Sea of Stars - IC III

[Leon]

++You can tell them that the Magos has no interest in them and wouldn't see them even if we were invited++

[Haval]

++You can tell them that the Magos has no interest in them and wouldn't see them even if we were invited++

'I will be sure to pass that on. Perhaps he finds you intimidating.'

[Blarghy]

The two officers listened quietly, making no comment until invited.

Perhaps a team of Rings out in front to scout ahead stealthily, make sure the path hasn't changed and there's no new traps, followed by us surrounded by the Praetorians and a small squad of armsmen. We don't want to be separated from the heavier guards if a firefight breaks out, and if it really is a trap he's not likely to spring it on what are clearly advance scouts. If he even sees the Rings, that is. Master Wren had a point as well- it's a good idea to have a shadowing team of Rings follow behind. Never want a potential enemy to know of all your forces, after all.

Wren nodded; they evidently found this sensible. "You do have a tactical mind, Lord-Commander."

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

Progress was slow, at first. Sargon floated up near the glass, with his hands folded behind his back, and watched Echo work. He would describe the shape of a rune, let Echo draw it, and make corrections. For some of the more complex forms, he attempted to draw them in the residue clinging to the inside of his tank. The first of these turned out to be backwards, before he corrected himself and drew them all so that Echo would be able to see them the right way around. A finger was not a stylus, though, and scrawling in slime was not conducive to perfect form. And Sargon insisted on perfection.

"For maximum efficacy," he said, during a slow point in which Echo was having difficulty refining a particularly challenging rune, "these must be absolutely correct. The enemy will seek any little crack it can find to worm its way in, any vulnerability it can exploit. The Imperium is right about that, at least. Draw it again, with a little more curve on that second crossbar."

Eventually, though, Echo began to grasp the runes. Every time he drew one correctly, it would flare to life in his warp-vision before fading until it was just a dim glow. The presence of the warp receded, around them, becoming more distant and harder to make out. It made Echo's eyes hurt, a headache building at his temples the longer they kept at this. Sargon noticed the signs before long.

"Means it's working. Uncomfortable, for those blessed like we are, but necessary."

Harmon

The meeting with Harmon was, when the time came... interesting. The Rings went ahead and behind, with the Praetorians standing at Macharius' side. There had been no change in the layout of the traps, but when they arrived at the meeting place, there was nobody immediately visible, either. The chamber was round, the walls lined with rusted groaning pipes, faded lettering stenciled on their surfaces half buried beneath layers of dust and grime. Several of the nearby bulkheads looked rusted - or in at least one case welded - shut. There was very little light. After a second, a servo-skull detached itself from the gloom near the ceiling and floated down to head height, staring at them with a lens built into its left eye socket.

"No techpriests, good, good, but you've brought half an Omnissiah-damned army with you. Ask for a meeting, show up with an invasion force, hm?" The voice, crackling and distorted, came from a vox-grille in the skull's mouth. "Strange way of doing business, I think, but who am I to judge? Glad I sent the skull first, though..."

[Haval]

Harmon

'It's an occupational hazard. They just follow us around for protection. If we were treating this as an invasion we'd have brought more men.' Evidently Gex hadn't looked them up.

'I might ask why you've taken so much of an effort to protect yourself from outsiders, but I can sympathise. A little paranoia in this line of work seems only justified.'

[Blarghy]

Sargon

Despite the grim subject matter and his distrust of Sargon, this lecture brought Kennoch a rare sort of peace. He didn't offer any honorifics or forget the nature of their relationship, but the subtleties to his posture became less captor and prisoner, and more pupil and teacher. He listened patiently. Studied intently. This was as it should be, and for a little while, he recaptured a piece of something long denied to him. Kennoch remembered an apprenticeship cut short. He remembered her.

Spoiler: Years Ago

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He still wasn't Echo. But today--finally--soon--almost--so close--he was very-nearly-just-about-going-to-be a Navigator! At fifteen, Kennoch received a letter from his grandmother after years of being ignored. His exile was coming to an end. The young Navis read her message again and again while he waited, the days passing agonizingly slowly, but still less painful than the fury of dismissal that he'd long endured.

In his best robes, he hurried through the station. This was the last afternoon he'd spend aboard; the thought elated him. Kennoch paused when he passed an observation window overlooking the spacedocks that stretched out like spider legs; attached to one of the piers was the fat little transport that had come to take him to his destiny. She wasn't much, just a humble merchant ship, ferrying supplies from world to world. The Saint's Cup. Kennoch didn't mind. He held no illusions of becoming some famous, daring traveler of new Warp-routes and exotic places never before touched by human feet. A relatively simple life would suffice, so long as he could perform his duties.

When he reached the correct loading bay, the station's familiar senior commanders waited to see him off. Seg-Mirvest wore his usual mesh cloak, but also a blue and white dress uniform underneath with the Castermire colors. He bowed and smiled.

"We will miss you, Lord Castermire."

Kennoch felt that he agreed, although obviously not enough to want to stay. "Thank you, Seg. You...you were good. You've been good. To me. You did...a good job." He shuffled a little uncomfortably.

"That is kind of you to say, my lord."

Kennoch made the sign of the Aquila, which Seg returned. Then on an impulse, he moved closer and offered a warrior's handshake that he'd seen the Rings use. Seg smiled more genuinely with a spark in his chilly eyes. He accepted the gesture.

"Be careful out there, lord. The galaxy is vicious and unforgiving. Remember what I taught you."

"Shoot first and once more than I think I need to?" Kennoch grinned.

"Hah. Yes, indeed."

Magos Vokim came as a greater surprise. Kennoch couldn't remember seeing the Tech-Priest outside of his laboratory before today; he'd always felt that the gruff old creature had spawned right out of the machinery to fulfill a need. But no, here he was, engaged in rare emotional frivolity.

++Farewell, little Navis,++ Vokim said simply.

Kennoch's throat tightened a little. He'd miss Vokim most of all; without his help, Kennoch very likely might not have survived his intolerable house arrest, and the manner of his death would've surely taken many Rings with him in a flash of grotesque Warp-lights.

"F...fare...well, H-Honored Magos," Kennoch managed. He sniffed and rubbed his human eye. "I will remember you. Always."

Vokim's head tilted slightly. A thin hiss of steam issued from somewhere under his red cloak, like a sigh. ++Very well,++ he replied, as if he'd been tricked into a bargain. ++I will exempt our encounters from my decennial superfluous data purges.++

Kennoch took a minute to work that out, then beamed happily. "Thank you, Honored Magos. For all you've done." This wasn't the right environment for a daring embrace, but he lightly touched Vokim's cloak in an affectionate gesture. He took this last look at Seg and Vokim. None of them expected to meet again.

Then he turned to face the future. Officials of the Saint's Cup waited to greet him. One figure quite literally stood out to him, towering over the rest. She was a very tall, very thin woman in Castermire colors, from her soft slippers to her headband.

"Hello, nephew," Elizabella, one of his many aunts, welcomed him kindly.

"Hello, um...my lady," Kennoch returned a bit clumsily. He wasn't accustomed to another Navis accepting, let alone seeming to enjoy, his presence. "I, I will...I promise to listen and learn from you faithfully. To serve you as you serve the Imperium, in...in our sacred duties, to...um..." He began to stammer and drifted off vaguely.

"It's alright," she assured him. "I understand. We will talk more later, privately. There is much to say, to make up for lost time. But now, you should speak to our Captain."

The Captain--his Captain now, because Kennoch had a Captain, because he was going to sail, because he was going to be a Navigator! Emotions roiled through him; he moved his attention to a man in middle-age like Elizabella, but much shorter. Despite his fairly ordinary appearance, he had the right dignified bearing and natural confidence. A minor noble from a minor Scintillian family, the sort that many Navis would scoff to join, but to Kennoch, the man might as well be forged from solid gold.

"Lord-Captain Dawir, sir. Thank you, sir, so much, for--for agreeing to--I--in your service--I'll--I won't--I won't let you down, sir, I promise, I--"

Dawir chuckled with polite amusement. "Yes, yes, happy to have you. Welcome aboard, lad."

Kennoch smiled so brightly that it could shame the sun. "Yes sir, thank you."

Elizabella came behind him and put a slender hand on his shoulder. "Let's go. I'll show you the tower and introduce you to my other Secundi." She led him forward, to step foot on a star-ship for the first time in Kennoch's...well. First time in his memory. And he couldn't be happier. After the pain and doubt and bottomless fury he'd struggled to contain, Kennoch could finally experience contentment. He'd never be renowned among his kin or the larger human populace; no one would erect statues to the Navigator of some little merchant vessel. But that was fine. He could be happy with a relatively simple existence, far as Navis standards went. Kennoch had a place now, a teacher who would cultivate his natural skills, and above all else, he finally had purpose. He wasn't blind to the dangers of that purpose, but he knew--he could feel it in his heart--that his life had finally turned a corner. Now he'd become a Navigator, a real Navigator, and everything would be wonderful forever. The end.

If you listen closely, perhaps you'll hear soft laughter from the deep dark between the stars.

Kennoch rubbed the side of his bald skull, digging at the pain with his fingertips, spreading ink from them to his marble skin in the process. Black smears and drops already blotched his forehead and the side of his nose. "I can accept I can pain for a purpose pain purpose," he assured Sargon. "Will the real wards real be worse be?" He added half-jokingly, "Are the Astropaths Astropaths down below us below suffering now too suffering without knowing why why why why?" It was a roundabout way to ask how broad the effects could be. If psykers could detect the barriers from a distance, then presumably Daemons could too.

Harmon

The Rings melted to the room's periphery. Silent and still, they would wait like gargoyles in the nooks and crannies until either violence arose, or Anika called them into action.

[PotatoGolem]

Never can be too careful, of course. Only a fool would show up to a clandestine meeting and take no safety precautions. I expect it's better for both us us that neither is a fool, what? But I assure you, our men aren't here to start trouble.

[Destro_Yersul]

Echo

"The astropaths are sufficiently distant, for something this small. Locally, the real wards will be significantly more powerful, but that is part of the objective. We cannot cover the whole ship, and so we must sufficiently reinforce points of entry. Hm. Might be wise to see if we can keep the Gellar field active, during our stay. I don't think it would be too much a strain on the generators, but I'm not an expert. Have to ask your Magos."

Harmon

"No? Even so, I do believe I'll be remaining hidden, for now. We can talk through the skull easily enough without exposing me to unecessary risk. A little paranoia in my line of work, as you say."

[Haval]

Harmon

Exactly. I assume that attitude explains your little problem with the Mechanicus. Our Magos sends her regards by the way. May I ask what sort of work you normally do? I would just like to check that I haven't been misinformed.'

[Blarghy]

Kennoch could only hope that any Warp-beasts would bother with traditional entrances, and not simply phase through the hull altogether. All the more reason to follow up on Sargon's advice.

"I will ask I will," he agreed. "Even if even the Gellar Field the is a new complication new, the alternative is worse worse. Little to gain little from conserving power from if we all we die in the process die die die."

[Destro_Yersul]

Harmon

"Normally, or normally, hm? I manage a pumping station. You probably mean the other sort, though. Work for your friends? That sort of thing? Odd little... side jobs, shall we say? I know all about your Magos, I'll have you know."

There was a pause, and a scratching sound like something being shuffled around. "Why have you come to me?"

[Haval]

Harmon

"Normally, or normally, hm? I manage a pumping station. You probably mean the other sort, though. Work for your friends? That sort of thing? Odd little... side jobs, shall we say? I know all about your Magos, I'll have you know."

There was a pause, and a scratching sound like something being shuffled around. "Why have you come to me?"

Anika can't help being nosy, 'Is that so? Ravia's never been very forthcoming about her past. But getting to the point, I would like to ask you about any clients you might have had recently. I would add that I don't especially care about the specifics of any of these little jobs. Everyone has to work after all. But if any of these clients were involved in something that might bring attention down on you I presume you would prefer to know about it?'

[Destro_Yersul]

"You'd be right, I do prefer to avoid undue attention. Usually easy enough, down here. I haven't had that many recent clients, though. Business is down. If information is all you're after, though, well, easy enough. What are you offering for it?"

[Haval]

"What are you offering for it?"

'Well what do you need? Assuming a job offer isn't enough.' Anika continues. 'As for the information, how much have you heard about the Spire Stalker? I would like to have a word with anyone who might be helping them with technical matters.'

[Destro_Yersul]

There was a long pause. Long enough that Anika was beginning to suspect the skull's vox system might have died when Harmon's voice came back, sounding both guarded and intrigued.

"Money is the generally accepted form of exchange, but... what sort of job offer did you mean? I've heard only what filters down to me, on the Stalker, but there's plenty enough of that."

[PotatoGolem]

Macharius chuckles. Money, as they say, makes the galaxy go around, what? Certainly something could be arranged. And my colleague is always looking for useful sorts. WHat sort of information has filtered down to you, as you say?

[Haval]

Anika nods in agreement, 'I could always find a use for people who are helpful to me, especially if you have any interest in travel. I take it you didn't bother to look us up before agreeing to meet with us?'

[Destro_Yersul]

"I know who you are. Just confirming." Harmon said, a little too quickly. "If you can get me out of this posting and into something a little more engaging, I will tell you everything I know. No need to run through the obvious, yes? Crazed assassin, targeting nobility, wears some sort of enhanced flight suit. That's all public, or close enough. There was some rumour going around that it's Lady Hax, the governor's niece, but personally I don't believe that. She might have the motive but she doesn't have the connections to get the kind of tech the stalker is supposed to have. No contacts in the underworld."

[Haval]

'Oh, we're already ruled Lady Hax out. The rumours are as politically motivated as you might expect. More engaging then whatever you do down here shouldn't be that difficult to manage. Even if you don't have anything to tell me that I don't already know. Do you have a superior we need to talk to first?'

[Destro_Yersul]

"I can submit the forms myself. Another pawn will be assigned to this station if I leave," Harmon said. "Do you have any suspects? It would need to be someone with very good connections. Based on descriptions and what I've heard of the flight suit, it's almost certainly beyond Imperial ability to make."

[Haval]

'Would that imply xenos technology to you? Do you have anything concrete to justify that belief?'

[Destro_Yersul]

"Concrete? No. My suspicion is based on experience. It may not be entirely xenostech, just.. modified, or integrated. The Imperium is capable of making synskin bodygloves, and adding wings and glide systems to them wouldn't be that hard, but the more you put into the suit the bigger and bulkier it gets and the more power you need to run it, and the shots that I've seen have too slim a profile for that to be the case. There is at least one species I know of, however, that excels at miniaturisation. Jokaero. If you've run across a digital weapon, you've likely encountered an example of their work."

[Haval]

'I can't say I've run into them in person. Aren't they are hirelings of some sort? I suppose that ought to narrow it down. I take it their work isn't something that can easily be taught to humans.'

Spoiler: ooc

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Does Anika know much more then the basics on Jokaero
Forbidden Lore (Xenos) vs. Int 53 (+10 Talented FL Xenos)
(1d100)[97]

Does Anika know where she might find Jokaero tech or actual Jokaero on Scintilla.
Common Lore (Underworld) vs. Int 53
(1d100)[31]

[Destro_Yersul]

"Not any more than you could teach someone to be a psyker. Jokaero skill is somewhat innate. For the suit at least, the Stalker would have needed to find one somewhere, or so I suspect. For their other devices.. well, the current rumour is they've got some means of bypassing security systems. I can think of a few people who could do that sort of work, myself included, but I can also tell you I haven't done anything like that recently."

[PotatoGolem]

Interesting. Dont suppose you have any idea where he found a xenos weaponsmith, what? Who else would know how to bypass security systems? And, now that i think about it, would reviewing the altered footage give you any clues as to who he's using?

[Destro_Yersul]

"I have no idea where she found a Jokaero. I also don't think altered footage would give me any clues. If you had the device that got used to alter them or mess with the system, maybe. Or a detailled description of how the system got messed with."

[PotatoGolem]

Hmmm. Who else do you know who would be capable of altering the footage? And I suppose our next step may be to see who is known to have a Jokaero...

[Haval]

To Harmon, 'Come work for us and you're welcome to look at all records of the Stalker. More eyes on them couldn't hurt.'

To Macharius, 'Criminals and members of the nobility presumably. Which doesn't really narrow it down. Or I suppose we could ask the Ordo Xenos. Perhaps they have records.'

[Destro_Yersul]

"On a good security system, not many. Or not many that would, in any case. Apart from me, I'm certain The Auditor could do it. You've heard of them? They're probably the best, but Delphium Thule could do it too. Wouldn't bother with anyone else."

"I'll take your job offer, if it's a serious one. Things to do here, to prepare for handover. Where should I go when it's done?"

[PotatoGolem]

Macharius nods. That narrows it down. Thank you. DO you know how to get in touch with either of them?