Evervigilant 42

<Vigilant_GM> IT IS THE 41ST MILLENNIUM...
<Vigilant_GM> The boddies of smugglers, and cultists lay across the floor, the cold beginning to discolor their lifeless tissue. Around you, the remnants of the betrayal and subsequent skirmish seem strangely peaceful. Only the low howling-like noise of the coolant systems pumping the warm air out fill the room.
<Vigilant_GM> +...calling in... seems urgent...+ a weak vox-transmission breaks into your comm-beads.
<Baird> +Say again, last transmission garbled.+
* Karpath looks around the room, keeping his guard up.
<Vigilant_GM> A subtle, unnatural movement at the corner of the chamber catches your attention.
<Vigilant_GM> "He says the bridge is calling in," a soft, echoing female voice calls.
* Karpath turns and aims his Bolter in the direction of the movement, "Possible contact, about 30 meters."
* Nitrous draws his rifle
* Tony aims his Lil Friend towards the sudden movement, on edge.
* Thesse has her chainsword and hand flamer ready.
* Velam looks around, not sure where the voice is coming from.
* Baird turns towards the source of the voice and drops a hand to his holster. "Step forward and identify yourself."
<Vigilant_GM> "The boy is ready to guide us out," the voice now clearer, sharper, nearer... behind you, you realize as Anzaforr's unlikely ally appears as though a shadow.
<Nitrous> "I hear...."
* Baird whirls around to face the speaker.
* Karpath look behind him.
<Baird> "The young Navigator?"
* Velam continues to turn this way and that, until finally noting where the voice is coming from.
<Vigilant_GM> A somehow disturbingly graceful nod confirms this.
<Thesse> "Xenos...". The disdain in her voice is obvious.
<Vigilant_GM> Then, her eyes lock with Thesse. "You are the outsider, here."
<Velam> "Let us recall please, the Eldar is a guest of the Rogue Trader's, and we have bigger problems my friends."
* Tony glancing briefly the others have eyes on their guest, He keeps watch for any more Cultists on their way.
<Karpath> "How long have you been following us?"
<Baird> "Ignore the sister. Are you here to assist us in the purging of those that would harm the ship?"
<Vigilant_GM> She shakes her head, as though forcing herself to adopt the all-too-human body language. "We are alone. I fear they rally. Astrid insists on your presence in the bridge for the attempt to break into realspace, however. The astromantic estimates are poor."
<Baird> "I see. Are there any thoughts to where they retreat to?"
<Vigilant_GM> "The Enginarium is being attacked, though their numbers are few. A primitive distraction. What have you learned about their motives?"
* Tony finally speaks up as he lowers his gun and turns to the Xenos face to face
<Tony> "They are using the Hired Guns as a means to distract us from their real focus, we are in the warp are we not?"
<Baird> "We discovered they intend on sacrificing the ship to their profane god."
<Vigilant_GM> Morrinoe turns her head, curiously.
<Velam> "I think we can all say, that we'd rather that didn't happen."
<Baird> "Agreed."
<Vigilant_GM> "The Gellar generators are well-guarded, as is the Navigator's Tower, and now the Enginarium. How do they intend to do that?"
<Tony> "Does the name Izumat Arisen, ring any bells to you?"
<Thesse> "These fools must be dealt regardless of how they intend to do their dark deeds."
<Baird> "Well if they've fled from this area theres no sense in remaining. You mentioned the Lord-Captain wanted our presence on the bridge, if you would lead the way."
<Vigilant_GM> The Eldar fully ignores the question, and makes for the corpse-hold entrance.
<Tony> "Wait."
* Baird follows the Eldar.
* Thesse follows Baird.
* Karpath begins moving for the entrance as well with Baird.
<Tony> "Logen, didn't you send a message to the Commander? to lock down this section of the ship?"
* Nitrous follows along
* Tony as he follows behind them as he asked about it.
<Vigilant_GM> The technomat's furious work along the coolant lines can be heard louder and clearer as you move closer to the entrance.
<Velam> "Yes, with the help of that Technomat. The Technomat is the one who locked the bulkheads behind us. The Commander was going to set up a perimeter around it, I believe." He replies as they make their way back.
<Tony> "Then how did they slip though?"
<Vigilant_GM> Noticing your return, the technomat stops working, and rushes to the control console.
<Vigilant_GM> "The bridge issued a summons," he says, interacting with the rune-panel.
<Vigilant_GM> "Open the vault doors," Morrinoe demands.
<Vigilant_GM> The technomat double-takes at this.
<Vigilant_GM> Then, with a short nod, enters the command that begins the release of the ancient lock mechanisms.
<Vigilant_GM> A hymn of safe-passage begins to sound through the speakers across the decks; the transition out of warp has begun.
<Tony> +Raolin, I have a suspicion, If you mind me and Jack to go on ahead and investigate something.+
* Velam will take the summons from the technomat once he's finished his opening rights.
<Vigilant_GM> The vault doors slowly slide open, a squad of armsmen waiting outside.
<Vigilant_GM> "We must hurry," Morrione calls.
<Baird> +We may not have time for that Tony.+
<Baird> "Let's move."
<Velam> "Oh...right." The savant hurries along behind Baird.
<Tony> +Understood+
* Tony as he continues along still wary of his surroundings
<Vigilant_GM> On your way to the bridge, on several occasions, you feel as though reality ripples in waves around you, low whispers from beyond become more distracting, and the pit of your stomach feels empty.
<Vigilant_GM> As you rise aboard a levatus to the bridge, a tingling on the end of your fingers and toes begins.
<Vigilant_GM> At last, you walk into the bridge where First Officer Flavion shouts orders, and receives quick confirmations back from the various chambers of the vast nerve-center of the vessel.
<Vigilant_GM> Commander Hessiial stands by one of the monitoring stations, nodding tersely at your entrance, before returning to an inter-vox system to relay more orders.
<Vigilant_GM> A number of armsmen begin to enter the bridge, then.
<Vigilant_GM> Finally, Lord-Captain Anzaforr enters, the armsmen taking station behind him, guarding the doors to his ready-room.
<Vigilant_GM> "I have your guarantees, Jyrgen?" he asks as he takes a seat in the bridge's Command Throne.
<Vigilant_GM> "Nothing can interrupt the Navigator now, my Lord," he retorts.
<Vigilant_GM> "To the contrary, I will have your head," Morrinoe says under her breath.
<Vigilant_GM> "Very well," replies Anzaforr, "My bridge, Flavion."
* Velam tenses visibly, beads of sweat start forming on his brow. The savant adjusts his glasses nervously.
<Vigilant_GM> "Your bridge, my Lord."
<Vigilant_GM> The First Officer takes a step back, standing just to the side of the Lord-Captain.
<Vigilant_GM> Before the Captain can issue his first command, Morrinoe has a blade against Tony's throat.
<Vigilant_GM> "Drop it."
* Tony drops it
<Vigilant_GM> Hessiial is about to say something, but is stopped by a movement of the First Officer's hand.
<Vigilant_GM> "What is the meaning of this?" Anzaforr rises and turns to look.
<Tony> "Pardon me, I just been though a ship ride though hell, and the fact everyone is tense right now."
<Vigilant_GM> "My Lord..." one of the men calls out from a telemetry station.
<Tony> "I have seen shifting in the shadows from the corner of my eyes."
<Vigilant_GM> "An assassin's weapon, Astrid," Morrinoe shoots a glance at the weapon on the deck.
<Tony> "Backup weapon"
<Baird> "Like the rest of us he probably assumes that there are more infiltrators and was just being cautious."
<Tony> "I am no Assassin."
<Vigilant_GM> "Silenced," Anzaforr comments.
<Tony> "For dealing with traitors quietly."
<Vigilant_GM> "My Lord..." the junior bridge officer calls again, but is snapped back into place by a glare from First Officer Flavion.
<Vigilant_GM> Anzaforr extends his arm forward, as if to emphasize something. At that moment, however, everyone finds themselves trying, and often failing, to keep their footing as the bridge itself is rattled impossibly. With a final shudder, the sibilant voices whispering beyond reality cease, replaced by the roar of the Oath Unspoken's massive plasma engines. The heavy shutters that protect the
<Vigilant_GM> bridge's occupants from peering into the Warp slowly grind open, the vista ports showing the dark void beyond.
<Velam> "Well, that was rough." Velam quips, somehow keeping his feet.
* Karpath is able to keep his footing.
<Vigilant_GM> Anzaforr's eyes go wide, and sits back down, as his First Officer steps forward "Premature transition, my Lord! Telemetry, report!"
<Vigilant_GM> "Where... and when are we?"
<Vigilant_GM> The sounds of binary chatter and releayed orders pass back and forth among the crew and servitors. Anzaforr lets a heavy sigh, and motions for Morrinoe to release Tony.
<Vigilant_GM> "My Lord... we have succeeded. Thaur will be reached within the week on standard Plasma Engine Power." Suddenly, the rattle of autogun fire from the corridor beyond the bridge interrupts the activity within, as Hessiial begins receiving an overwhelming number of vox-reports.
<Velam> "Oh Emperor preserve us."
<Baird> "I suggest you retrieve your weapon Tony. It seems they are going to try and take the bridge."
* Tony pulls out his Lil Friend
<Tony> "By the sounds of it I need something heavier."
<Vigilant_GM> With the approaching chaos and uncertainty gripping everyone on the bridge, Morrinoe slips out of view.
<Vigilant_GM> The firing outside escalates, as Hessiial's monitors blink red.
* Nitrous takes cover
* Velam backs up and takes cover behind one of the consoles, motioning for the officer manning it to do the same.
<Vigilant_GM> "My Lord, you must get back!" Flavion cries out, taking his Captain by the arm and dragging him well behind the cover of his Command Throne platform.
* Tony runs to some Elevated Heavy Cover
<Vigilant_GM> The firefight begins to close, as the doors are stricken by heavy fire.
* Baird moves into non-critical cover and aims his pistols at the door.
* Thesse tries to inspire wrath for her allies, but fails.
<Vigilant_GM> With the aggressive fighting outside getting nearer, the sudden silence that follows is chilling.
* Karpath tries to grab the sister but is unable to grab her.
<Vigilant_GM> A split second later, the doors are blasted wide open, sending superheated metal hurling into the bridge, taking out an armsman and a junior officer in the process.
* Karpath is able to dodge out of the way of the blast.
* Thesse steps away from blast after being manhandled by Karpath.
<Vigilant_GM> Commander Hessiial reacts immediately to this by hurling himself towards the Lord-Captain, hand cannon and power sabre in either hand.
<Vigilant_GM> Seconds later, several attackers begin to charge in, but hesitate at the sight of Thesse. However, on the opposite end of the bridge, an unholy rift opens, from which a large mutant with a strapped autocanon jumps out.
<Vigilant_GM> A burst aimed at Nitrous misses the Acolyte as he dives away. Missing, however, mulches a comms-officer and utterly destroys his station, sending shards or material into the air.
<Velam> +Oh shit.+
<Vigilant_GM> Suddenly, his trigger arm is burst out of place at the shoulder, dropping the giant.
* Nitrous fires at a grunt with grenades on his belt
<Vigilant_GM> A short series of explosions becomes one single leveling blast, sending lethal shrapnel cutting through half a dozen incoming attackers.
<Vigilant_GM> Two hired guns press forward, striking and killing three of the armsmen with automatic fire.
<Vigilant_GM> Then, with a shriek from hell itself, a slender mutant emerges from the rift, leaping across the bridge, straight towards Anzaforr.
<Vigilant_GM> It's a split-second reaction that sees Hessiial diving to counter the mutant's charge, plunging his saber into the beast as he, too, is impaled by one of its lethal talons.
<Velam> Velam in the meantime peeks out of cover, using both hands to steady his plasma pistol before shooting at a nearby enemy through the blown-open bridge-doors.
* Thesse scream in pain.
<Baird> "Tony! GRENADE! RIFT!"
* Tony he turns to see this portal really close by to him as he reacts and fires a well placed Grenade into the Rift
<Vigilant_GM> As the grenade flies into the rift, it is swallowed by darkness.
<Vigilant_GM> Moments later, the rift itself appears to shriek and roar, disturbing the space around it.
<Tony> "Don't think it worked!"
<Vigilant_GM> When it collapses in on itself, the empty space it creates appears to implode, loudly.
<Tony> "Never mind."
<Vigilant_GM> "FOR IZUMAT THE ANCIENT! HE WHO PRECEDES THE ROTTEN IMPERIUM, AND GUIDES CIVILIZATIONS!"
<Vigilant_GM> Another mad charge forward sees an exchange of fire, that sees several of their number fall, along with an armsman, and wounding of the First-Officer.
* Baird turns and draws his two pistols and wounds one of the heretics with a torrent of ripper rounds and balls of plasma.
* Tony rolls out of the Blast of the Grenade and leaps back up into the Cover
<Vigilant_GM> With a burst of autogun fire, and a grenade launched at the upper levels, a mutant leads the charge for chainsword-wielding cultists. This results in Velam being engages with the mutant while a desperate melee struggle engulfs the Lord-Captain and his First Officer.
<Vigilant_GM> When Flavion takes a bad wound to his off-hand, the situation becomes critical.
<Velam> The old man screams in desperation as the bends backwards and falls on his ass to not eat the screaming, biting teeth of the chain sword swept at him.
<Vigilant_GM> Charging cultists, inspired by the words of their Master, charge at Sister Thesse furiously.
* Karpath dodges multiple attacks from shots.
<Vigilant_GM> Fire rings out, striking Baird. Almost instantly, however, an Armsman destroys the heretic's face in a single blast from his weapon.
<Vigilant_GM> Karpath is fired at, as a mutant rushes forward, engaging Nitrous.
* Thesse is stuck in melee with the two cultists.
<Vigilant_GM> The Lord-Captain rids himself of one of his assailants with a powerful cut from his power saber.
* Karpath opens fire one some of the hired guns that fired on him, one shot hits and kills the man.
<Vigilant_GM> Another console, this time form the Augury station, is destroyed as Tony dives away from incoming fire.
<Vigilant_GM> The last of the Lord-Captain's assailants is destroyed by another shot from the Eldar.
* Nitrous jumps away and kills a mutant
<Vigilant_GM> Another shot rings out, destroying the station divider behind which Baird is taking cover.
<Vigilant_GM> From yet another rift, a man covered in robes and unholy icons appears to levitate across the room, unnatural energies focusing and snapping against Baird.
<Vigilant_GM> Flavion opens fire against the floating witch, to no effect.
<Velam> In a desperate moment, Velam fires his plasma pistol while dodging the heretic attacking him. Alas he only hits the man in the leg, not ending his life.
<Vigilant_GM> A shot rings out against Baird from the command throne assailants.
* Tony In the Chaos Tony Peaks out and sprays his Lil Friend into the Enemies near Karpath
* Baird reprioritizes and fires his ripper and sacristan at the floating witch.
<Vigilant_GM> The first two shots rip into the witch's flesh, though its unholy powers begin restoration as it mouths a blasphemous passage. This, however, is interrupted suddenly as just below the rib-cage the sacristan's projectile strikes and explodes without mercy, rib-cage opening up, innards liquifying as he falls in a limp thud onto the deck.
<Vigilant_GM> Almost instantly, the cultists begin to lose faith, their hired guns also disengaging.
<Vigilant_GM> One man, however, continues to fire at Thesse.
<Vigilant_GM> This is followed by one of Thesse's assailants running off as the other drops his weapon and curls up in parylizing fear.
* Thesse slices the cultist on the floor with her chainsword.
* Thesse moves into cover afterwards.
<Vigilant_GM> "Stop the psyker!" calls Anzaforr, firing into the corridor at an unseen foe.
* Karpath tries to move out of combat with one of the mutants, but fails and gets hit by it in the process, taking some damage.
<Vigilant_GM> As the fighting continues, the will of the would-be attackers falters. The hired guns drop their weapons and surrender. The mutants and cultists turn and flee. That is for all, but one who fiddles with a device dangling from his sleeve.
<Velam> Yet again the savant writhes his way out of getting hit by the enemy's chainsword.
* Nitrous takes a shot at the man with the device in his arm
<Vigilant_GM> "For Izumat Ari--" the cultist's arm is blown clean off, wire severed with it as he falls to the deck.
<Vigilant_GM> A burst of autogun fire from into the corridor follows.
<Vigilant_GM> "The witch is dead, my Lord!" a sergeant calls out.
* Thesse runs up and slices the heretic that attacked Velam.
* Velam collapses in exhaustion after the heretic flees, breathing heavily. "Emperor, thank you for protecting your most humble servant." He intones before several other prayers.
* Karpath opens fire on the mutant as it flees, killing it.
* Tony Fires his Autogun into the fleeing enemy
* Nitrous fires four more shots into the crowd
* Thesse yells out in rage to hunt down and purge the Heretics.
* Karpath continues to fire at the running cultist an mutants, he hits and kills some cultist, but misses his shots on the mutant.
<Karpath> "Geez, well thank the Emperor thats over."
* Nitrous nods vigoriousky
<Thesse> "We haven't finished his work just yet."
<Nitrous> "Time to round up the prisoners."
<Vigilant_GM> Butcher's work finishes every cultist and mutant. Armsmen round up the surrendering hired guns and thugs.
* Tony tried from the Chaos that had happened, has his aim trained on the People that Surrendered."
* Baird pours bolter fight into the fleeing mutants and cultists to help eradicate them. He then steps forward begins calling out. "Those of you who have surrendered line up on the deck, hands held high, if you do not compie immediately you will be dealt with swiftly. Logen if you would please see to that device that the heretics tried to set off."
* Velam sighs before rising from his resting space. His servoskulls flank his head as he makes his way to the now dead suicide cultist. Despite the danger his mind focuses on the task at hand and he has a look at the device.
<Vigilant_GM> "Is it over?" Anzaforr inquires, sheathing his sabre.
* Tony reloads his Lil Friend while the Armsmen have them at gunpoint, as he then comes down to help them out
<Baird> "I suggest your holds are purged and cleansed of any that may have remained in hiding. But for now it seems it is over."
<Karpath> "So, who needs medical attention as well?"
<Vigilant_GM> "My Lord, I believe we are being hailed," calls a Comms Officer desperately trying to clean up a signal with what remains of his equipment.
<Thesse> "I might need some help, Karpath."
* Karpath goes around helping patch up himself, Sister Thesse, and even the Lord Captain to patch up wounds from the fight.
<Vigilant_GM> Anzaforr thanks Karpath before resuming his seat on the now damaged, and somewhat gored, command throne.
* Nitrous watches over the bridge taking guard
<Vigilant_GM> An image struggles to materialize on the holo-display. The figure manifesting is poorly lit, features largely hidden from view.
* Karpath then goes around patching up other groups of people.
<Vigilant_GM> "Oath Unspoken, power down your engines, and prepare to be boarded."
* Velam pats the servoskull of his long dead sister Nelli, a thank you for helping him disarm the makeshift suicidee suit.
<Nitrous> "Fuck....."
<Vigilant_GM> Anzaforr frowns deeply. "This is Lord-Captain Anzaforr, bearer of the Anzaforr Warrant of Trade. Identify yourself immediately and the authority under which you operate."
<Vigilant_GM> "Inquisitor Mortem, Ordo Hereticus."