part of the salvage. The world we found it on... I might be able to dredge up the coordinates. It was one of the Expanse's far corners - an incidental discovery, before you ask. We hadn't gone looking for your house's secrets."

Speaking quietly amidst the exhibits, Lorenzo headed for an alcove containing some benches and a small vidscreen that was playing looped footage. It was out of the way, and would allow for both parties to speak with relative privacy.

"I can't say for sure what would constitute more. There was a great deal of salvage from that place, most of it ruined, not worth much more than the materials. I saved those particular pieces because of what they represented, but nothing else was so clearly marked. To your last, and most significant question... I know quite a lot. I have a fair idea of who Alessaunder was, and I can tell you that those picts are a lot more recent than you might expect, though still old. Did you recognise the ship, in the first pict?"

"More recent more? How so so so so? The Augur the seemed quite dated quite. What, exactly what, did you salvage did you? Was this this an abandoned camp camp? A battle site battle battle? A crash crash or disaster or of some sort some?" Any clue as to why the Castermares came to that planet, and then left behind so much of their gear, might be helpful. Kennoch would normally assume his cousins landed to participate in an awful Chaos-raid on some poor outpost, but the presence of an Augur--owned by their original member, no less--made him think that perhaps they were looking for something. And as he and Lorenzo had already established, for a Novator to personally conduct a search implied that they were on the trail of something immensely valuable.

He then approached Lorenzo's question with some hesitation. Kennoch hadn't identified the ship, not even its basic type, but that was before he knew who sailed it. Now he could at least guess. Lowering his voice as though afraid that naming this hell-vessel might summon it, he murmured, "Our old stories say old say Alessaunder Alessaunder Alessaunder Alessaunder Alessaunder Alessaunder worked his foul magic foul from aboard from...the Bitter Truth Bitter Bitter Truth Bitter Truth."

Echo made the sign of the Aquila.

[rax]

Sun Lee

Anika is mostly interested in why Sun Lee might be in the Expanse in the first place, but she is as much going to get Hannabel an introduction.

To Hannabel, 'You realise you can probably do this without me if you really had to. Anyone worth talking to doesn't care who your family is.'

"That's a noble thought, yer ladyship, but sometimes the people worth talking to haven't figured that out for themselves yet. And sometimes the people you need to speak aren't the same as the ones worth talking to," she answers with a wan smile.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

"Recent is a relative term. I simply mean that Alessaunder, at the time those were taken, would be four hundred years old at least. Probably older. At my best guess, the facilities of the world were closing on a hundred and some odd years of neglect, and the picts would be about that age as well. It was an abandoned camp, probably intended for research of something. The buildings were all prefabs, the sort that can be dropped and forgotten. I don't know what led them to abandon the place. Perhaps they simply found what they were looking for. There were signs of excavations, but we didn't explore too far. The tunnels were unstable."

"The Bitter Truth, yes. It's certainly a Slaughter-class. Too far away to make out the figurehead, of course. They seem to have had at least two ships, or they flew a shuttle out to take pcitures, for reasons of their own." Lorenzo chuckled.

"No, I expect they had two ships involved in the hunt. I can't tell you why, but I could hazard a few guesses. Based on the size of the excavations we uncovered, whatever they were digging up was quite large. One ship, without any dedicated cargo space, might not have been enough to hold it."

Trask

"Working on that as we speak," Trask said with a laugh. "I'll tell you whatever you want that isn't the location of the place. Course I've no idea how it actually functions, but I don't need to know that to know it's useful. It's probably a warp thing. Sent some of the astropaths down to have a look, though, and they said it was benign enough."

Sun Lee

Sun Lee proved to be somewhat difficult to find, unlike some of the other traders around. From what Anika picked up here and there, she was not taking the party as an excuse to loose time on diversions, and rather was networking, making a deal here and there, and generally keeping herself busy.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Roll Inquiry, or something similar, to try and track down where Sun Lee currently is.

Meetings
Armelan

"The difficulty is more that I'd hardly expect ork ships to work properly, and that I'd like to avoid being shot at every time I try to enter a port," Lady Charlabelle said to Anika. "So, pirates it is. I expect it's very likely that they have a base around there somewhere. It could be anywhere nearby, though. I doubt they'd try to hit convoys in the same system as their base of operations. Too obvious. If you know anyone who could find out where it was, though, I'd not be averse to asking."

Nor, it happened, would she be averse to sharing if they were to capture more than one ship. The first catch would go to her as part of the initial deal, but there would be a clause in the contract to allow for negotiations on any further resources seized. Which, broadly speaking, meant they could either keep them or see how much Charlabelle would pay for them. Further conversation, while pleasant, didn't amount to much more than retreading the same ground over again, though it did give Macharius the opportunity to assess her position regarding the Emperor.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it seemed that Charlabelle's faith had been sorely tested over the past several years. She'd had a string of bad luck, and had adopted the position that, while the Emperor might protect, he was far more likely to do it for people who took reasonable precautions of their own. It wasn't quite heresy, but it also wasn't a point of view that was likely to win many friends amongst priests and missionaries.

Armengarde

Igraine seemed to be cut from the same cloth as her mother - adventurous and free-spirited. She was full of ideas, when Macharius asked what she wanted to do first.

"Pirates!" was the enthusiastic response. "There are so many of them in the Expanse, and so much of what they've stolen has never been accounted for. Jalthas Mettiere is supposed to have an enormous hoard somewhere, can you imagine the fame that would come to whoever found it?" There was a touch of the romance era to the tales of pirates, and especially Mettiere, it was very true. Some of the stories were exaggerated, almost certainly, but buried treasure and swashbuckling heroism were enduring themes for a reason. Their own adventures with Misson had proved there was at least a grain of truth to some of the tales, as well.

"That's why I was interested to hear more about the ones you defeated," Igraine continued. "What was their base like? What sort of ships did they have? Did you duel any of them?"

Aoife, while Igraine was gushing about pirates, occupied herself speaking to Anika. She was mildly interested in the scorpion gear, but felt it would be more fulfilling to capture a set of her own, rather than just buying one. "I'm sure I'll be seeing them off until I'm dead, if I ever manage it," she said. "They don't give up easy."

Theophilus

"At the Emperor's own side, even," Morwenna said. "I'll be ramping up the marketing campaigns on Scintilla and Malfi as soon as I'm done here. Plenty of people will want a crack at these, even if it's only as an investment. And it is a solid investment, I can tell you that. You wouldn't believe the amount of money I've made, buying charts and locations and just sinking a little bit of capital into development. Surveying for good locations is the trick, of course. Can't pick something that's too near any big known dangers."

Morwenna liked to play things safe, close to the chest, as it were. She'd no objections to Macharius' approach, provided it worked, but there were a lote more risks involved than there were with her more methodical means. "It would be good for quick capital," she admitted, after a few more drinks, "but there's something to be said for slow and steady. Look at the fortune Saul has built, on the back of cut-throat negotiation and trade alone!"

Saul

"Oh yes," Lucius said. "It is the duty of the faithful to spread His light through the galaxy. Though what form that spreading takes is a subject of some debate, of course. Jonquin has often said that commerce is one of the surest ways to bring lost soulds into the fold. We've found more than a few human civilizations, out here in the Expanse, and I can't say he's been entirely wrong."

"Of course I'm right," Saul smiled. "If we're already selling them things, and buying things from them, we've already demonstrated a willingness to approach them. From there, you have an inroad. It also helps convince them you're not pirates."

Saul, indeed, preferred good honest trade to other sorts of endeavours. He told Macharius about some of the missionaries he was set to transport, and mentioned he was thinking of bidding for the fingerbones of Saint Asceline, if he could find a way to ensure their authenticity. He listened politely while Macharius told stories of crushing pirates and fighting xenos, laughing in all the right places. Lucius asked Macharius his opinion on the methods of the famed missionary Nicodemus Keefe. Both discussed Saul's plans to expand his trade routes into the Heathen Stars, and help bring the Imperial Faith to that region of space. There was the opportunity here to offer some assistance, if Macharius cared to bring up Viatrames. It might also make Saul more willing to work with them on other things - thus far, the Trade-Admiral hadn't extended an offer to defend his shipping interests, possibly as a result of the dubious provenance of the Manticore's Sting. Certainly he had spent a good chunk of the conversation on the evils of piracy.

Finally, after Macharius had made an overture towards working together, Saul expressed polite assent. "There are a few small matters I'm always looking for help with and, if you'd like, I could perhaps contract one or two of your ships to help defend some of trade routes. That's always on the table. I'm also something of a historian, you might have heard? I collect old manuscripts, ancient writings on the history of the Imperial Creed, that sort of thing. If you've ever come across something of that sort, or of any news of a ship called the Exchequer, I'd be happy to compensate you in exchange."

[Blarghy]

Deeply disturbed by all of this, Echo rubbed his hands nervously. "Then whatever their goals then goals, they succeeded they," he realized. "Unless the plot the is especially long-term is, I have already I have likely missed my chance missed to stop it stop. And worse still worse, evidently even the grave even the grave can't stomach Alessaunder Alessaunder Alessaunder Alessaunder. Maybe the Ruinous Powers Ruinous Powers preserved him preserved just for this purpose just for. I don't dare dare to hope hope hope he dropped dead dead immediately after finding after whatever he sought whatever."

Kennoch came to this conversation believing that it would give him a solid lead on his enemies, but now he had new questions--and new fears. Was it worth investigating the nameless planet himself, more thoroughly, sending minions or servitors down the collapsing tunnels in search of a hint at what they once hid? Even Macharius might hesitate to fly to the edge of the Expanse on such a thin chance. What other options did he have? The Castermares could possess some horrifying ancient weapon, or knowledge no human should know, and were either already using it, or preparing to start. And if Lorenzo's right and Alessaunder himself really did still lead the House so recently, maybe still today, then that's as bad or worse. He should be nothing but dry, brittle bones by now. The power he'd need, or the usefulness he'd have to offer Chaos in return for such longevity, must be horrifying. I must confirm this, and who would know except his dead victims and his damned kin? More vital than ever that I capture some of them. Make them talk. Get real answers, not rumors and scraps of old evidence.

"This is troubling news troubling, Lorenzo Lorenzo Lorenzo. Is there more is there? Concerning the excavations concerning or these heretics heretics, their current movements movements, their plans plans--anything anything anything? You're doing me me a great service great, and I won't I won't forget it forget."

[Haval]

Trask

'No real questions, only suggestions. Unless of course you need a consultant at some point.' Anika said airily. 'I would say if it does go somewhere with visible stars you might be able to tell where and when you are. Perhaps you could see if you could get close enough to send a ship along with it and see how it gets on on the other side. I suppose that might get expensive.'

Hannabel / Sun Lee

To Hannabel, 'Well quite, but being part of the command crew of a Rogue Trader vessel ought to count for something.'

'Captain Lee' after they had eventually tracked her down. Anika will introduce herself and Hannabel,'Bringing this up during the hunt seemed inappropriate, but my friend and I were somewhat curious about what you've been up to on the Rim lately. I never managed to get out that far, but I used to dig things up for a living and Hannabel would love a chat if you have the time.'

Armelan

'Perhaps not in the same system, but surely still local. Which means that someone likely knows something'

Anika was quite in agreement with Charlabelle's views on the Emperor.

Armengarde

To Aoife, 'I assume they haven't tried asking for it back yet? At least you could find out why they're so insistent.'

[rax]

'Captain Lee' after they had eventually tracked her down. Anika will introduce herself and Hannabel,'Bringing this up during the hunt seemed inappropriate, but my friend and I were somewhat curious about what you've been up to on the Rim lately. I never managed to get out that far, but I used to dig things up for a living and Hannabel would love a chat if you have the time.'

"Yes please!" Hannabel blurts out. "I...I'm a bit of an explorer you see, and the Lord Captain and Lady Vanhal here says you're all up chasing lost treasures and exploring xenos ruins way out in the wild beyond. We went to the Processional recently, but it was just a sad old place. I bet your stories are a thousand times better!"

[PotatoGolem]

Armelan

Yes, I don't think ork ships are likely to get you far. Baiting the pirates into attacking you is likely to be our best plan. Conceal the support ships, make it look like the transport is mostly undefended, then strike. Wouldn't be the first time we've baited a pirate into attacking piecemeal, eh Anika? Although this time I don't suppose we'll use the threat of phantom Rak'gol. We could look into the data that we have, see if one of Mission's bases might be nearby. He had decent ships last time, hoho!

Armengarde

Macharius laughs. Pirate hunting is jolly good fun, I'll give you that. A spot of glory, a spot of treasure hunting, and a grand adventure. Macharius regales her with tales of swashbuckling glory, his ships coming to the aid of the beleaguered Navy, a desperate battle in an uncharted system. It culminates in his triumphant boarding of the Fury Incandescent, leading his soldiers to glory. It's a grand tale of duels and bloodshed. He chuckles again as he reaches the ending. And then, as we breached the bridge and prepared for final combat, we found... nothing. The captain had taken the coward's way out, killing himself rather than face justice. Rather unsporting, what? So now I've a mind to meet old Mission, see if he's made of sterner stuff, hoho!

Theophilus

Macharius nods along to her explanation. She does seem to have made a good deal of money on it, after all. Of course. There's a place for both. And both together, more than either alone. A house with only grand endeavors is at risk of one going terribly awry, and one that's too cautious risks stagnating. Without his pirate hunting expeditions, Saul wouldn't be nearly as prosperous, because they wouldn't fear him, what? With the two together, you have the quick capital and the long-term growth investments. That's why we've been looking into some colonies. Not normally my wheelhouse though, hoho!

Saul

A capital idea. You introduce the natives to the material benefits provided by the Imperium, as an introduction to the greater intangible blessings of the Emperor. Show them your peaceful intentions and the upsides of rejoining the greater whole of Mankind. That way they're receptive to the greater truth, that all of this is possible through the protection and power of Him on Terra. Keefe was quite successful with a similar approach, was he not? Meet them halfway, see what they need, and show them the light through that. After all, every man and every world ultimately needs the Emperor, but what form that longing takes varies. If it works in commerce, finding the goods the customer most desires, why not turn it to the service of an even higher goal?

He approves of Keefe's methods, finding that they were a level-headed and rational way of saving the greatest number of souls in the most efficient way possible. Applying a Traderly acumen to the service of the Emperor, so to speak. Macharius will enthusiastically offer to support the effort to spread the faith in any way he can. He explains about Viatrames and the possibility of using it as a launching point or resupply station. He presents it in the same light as what they've already been discussing: he saw how to use the local system to rid them of their old impious masters and replace them with a good Emperor-fearing regent to guide them back to the light. If Lucius can spare a few missionaries for the planet, of course, that would work wonders to ensuring they develop on the right path.

He expresses interest in the offer to defend the trade route. I can certainly keep an eye out for anything like that. After all, who knows what sort of relics are out there? IS there anything more you can tell me about this ship? I can look into rumors of ships matching its description on my travels, of course.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

"Safe bets on all accounts, I'd say," Lorenzo said. "Even juvenat treatments typically can't stretch a body so far, and who knows where he'd find those on the fringes of the galaxy.I don't know more about their current plans, just what we found, but..." the other Navis fell silent, considering something and watching Echo through half-lidded eyes.

"Perhaps. There may be more. We found scraps, here and there, of human activity older than the excavations. We never did find the structures from the picts, just what might have been remnants of them. The structures we did find were newer and less ruined. This is likely not the first time that someone has gone digging for secrets on that planet, and if I'm any judge it won't be the last. There was a name, on the servitor's memory banks. I.. hesitate to mention, I can't be sure it's related to anything tangible. But I'm sure you've heard it."

He closed his eyes, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Nostromo."

Trask

"That's a point. We were in high orbit when it vanished, so probably the ship wasn't close enough to the bubble, or whatever it is it makes. Maybe I'll send a shuttle or something down with orders to take off and survey the system a little bit, while they wait for it to come back. We'll see." Trask finished his drink. "Anything more, now you've heard the story?"

Sun Lee

"I... suppose I have a few moments," Sun Lee said, with a slight frown. "Xenoarcheology is a favourite of mine, I must admit. Though usually for profit, the artifacts and things I recover are sold on, typically. Sometimes the Mechanicus wants them. It is a more adventurous lifestyle than many choose to live. Though not you, if you truly have been to the Processional... old Umboldt never told anyone where it is, but there are always ways of finding anything out." She laughed lightly.

"If all you're after is tales, then I shall have to pick a short one. The Egarian Dominion, maybe. You've heard of it? Dead desert worlds covered in vast maze-cities. The building materials are interesting, oily and colourful. There is no need for lights, no matter how deep you go, but it is easy to get lost. No landmarks, no artifacts, nothing. The cities are almost completely empty. I have spent much time attempting to discover the reason for this, or determine if there is any pattern to which the ancient cities were constructed."

Armelan

"Look into it, then. Let me know what you find. I agree that an ambush may be the best plan if we cannot locate other options. One or two ships on silent running, and a single obvious escort? They'll likely be suspicious to see an unescorted cargo vessel. Too many of those are more than what they seem to be."

She paused, then added "If it is Misson, use the ship you took from him as the obvious escort. Most pirates would jump at the chance to get it back, I expect. Revenge will cloud their judgement."

Armengarde

"Hah!" Aoife laughed. "If you think the Eldar would ever lower themselves so far as to ask for something from 'Mon'keigh,' you don't know them. No, usually they come in with demands and guns blazing."

The story of how Macharius took the Fury was a good choice, apparently. Igraine listened attentively, and even Aoife seemed to approve.

"A dissapointing end to the fight, I'm sure," she said. "Still, you won the ship and the day. And probably not inconsiderable wealth. If you ever do tangle with old Misson himself, you'll have to invite me. I'd like to see what he's made of as well."

Theophilus

Morwenna smiled at Macharius. "An apt comparison. Yes, a combined approach has serious potential, though I do think we shouldn't jump into anything too quickly. Let's see how things develop, first."

Saul

"Keefe was very successful," Lucius allowed, "but I would not call him efficient. He often spent quite a while with each planet, though his conversions tended to last, and I can recall only a few failures. It was a slow and steady approach, and I can't fault its effectiveness, but I often favour something a little more rapid, myself. I would be delighted to send a group of missionaries to Viatrames to demonstrate. Would you say the leadership you left would be amenable to our efforts? It sounds as though you've already made some inroads."

"Excellent. On that front I'll contact you if I require assistance. On the others... well, the manuscripts ought to be self-explanatory. It can be quite illuminating to read accounts of the early faith. I don't have anything going back so far as the initial founding of the Imperial Creed, of course, and very likely any such would be lost to time, but.." Saul waved a hand. "That's just a small hobby, to supplement my conversations with Lucius. The ship is a more practical interest. The Exchequer is a class-namer, the first of her kind produced. They're a sturdy reliable variety of transport, and I use them extensively in my trade fleets. I believe I've managed to track down and acquire nearly all of the serviceable examples of the class, but I've never been able to locate the original. I'll provide you with specifications. Be sure to let me know if you ever find anything, even just rumours."

He didn't go so far as to say he'd owe Macharius a favour, were any such rumours to prove fruitful, but it was heavily implied.

[Leon]

Destro

Spoiler

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++Everything you can tell me, the acid is the main draw and i can think of a few practical uses already and many others may come from synthesis and experimentation but i also need to know the full details of the creature to help me understand it, faces can be regrown or replaced if it comes to it++

++Some of my contacts would be interested in such creatures as well for sure, i doubt it would mesh with what they are currently doing but the potential lies there++

Later Elsewhere

++Oh so you had a successful hunt then++
++Any useful mauling's by chance++
++No, oh that's a shame well cant expect wild creatures to act how you want them++

[Blarghy]

"Nostromo Nostromo Nostromo?" Kennoch repeated in surprise. He wasn't sure how he felt about this development, but it probably wasn't a good thing. He ranked the Nostromo as less terrible than the Castermares, in large part because their membership was so diminished these days, but their involvement cast yet another shadow on this mystery. On the other hand, answers--or even more questions--could rest within Winterscale's very estate.

Katarina's memoirs. It cannot be a mere coincidence. The Emperor guided me here; I'm sure of it now. If she didn't visit the nameless planet herself, her notes must still have some clues or references that should direct my next move. Yes. This is fate. I only have to play my part with faith.

His certainty gave the Navis a new sense of hope. Alessaunder might have the support of evil powers far beyond Kennoch's ability, even his comprehension, but what were they compared to the Master of Mankind?

"Then the question becomes question, were the Castermares Castermares Castermares Castermares searching for searching something of House Nostromo something, or were they both were after the same goal the same? I'm sure you you can guess my my my next move next. The auction tomorrow auction tomorrow. Memoirs of a Navigator Memoirs Navigator. I intend to bid intend to, and bid aggressively bid. Emperor willing Emperor Emperor Emperor, those pages pages will have relevant data will have. Are you also interested you? I have not have met another Navis Navis here but you here. I doubt that doubt most of the guests guests will appreciate it appreciate like we can like like. Instead of competing instead for the prize for the, what if we we shared it shared?"

The idea would've seemed outrageous just the night before, but Kennoch had come to a new respect for Lorenzo during today's meeting. Whatever his motives, the man was very helpful, even likable. Kennoch wasn't old and cynical enough yet to fully separate his personal and professional feelings like a more politically-savvy Navis might be. His earlier wariness about House Mercator retreated to the back of his mind. Now he stood ready to divide valuable, likely forbidden, secrets with someone he hardly knew. In fairness, Lorenzo had done the same for him, more or less. That made him trustworthy. Right?

[Haval]

Trask

'Not unless you're willing to let me see it in person at some point.' Anika will get Trask another drink as a thankyou for humouring her. 'If I happen to find out the location of this planet from my own efforts I promise not to spread the information around.'

Sun Lee

Anika frowned at the mention of the Processional. 'Captain Umboldt may have the right idea there, but I suppose you are welcome to ask Macharius for the navigational data. If you do manage to go over there I would suggest you be prepared.'

The subject of the Egarians was somehow less disturbing. 'I understand the ruins are quite something. Normally when a world looks like that I would assume it's inhabitants met the Yu'vath or something of that nature, but to leave no other trace...'

Armelan

After Macharius mentions the Rak'gol,
'Oh I don't know. Would you want to risk something like that being true if you were them. Have to take the threat seriously. But it'd be easy enough to vary things.' She'll nod thoughtfully at the suggestion of using the 'Fury'. 'I feel like if Mission were to fall for any of that then he deserves to lose more of his ships.'

Armengarde

Anika grinned at Aoife. 'You're probably right, but I suspect if I ever have to fight the Eldar in person something has gone badly wrong. Might as well make myself useful and take the opportunity to test my Eldar pronounciation.'

Saul

Anika is polite but disinterested when Macharius starts to talk religion, but will pay more attention when the subject of Viatrames comes up. To Saul, 'I'd say we left the place in better shape then we found it.' To the missionary, 'What would be your plans for Viatrames? It's not exactly a feral world but it's not far off it. Who can say how they'll react to a few missionaries.'

Ravia

'Our host did suggest there are more of those things out there. Assuming the other guests didn't get them all. Hang around in the right jungle for long enough...

Spoiler: ooc

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I think that's everything. Sorry for the delay.

[PotatoGolem]

Armelan

Not a bad idea. Anika, have your people dig into what we have on Mission. Maybe he can help me build my fleet some more, hoho! Macharius hammers out the rest of the details of the deal, then makes polite small talk for a while.

Armengarde

That it was! I suppose I shall have to take the ship back to Mission at some point and ask politely for a proper duel, what? Of course! I expect he'll show up with friends as well, he doesn't seem like a sporting fellow.

Theophilus

Macharius laughs.Quite right, quite right. But we've spent far too long talking about dreary business matters and alliances for now. Tell me, have you seen old Davoren recently? Haven't heard from the fellow since that night on Scintilla... Macharius makes conversation with Morwenna for a while, reminiscing on old friends and escapades.

Saul

That would be splendid! Yes, the regent I left was a good, Emperor-fearing sort. He seemed appreciative of the possibility of real religious revival. Of course, I'd be happy to finance a proper church for them to use.

Of course! Where was it last seen? Of course, ships do tend to wander, but if I find myself nearby I can certainly start looking there.

[rax]

"I... suppose I have a few moments," Sun Lee said, with a slight frown. "Xenoarcheology is a favourite of mine, I must admit. Though usually for profit, the artifacts and things I recover are sold on, typically. Sometimes the Mechanicus wants them. It is a more adventurous lifestyle than many choose to live. Though not you, if you truly have been to the Processional... old Umboldt never told anyone where it is, but there are always ways of finding anything out." She laughed lightly.

"If all you're after is tales, then I shall have to pick a short one. The Egarian Dominion, maybe. You've heard of it? Dead desert worlds covered in vast maze-cities. The building materials are interesting, oily and colourful. There is no need for lights, no matter how deep you go, but it is easy to get lost. No landmarks, no artifacts, nothing. The cities are almost completely empty. I have spent much time attempting to discover the reason for this, or determine if there is any pattern to which the ancient cities were constructed."

"Cities and lights that go on forever? That...that sounds absolutely wonderful!" Hannabel sighs with delight. "Oh, wait! I do know something about the Dominion - that's where geode grenades come from! And shard casters, and shard glaives! Come to think of it, I'm sensing a theme here..." she rambles on happily. "We should go there sometime, don't you think, yer ladyship?" Hannabel says to Anika. "You can dig, and I can explore. Wouldn't that be something?"

"The Processional is nothing like that, of course. It's just wrecks, wrecks, and more wrecks. You could easily make your fortune and retire if you could salvage just a handful of 'em. It'd be a doddle if it weren't for that evil black star at the centre of it all, doing it's best to drive everyone mad. And there's ghosts too. Ghosts and madmen - we had to blast a whole lot of 'em to get back out, but we did it, didn't we, yer ladyship?" she continues with a proud look at Anika.

"Say! What's the most interesting treasure you've ever recovered, Captain?" she suddenly asks Sun Lee.

[Haval]

[COLOR="#008080"]"The Processional is nothing like that, of course. It's just wrecks, wrecks, and more wrecks. You could easily make your fortune and retire if you could salvage just a handful of 'em. It'd be a doddle if it weren't for that evil black star at the centre of it all, doing it's best to drive everyone mad. And there's ghosts too. Ghosts and madmen - we had to blast a whole lot of 'em to get back out, but we did it, didn't we, yer ladyship?" she continues with a proud look at Anika.

'I don't quite know what it is but I don't think it's a star.' Anika responds levelly. 'But I feel like getting close enough to get a proper look at it would be a bad idea.' To Sun Lee, 'Still, we made it out. I suppose you could always ask an Astropath if you ever have the pleasure of visiting there.'

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

"It had occured to me," Lorenzo agreed. "Katarina's memoirs represent a potential trove of secrets too valuable to ignore. I had intended to bid myself, though I'm not sure how far I can stretch my personal resources without leaning too heavily on my employer. There isn't time enough to copy the entire book by hand, but with your implant... Yes, I think we could both come out ahead. How high are you willing to go?"

Ravia

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The curator sighed. "Alright, look. Nobody is supposed to trade in those things. They'll eat anything, and I do mean anything, given enough time. Armourglas is the only thing that seems to give them much real pause, and you saw the scarring on that. For handling them gloves help, and gripping them by the sides helps. They're from some sort of death world a long way away. If you want to keep them you need proper containment facilities like what we've got, or similar, and if you want to use the acid you need equipment that won't just dissolve. On top of that, you need to secure a specimen or two. Be aware, if you have two, they'll breed. They're uh.. whatchacallit.. hermaphrodites."

He lowered his voice, and glanced past Ravia to make sure nobody was near the office. "Selling them's illegal, like I said, but this is Winterscale's planet. If you want some, or a clutch of unhatched eggs or something, maybe one gets 'lost' in the near future. Savvy?"

with Sun Lee

"Yu'Vath are a possible explanation. And yes, small numbers of Egarian weapons have made their way to the markets before. Sometimes I even had a hand in it."

Sun Lee spoke slowly, and thoughtfully, and looked as though she wasn't quite sure what to make of Hannabel. "The most interesting? It is so difficult to choose. Conflict with xenos is interesting, but sometimes yields little of value. Sometimes great treasures are found with no guards, their defenses long rotted away. A single lost secret, worthless on its own, but of immense value when combined with other knowledge, might cost an ocean of blood and tears to obtain. Even then, it is a subjective question. You ask me to guess what you find interesting, or to tell you what I find interesting."

She smiled cryptically. "Very well. The most interesting treasure I have ever recovered was a plain, unornamented sword, of human manufacture. It was many thousands of years old, forged purely of steel, and still carried flecks of the blood of ancient victims. I found it alone in a cave, sealed in a stasis casket deep within an airless moon in a dead system, the only sign that anyone had ever been there."

Trask

"Much appreciated," Trask said, raising his new glass to Anika. "See you around."

Armelan

"I agree, but it may not be Misson himself. A subordinate, perhaps. One eager for approval. Such men are often reckless."

Charlabelle finished drawing up the deal with Macharius, and then seemed content to engage in small talk until it was time for her to go, at which she took her leave, and promised to speak with him again in the future.

Armengarde

"Pirates seldom are."

The meeting gradually drew to a close, Aoife and Igraine relaxing somewhat as the talk turned to subjects of less import.

Theophilus

"Oh yes, he's doing very well! Though last I'd heard he'd gotten into a spot of trouble over near Solomon somewhere. I've always told him he should come out to the Expanse more, where it's harder for old enemies to find you..." The talk of old friends seemed to be a welcome subject, and Morwenna stayed a little longer than originally planned, chatting pleasantly and making the ocassional joke at Anika's expense.

Saul

"Ideally," Lucius said, "We would be able to establish a place of worship to bring the faithful together, and then begin to expand the numbers of the faithful. I believe Jonquin might be able to provide a ship with an auto-temple, which is always a boon in such situations. Though if the planet has a suitable building, it may be sufficient to simply convert the existing facilities. I'm heartened to hear that you left the planet with a leader amenable to the Creed. Though I'm hardly one to shy away from a challenge, I do admit it's much easier to bring the teachings of the Emperor to those who are willing to recieve them."

"Less fire that way," Saul said with a grin. "And unfortunately, I don't know its last location for certain. The search would be a simpler matter if I had a starting point like that. Just let me know if you ever come across her, would you?"

[Blarghy]

"That may depend may on my own Captain Captain Captain Captain," Echo replied. "My House House is far away far away; we primarily operate primarily in proper Imperium space proper Imperium Imperium, so here I rely here on Absalom's fortune Absalom's Absalom's. Luckily luckily, nothing else else really interests me really, so I can focus focus my efforts my my. Our Seneschal our valued the memoirs the at around around at around a half-million Gelt Gelt. I cannot imagine cannot that Absalom Absalom Absalom will allow me will allow more than eight hundred thousand eight more than. He will want he will his own prizes own first and foremost first foremost. But he is also he is usually generous usually. I hope I I I that the competition competition won't be too stiff be too, so I can so can win it closer win to its value value."