New Ambitions 5

<Expanse_GM> IT IS THE 41ST MILLENNIUM...
<Expanse_GM> The first entourage to step forward is lead by a thin, gaunt man with a cleanly bald head dressed in a severe grey bodysuit. He is flanked by four armored men in uniform with distinct markings.
<Tyruss> "Lord Cato, may I present Vladaym Tocara of the Kasballica Mission." Tyruss gestures grandly towards the entourage that has stepped forwards.
<Expanse_GM> Vladaym stops at a respectful distance from the Liege's Throne, and gives two terse bows of the head to Cato and Tyruss.
* Cato_Artaega nods, "Warmest welcomes to my court. What matters would you like to bring to me?"
<Expanse_GM> A man in the long robes that might be associated with a missionary of the ecclesiarchy hurriedly shuffles his way into the chamber.
<Expanse_GM> "Lord Artaega, I come to pay respects o--"
<Expanse_GM> "On behalf of the Kassballica Mission, I welcome you, my Lord!" the robed intruder interrupts with a low bow.
<Expanse_GM> Vladaym stops, piercing the new arrival with his gaze.
<Cato_Artaega> "It seems you have multiple representatives, the resources Kasballica are committing to this greeting are appreciated."
* Rey_Lasky stand's off to the left of the Lord Captain Cato.
<Expanse_GM> "One might indeed say there are unnecessary redundancies," Vladaym says sharply, causing the robed herald to snap a look over his shoulder as though noticing the Kasballica delegation for the first time - fear washing over his face.
<Cato_Artaega> "Well, state your piece and if your companion has anything to add once you are finished he may."
<Expanse_GM> "He has nothing further to add." Vladaym begins his invalidation of the preacher. "Ywane speaks for the Kasballica Mission in Liege Tanthus's court. For such august arrivals as you, however, you need not be troubled by his presence. I will make myself personally available."
<Tyruss> At appropriate pauses Tyruss leans down and provides insights and information regarding the petitioners.
* Cato_Artaega allows a small smile to reach his face, "The situation is understood but the flattery isn't needed, continue with your statement, I shall wipe the interruption from my mind."
<Expanse_GM> "The Kasballica Mission will always support a strong Liege who understands the need to protect trade on this little world. I am here to ensure that your lordship will not be misguided by the whims and moans of lesser petitioners, and that such a commitment can be expected."
<Expanse_GM> Others among those who have arrived whisper to each other, some shuffling uncomfortably.
<Expanse_GM> In less than a minute, at least one group leaves.
<Cato_Artaega> "Silence - I don't need such a ruckus for such a simple statement. Of course, trade is the lifeblood of a station such as this and for my short tenure and those who keep such blood flowing will be respected."
<Expanse_GM> "Your wisdom in these matters is sure to serve us all well, your Lordship," he says with a bow. "Should you wish it in future, you need only summon me. Ywane is well-suited for such a task."
<Expanse_GM> Taking two steps back, he turns and leaves with his escort. Preacher Ywane, however, shuffles into a corner of the chamber where he remains.
<Cato_Artaega> "It is noted. Now if everyone else keeps their matters as succinct we shall be done with this court in good time."
<Expanse_GM> For the next half hour, minor interests are represented, from lost pilgrims seeking passage to unknown locations deep into the expanse, to eager small-game captains seeking exclusive "trade charters" to be signed by the sitting Rogue Trader.
<Cato_Artaega> Most of the issues are directed to Tyruss to be looked over later for their validity and value to be assessed.
<Expanse_GM> Finally, a large, bloated figure of a man arrives, standing near 7ft tall. He wears a long green tunic in silver filigree, and jewelry of apparently pre-imperial, and xenos origin.
<Expanse_GM> As he makes his way in, a laughably shorter man bellows his arrival. "His Grace, Paulus Gregian, great Patrician, and Envoy of the Obsidian Emporial!"
<Expanse_GM> "Your Lordship," Paulus says, with a deep baritone.
<Cato_Artaega> "Greetings and welcome to my court, I do believe we will be having dealings in the time we are here but how can I help you at this time?"
<Expanse_GM> "My duties bring me here to petition for an expansion of the auction houses of Footfall."
<Expanse_GM> "As Your Lordship no-doubt knows, a recent addition has been successfully installed to the rest of Footfall. A sizeable hall."
<Expanse_GM> The shorter man reaches into a satchel and hands Paulus a parchment.
<Cato_Artaega> "Ah of course the items that can be found at such auctions are often legendary. Now, obviously the details of such an arrangement would need to be clear but on the surface such an expansion is not hostile to my ears."
<Expanse_GM> "Lord Hadarak Fel himself provided such an addition, a man of equal standing to Your Lordship, with the stated intent to allow the station's Liege to make a decision on its use upon its installation. Alas, his last stop here was brief, and no direction on this matter would be taken," He holds up what appears to be a statement written on behalf of Hadarak.
* Cato_Artaega waves Tyruss forward to inspect the document.
* Tyruss steps forward to examine the parchment held by the short man.
<Expanse_GM> The document backs up what is stated. Further, the date shows his departure as mere days before Leviathan's Gluttony arrived in system.
* Tyruss turns to Lord Cato. "It is genuine Lord Artaega. It seems Fel left just a few days prior to our arrival."
<Cato_Artaega> "Well who am I to disrespect the wishes of such a peer. Please ensure that the specifics of how you wish to use such a space reach me but know that it is the most interesting proposal for its use to have been heard so far and that a final decision will be made before my departure."
<Expanse_GM> "The Emporial is certain Your Lordship will make the right decision. Allow me to present a small gift on behalf of the Intercessors."
<Expanse_GM> Another serf carries forward a wrapped blade, and kneels before the throne in presentation.
* Cato_Artaega raises a single eyebrow - a much practiced feat. "Your gift is appreciated and has piqued my curiosity, thank you it won't go without consideration." Cato states before gesturing to Rey to take it.
* Rey_Lasky moves up to take the blade, being careful with it and then shows it to Cato.
<Expanse_GM> A beautiful blade of strange, xenos origin is revealed.
* Cato_Artaega gestures for it to be covered again quickly. "You shall hear from my house, again thank you."
* Rey_Lasky uses the cloth to cover it up and holds on to it as he takes his place again on the left side of Cato.
<Expanse_GM> As days pass, the task of lording over the loosely-knit society of Footfall is delegated to Tyruss and his staff. With the minutiae flowing through the number-crunching and negotiating apparatus of the High Factotum, one important piece of information is acquired... Hadarak Fel has departed in a hurry for Magoros, in search of the Righteous Path.
<Expanse_GM> In all, the short Artaega reign is seen as balanced, unwilling to bend to the whims of Footfall's denizens, and firm in its grasp of power. For these reasons, however, when Moross resumes as Liege, several factions welcome the easily-manipulated man's return.
<Expanse_GM> Leviathan's Gluttony makes its way to the edge of the system, and engages its warp engines for the system of Magoros.
<Expanse_GM> At last, the voidship emerges into realspace. The navigator's calculations precise, you find yourselves in the system where the legend of the Righteous Path is said to have come to its end.
* Rey_Lasky check over the weapon systems to make sure they are on standby.
<Cato_Artaega> "Auspex what do we see?"
* Cato_Artaega also checks personally using his holo display not wanting anything to be missed.
<Expanse_GM> All systems readings stable, the void-shutters open up to reveal the light of the Flickering Eye, the system's star gone Pulsar. It hammers at the auspex sensors at irregular intervals.
<Expanse_GM> The first round of auspex scanning shows the major bodies of the system.
* Tyruss walks over to the console providing the streams of information pouring in from the auspex and taps a few keys trying to sift through the mass of information for key points.
<Expanse_GM> The Flickering Eye is a rotting solar carcass, bleeding its life out into the void. The pulses of radiation pose a threat to more than just sensors, as the inner planets have been stripped of any atmosphere. Magoros Minor is one such world. It is a small burnt cinder washed in hard radiation and the Eye's solar winds. It looks like a cracked crimson orb on your diplays, crisscrossed
<Expanse_GM> with glowing fissures and smoking chasms.
<Expanse_GM> Magoros Prime is a desolate wasteland with a dirty grey surface choked by clouds and dust. Further out, Magoros Secundus is an icy jungle moon covered in frozen spore-towers and cloaked in a toxic fog. And finally, a curious crown around the system is clear even to the naked eye, the Shard Halo. It is a vast asteroid field billions of kilometers in length scattered across the outer
<Expanse_GM> reaches of the system.
* Valarian_Stukov moves into the Command Deck as the crew are at work.
<Expanse_GM> With the various readings now projected on the central holo-displays, the very system is ready for exploration.
<Valarian_Stukov> "Lord Captain, I am ready once more to Aid the Machine Spirit, What is the current situation?"
* Cato_Artaega gestures to the holomap before us. "We just arrived."
<Cato_Artaega> "Bring us towards the closest planet and put us in the shadow of the sun so we can get a more detailed scan."
<Valarian_Stukov> "We looking for something in particular Captain?"
* Valarian_Stukov makes his way to the Augur Array's Cogitator and plugs himself in.
<Cato_Artaega> "A clue."
<Valarian_Stukov> "Examining Data Logs now.. Loading..."
<Expanse_GM> Approaching Magoros Secundus takes the better part of five hours. At last, you achieve orbit.
<Tyruss> "Stukov prepare to partition the incoming data for easier parsing. Scanning now. I'm directing data flows to your terminal as well Lord Artaega."
<Expanse_GM> The focused sensors show Magoros Secundus as a frozen jungle world with a thick, frigid atmosphere hostile to human life. From orbit it appears as a cold, cloudy eye blinded by streams of think vapor and molting icy spores into space. The sensors also pick up a massive clearing caused by what appears to be a starship crash on its southern hemisphere.
<Cato_Artaega> "Focus in on the starship."
<Tyruss> "Tightening the scan Lord Artaega."
<Valarian_Stukov> "Identifying.."
<Tyruss> "The wreckage is unidentifiable from orbit Lord Artaega. I recommend we send a team down to investigate."
<Cato_Artaega> "Prepare an investigation team, Valarian I want you on this."
<Valarian_Stukov> "As you wish Lord Captain."
<Valarian_Stukov> "Vox Master, Inform Piotr Karpenko to prepare the ships for departure."
<Expanse_GM> "Instructions for departure being relayed."
<Cenva_Benetek> +Valarian, I wish to join you. It's boring in the tower.+
<Expanse_GM> +Lighter flight ready for boarding.+
<Valarian_Stukov> +Understood see you there Cenva+
* Rey_Lasky from the bridge he activates his comms to the members of the investigation party, +Good luck everyone, and good hunting.+
<Expanse_GM> The flight takes off, maintaining a spread formation as they reach high atmospheric flight.
<Expanse_GM> From the upper atmosphere, the shapes that augury interpreted as geological formations and frozen organic mass are in fact tumbled remains of ancient xenos structures.
<Expanse_GM> Scattered and shattered by centuries of sluggish plant growth, these remnants of the Egarian Dominion appear to have once been some kind of massive power web.
<Expanse_GM> +Enginseer Prime+
<Valarian_Stukov> +Da?+
<Expanse_GM> +The power web appears to remain active, weak, but active.+
<Valarian_Stukov> +These Reading is odd... Adept send these readings to the ship, while we investigate the vessel.+
<Expanse_GM> +Acknowledged.+
<Expanse_GM> The Arvus flight begins to circle the area of the crash, and one by one find a place to land on the clearing created by the impact.
<Tyruss> "The readings are faint Lord Artaega but according to the scan the power web is sending it's energy to Magoros Prime."
<Expanse_GM> +Please seal your voidsuits, my lords. Power down engines.+
* Valarian_Stukov seals his Rockhound Void Suit
<Valarian_Stukov> +Best ready yourself Cenva+
* Cenva_Benetek puts on her Void Suit.
<Cenva_Benetek> +I have a weapon, I should be fine.+
* Valarian_Stukov hefts his Assault Stubber, As do I, if the need should arise.+
<Expanse_GM> +Fire Team Primus setting up perimeter.+
<Expanse_GM> The dim twilight barely illuminates your surroundings here, only the cones of light from the protective suits worn by the landing party provide visibility.
* Valarian_Stukov lights up his Optical mechadendrite
<Expanse_GM> +Landing zone clear.+
<Valarian_Stukov> +Very Good, Shall we Cenva?+
<Cenva_Benetek> +Lead the way, Valarian. Hopefully, we find something interesting.+
<Valarian_Stukov> +I hope soo too.+
<Cato_Artaega> "We shall have to investigate that once they return."
<Tyruss> "As you say Lord Artaega."
<Expanse_GM> The wreckage is badly spread out, with little discernible, even up close. Yet as the explorers continue onward, a concentrated cluster of remnants is found just below the surface of the planet's icy surface. Jagged forms jut out, tracing a larger form.
<Valarian_Stukov> +Prepare for excavation+
<Expanse_GM> The cohort of servitors lay out a perimeter and begin their excavation.
<Expanse_GM> A burst of binary from the servitors relays to Valarian that the metal is a compound of adamantium.
<Expanse_GM> As the digging continues, a jagged shape begins to be revealed.
<Valarian_Stukov> +I believe the Servitors have found something Cenva.+
<Cenva_Benetek> +Ohh, let's take a look.+
* Cenva_Benetek walks towards Valarian and the servitors.
<Expanse_GM> The angular nature of the component presents a challenge to the excavation, yet the larger picture begins to form in the Enginseer's mind.
<Expanse_GM> The component is a reinforced decorative piece. A prow figure.
<Valarian_Stukov> "Hmmm Interesting..."
<Expanse_GM> The shape of the emerging prow figure, and its washed and weathered coloration forms a disturbing image - that of a massive, raging Ork.