<Libertaé - Navigator's quarters - Observatorium>


The problem with the carpets seemingly forgotten, Navigator accompanied him, seemingly eager to leave his chambers. This, Issane noted, for if the position of the chambers is not up to Navigator's tastes, why has he not said anything? Presumptions aside, he was intent on not leaving the old man to whatever squalor, the lack of care or perhaps Alfredo's peculiarity self-perpetrated.

To this, Issane merely nodded in acknowledgement signaling that he listened to the venerable man and that he agrees. Never considered himself to be particularly talkative, Issane kept his peace, talents of fine words and rethorics maybe better utilized by Calidus agents. Curt and concise burst of information delivery in all forms, he learned to appreciate very early in his life.

Too much people did not know how to utilize the natural tools given to them.

However, one thing that he felt during the conversation with the Navigator was that whenever Lord Savoy is mentioned, an almost palpable sense of dread and fear radiating from his venerable companion. As a Vanus, he knew much about the Sanctioned Abhumans as well as their abilities, and such knowledge has not assured him of the future.

Has he seen something in waiting for our benefactor? In his scrying for passable routes in the Empyrean, has he seen a glimmer of the future waiting for William?

With this anxious thought in mind, Issane helped Alfredo cross a bulkhead portal onto the observation deck. The crystalflex dome was barely illuminated with lumen-strips, this being the only place on a starship to be visibly illuminated by starlight. Popular among the crew, the Observatorium is a busy haunt for many members of Libertaé that could afford not being on duty. Besides, it helped with a starship fever while being more secure place then the social areas of a space station.

The milky trail of the galaxy casting a blueish pall, filtered though the crystalflex walls of the dome, the clamor of crew and its children was only contested by the deafening silence of the void beyond. Observed as such, Isanne couldn't help but feel a rare sense of tranquility somewhere deep within him. He hoped the combination of other people, along with the sights and his company would do some good to the aging Navigator.

On a raised dais, an empty table sat framed by a connected set of crummy furniture draped in worn-out primary colors of House Savoy. Furniture on one end rested against the inclined surface of the dome, giving way to a sight into the void that he always found breathtaking.

This private dining area was his constant reservation, and those that got used to Issane, knew he usually spent his time here.
Rank hath its privileges.

Filling the table quickly with the food and drink he pillaged from the officer's club earlier, he noticed Alfredo already setting up the regicide board. While his companion was busy with preparing the game, Issane quickly ignited the Cogitator Gauntlet, the activation cant almost reflexive in his mimetic memory.

@bossaroo
Assessing the relevant information in spans of seconds as well as the mindset of the recipient, Assassin typed with almost blurring dexterity upon the projected lithocast surface of the gauntlet. In a effort to avoid garnering too much attention, he did the haptic typing behind the cover of table and goods on it:

"Young Mr. Piotr, i have a favor to ask. Considering your talents, the diligence with which you have fulfilled your duties as well as the benefit of your station, i find you to be in unique position for the job i had in mind. Namely the scale of the task is immense but i cannot find no one more worthy to tackle the challenge. On this disk you will find an attached document, a form to be filled by every single individual that lives beneath the waterline. Current form, function and age are not relevant.

This task serves a dual purpose. First and foremost is to possibly increase the living standards of qualifying individuals despite their current condition and increase our cohesion as a group in service to Lord Savoy . Second, to increase our efficiency in areas where we lack specialized workforce that may be laying untapped beneath the waterline and misused only for manual physical labor.

I am aware that levels of literacy may pose a hindrance in this task, but form is simple and concise, able to be completed with help in acceptable span of time. Deliver me your preliminary report as well as the list of things you may need for the completion of this task along with shipping manifest that we have agreed upon earlier today.

The importance of this task to House Savoy cannot be overstated."

In a fluid motion of his right hand, he stimulated the lower side of the gauntlet, a slit opening, ejecting into his waiting hand, a small disk. The item was universal in that is the one of the few physical mediums of data that may be loaded into a dataslate.

After so much time spent in employ to House Savoy, he intimately knew some of the crewmen he worked with on his myriad duties. Via vox-bead he hailed a runner, a boy he usually called upon to deliver items and packages to various areas of the ship:

"Jaq, get this to Piotr. He is probably on the station, overseeing the resupply. You will find him in the Docking Bay Six. Catch one of the cargo transports and don't stray! Report back as soon as you can and i'll have you and your sister dining on some of the new officer's cuisine."

Wrenching himself from his constant duties and various pieces and puzzles he manipulated in his head to ensure success in all areas, Issane turned back to his companion, finding the game already set, Navigator fiddling, with his gnarled hands, one of the miniature game pieces.

Taking the question that was couched within the compliment expressionlessly, assessing both Alfred's age and experience, imaging either his titanic folly or the wisdom that may be behind that sallow face, Issane responded. He had no reason to hide the fact that he is an Assassin, an Unbound one - free to hunt with impunity any target deemed an enemy to the Emperor's Realm. However, he had no reason to reveal such an information either.

With one side of his grey-hair framed face bathed in a pale starlight, Issane responded:
"I am fine where i am. The constantly challenging environment is stimulating, conductive to self-improvement. Do you not find it so, my Lord Alfredo? A change of one variable can sometimes, give a new light on what we may consider to be ancient and irrevocable things."

With that said, he made the first move on the board with his white pieces, not touching the food and drinks until Navigator helps himself to it first.

<Libertaé - Armory> @Vulpas @Uriel1339 @Maleth + (@Draconion )

"Yeah, it sure is. I felt that name was fitting as I'm still working on it but once I'm done, it's going to be Big Puncher alright," Caroline explained to Olna, looking quite happy that someone was asking about her weapons. "I found some old schematics onboard that spoke about sonic weaponry and since I like music in all of its forms, I kinda found it interesting to try and recreate some of the stuff Savoy's ancestors obviously dabbled with. So at the moment, this is the only prototype I have but if the experiments go well, I might make couple of more of these bad boys. You see, the secret is..." and her eyes widened as Husam got back on his feet and launched another attack.

"Well that was fast, I'll have to adjust the setting..." she grunted as she tried to bring the bolter in time to try and deflect the blow but the knight was faster this time around, managing to hit her straight in face and cleave the welding mask in two. Caroline fell on the ground and dropped the weapon, a line of blood forming on her forehead. However before another strike came, Husam became accutely aware of the fact there was yet another person in the Armory and right next to him. Weapon flashed and any further attack from his twin shotels was deflected with the head of a large warhammer, wielded by a hooded man dressed in simple robes in the colors of blue and yellow, the main markings of the House Savoy.

"Be careful. You might break something here that is more valuable to Savoy than your life and he is not known to be a forgivable man," the newcomer spoke in heavily accented Low Gothic, almost hard for Husam and everyone else present to understand. Despite being in robes he was quite large, slightly bigger than Husam himself in his armor. His skin was dark, almost like the darkness from which he appeared, while another interesting thing was that his warhammer was quite a piece of art, long handle wrapped in brown leather and a golden head, the "hitting" blunt side made to resemble a snarling dragon while the other side looked like the creature's fiery trail.

Thaes laughed with the pumped up thug at the pun, more to humor him rather than anything else. He's heard better on other ships from better 'jester' types, even while he had to reattach entire limbs together. It always interested Thaes the ones who crack the most jokes seem to be some of the most durable as well, but that's a thought for another time. "Thank you Mr.Biter, I look forward to working with you and your men. You all will become...so much more than what you are now." The machine man said in a tone that sounded almost reverent compared to how he was speaking earlier before he made his leave to go ahead and speak with the vox officers. It seems as if his old research could finally see the light of day soon, and not be banished under the towering ignorance of his former colleagues. After finally getting his message of contact information out, the Genetor would retreat back to what would be his medical facility, focused on the task of bring it back up to speed from whatever state it was left it, while adding a little bit of his own preference where he could. It would be basic he imagined, but if this rouge trader can get him what he needed it might prove adequate for what he has envisioned.

Stephan gave a bow to Helana as she introduced herself. "A pleasure, Ms. Thernic." At the captain's dismissal, the smile turned slightly conniving before returning to its showman style momentarily. The cards never ceased their movement however, shuffling and reshuffling themselves between the smuggler's fingers. "Oh, Biter! I wonder if he'll be in a mood to show me around the ship, or have a game together." He scratched his chin, remembering the hired gun.

Stephan chuckled at the retreating back of Savoy and his bodyguard. "You should know, captain: the house always wins," he said in a low voice, before turning to give the ship a look over from the exterior. After indulging his curiosity and a trained pilot's eye from where he stood, he turned back to the boarding ramp in front of him.

After the ladies departed, Stephan walked up the ramp and began wandering around the ship at his leisure, happily shuffling the cards in his hands. He didn't bother correcting the Rogue Trader on his mistake, both because he doubted Savoy would believe him (warp he did owe him around 500 thrones until a few moments ago) and because it really didn't matter whether or not Savoy believed him. Either way, Stephan's gonna make some money and have some fun doing it.

After getting acquainted with the crew and introducing himself, to mix reactions, Stephan made his way to a door and poked his head in. Spotting Biter and his 'boys,' Stephan entered, and discreetly unbuckled two of his pistols and a knife inside his pocket. They weren't his first choice, but its nice to have it as an option. Against this many potential hostiles, the best weapon he had was his wits, and the ability to escape before being cornered.

"Biter! How are you, old chap? Find any pesky dodgers today to chomp on?" Stephan greeted the hire gun along with the others with his usual smile, nodding to the other hired guns in a respectful, if a bit too jolly, way. He continued to shuffle the deck in his hands, the cards dancing around almost as joyfully as their partner fingers and their owner.

Spoiler

As the briefing concluded and the little gathering dispersed, Strahn exchanged courtesies with the others, before they eventually went, each to theirs. All but the surgeon, who was left waiting some moments more before the machine doll damsel turned toward the Cadian. Her expression was locked by the mask, but her eyes gave a smiling impression all the same. "Miss Pale, yes? And, you do not need to call me Omnission, you can call me Strahn," she said gently. Her arm extended towards the Liberté. "Shall we?" she prompted with a lilting chuckle.

"Apologies, Mamzel Strahn, I didn't catch your name and didn't wanna eavesdrop. Miss Pale's right, but just Raska will do it just as well. And aye, we shall." The psyker fell into step beside the queer priestess, to her left, so that she could look her over. All the way across the ramp inside, she smiled a friendly if shallow smile, and after a few steps, commented, "I wanted to talk to you for one big reason, really. You look odd, and if I'm gonna be responsible for youse health, I wanna know how much of you is, well, still standard issue." She shrugged, making a throwaway gesture with her free hand. "Sorry if it's rude to ask, Mamzel, but I need to know if I got a shot in case you get shot, y'know?"

~~ Armory - Now ~~
@Colapse | @Vulpas | @Maleth

Husam cleansed the bloodied blades on the nearest wall, smearing off whatever went off. And then sheathed the blades unphased by the large man, but still looking towards the warhammer wearer, making note of the dragon adorned. There must be some fascination with dragons amidst these people.

"Ever seen one with your own eyes, or just a fancy design?" Husam pointed at the dragon. Apparently ignoring all sort of threats.

"As for me damaging or destroying any of Savoy's treasures..." The gold-clad man looked at the pile in chaos, then turned casually back to the warhammer-wielder. "Those are none of my intentions." His gaze wandered on to the woman on the floor.

"But where I come from to decline a challenge means not only to forfeit, but to be little less than a spineless craven that earns little less than being a playtoy to the darkstar denizens." He leaned casually back against the wall, arms crossed and for sure a smirk behind his helmet.

"The name is Husam Al Din Vhospis. And you are?" The chosen at last asked.

"Ah," Strahn uttered, understanding the Cadian's concern, but losing some of her chipper presentation in the process. "Well, have no fear. Though my body is protected by an exoskeleton, it can be opened in crisis and the majority of my physiology - excepting a limited assortment of implants connected to my spinal column and cranium - is still organic. If I were damaged, then I hope you would make your best effort to restore my functionality," she said, looking sideways at the surgeon.

<Libertaé - Navigator's quarters - Observatorium> @High_Adept_Zeth

"So you say change is good for your health? My dear Issane, I was taught differently in my youth however I do see some sense in what you're saying. Alas, I think I'm too old to change anything drastically...you can see yourself what change brought to the House, not everyone is happy with it..." Alfredo said as his mind trailed off, looking at the regicide table in front of him took every ounce of his concentration and thinking about the right move made him retreat inside, not looking as interested in talking like just couple of moments ago.

OOC You can wrap this part up as you see fit, Lord Alfredo will be summoned shortly to start Navigating the currents as the ship is about to sail out of the dock. As for the first part of the post, I'm waiting on Boss's response but in case in doesn't happen, I will write the stuff myself. Just know that I didn't forget that part.


<Armory> @Uriel1339 @Draconion @Vulpas @Maleth

"I am called Mo'rak and my culture is a bit different than yours, for we value human life above such notions as personal honor. However that doesn't mean we don't value strength and endurance, quite the contrary," the big man replied and lowered his warhammer, helping Caroline get back up on her feet.

Girl picked up Little Puncher from the ground and snorted in Husam's direction. "What a fine gentleman you are, no doubt about it. Also, you owe me a new welder mask so you ain't getting nothing from me until that's fixed." She was about to say something else but both looking at Olna and the newcomer made her sigh. Turning around, she went back to her workbench to continue her work, which everyone could now see was going through the grenade stocks and making sure everything was working.

"And to answer your question knight Vhospis, not only have I seen one but I know the greatest of them all myself," Mo'rak finished with a smile and went to gather some crates before he too left the Armory and its current occupants.


OOC If needed, we can finish the conversations simultaneously, just use <Pre-Briefing> tag for them.


<Mission#1 Briefing - Libertaé's Bridge> @Grall_Stonefist @Uriel1339 @bossaroo @Kalle @Draconion @Redthirst @ItsTime @High_Adept_Zeth @Vulpas @Maleth @Casavay @WanderingJester @BuriasDempsey

Once the last remaining supplies were loaded and every possible recruit brought aboard "Libertaé", William Savoy gave the order and the venerable ship moved away from the Dreadhaven port and entered into the maw of the Immaterium. There wasn't much to do during the travelling outside training, fixing personal quarters and general getting to know with the layout of the ship. At least for the new members of the crew. Old ones were busying themselves with their responsibilities, Caroline making sure that the Armory and Enginarium were in working condition, Micky listed all the added supplies and formed a plan on how to distribute and use them while the Rogue Trader himself could be found either on the Bridge, overlooking the crew and ship's systems or in his cabin, getting lost over myriad of both ancient and new star charts that he inherited, drawing fresh maps and planning new expeditions. He was mostly untouchable for that period of time, a squad of House Savoy's retainers armored in carapace armor wearing family's colors and carrying hellguns (perhaps the only professional armed force aboard the ship) prevented any outside contact with him while Bogi, his Ogryn bodyguard, shadowed his master and formed the last line of defense in case anyone wanted to threaten him.

Thankfully, the trip didn't last long and after a bit over a standard week, "Libertaé" re-entered Realspace and every new member of the crew was summoned to the Bridge where the Rogue Trader was about to address the crowd.

"Ladies, gentlemen and other esteemed guests, I once again bid you welcome to my ship and in my crew," William Savoy began, dressed in his full suit of blue and yellow armor, ancient-looking plate with the symbol of a two-headed eagle with spread wings engraved on his chest, making the old (and new) allegiances of the House Savoy known to the world. Golden gryphon holding twin sabers was located on one of the shoulder guards while on the other you could see a skull pierced by a sword. Alongside a long blue cape, the pair of weapons he already had and a signet ring proving his lineage, William oozed authority and overall looked way more like a proper Rogue Trader this time around.

"Perhaps some of you have heard while others know it themselves," his gaze went over the older member of his crew, "That my House is not what it used to be. Family fortunes are spent and resources lost to both the greed of the Imperium's administration and our own folly. What was once a shining beacon, illuminating the far corners of the Segmentum, is now nothing more than a glimmer in the dark."

"While this is the case now, know that the current state of affairs are not going to last. I'm determined to set this right and my work starts here. All of you who are here and who will support me in this endeavor will be rewarded with both the glory and the amount of riches that I will share with you once our task is done. Work against me, my House and my loyal friends and servants and I assure you, I will make you pay for it. The reach of Savoy's vengeance is not as long as it used to be, but the unsuspecting blade carves the deepest wound."

"Now, if we are all on the same page, let us begin," Will said after looking each of the crew members in the eye. He pressed couple of buttons on his dark throne after which an image of a planet flickered to life on the Bridge's main screen. "System XA-411-F0, planet Nylea. Two centuries ago, a group of explorers came this way in search of a new home. Mostly consisted of members of the Imperial Cult, these missionaries sailed into the void to spread word of the God-Emperor. They found the dust-bowl you see on your screen and named it Nylea in honor of the original leader of the expedition. Nobody would really know about them nor if their trip was successful because all contact was lost shortly after they left the Segmentum. However this changed couple of years ago as the Dreadheaven's current overlord started receiving messages from the planet, people there asking for aid in terms of food, water and other general supplies."

"Only couple of cargo ships went that way and while they were confined to the landing zone in the main settlement, words started flowing. Rumors are that these missionaries stumbled across an important find, a fossil fuel reserve supposedly so large that it can make whoever controlling it become a major player in this part of the Segmentum and give him indisputable independence in face of his adversaries. Not to mention that whoever claims the world and makes such deal possible will get a fat share of profits earned from such an arrangement. As you can already guess, this is where we come in."

"Being in command of the only void-faring vessel capable of such travel and having the necessary laws on our side, I took it upon myself - and in extension all of you - to make such deal possible. However that is not all. Rumor is that these people have in their possession a large quantity of artifacts hailing all the way back to the old Imperium. How did they get their hands on these items is irrelevant, although the long sensors are detecting something that looks like a dig site further into the sand dunes and away from the main - and only - settlement, so I was thinking while we are here, we could conduct some archeology ourselves."

"There's one particular item we're after," Rogue Trader said and another image appeared next to the yellow planet, this one being a golden crown of some kind, looking quite valuable. "It's called Crown of Command or something like that and apparently it has a pretty high price at some collectors. I already have a buyer waiting for it on Dreadheaven so if we manage to find it, we take it."

"So all in all, the task ahead is fairly simple. Land on the planet and assess the situation. Make contact with the locals and confirm the presence of the fuel reserves - if it ends up being just a fairy tale we'll stick to getting the artifacts. If these missionaries turn to be hostile to our trade arrangement and refuse to hand over the fuel, then we'll have to deal with them in another way, but we'll discuss that option as a last resort."

"Any questions? If not, head to the Armory and arm yourself. After that go to the hangar and await further instructions. We'll be in Nylea's orbit in couple of hours."

Pre-Briefing - Armory
@Colapse

"Fret not, ma'am. I surely will not need any of your..." He looked around lazily. "Playthings. As for your mask. I suppose however this William Savoy will reward me for my services shall go towards that." The gold-clad warrior shrugged slightly, when the bigger man talked about human life.

"I value it greatly too, I never meant to kill her. But neither did I want her to believe that I was going that easily. And to of course point out the flaw of ranged weaponry as our original discussion was. And as final point before I rest that matter. She drew her weapon first." He winked, only in the slightest way visible, as the slits of the helmet covered them greatly. Husam turned back to the giant warrior.

"I'm no knight. Knights have virtues, honor, respect, protect all and everyone. I on the other hand.... I fight with everything necessary to achieve victory. And in return I became the Divine's chosen as reward. Because he... Knows. Heroism has no place when fighting the Dark Star." The gilded warrior stepped forwards to take a closer look at the dragon.

"The greatest of all of them, mh? I would like to hear more of that tale, Knight."


Mission#1 Briefing - Libertaé's Bridge
@Grall_Stonefist | @Colapse | @bossaroo | @Kalle | @Draconion | @Redthirst | @ItsTime | @High_Adept_Zeth | @Vulpas | @Maleth | @Casavay | @WanderingJester | @BuriasDempsey

The golden warrior was mostly bored throughout the whole history. One might even have assume he was sleeping. At least he gave a loud yawn at some point he poorly could hide, not even motioning a hand to his mouth. It could easily be mistaken with a monster's growl from the echo within the helmet. Husam spoke up after William finished his briefing, stepping forth.

"Artifacts?! Surely there is a prize in there that the Divine has chosen for me. I will kill anything in our way. But I shall demand to pick any one of the things we find on top of your boons returned to me for my services that is not this crown of command." Husam said loud, not to assert dominance or be noticed more than any other. After a week of travelling alongside him, most if not everyone, realized it is just the way he talked. Perhaps his hearing was bad or his ears were half cut off below that helmet. Or the thickness of the helmet itself isolated too much of the sound.

"Until enemies are found.... I shall remain still as a statue. Peaceful as a breeze. Watchful as a raven." Husam inclined his head. One could mistake it for a bow. But the Divine's chosen bowed before nobody, but the divine himself. And as such he moved on straight to these hangars where the ironbirds would await him. After all in the armory there was nothing for him - the quartermaster made clear of such on day one.