The Gubernatorial Palace - Landing Pad @Draconion @Casavay

Selected for the Rogue Trader's personal retinue for this mission, Mamzel Strahn quickly had her mechadendrites pat down and smoothen out her skirts. For the occasion, she elected to use her ordinary limbs to grasp at her skirts and lift them as she dipped into a curtsy for the locals, then followed the Rogue Trader as he guided them along. Her biological eyes rested ahead of her on the building they were approaching, but her mechadendrites were left to their own devices. One mechanical tendril was allowed to veer from side to side, but the other collected an Auspex from a discreet pocket inside her dress and began to conduct scans of their immediate surroundings. Thankfully, she was accustomed to the blazing engines of starships and therefore she was not troubled overmuch by the heat, despite the volume of her clothing.

At the Rogue Trader's request for a status update, Strahn elected to chime in, "My Lords, you mention your water reserves are running low on account of the Greenskins' plundering, but what of your other resources? If Master Savoy is going to be able to help you best, then he will require a comprehensive overview of your foodstuffs, medical supplies, ammunition, maintenance tools, vehicles, fuel reserves, and personal combat equipment," the heretek rattled off, with a brief glance for affirmation with the Rogue Trader. To the unwary, it might have seemed as though the heretek simply checked with her Captain whether she had his blessing to speak. Privately, Strahn hoped that the locals would reveal their special fuel resources without discovering House Savoy's interests in them.

<Armoury>

Dropping by the armoury, Thû picks up a Frag and Krak grenade for his utility pouches. Slim pickings, and poor compared to what he was used to in the Dark City, but useful all the same.

<Planetside> @Colapse @Kalle @Casavay

Stepping out in the desert sun, Thû is thankful for the complete coverage of his outfit, leaving not a square centimetre of skin to the corroding touch of unfiltered daylight. Squinting against the glare - uncomfortable even behind the heavily-polarised and tinted lenses of his mask - he takes in the miserable frontier squalor of the settlement. He knows well to resist the urge to judge a book by its cover - in his experience, it was exactly such underwhelming locales that held the greatest interest - and danger - for such as himself. Listening to the soldier/militiaman's account of the ongoing greenskin incursion, Thû's ears prick at his last sentence...inopportunely interrupted by William.

You're going to have to learn a little patience, Little Lord.

Expecting to be sent to the front lines against the greenskins, Thû instead finds himself picked for William's personal retinue, along with the Cadian psyker and the baroque tech-savant. The truth is, he could probably be of use just about anywhere, but something about Zola's truncated account of something in greenskin possession bugs him. Nodding politely to Pale and Strahn, he makes his way past them to whisper in William's ear.

"Young Master, a suggestion, if I may? From the local soldier's talk, I suspect the greenskins may be in possession of something important - perhaps even the something you wish to find. With your permission, I will listen in to the vox chatter. If it sounds worthwhile, I will relocate to the site of battle to ensure the package falls into the right hands...namely, yours."

<Nylea - Landing Pad>


Stepping down the ramp, Issane was quickly hit by a sudden change between the musty yet cool air of the interior and the sudden heatwave that carried the air filled with sand and dust from the dunes. However, such things were to be expected from a dust bowl of a planet and Assassin came prepared.

Weather, he considered, to be the least of his problems.

As conversation continued between the priest and William, Issane was startled at the information, a possibility that House Savoy was previously engaged in this section of space, let alone in founding this colony. However, unlike William, Issane was infinitely more proficient at hiding his surprise.

A possibility of it being a coincidence was evident, though unlikely. How many Rogue Trader Houses out there are bearing the name Savoy or acting under that name among the Million Worlds? An uneasy feeling about this whole mission started to form in the back of his mind and in the depths of his gut at another possibility - has he missed this information amidst the archives of the House? Has he gone soft, ineffectual in a staid surrounding? Or perhaps has the event been buried - hidden from the later generations of Rogue Traders?

Cutting thought his dilemma however, was a reflexive recall, several of Vanus axioms flashing though his mind. A safety switch implanted into his subconscious designed to trigger in times of increased cognitive function to maintain operational efficiency.

Accumulated information without proper channeling leads to overthinking.
Overthinking is a sin for it is an anathema to the Vanus function.
Knowledge can only lead to cognition.
Pervade the knowledge with timed action. Everything else is a trap.

<Nylea - in transit to the Archaeological Digsite>
<Digsite archeologists>

@BuriasDempsey @Maleth @Redthirst

With both hands clasped behind his back, he took Wiliam's words as a cue, boarding the shuttle, waiting for all who needed transportation, before lifting off in a gust of dust and sand.
Seating himself in the pilot's seat, he judged his piloting skills to be more then able to wrestle for control with the cumbersome shuttle and its bulk.

In the corner of the piloting console-banks he observed a small screen that showed pict-feed from the passenger bay. An Enforcer, self-exiled noble and a Genetor. Not his primary pick considering the skill sets but Issane intended to make the most of it.

Transmitting his voice over a klaxon, he spoke to the group:
++" Miss Caroline transmitted us the coordinates to the mission area. The digsite is located some sixty miles north-east from the walled city. Once there, I propose Mr. Teng taking care of our security and confidentiality of the mission among the locals, leaving Mr. Thaes and Miss Vel Thernic to focus on the objectives. Thoughts? ++

~~ Earlier - On the way to the Hangar ~~
@Colapse

Husam laughed again. "Ahhh you understand the galaxy, but not the world, High Lord Savoy." He said it not accusatory, but almost in pity for William. "The Divine understands that humanity thrives in strive. To indulge in fine foods, to become dependant on a luxury bed, become addicted to feeling pampered... Are nothing but the seed of weakness. When the Dark Star was born, nobility was the first to die. Followed by knights with virtue. Who stood by the end are those that lived and survived the slums. Fought for scraps to survive - no matter the cost. I will not allow myself to become such a degenerate. No. I let the Divine's light guide me, not luxuries. But as you said. We can discuss those things further at a later point."


~~ Now - Nylea ~~
@Colapse | @WanderingJester | @Grall_Stonefist | @Vulpas | @bossaroo | @ItsTime

The temperature and climate made little difference to the unspoiled chosen. He traversed magma caverns, climbed frozen mountains, matched through deserts and slept in hollowed trunks of a dead forest. This if anything was a welcome and relaxing change of environment compared to the horrors yet walking on Vhospis. He stood idle but ready.

Husam grinned wide under the helmet when Savoy announced he was in charge. So the Lord understood after all. Not that Husam was a good leader, but in fact the worst pick possible most likely. He would make sure to stand up to the challenge of the lordling. Even if just to entertain the Savoy.

He gestured the lancer over abruptly and rude. Speaking louder and clearer than necessary once he arrived before the assembled warriors. Or... Wannabes anyway. None of them looked much of a fighter to the Vhospisian. Then also his standards were rather high.

"All of you. Tell me about the greenskins. Who leads them? How is their leader chosen? Are they also of the dark star? Mutants possibly or foreign creatures in entirety? I shall strike them down, have no fear. But it will be easier to assume command and order them to stand down than anything else. So speak plain, not riddles, who leads them and why is that one the leader?!"

Husam al Din clearly had no idea what a greenskin was. In his head the closest that could come close was the gurgling bile spewing creatures of pestilence. Annoying buggers those ones. Nonetheless he would face anything with certainty and superiority. For he was the divines chosen. Which reminded him of something. He turned swift around to his group.

"Never engage unless I say so. It is of utmost importance that none of you even draw your weapon until I give the explicit order. If anything, do it to entertain Lord Savoy. And neither stop me as ... Unconventional as my methods might seem. But I yet did not die, no matter to what extremes I went to. And should the improbable case come that I'm incapacitated or dead, She will be in charge."

He pointed at the Valkyrie, appointing her as the right hand. There was an awkward sentiment in his voice when announcing Olna as his right hand. Beyond a warriors bond. One could mistake it for a flirt, that high the voice went for a moment. Realizing such sudden change in tune, the golden warrior cleared his throat. If anything it would only emphasize the extended sympathy.

[Armoury]
Trained to toss grenades from childhood, for Raska, picking out two frag grenades wasn't possible without cracking a fond smile, thinking back to her first livefire exercises.

[Planetside]
@Kalle @Draconion
Pale immediately wiped her brow with an exasperated half-chuckle as she stepped down the ramp trailing behind Savoy, spear in her right. She thought about making a joke about the heat, but kept herself from it when she spied the approaching robe-wearers. The psyker was rather thankful of herself for having always preferred lighter robes that allowed the air to circulate through, and a minimum of armour, as opposed to many other pirates who took to carapace the instant such a privilege was open to them. She really couldn't imagine how Savoy must have been suffering in that suit of his.

She was rather pleased to be attached to a command retinue, but upon being reminded that they were about to face off against orks of all things, she couldn't keep herself from murmuring "Shite, captain, I'm back on Armageddon". Other than that remark, she let her drawn-up hood and eerie countenance do most of the talking, electing to not add anything to her companions' queries for now. Pale merely remained a polite distance to her captain's side, at ease but - as always - ready to spring into action and disintegrate possible aggressors.

The pirate sorceress chuckled darkly at the thought - maybe she had spent too much time amongst scoundrels that kept altering deals.

Having been left with those that evidently seemed in charge of the dig site, Helana checked what she had purloined from the armoury, a stun grenade for taking someone alive and a krak grenade just in case she needed something blown up.

Still, here she was, and the one person to whom which she hadn't had the faintest clue as to what he really did had decided to take charge, going by the mention of who was doing what. Not that she was in a mood to make a complain, only saying in response (@High_Adept_Zeth ) "Well, aside from my Drones being better suited for combat, I don't see any issues with that plan."
The heat that had her seeking shade from the sun in the now in use shuttle, even despite the Rig's attempts to compensate for the environmental effects. She'd rather have it too cold, instead of too hot.

That the robe wearing locals apparently already knew Savoy and his ship was a surprise, and one she didn't exactly hide during the meeting. That Orks were present didn't quite bode well for the state of the digsite either, but she just had to wait and see what was actually going to happen down there.

-Before Departure with Dig team-
Of course there would be complications, there were always some form of it whenever a mission began. But for it to be the Orks, Thaes was sure this place would be doomed to a slow demise of attrition against them if proper tactics were not employed. Mainly, in dealing with the bodies of the fallen xenos. Upon hearing Husam becoming the leader for the squad that will deal with the xenos infestation, he would walk up to the warrior to get his attention before he had to leave for the archaeological site. @Uriel1339 "If I may warrior of the divine." The old Techpriest started first, hoping it would keep his attention long enough for the advice he was about to give. "I would suggest the use of incendiary means of destroying the bodies of the Orks, these creature upon death give off a release of spores which will land somewhere, preferable damp and dark, and grow more orks. And since your group will be heading to a Water plant, I would also advise to be on the look out for fungal patches on dirt areas and destroy them when possible. More often than not, it is more Greenskins growing underground." Mr.Sawbones warned. "Now, may your....Divine smile upon your endeavor." He said as a farewell, wondering if he worded that or not as he re-embarked onto the shuttle as Isaane worked the pilot controls.

-The Flight-
"I agree with the plan, though I will admit I only have passing knowledge on Historical subjects Mr. Galoris." Mr.Sawbones replied as the group confirmed their own parts in the generally agreed upon plan. He did ponder on why Savoy sent him to the dig site and not help deal with the Ork problem, but he would have to just trust the Trader's judgment for now. But what was more interesting was this colony's past history with Savoy's house, one that William did not seem to even know about let alone understood of. That and figuring out if 'Void Father' was just another name for the Emperor as well. So many questions and no time to find the answers, he wondered if anyone else were asking the same questions to themselves.

- Earlier -
@BuriasDempsey

"Our divine." Husam swiftly corrected the oddly dressed individual. And even stranger personality. Strange, because be acknowledged the Vhospisians role as the chosen. Maybe these fellow humans at last started to understand after all.

"Much obliged about your fighting tips. Although I still am not sure what to imagine these greenskins to be. I shall attempt to burn all their evidence into oblivion, like our pyromancers did with the pest hounds back in the lands of the twisted grave warden." He shrugged casually, certainly not missing whoever Husam just described and of course nobody would know him. But the chosen merely wanted to express that he appreciated the suggestion and is not unfamiliar to the practice of burning ones foe.

<Water plant issues> @Uriel1339 @WanderingJester @Grall_Stonefist @Vulpas @ItsTime @bossaroo

Human militiaman also known as Zola, who in the meantime came to his senses, waited to see if anyone of the present soldiers would reply to the golden armored warrior asking questions and throwing his weight around. Since the man received a silent treatment, Zola coughed, the oldest trick in the book to get someones attention.

"Sir, if I may. I'll tell you all you need to know about what's going on here and the Greenskin problem we're having. But first, follow me," he said and gestured for the rest of his troopers to go with the priests and Savoy's party, while he alone acted as some kind of a guide to Husam and his new "team". He led them down the landing pad and into the city, towards the western barbican.

"This planet, while being holy, was never a friend of ours. Between sand snakes, pale nomads of the underworld and wild reptiles, the Orks were only one of our problems. Ever since we got here we had to fight the desert and claim what is ours," he spoke as they walked, each of the teammates could now see a little bit more of the city and its inhabitants, most of them coming out in the streets to see for themselves if the rumors of travelers from the Imperium coming to save them. There was not much to look at, most of the people were dressed in light clothing with the color of the sand, covering their heads with turbans and scarfs, looking pretty much like their guide.

"For the most part, the greatest fighting was over water. These Greenskins often attacked our outposts and we never really managed to spread out from the city, given the fact our population is so low we decided to stay within the walls and only go out when we had to. However once the water reserves dried out, we had to build new plants further and further away from the city, connecting them with these aqueducts," he said and pointed at the collum of tall pillars that headed from the walls and into the desert, "so we could have the fresh source of water. But the Greenskins were onto us and over the course of five years, they have either destroyed or poisoned most of our plants, leaving us with only one functioning. That was until a month ago when they attacked the last plant. We suffered heavy losses, I lost my brother in the fighting, and we had to pull out with the reserves we had. It is only Void Father's will that brought you here now because if you hadn't come, we would've surely perished."

"I caught only glimpses of the creature leading these Orks, but from what I could see he's some sort of an alchemist, he created strange grenades and when exploding, made us sick and he even used a gun that fired these poisonous bullets. Mad creature, I tell you. The last time we sighted him was at the water plant and I lost couple of scouts just to get that information confirmed."

Evntually, they reached the gates and a large barracks located next to them where everyone could see around ten soldiers training with spears and swords. They all stopped after seeing Zola and his new companions, however the man waved them off and ordered them to continue with their work. "If you exit the gate, just follow the aqueduct and you'll reach the plant in three hours. Also, not sure if you plan to walk all the way here but I'm willing to help you with that," he said and headed towards what seemed to be stables built adjecent to the barracks.

After couple of moments he returned with a creature that could best be described as a mix of horse and an elk. It had mane and two horns sticking out of its head, and most importantly, it was saddled and looked somewhat tame. "We use these halas to cover the ground more quickly, you wouldn't find a better companion than this on the entire Nylea," Zola finished, looking like he expected the team to agree with him, just mount the strange creatures and head into the sunset...all alone.


<Central Digsite, north of main settlement> @High_Adept_Zeth @BuriasDempsey @Maleth @Redthirst

Flying over the desert, the group heading for the archeological site could spot first signs of Greenskin presence, or at least something destructive like them. They flew over two small outposts and one water plant, all of them deserted and turned into a ruin. Gaps created by explosions and buildings riddled with bullets and smeared in ugly writings were all over the place, however what also could be seen is that everything was brought down to its base metal construction - everything that could be looted the Greenskins took with them to Emperor-knows where, because other than the sites of destruction there was no actual living Ork on the radar for miles around.

Led by the signal from "Libertaé", Issane had no trouble navigating the lower atmosphere and they reached their destination in no time. Landing the shuttle where they deemed was a good place, they would eventually come across what was basically a wide crater dug out by human-made machines, many of those still around and wasting in sand, where at its bottom they could see half-burried stone buildings. From this far out there wasn't really much to tell about the architecture but it definitely looked like it was human-made.

At the moment, there was only one way down as both of the cargo elevators that they spotted in the area which were built in the walls of the crater were not working, the power plant which powered these things completely covered with sand and obviously out of order, meaning that the way down was a steep path circling around the edges of the crater and reaching the bottom couple of hundred feet down. However that wasn't all, by the looks of the tracks in the sand, the path was used recently by something that had large boots and carried lots of weight. Lots of tracks that all led down towards the hole in the center of the crater, where most of the burried buildings were located.

That was apparently the main entrance but Thaes' enhanced eyesight allowed him to spot what looked like a side entrance, built in the edge of the crater close to where one of the elevators was. There was also a set of rails and a number of overturned mining carts in front of it. At the moment, the place was silent as a grave, the only constant companion being the terrible heat but it would probably be much better once they are underground.


<Friendly talks> @Draconion @Kalle @Casavay

"My child, I'm not the best person to talk about when it comes to these things because me and my brothers are in charge of Nylea's spiritual health, but I can tell you what I know," the old priest said as he finally managed to free himself of Savoy's friendly hug and started walking on his own, leading them to the palace.

"Most of the resources we had and used up until couple of years ago were brought here by our fathers when they came to colonize this world. We tried cultivating plants but the soil was not that good, so most of our food came from hunting and domesticating few animals we could find that weren't hostile to us. Water was scarce but we managed to find a great underground lake on top of which we built this city and our colony. Over the years the lake dried out and we had to search elsewhere for water, creating a network of aqueducts and water plants to help with our needs."

"Speaking of which, you look like one of the Omnissiah's folk? Do you perhaps know your way with large machines? I'm asking because yesterday we received reports from below that our main pump is not working again and it would help us a lot if you could fix it permanently. We're running thin on manpower because Zola conscripted most of the able people into the army and I can't send anyone else into the darkness, many of them are lost to either some freak accidents or are simply never seen again. I know what you would say..."

"That is sounds like gibberish," William replied with a grunt. Everyone who was watching him while the priest spoke could see that his mood went from bad to worse. He didn't even reply to Thû, simply waving him away and giving him do whatever you want looks. "People aren't simply lost like that, this isn't some underhive, it's a simple city built in the middle of nowhere."

"I assure you, it's not that simple," the priest replied with fatherly tone, trying to calm the young Rogue Trader. Words did little to help Will but entering the Palace did a lot more. Large tables were set with all kinds of meat and fruit on them, stuffed pillows placed all around for the party to sit down and have a nice meal while scantly-dressed ladies and gentlemen were present to sip drinks and entertain the guests. It was a sudden change, from poverty to luxury, that almost threw Will out of balance. Almost. Without a second thought he sat down at the head of the table and began feasting, calling in for one of the servants nearby to pour him a drink. Bogi sighed and sat down close, pulling the safety off on his ripper gun, just in case.

"We organized this feast in your honor Lord Savoy, as a gratitude of people of Nylea," the priest continued and the other members of the church nodded, happy to see that their welcoming was well-received. "As I was saying," the man continued, turning back to the trio, "It is not that simple. Our ancestors built all of this, we merely built on top of it. There's a series of tunnels heading below the Palace and the central water plant and who knows where. We weren't able to properly map these passageways since most of the old maps were lost to time. So we don't even try to do it any more, we simply don't go there and that's that."

"I think that is all? Ah no, you also asked for fuel. I'm sorry, but fuel is scarce on Nylea. We have a small dig just outside the city but other than that, we create most of our fuel by harnessing natural gas. Thankfully, we adapted not to use it, our military is using beasts we call halas to get from one place to another quickly, but overall we don't have armored forces, just couple of vehicles and that's about it. Thankfully, you are here now so we won't even need them."