The Aquila and the Rising Sun--The Imperium of Man Comes to Gensokyo

"Certainly." If Mononobe no Futo paid close attention, she might have noticed a slight stiffening in Drake's posture. "I am Guardsman Drake Lycetta. Unfortunately, I need to discuss something with my superiors - I hope that you understand."

Stepping away from Futo and toward Arcturus - who seemed to have been doing some of his unsettling Psyker tricks - he saluted the Inquisitor as he drew near. Keeping his voice down so as not to alarm anyone else, he said, "Sir, earlier I shot and destroyed a recording device that was mounted on legs. It didn't seem to match any Greenskin equipment we've seen so far. The remains are there if you'd like to inspect them, sir." He pointed out the relevant debris.

Futo only nodded as Drake left. The young guardsman seemed amiable enough. At the very least, he was polite and courteous. A refreshing change from the screaming green hooligans.

Shifting her attention to Corollianus, she stared at him for awhile. The man had said nothing to her during her brief discourse with Drake, so she could only assume he wasn't interested in conversation. Not wanting to seem nosy, Futo kept her mouth shut, standing in comfortable silence with the veteran.

edited 24th Mar '14 1:55:53 AM by joergenjetsam

“Alarmingly so,” Zee muttered under her breath, unable to keep from scowling at the wreck of the machine as it slowly repaired itself. Throne-damned orks… what else could they possibly pull out of their sleeves at this point?

Composing herself, she sought out the leader of the stormtroopers with her gaze. “Lieutenant, advise your men to melta any greenskin wreckage they come across,” she called out. “I want this debris slagged, and I want it slagged yesterday.”

Switching to telepathy, the vampiric Living Saint shared a look with her husband. I take it, then, that you ran into some eldar down in the reactor? And that the Gensokyoan woman was with them? she added, shooting a surreptitious glance in the direction of Mononobe no Futo.

edited 24th Mar '14 3:22:37 PM by SullenFrog

Sakuya replied to the young vampire's question to the best of her abilities.

Yes, mistress. There seem to be no reinforcements coming. We can take a minute to rest before pressing on.

Satisfied and relieved by Zee's reply, Remilia let her go to greet her returning husband. He seemed to have taken a heavy beating at the power plant, and Akusigos and Leona were not with him. Most likely the two had stayed behind to take care of the plant.

Ichisen and Jisen followed after Arcturus, and breathed relieved sighs at finally being peacefully reunited with the others. They started checking their weapons, knowing that since their magic reserves were empty, they would have to rely in cold steel and lead until they found a window letting in any light.

Clad in Stormtrooper equipment as they were, the two Lunar Rabbits attracted a couple of glances from the more professional soldiers. Aware of their position, the sisters did their best to look as professional and ready to attack anything that burst into view as the Imperial soldiers.

Remilia joined Zee and Arcturus, and was updated on the news of Eldar in the Power Plant and regenerating Ork equipment. Worrying news, to be sure. The greenskins had some dangerous new toys at their disposal, and it didn't seem like it would be the same fun as it used to be. And then there was the strange woman Arcturus had found and fought alongside with...how did it all fit together? Remilia decided to leave Drake's discovery to Arcturus, and approached the white-haired Taoist.

Miss Futo, you seemed to have come out of the frying pan only to land in the firepit. The coals may be cool now, but the blazing fires of battle are sure to relight on this station.

Remilia smiled at the young-looking hermit.

I am Inquisitor Remilia Scarlet, Lady of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. What was your business at this station?

Futo's contented look disappeared when she noticed Remilia approaching. It was briefly replaced by a look of distaste, before she once more assumed a polite smile.

"My business? Mere sampling of the Imperium's luxuries. 'Tis a shame that conflict has enveloped this place. 'Twas lovely while it lasted, though. I hope I can trust thee to put a swift end to this greenskin incursion."

She stifled a chuckle after saying this. Somehow, the whole situation suddenly seemed rather amusing.

edited 25th Mar '14 6:43:49 AM by joergenjetsam

Flandre didn't seem content with what Sakuya said. Just the opposite actually, her face scrunched up a bit in annoyance. Sitting around just didn't sit right with her. She dropped the depleted blood bag and took a couple of steps further into the hall. She sniffed the air a few times. There was the heavy stench of blood and metal, but maybe she could pick up the trail of the nearest group of green skins. "I'll scout ahead then or whatever. You guys can rest if you want to." She said.

Meanwhile, a short figure squeezed past the squad of imperial troops, wearing her usual sororitas armor and carrying her kit. Izumi had hung back during most of the fighting to stay out of the way. Now that there was a lull in the combat, it seemed like the best time to take care of any injuries. There really wasn't much she could do for the younger Scarlet's missing arm, but she did notice the inquisitor's wounds. The lunar rabbit made her way over to Arcturus and said "In-Inquisitor, sir. Your wounds need to be treated."

Watching Flandre scurry off before he had a chance to even reply, Arcturus then nodded at Drake, a faint gesture of approval.

"Very good, trooper. Go through the remains, search them for something of value. Anything that looks intact, especially data storage units or something similar. Get on it, we move shortly."

He glanced at a group of stormtroopers, overhearing snippets of their conversation. Apparently a unit had managed to gain access to the still operational tram-system. Arcturus doubted it would be safe for use. Orks loved to turn Imperial machinery or logistics systems against their original owners.

As Izumi shot in, he hesitated. "I'm not sure we have the..." As he moved his arm, a sharp, grating pain and fresh trickle of blood from the wound he'd sustained previously reminded him that he had better damned well make the time, or he would probably be dead within hours - if not from the wound itself, then from the impairment it would be in a fight.

"Er... Very well. Thank you, Sister. Gunshot wound, left shoulder blade. Bullet still lodged against bone. Please expedite. There are those who depend on us rescuing them on time, after all."

Arcturus knelt to provide the Lunar Rabbit easier access to the wound, closing his eyes and recalling the encounter in the power plant.

A curious thing, the Eldar I encountered, the thought began, intended for Zee. With some concentration, he forced the message to also arrive in a second mind, one he was less familiar with, but familiar enough so as to not cause much discomfort: Remilia. Its equipment, the way it fought - all of it seemed to indicate an assassin or something similar. Its mode of dress less so, I'll add. Bright colours and garish patterns everywhere, akin to some manner of obnoxious entertainer. And, perhaps most worryingly... it had no presence in the Warp. A terrible void, like the blanks we are familiar with. What do you suppose its presence here signifies...? Are the Eldar attempting to protect their interests by destabilizing the Imperial government? Or sabotage the greenskins in retaliation for lost materiél and manpower? Or perhaps something yet more sinister?

edited 29th Mar '14 6:47:51 PM by l3wt

Remilia exchanged glances with Sakuya, and nodded. Sakuya slung her rifle over her shoulder and followed Flandre further into the station. Then, Remilia turned back to Futo, arching an eyebrow at Futo's apparent amusement. A young noble, then, travelling for fun. Though, she looked very young to be here without a guardian, or at least a bodyguard. As Arcturus message entered her mind, she decided that something seemed off about the young woman's story.

Where did you travel from? And are you travelling alone?

edited 7th Apr '14 5:12:04 AM by Lemurian

Remilia's arched eyebrow was a source of some worry for Futo. Amusement may not have been the correct emotion for the situation, but she couldn't help it. The entire situation just seemed ridiculous. The fact that this vampire, a being born of humanity's fear and superstition, was a member of the inquisition, and had thus sworn fealty to the god-emperor of mankind, was amusing in and of itself. What made it all even more novel was how seriously she evidently took her station.

Futo had smiled at the thought before, but it wasn't until now, when she stood before the vampire, asking her for help, that she had had to stop herself from laughing.

"Ahh. I arrived here not too long ago. I traveled from Gensokyo to Tiraxus, and thence here. I came here bereft of companionship. Mayhap 'tis a blessing. I need not worry for my loved ones after all."

At this point, Futo was fully aware she wasn't standing on the most steady ground. She hoped with all her might that Indis was prepared to help should she need it. She kept the polite smile up though, no need to compound the danger.

edited 7th Apr '14 1:31:34 PM by joergenjetsam

"Of course, sir," Drake saluted crisply and swung around on his heels, striding purposefully toward the wreckage. He kneeled down and began to gingerly probe the scrap, wary of triggering some booby trap or a failsafe that would wipe the camera's data. It wasn't something he would normally expect with Orks, but there were enough strange goings on that he wasn't going to risk being careless.

Akusigos looked upon the Ork data packets with a mix of confusion and disgust, "An Ork digital attack? Who supplied these orks with this subversive technology?", uttered the Techpriest as he brought his aegis buffers online and sent some premade data packets of his own to intercept the xeno packets, Akusigos had improved his countermeasures against hacking after what had happened on Vitalstatix and the premade packets were one of them, designed to hold off malicious data while Akusigos prepared a counterattack on his aggressor.

As if Futo's words were a magical spell, the suspicion was cleansed off of Remilia's face and a sudden expression of amicability took its place. Just like that, everything made sense. Gensokyoan tourists were few and didn't usually come this far, but they had a tendency to end up where you least expected them to. The girl's nosiness and overall youthfulness were also just to be expected. Remilia smiled at having one less...well, it was still something of a complication. But her story checked out, at least.

Ah, I see! So, what do you plan to do now?

edited 17th Apr '14 4:50:50 AM by Lemurian

"... I know not. I wish to survive, there are people I wish to see again. I know not what the best course of action is, however."

Biting her lip, Futo looked away. This was slightly awkward. At the very least, she was being 100% truthful this time around. Mulling over the question for an additional few moments, she continued," I believe I will stay here for now. The battlefield is no place for civilians, and this place is secure."

edited 17th Apr '14 3:55:51 AM by joergenjetsam

Arcturus grit his teeth as the ork bullet fragments were extracted from his flesh. Izumi's abilities were quite extraordinary, and while he did not fully understand the method by which she made tissue knit itself back together, mending bone and reattaching blood vessels, he was very thankful that such an ability was available to him and his retinue. He wondered how close one would truly have to be to death before her magic would become insufficient.

He recalled how Drake had been exposed to a possessed Sakuya's unkind attentions a few months back - they'd found him looking like a severely bleeding mass of lacerations, and he had been restored to functionality within a scant few days. He quietly wondered how much Drake remembered from that particular ordeal. Perhaps he had suppressed it, or perhaps the memory had been excised by the healing procedure somehow. Whatever the case might be, the interactions between Drake and Sakuya did not seem unduly strained in the wake of the event, strangely enough.

The Inquisitor was broken out of his line of thought by a strong tingling sensation as the last few millimetres of wound canal were sealed, and the last bullet fragments removed. He stood, testing the shoulder joint.

"Much better. I think it'll still be tender for a while, but that's quite preferable to bleeding out or getting an infection, I believe. Thank you for the treatment, Sister. You may wish to preserve your power, however. We are likely to find wounded amongst any civilians we encounter. Speaking of..."

The Inquisitor put his helmet back on, fastening the seal with customary care as he waited for its autosystems to activate. Once done, he patched back into the retinue's vox, drawing a horizontal circle motion in the air with his hand as he did so - a very common military hand signal.

"Break's over. Regroup on me, we're finally getting to visit the resort part of the resort station."

He looked towards the the ways all the Stormtroopers were leaving the area with their platoons. It was time to head up, but there were a great many ways to do so, and most of them were dangerous. It was time to contact their somewhat impromptu scout.

"Flandre, it's Arcturus. How far up have you made it? Is it safe for us to proceed along your route?"

Zee mulled over her husband’s description of the eldar in silence. She was admittedly no expert in the workings of the fey xenos—she and Arcturus were of the Ordo Malleus, after all, and despatching the servants of Chaos was their speciality—but she knew enough of their ways to find the description troubling. Garish attire, and a graceful, almost acrobatic style of fighting… could this eldar have been one of the so-called Harlequins?

It seemed likely, but she couldn’t be sure. She knew that the eldar were a universally psychic race; was it even possible for something akin to a pariah to be born into their species?

Whatever the case, its presence surely bode ill.

The Living Saint found herself scowling. Too many questions kept popping up in the course of this investigation, and she had too few answers. First strange ork behaviour, then strange ork technology, and now a soulless eldar Harlequin had been thrown into the mix, to say nothing of that strange Gensokyoan woman. There simply wasn’t enough information to form a concrete picture of the situation, and it was frustrating her to no end.

I think, she sent to her husband at length, that when this mission is over you and I need to take a vacation. We should do something simple like busting up a cult; it will be a welcome relief from untangling the Gordian knot of mystery that is this whole affair.

When Arcturus gave the order for the squad to form up, Zee nodded and went to retrieve her weapons. Drifting weightlessly in the negligible gravity, her chainsword and bolt pistol had both seen better days; still, a cursory evaluation made it clear that they were still functional, and she took a moment to reload her sidearm before rejoining the rest of the retinue. She didn’t bother to sheath or holster either weapon, holding them at her sides; no sense putting them away when she would need them later.

Izumi finished the task of removing the bullet fragment from Arcturus, though the process wasn't as gentle as she would have liked. It mainly involved a pair of pliers and being as careful as possible while trying to be quick. Once that was done, it was an easy matter to use her ability to speed up his healing process until the wound was knitted back together. She threw the fragment away and put her tools back into the kit she carried with her. She gave the inquisitor a nod and said "Don't worry about me s-sir." She was ready to heal more.

A ways ahead, the younger Scarlet flew through the bowels of the ship. She paused for a second when Arcturus contacted her and looked around. "I haven't run into any more orks yet. You guys should be fine." She said, sounding almost disappointed. With her response given, Flandre resumed traveling through the ship, looking for a clue as to where the Orks were holding up.

Arcturus smiled wryly behind the vox-grille and faceplate, trying to track Flandre's location with the aid of his cybernetics. Her transponder was headed roughly in the direction he'd been hoping - towards the resort levels, onwards and upwards. Tracing a route through an administrative office, an equipment storage area and a disheartening amount of accessway stairs and ladders - disregarding elevators as a needless risk - he surmised that they'd be able to follow the smallest of the vampires in relative safety and meet up once they reached the central star-view dome.

What is this sector coming to? When fighting Greenskins is actually less straightforward than fishing for heretics and daemons and that sort of unpleasantness, I am tempted to think the natural order of the universe is becoming rather upset.

Once everyone was rounded up, he began moving for the same exit that Flandre had taken, back towards enemy-held ground. He voxed as they moved, habitually sweeping every corner, doorway and ventilation shaft with the muzzle of his bolt pistol as they went.

"Stay alert. We may have dealt with most of the orks in this area, but there could be stragglers. By the way... Drake, report your findings on that camera you shot."

Docking Area Corridors

"Yes'm.  Right, you heard the Lady! Skantz, Moltke!  Bring up the heavy weapons!"

- A pair of troopers saluted, then lugged a large black casement marked with the roof and skull of the Imperial Guard up to the sandbag cover.  One typed a code into a small keyboard set into the lock, and the casement slid open to reveal a set of four pristinely-kept melta guns, in addition to a pair of collapsible rocket launchers.  Another separate compartment held the individually-slotted rockets themselves.  The Lieutenant nodded, and those same troopers (reverently) seized their assigned weapons. Holding the barrels pointed away from them (and anyone else, for that matter), the soldiers offered prayers of beseechment to the machine spirits, then locked the main switches forward. A moment of tension came amongst the Stormtroopers in that brief silence, and then went as their meltas gave a throaty purr of function.  The soldiers parted ways, with one going to the hallway scrap pile, while the other went to the docking bay turret ruin. Each of them set their stance, then pointed their meltas at the scrap piles. -

"Right, one, two..."

- A roar of power and heat filled the hallway together with a near-blinding flash. In an instant, the pile and the floor beneath it was a pit of molten metal and masonry.  The Stormtroopers brought their weapons back to ready position and then returned to their ranks. The lieutenant barked more orders into the vox. A squad's worth of his men scrambled to the end of the hallway from whence the Greenskins had come, probing the edges (ragged as they were) with holocam/'liths that extended out of their gauntlets. -

"Clear."

They trod past those edges and split, six covering the corridor in one direction and six on the other. One of these teams followed in Flandre's wake, double-timing when she briefly got out of visual range. They would lend fire support in the event of an encounter. Meanwhile, another six troopers made their way back towards the door through which the Inquisitorial team came (which had closed after everyone had entered the hallway), helmets adjusted to provide them with oxygen. They would see to it that nothing attacked from the lower workings of the skyhook.

Flandre would find that the damage suffered by the station sharply declined the further one travelled inward and away from the docking points. Here and there could be found splatters of blood and bulletholes, but not nearly so many as in the outer corridors. The main lights had dimmed since the station had switched over to its secondary generator, but this had done little to reduce the glitz and decor. Colourful mosaics and paintings lined the walls depicting idyllic pastoral and paradisal scenes as the hallway spiralled up, passages leading off to the other docking areas like spokes. Should she so choose, she could go down one of those paths and whack down one of those turrets covering another docking point. It was then that the sound of shouting and running footsteps reached the vampiric acolyte's ears.

" GIT BACK 'ERE, YA LI'L GROTZ! OI ENT GOT TOIME FOR THIS ZOGGERY!"

Some ways upwards and forwards, two diminutive human figures (one a few inches taller than the other) skidded around the curve, one pulling the other along by the hand. Not three meters behind them running at a jog that threatened to move into a sprint was a clutch of five Ork slugga boyz supervised by a surly-looking Nob. In fact, all six of them looked displeased with the situation, as their hands kept twitching towards their shootas and choppas strapped to their sides.

"MORK'Z SAKE, 'TEEF'Z GONNA HEAR 'BOUT DIS! 'E GETZ LOUD AN' SHOOTY WEN 'E-"

- Abruptly, both pursued and pursuer came to a halt as they caught sight of the fast-flying vampiress and her following of Stormtroopers. Here, Flandre could better see who the Orkz were chasing. They were both children, a boy and a girl, the boy roughly around ten and girl somewhere around five. The boy wore a kind of blueish-purple tunic with a white sun emblazoned on the chest, while the girl wore a bright yellow-gold dress with a green crescent moon at the centre. They were both dark-haired, and seemed to have the same ears, if not the same facial characteristics. Both looked (quite reasonably) scared out of their wits, too harried for tears. When they saw Flandre, though, there was a look of wonder which went over their faces. The girl piped up, seemingly forgetting just for a moment the Orkz behind her.

"Wow, are you-"

" 'EY, IT'Z DOZE INTRUDAHZ! GET 'EM, BOYZ! But don't step on da 'ostagez!"

Now remembering their predicament, the kids began to dash towards the corridor wall. At the same time, the Orkz lumbered forward, unlimbering their weapons and firing the first slugga coughs. Their boss had said nothing of shooting around, after all.

Meanwhile, others had gone closer to the Main Generator Plant, splitting off so that a team or two guarded the doors while the rest hared inside. The place was a mess. Flames and rampant sparks were everywhere. Could there really be some left alive in there?

As for the camera gizmos which Private Drake rummaged through, the layout was an unfamiliar thing. All colours of damaged fibre-optic wires and filaments ran through it like the entrails of an animal, long and tangled. There again was that peculiar psycho-plastic found in the turret-mount and the killa kan, sizzling and burnt, its regrowth halted. At its centre though, behind the thoroughly-busted lens, there appeared to be a small but thick box of the stuff (lightly singed at one angle. It was slightly heavier than the rest of the material had been, and through the translucent casing Drake could see arrays of frighteningly complex crystal latticework. Towards the back of the device, he would find a wide, cracked dish, similar to that found on transmission hubs throughout the Imperium.

Akusigos would find his opposite number equal to his own efforts. While the first Orky viral packets disintegrated under the techpriest's counterattack, sections of them detached and returned to the digital tampering's origin point above. Fresh packets in combined green and blue raced down in response, now actively blocking off connection points with temporary barriers as they passed. In a moment of absurdity, one of these packets seemed to take up energy from the system at large, forming for itself a volatile "core" as it approached one of Akusigos' packets. In the next miniscule increment of time, the viral packet "detonated," destroying itself and the countermeasure while filling that connection with interference. Others began to get closer, a handful of them beginning the same charging process...

Flandre's speed slowed down as she heard the ruckus coming from up ahead. She came to a surprised halt as she noticed the two children running from a squad of Orkz. She hadn't known Orkz to take hostages before, and the fact that it was two little kids made it worse. She lost focus for a second, but came back to her sense as the kids ran to the wall to get out of the way of the Slugga Boyz. Flandre darted around through the air to avoid their fire as she turned on her comms.

"I've made contact with a squad of Orkz chasing a couple of hostages. Two kids." She said, hoping Arcturus or anyone on her team caught it. Once she was finished filling them in, she swooped forward through the hail of dakka and brought her right arm up. Her hand glowed red as she closed in on the front most Ork. Her fingers spread it a claw-like shape as she swung down on the Ork, slicing into him with an energy enhanced strike. She made her way through the boyz, trying to keep their attention away from the hostages.

Arcturus quickened his pace as he heard Flandre's transmission. Two kids... how did they get away from the rest of the hostages? At any rate, they would be useful in determining where the remainder of the hostages are located, provided they weren't too terrified to do anything.

"Understood. I want those hostages alive - keep track of them. We'll try to intercept."

The station map flickered softly before the Inquisitor's eyes inside the helmet.

"Remilia, take two flight-capable personnel and move ahead of the rest of the group - you're my assurance that this is done, and done quickly and efficiently."

Remilia saluted. Her own magic was starting to recover, so she was ready to give solid backup. As for her companions...she scanned the group. Sakuya had gone ahead, nurse Izumi was busy and Zee, well, she could do with a slightly pause with her husband after that last encounter. Which left...

Ichisen, Jisen, with me.

The two rabbits snapped to attention. Their magic reserves were depleted, but they still had their guns. They followed Remilia as she dashed down the corridor to reinforce Flandre.

Following just behind Flandre was Sakuya, her breathing intensifying slightly from following her vampire mistress. Upon seeing the group of Orkz approaching and receiving the communication from Arcturus, she chose not to try to shoot into the battle where her mistress was fighting but instead to get the two children into safe cover.

Children, come over here! I shall keep you safe during the battle.

edited 18th Jun '14 3:29:54 PM by Lemurian

Persepolis Corridors

The greenskin barely had time to react before Flandre cut through its jacket and then flesh. It jerked away with a bark of pain, its left arm now hanging limply. At such close range, the xeno swung its gun about like a club at its injurer, bellowing inarticulate rage. The other Orks soon joined in, alternating between wild swipes and unaimed potshots at random (or sometimes both at once). Not a one of them cared if their comrades were hit in the process, as per usual. Meanwhile, the Nob hung back, watching with a growing grimace of frustration.

" Gah! ZOGGIT, YER MINCEMEAT!"

- The larger greenskin tossed aside his gun, a pair of sawtoothed machete-like knives popping into his hands from his waist. These blades spun into motion with a disturbing whine not unlike dentistry equipment. The Ork sprang forward then, launching a flurry of blows at the flying vampire.

The two children, meanwhile, scurried behind Sakuya. Both quickly nodded and muttered their thanks, but the boy's gaze lingered for a moment on Sakuya's insignia. For a moment he looked puzzled, then simply followed after the girl.

Somewhere on the Highest Levels...

"Hrumm. Oi guess Oi'll hafta tell 'Teef 'e'z got companee on da way. 'e'll havva fit iffen 'e getz 'uninvoited guestz' agin wittout prep toime. Not dat it'll mattah in da long run, heh heh heh..."

-Tackatackkatacktictictictic-

From somewhere further up the hallway than the Orkz and Flandre came the sound of something metal and plastic bumping against the walls. It made a distinctive mechanical whirr, whatever it was, but it couldn't be much bigger than a gretchin. Smaller, in fact...

Arcturus and the rest of the present retinue followed in the wake of Remilia's group, slower and more cautious. It would be bad for the little advance troop if the orks suddenly started coming in from behind, and Arcturus for one was keen to prevent that from happening.

He began to think out loud, to fill the quiet as they paced through the deserted hallways and rooms on their way to Flandre's position.

"I'm starting to think that leaving that Futo woman back with the troopers was a bad idea. It's still possible she's somehow complicit with all of this, yet this is the exact wrong place and time to start a spell battle with someone we don't even have a good capability assessment for. We're missing so many pieces of this puzzle still, and we're not getting them anywhere close to fast enough."

Yes, this mission continues to defy all expectations, Zee replied, sweeping a critical eye over the walls. Where was the vandalism typical of the greenskins, the crude paintings and tribal insignias they were so fond of slathering upon Imperial structures during their invasions? Nowhere to be seen, unless bullet holes, carbon scoring and bloodstains counted (and in the angelic vampire’s opinion, they most certainly did not). No brutish, thick-jawed heads. No markings to indicate these Orks belonged to any of the known clans. Not even any dung or feces smeared across the portraits of idyllic landscapes.

She relayed these observations to her husband over their psychic communion. Yet another piece of the puzzle that doesn’t add up. When this is over, we really need to forward our findings to the Ordo Xenos; perhaps they’ll be able to make sense of this insanity.

There was an urgency to her mental words, an undercurrent of mild agitation and impatience colouring her thoughts with what, to Arcturus’ eyes, might be faint billowings of scarlet like blood in the water. She was eager to get underway, to make some actual progress with this undertaking; and the sudden addition of children to the equation had done nothing to dispel that urgency.

Drake gently brushed the fragments away from the lattice filled box and the transmission dish. Slowly - as though he feared it was white hot - he picked up the psycho-plastic box. He examined it in the stark, artificial lighting of the corridor. Xeno-tech was abhorrent, for all its apparent beauty. Indeed, in some ways that made it even more insidious.

The Guardsman simply assumed the dish was something the Greenskins had looted from the station, but he took hold of it as well. It was roughly this point that he realised he had been so distracted by his unsettling find that he had been left behind by the rest of the retinue. Scrambling to his feet, he jogged after them.

"Sir, I've found something irregular in that Ork machine!" Drake called out, trying to catch the Inquisitor's attention as he closed the gap. Once he was close enough, he proffered the lattice box and the dish, still keeping up a fast clip. "I've never seen anytihng like it, sir, but I don't think it would take a Tech-Priest to figure out that this is... wrong."