Corbulus gave one of his rare smiles, as he took off his helmet during the sermon, a sign of respect he reserved for only the dark gods and a handful of individuals in existence, dead or alive. The expression almost made his scarred face more grotesque, though the large metal plate covering a good portion of it made it more tolerable to cast their eyes upon. Behind him, Nero stood at ready, his eyes scanning the area rather than focusing on the Word Bearer or the mortal next to him, though if one noticed close enough, they could sense the nervousness coming from the Young Wolf. Flanking behind them, the most discipline of the Lupercal Army's undivided troopers stood at ready, while the rest continued their sacrifices in the background.

Corbulus allowed the human, Xaviera, to finished her supplication to the astartes in front of him, before speaking again. "Ah, unless that was an invitation for me to pour over every inch of your tattooed skin or you offering yourself to a flaying so that I may study the Word of Lorgar in detail, I'll have to pass. I'm sure you have more important things to do than to sit still for hours while I study the word, but perhaps I may persuade you to educate me on the finer points in the text. Any fool may read aloud what he doesn't understand, and I wish for an improved understanding, rather than increased knowledge, or even memorization of things spoken by many but understood by so few."

One of the troopers walked up to them and presented a freshly decapitated head to Corbulus, who picked it up with his bionic hand without looking at the mortal. Raising it up, he examined the head, staring at the cruel eight pointed star carved into the forehead, as the dead eyes gazed back at him and the blood dripped through his metal fingers. "You asked me what I seek, Son of Lorgar: whether it was power over daemons, power over creation or power over men and mortals." The Alpha Wolf turned back to the Word Bearer, before offering the skull forward to the other astartes. "I seek ascension, nothing more, nothing less. For that to happen, I must appease the dark gods, which is why I come to you. Power over men, daemons, creations? Means to that end only. However, you are correct in one aspect of your questioning."

The hand that offered the head gripped it tightly, squeezing more blood out of it as a human hand might out of a fruit. "I have been misguided, and my lack of question in following the arch-failure, against my instincts, resulted in my warband's destruction over the world of Schindelgheist. Rest assured, I will not be repeating that mistake again." The grip loosened, back to a neutral, almost friendly offering of the head. "Now, might I persuade you to come and bless our warband's humble shrines to the dark gods? I might inquire some of your insight and knowledge in better pleasing them myself while we travel there, and those in my service can always benefit from an increased in their devotion to the dark gods themselves, even if some are more fanatical towards one than the others."


@Kalle

<Meeting the Iron Giant: Guns of Annoyance.>

The boy didn't think the guy he was told that could and had probably made a maulerfiend before looked like one himself with how much more tank he looked than manAfter happily waiting patiently till the giant was done with whatever he was fixing, Kombuse took a moment to look down at the red light that sat on his chest and reached all the way back to the muzzle of the lascannon sitting on the machine man's shoulder. "Uh, I would guess shoot them to a crisp. Well, at least I'm not a 'pretty boys' pest and I rather be here than back in that prison." he said with a shrug, not exactly the first time he was called a moron, or threaten, or both at the same time either. What was weird though was that the tech guy was the first person he's met so far that worded it like being on this ship was a bad thing. "I came down here because you were the guy they said knew more about daemon engines than anyone else." Kombuse explain honestly, getting to the point instead of backing down and leaving after coming all the way out here.

<Bridge's entrance> @BuriasDempsey @Vulpas + @Vlayden @DeranVendar

Walking down the corridor towards the bridge Fera and Kombuse eventually reached it, however they found out that the door towards it were guarded. More than twenty beastmen, most of them properly armored and hefting big clubs growled at them and brandished their weapons in open hostility. Nothing more would happen however because there was another familiar face in the crowd, aristocratic visage of Viator suddenly appearing and gesturing them to approach him.

"What are you two lovebirds doing all the way out here? Didn't I tell you Bridge was off-limits? You should learn to listen to your superiors especially when they mean you only good!" Scion of the Dark Prince said, his voice melodic and jovial. He also looked quite dashing, his hair was washed and perfectly combed, his armor thoroughly cleaned and polished to be almost golden. Hell, the marine even smelled nice! Kombuse was definitely seeing a whole array of these Chaos Marines, the likes of which he had never seen before.

While waiting for an answer, Viator sent out a message via vox to both Ausarius and Orghast, being polite as ever. "My friends the Sorcerer and Plague Marine, if you would be so kind to join me at the entrance to our glorious ship's Bridge, I have something I would need your help with. Oh and yes, be sure to bring your weapons, you might need to fight for your life!"

< Seeing eye to eye....to eye! The pretty marine and his merry band.>
Kombuse just shrugged his shoulders. "No one actually told me to not go to the bridge, just the below decks, thought the Navigator would be around here." the pact trooper said, obviously confused why there was such a force just sitting here and why the really cleaned marine was calling for more marines to fight. They definetly got a whole bunch of different marines that's for sure, where did they all come from? "So uh....what happened to the bridge? And whose actually flying this metal tub?" he asked the obvious question since he doubt it was the Admiral and her crew now. 'How did they even get to the prison asteroid' he thought to himself. Maybe he should have looked for the crew's quarters first instead, but hindsight doesn't really help him now.

The Sorcerer hadn't given much more than a 'click' through the Vox-comm to indicate his acknowledgement, soon afterwards picking his helm back up and sealing it over his head. A few seconds of waiting before the machine-spirit linked into the machinery; a brief moment of contentment allowed Ausarius to watch as runes flickered back to life and ammo counters flashed warnings.

Vitals, good enough; vox-links, active. oxygen; ready enough.

The Prosperan reached and took hold of his force spear, now exiting his room and, after making sure it was locked and... 'sealed' with some Prosperine sorcery, so he made sure it wasn't tampered with while he was gone. And with that, he made his way to the bridge. His typical rounds were made of course so as to make sure a few of the new 'crew' that were here were doing well for themselves, before getting to the assigned destination.

At worst? He was fashionably late, his robes covering his azure breastplate. Despite the tears and burns, the weeks he'd had to himself allowed him to mend it to a fair degree. Nothing that didn't take away from his fashion sense of course.

Ausarius had to have something to do and take care of, on his offtime.

-Bridge Visit @BuriasDempsey -
"Unsure this one I have not been on yet we were suppose to replace the formal admiral which I have yet to see either," Fera said before they reached Viator and the beast men.
As viator came out to speak with him she looked to him. "Thought the old bridge admiral was gone was coming up here to see the new one and the bridge it selfs seems I am wrong, aint that old bridge admiral expired? or is he still in there?" Fera asked looking up to viator.

"The Dark Gods blessed us with his return. The stars will cry and the enemies of the Night Lords and Chaos Undivided will bleed as the Night Haunter walks anew,"Dark Apostle nodded after hearing Satharn's words, his tone betraying a hint of amusement.

Satharn's first thought was to reach out and wrap his gauntleted hands around the Word Bearer's neck. He would choke him, then begin to peel away his black carapace, jamming pain spikes into the interface sockets, then start to unspool his nerves. He blinked. It had been so long since he'd flayed a Marine. But he took a quick, silent, shallow breath, and was thankful for the helm that masked his murderous glare.

"Something like that, yes," the Night Lord said. "Of course some secrets remain only for the initiated, you of all people should know that, Son of Lorgar," he said, smiling now.

"I don't overly concern myself with Chaos Undivided. I never really saw the need to bend the knee to the Neverborn and beg them to share my flesh."

He hadn't much else to say. Satharn went to his quarters to clean up after the fighting and tend to his armour. On arrival, he checked the suite, still with a healthy degree of paranoia. He sighed. Of all the places he'd miss, he never expected it to be the rooms he'd had at Asher's behest. He missed 265 too; the little serf was attentive and well-trained. The perfect assistant, he guessed, smiling very slightly. It was unusual for the Night Lord, for it was shorn of any sarcasm or malice and no-one was screaming.

He settled into a routine of training and working to make the rooms to his liking in the afternoons. The mornings were for stalking the ship and looking to see if he were needed for any of the reconstruction work, or for seeking out where the Nightfall needed the most urgent repairs. He didn't have a grounding in such things, but the Night Lord certainly knew which holes made a spaceship non-functional and which were merely a cosmetic nuisance.

The nights - they were for the Haunter.

He visited his Lord bare-headed, as a gesture of respect, though he knew that if Lord Curze wished to end him no armour would be sufficient defence. He attended first with wine and food, the best he could find himself on the first night. If there were nothing required of him he withdrew and left to sleep and rest. If Lord Curze had instructions, he aimed to obey them to the best of his ability. He learned to play by ear - if he sensed that the Night Haunter did not wish for nightly attendance then he left him in peace for a few days. But Satharn, seeing the terrible neglect that cloaked his majesty, couldn't just leave his Primarch in squalor.

He steeled his mood and went to seek out the Traveller.

Viator was not a hard man to find - one thing that could be said of the Emperor's Children was that they were not shy about being seen. When he could find him, he wanted to ask about how to get some robes made for his Lord - simple and perhaps to others a tad severe, not a statement of fashion but the clothing of a King and a justiciar. As he had been on Nostramo, all those long years ago, at the height of his rule there.

Valu - Intermission; Meeting the Hydra
"I appreciate the offer Hydra..." Valu said - making sure to use a codename, looking at both vials, but then shook his head, smiling behind his crappy paperbag mask, looking up to the Alpha Legionnaire.

"But I need to earn the samples myself. Not out of pride. Out of respect to my personal growth. And I do not wish to be in your debt, Lord Astartes. I have too much of such accumulated, and I'm sick and tired of relying on others. I will serve you, I promise I will grow, become better, be more useful - deservedly so." Valu sighed deeply, the smile never fading.

"The beastmen, I cannot join - for I do not speak their language. The most mundane task given to me would reveal me. The Astartes... The moment I would cross paths with him, my head would roll. Not to forget that I have yet to learn properly about your kin. But in return, I tell you this." He grinned dirty as the next words he spoke came out in fluent Eldarine with a comorrite dialect.

"When your gaze meets mine, all you shall see is red. For the crimson death of the Cult of Wrath is an ultimate death of soul and body." A saying he picked up while walking in the skin of a dark eldar.


Valu - Intermission; The Admiral's Circle
At some point after his meeting with Phocron, it was time to not just be of empty words but show his capability once more. He had transformed into the shape of the poor sod who decided to take a piss at the wrong time at the wrong location. Of course like the other members of the admirals crew, he also picked up one of those new set of clothes up to replace the miner rags.

Once ready and proper equipped he marched for the Admirals quarters. Once inquired why he had to meet her, he replied with the fact that he had important information to share regards their current situation. Once allowed to meet the admiral he made a quick salute and waited until allowed to speak, once the permission was given he started.

"I have performed... Reconnaissance among our new crew. And I fear I have heard shocking things, Admiral. Something that nobody outside of our circle should learn of or share. But it seems... We were never the real target to be retrieved. I'm not sure who, or what their agenda was. But I heard some of the crew members that met us in the prison complex talk about how foolish we are to believe that they came just for us. I know this might be disturbing, but I fear we need a contingency plan in case they discard us as used-up tools. They know we won't give into the corruption. They know we will always be our own force. Even heard one of them speak of how we are nothing but a liability - earlier or later." He reported, standing at attention like expected from a proper soldier.


Valu - Intermission; Mending the Flesh
"I understand, mentor. I will see to the corpses during our next raid, or whomever the beastmen might leave over or other discarded individuals. Thank you for the opportunity, Ukris." He bowed before taking his leave. All that was there to be done for now had been done. Soon, not just the living would fill the med-bay. Perhaps they should start planning for a morgue...


Valu - Intermission; Whispers of the Warp [sometimes after @Kalle & @WanderingJester spoke to Quor]
"I know only of their names. Khorne, the god of war - awkwardly akin to the Eldar's depiction of Khaine, yet so different. Tzeentch, god of deception. Nurgle, god of pestilence. Slaanesh, goddess of desires. I know of their colors. Khornates are obsessed with the color red. Tzeentchians with the color blue. Nurglites with the color green. Slaaneshis with the color purple. I know of their rivalry Khorne and Slaanesh. Tzeentch and Nurgle."

Valu shrugged slightly, still kneeling on the floor. He only learned the basics, considering that Khornates are not exactly what one might describe of the scholarly type. And he was more than aware that he might have insulted the apostle and was ready to be punished for it, for some awkward reason even looking forwards to being disciplined. Perhaps the thought of being taught properly in the ways of the ruinous powers? Or was it the fact that Valu respected the power that Quor had over him with a mere gaze - through a pict-screen? He did not even know. His whole worldview was in question, only because of the envy against Xaviera.

<Chapel> @Kalle @WanderingJester

"Ah yes...the alluring gift of immortality," Quor Gallek nodded, almost sighing after hearing Corbulus' reply. "It is a dream of many, both great champions and frail mortals, who take upon themselves to walk the path towards what in most cases ends up being their own damnation. I wouldn't ask you why do you seek it, your reasons are your own, but I must point out what I see. Those of us who understand the essence of the Primodial Truth would look upon you and tell you that you are wrong and if you continue thinking like you think now, you will never achieve your goals nor will your service be remembered."

"You are wrong when you say that power over men, daemons and creations is only means to an end. Reaching the goal isn't the point of being a pilgrim, it's about the journey and introspection you get while you are being tested on your travels. I have heard the chorus on the other side talking about you Corbulus and do you know what they say? They say you are unworthy, an arrogant fool who thinks himself greater than he is, respected by only a handful of others. Even now you are surrounded by servants of Slaanesh, they laugh at your misery and enjoy the pain of failure that you suffered during the fight aboard the station. Only to mock you further and show how insignificant you are, they brought another servant of the Prince here," the Dark Apostle said and pointed at Xaviera, "One which has more faith than you. She will prosper where you will be enslaved."

He paused a bit to let the words sink in before continuing, bit more friendly now as he offered Corbulus to sit down on a bench nearby. "But it doesn't have to be like that. You see Corbulus, all of us have been misguided once or twice in our lives when it came to faith. Faith is not a thing to be done and preformed in a proper way, there are rituals and summoning and benedictions, but when it comes down to its bare bones, faith is something personal. Each of us has to accept that we are nothing compared to the great powers that make the Chaos Undivided and only when we become humble and understand our place in the great scheme of things can we make progress."

"If you are feeling gloom, don't be," the Word Bearer said and placed a hand on Corbulus' shoulder, "I have also heard other things as well. You have worked hard to induct many of the infidels in the ranks of our troops. You have fought and persevered when faced with overwhelming force. You have been bled and yet you are here, alive and talking with me. I can see that knowledge of Chaos interests you deeply and that makes me happy. Tell me brother, what if I tell you there is another way to serve the Gods and achieve your goals, a way that you cannot see now but I can illuminate it for you. Would you be interested in setting aside your wishes and desires for now and let go of the bonds that hold you down? You have much potential and I would hate to see it wasted."

While he waited on Corbulus' reply, the Word Bearer turned towards Xaveira and listened to her words. "Yes...I can feel the touch of the Dark Prince on you little cultist. He has blessed you with the psychic gift and I have felt it brushing against the souls of others, back aboard the prison. So you have been born on our world, you have heard the Word, you have like others here, fought in a conflict, lost and remained true to your faith...but are you devoted enough? Faith is nothing without devotion. We must always prove ourselves to the Gods and we cannot ever think that we are worthy of their gaze, because if we think too highly of ourselves, we are sure to fall."

"The Navigator girl you found aboard the station...she has a touch of your patron on her you know, but she is still confused. Another man is close to her, a mortal that you have already talked to called Kombuse. He in turn, is blessed by the gaze of the Blood God much more than he realizes. Blood God also knows about this Navigator and he wants her for himself. This is what we cannot allow to happen without a conflict, if we are to please the Gods we must do as true servants would do. Let no challenge go unanswered, let no cry for salvation go unheard. You must make sure the Navigator is brought back to her true path and in the service of Slaanesh. Do so and you will become the leader of my cultists. Fail and I will offer your soul to the Dark Prince instead."


<Forge> @BuriasDempsey

"And you say you aren't a moron? You are perhaps just plain stupid," Warpsmith spat after hearing Kombuse's words and turned around, walking away from the Pact Trooper. At least he wasn't being targeted by the lascannon anymore. "Wanting to know about daemon engines...these humans get more idiotic by each century..." Bo'kar said that more to himself and approached next flyer, this one being something that Kombuse perhaps saw before, a bulky Thunderhawk bird in painted in colors of midnight blue with lighting streaking across it. Suffice to say, the Iron Warrior payed no more attention to Kombuse at all, getting back to his work and continuing on as if he wasn't there.

Corbulus listened, his grip tightening around the head once more in his hand, offered but unaccepted. He lowered his hand, observant of the fact that his underlings could hear every word this Word Bearer spoke of. Had the Alpha Wolf fallen so low because since Schindlegheist? He could feel his anger boiling within himself. Half of Corbulus wanted to eviscerate the astartes in front of him and rent every living being within that chapel limb from limb at the moment. However, the other part, perhaps the one more in touch with his masters, knew the words to be true, and could not fault the messenger in front of him. Had he not given the order to replace his treasured suit of power armor, the same suit that had been on him since Horus led their strike upon Terra itself?

However, this conversation would not do with an audience. Corbulus raised his other hand, to interrupt the Dark Apostle for a moment when he mentioned Xaviera nearby. "Finish overseeing the sacrifices, Wolf, then head back to our barracks and oversee our stocks, also check in with the heretek in the forges to get updates on the warband and the auxiliary's equipment," he ordered Nero, who straightened up behind him, obviously relieved to be dismissed from the presence of the Word Bearer, snapped a quick salute before turning and gesturing the men to turn and move out. If they heard anything that they understood, they didn't show it. As a unit, the Lupercal Army soldiers turned and gathered the less discipline of their master's entourage, hurrying their last touches on their sacrifices, before Nero led what could be best put as an organized mob of gold and black stripes out of the chapel, passing those at the doorway who stepped aside for the group. Any doubts or concerns by the Young Wolf found no sound from his tongue, and soon Corbulus stood alone in front of the psyker and the Dark Apostle.

"Please, continue. This is... necessary, but enlightening." Following Word Bearer, Corbulus stuck the head upon a spike by one of the rows of seating, where he too sat down by the Son of Lorgar, ignoring the mortal in their midst for now. Had all the worlds burned and consumed for naught? What of all that the immaterium had devoured via the Malfactum? Deep inside he knew that none of that mattered now. The dark gods were fickled patrons, caring only of what was being presented to them at the moment, and he had nothing of value now compared to what he had. Yet, this meant that they would rebuild, they would be stronger, they would rise where Abaddon failed. Failing to kill the Alpha Wolf when he had the chance. Thus, he did not react when Quor Gallek placed a hand on his Mk VI pauldron, new like all the rest of his current suit. Even Corbulus' favorite MK III helmet had gone, now an MK V helmet hung on his belt from its mag lock.

Staring into the constantly shifting light of the candle in front of him, Corbulus's orange eyes flashed in the different colors that illuminated the skull the light source had been placed on. He listened to the final words of the Word Bearer carefully and considered his reply with equal discretion. "Perhaps I have pursued this goal wrongly the past ten thousand years, perhaps I have done so rightly, yet such a defeat as Schindlegheist render all of my works irrelevant. It matters not. I have not the force as I did when I left the Malfactum, and whether this is due to the whims of the gods or the mere incompetence of Abaddon, the results remains the same: I must begin my journey anew. Now you speak of the neverborns making a mockery of me, speaking of my arrogance and other ill words. I say to you now: I deserve every bit of it, for allowing myself to follow the arch failure alone."

"You tell me I should not feel gloom; I do not. I feel anger, hatred for my own shortcomings that have led me here, rather than to my ascension and power unimaginable. Now you speak of another way to serve our masters, for me to reach my ascension, not unlike another of your legion that I have met before. I shall give the same answer to you as I did your 'brother,' but with an addendum: for my goal, for my daemonhood, I would burn Terra to the ground and slice the throat of the corpse emperor himself if that is what is required of me. I would invade the realm of Ultramar and sacrifice every last scion of Guilliman to the dark gods personally. I would present the heads of every chapter still dedicated to the Imperium and the bodies and souls of those that would allow themselves enlightenment. Teach me, and you shall find a studious pupil in the Alpha of the Wolves of Horus, and those that follow me shall reach ever greater fervor in our worship of the primordial truth."

Corbulus turned his head so that his orange eyes bore into the Word Bearer's own, the intensity within them giving no doubt as to whether or not what he said next was negotiable or not. "What I will not do is place myself or any of mine under the command of the arch failure that styled himself as a warmaster. A would be warmaster who could not so much as reach past Cadia after twelve Black Crusades let alone Terra." He gave pause, letting his words sink into the other astartes. After a moment, the Alpha Wolf spoke again, his voice reverting to the level of respect he held before for a favored son of arguably the primarch closest to all four of the dark powers. "Now, Dark Apostle Quor Gallek, do we have an understanding?"


@Kalle