WardenCelestine

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

@Lucian There is your opening, at the very end of the post, now go forth!

@Theyra It works for me, just have to come up with a reason as to why he/she would be there.

@Rithy I mean, OKAY ... but ...

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Once Governor Nickolai had taken his seat, he raised his feet and rested them upon the ornate wooden desk in front of him, while at the same time crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the chair. Clearly, the man preferred comfort over presentation at the moment, and was not worried about letting those currently present in front of him know that. When the members of the retinue asked their own personal questions, Nickolai was sure to quickly respond, doing what he could to answer each of the inquiries to the best of his ability.

"I do believe I can set up a meeting between you and my chief astropath, Adrianne. Though currently they are preoccupied with another task at the moment. I will inform her that you wish to speak with her, and I assure you she will get back to you as soon as possible." said Governor Nickolai before taking a small sip of whatever amber colored liquid was in the glass next to his right hand. Andromedai had some guesses, but was not about to inquire upon it.

The question that Tech-Priestess Medaira asked was a rather peculiar one, and Nickolai thought on it for a few short seconds before responding. "The Cult Mechanicus has been performing their duties swiftly and to the letter, no delays, no malfunctions, no sudden deficiency in supplies and lack of servitors, in fact there are no complaints from me on their current performance." Nickolai crossed his left leg over his right to make himself more comfortable before responding to the last question.

"That is a rather interesting question, Titus. Unfortunately, I am unable to disclose that information to you, it would be a breach of protocol and my own rules. Perhaps at a later date I can hand over some of the requested information but at the moment, as I said before, is going to have to be denied. Now, I have another meeting set up that has arrived, they are currently waiting outside the doors to my office, and with that I bid you all a fond farewell. If you need anything else, please feel free to reach out to me."

Nickolai raised his left hand and waved it lightly in the air in a dismissive manor, informing them they had permission to leave his office now. It was at this moment, that the Planetary Governor noticed that his room had grown slightly cooler, and the temperature was still dropping. This occurrence currently had no explanation, and was baffling him.

"We have been waiting to do so." said Celestian Andromedai as she turned her back on the planetary governor, then left his office with her retinue following close behind. On their way out, they would pass a group of Skitarii Rangers who eyed them curiously before entering the office with the doors shutting behind them. "I do not believe the man to be a Chaos infiltrator, at this time at least." said Andromedai into her helmets com after she had placed it back onto her head and secured it into place. "Let us return to the Typhon, from there we will fly to the Inquisition safe house." The Celestian superior picked up the pace slightly, wanting to leave their current surroundings.

Andromedai was first on board, and first to take a seat, motioning for their local and friendly Psyker to take the co-pilot seat once more. "I would like to warn all of you." began Andromedai, "That the Inquisitorial safe house may be slightly uncomfortable at first, it is much different than most other buildings anywhere in the Imperium. After a while, I am sure you will become accustomed to it. by the time Andromedai had finished speaking, they would already be airborne.

The Typhon did not climb high into the atmosphere as would have been expected, instead the craft remained rather low to the ground, using the natural storm that had now moved into the area to mask its movement. They would first pass through a snow capped mountain range, passing by seemingly untouched nature, its type rarely even seen on Garden worlds. Then, approached a coastline, where the Typhon made a sharp but still smooth turn to the left, curving along the base of the mountain range before gaining altitude. The sensors of the Typhon would inform them multiple times through the flight that Andromedai was coming a bit to close to the ground or other hazards that could end their journey. Though now, those sensors informed them that they were coming up upon the Inquisitorial safe house, and would arrive shortly.

At first, they would see nothing, but then the greatly unique looking building that stood out in contrast to all other Imperial buildings would come into view. It had been partly built into the hill that it stood upon, hiding how large the actual building was from view. The Typhon would decelerate before the cloud of moisture that had been forming on the front of it dissipated. Without having to bank forward or backward, the aircraft would position itself above an area of the safe house. Two large metal doors slid open below them as the Typhon lowered itself into the hidden hanger, before they would close above it, cutting off all sunlight, leaving only the artificial light that had been installed around them.

Once the Typhon had landed, Andromedai powered down the craft and unstrapped herself, "Let's get everyone situated and familiar with the safe house." said Andromedai as she moved to the airlock and once more opened it for her retinue, though this time she was the first to leave. Stepping down the ramp, the first thing they would notice was that the landing pad was surrounded with lights that shined down from the ceiling, creating small spots of light in a perfectly shaped circle around the edges of the landing platform. The walls of the hanger were of smooth beige colored stone, below the landing platform was a body of natural cave water. Near them, at the end of the landing platform was a metal path that lead into the safe house, at the end of it was a door made out of polished steel, and a small glass slit built into it.

Walking towards the door, it would automatically open for her, and would remain open while anyone was near it. As soon as she had stepped inside, a short but thorough decontamination system would begin as they walked down the whitewashed hallway that lead into the actual safe house. Like its exterior, the interior could be considered smooth, ultra-modern, clean, and well lit but not to overly illuminated. The secondary entryway they had just arrived in was tastefully decorated with a few real plants and pieces of art that Andromedai had confiscated from important figures within the Imperium of man and even beyond.

At first, it seemed as if they were the only ones there, but another Sister of Battle quickly rounded the corner to meet them as they entered the large and spacious living room that had a sunk in couch and full sized coffee table in the middle of it. This woman looked a bit like Andromedai, though was apparently younger, and her hair was a dark black that made the rest of her attractive features stand out. Next to her was a Servo-Skull, though this Servo-Skull was apparently made from a dead commissar's Skull, and held a muzzle in its mouth as if it was a cigar. Its piercing red eyes scanned the group as the two of them stood before each other in silence for the briefest of moments.

"Celestian Superior Andromedai" said the woman in normal gothic before saluting her superior. "Took you long enough." she smiled slyly before Andromedai responded. "Sister Celestian Aviza, I'm glad to see that the safe house is still in one piece with you in command of it." Andromedai did not smile at the woman, but her voice had relaxed quite a bit in tone.

"I was unsure when you and your retinue were going to arrive, but I have prepared a lunch for anyone who may be interested." Aviza would pause and look over the retinue before speaking once more, "Stukov and Adrianne, I am glad to see you two are both still alive and healthy. It has been many years since I have seen you two, but it is always a welcome sight. Your two new members though, a Tech-Priestess who is named Medaira and a Scribe named Titus, new additions. What happened to that mercenary and the Space Marine that would always accompany the retinue? Wait, I rather not know in all honesty." Aviza shrugged slightly, it was better to not ask to many questions. "Follow me, if you would be so kind." As Aviza lead them through the safe house, it was clear a lot of credits had been spent to make it, and a lot of time and effort had been put into not only its design but also acquiring everything that filled its halls.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Aviza moved behind a bar counter top, that was made out of some sort of stone, that glowed a amber white. The mineral had actually been hallowed out and had lights installed into it, creating the soft and comfortable glow. At the counter top was a set of backless bar stools, neatly pushed in and lined up, awaiting use.

As soon a the retinue had entered the kitchen, their senses would be graced with the smell of freshly and exquisitely prepared meals. "I was unsure what each personal taste was so I went with something simple for the moment." What was presented was nothing simple, it was clear that this Sister of Battle had quite the talent when it came to not only killing heretics but also creating meals fitting of the Inquisition. the meal was a Turkey and Bacon Club Sandwich with sweet potato french fries and fresh fruit, though none of what was presented was fake, everything was real meat, real fruit, real vegetables, and all of it was extremely expensive to acquire.

"I can also make any drink of your choice, we have quite the stock saved up, just name it and I will present it to you." said Aviza with a small but genuine smile across her face. Andromedai took a seat and removed her helmet, setting it on the counter next to her before requesting her own drink. "Mint Julep ice tea, as always after a flight through the warp, please and thank you." said Andromedai, scooting her bar stool in a bit closer to her seat, then looking at the rest of her retinue expectantly. "Of course, anyone else?" inquired Aviza, already working on the drink that Celestian Andromedai had requested.

It was at that moment, that Andromedai noticed that some sort of music that she had not heard in many years was playing, something she had acquired a personal taste in.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

@Lucian I was thinking about having him meet up with the rest of the retinue once we arrive at the Safe House.

@Theyra That is indeed bad timing, any other characters you have in mind?

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

"Knowing Planetary Governors and the way they think, I would place a rather high stake on that bet, Stukov." said Andromedai as she reached above her head with her right hand and flipped a few switches. There was a slight effect upon the interior pressure of the Typhon, as well as its temperature which was now chilly but still comfortable. Andromedai had caught the look that Adrianne had sent her way, she returned it with a slight smirk spread across her face that could have been considered sly. "Khornates are boring, just shoot them and move along, these other two Chaos factions are much more challenging, something I greatly welcome next to the boring rabble we mostly end up dealing with. As for you Medaira, you may get your chance on saying that, but let us not jump to any conclusions until we have solid evidence, then we can issue out summary executions. Anyway, I would not be surprised if Nickoli turns out to be one of the supposed Chaos infiltrators. It would make sense if he was though, from what I know of how some Chaos gods try to eclipse or out right dispose each-other. Both Slaanesh and Tzeentch are exceedingly cunning, the former more so than the ladder, so assume everything we are being told is a lie, use your inquisitorial training for the rest." Andromedai pulled back on the Typhons throttle, at a rather disturbingly close distance to the planet. It was clear that she was very familiar with her ship, and very confident in controlling all aspects of it.

Almost immediately once arriving at Erathell, the Typhon would be contacted by the Orbital defense stations commander, "Running system check on IS signal, you are all clear to enter the Erathellian atmosphere." Andromedai did not reply, there was no reason to, she merely made a few adjustments to the Typhons systems before entering the planets atmosphere. As the Typhon broke through the Exosphere and entered the into the stratosphere, a vapor cone forming on the front of the spacecraft and vanishing after a few short seconds. Anyone on the outside of the aircraft and within a set distance would hear a loud explosion, which was actually the Typhon rapidly decelerating. Those inside of the Typhon though, would notice nothing at all, not even turbulence. "Here we are, the planet Erathell, somewhere down below the forces of Chaos have infiltrated this important world, and it is our responsibility to burn them out." said Andromedai as the sprawling city landscape that acted as the heart of Erathell appeared before them.

Two Thunderbolt Fighters suddenly appeared on either side of the Typhon, then fell back twenty meters, falling into an escort formation. At the same time, part of the cocking controls in front of Andromedai, someone was trying to contact them via a secure coms channel. Flipping a switch in front of her with her right hand, Andromedai opened the coms channel, and was quickly greeted by the rough sounding voice of a man clearly in his older years. "Celestian Andromedai and the rest of her retinue, I am Planetary Governor Nickolai for Erathell. It is my honor to have all of you within my system this morning." There was a short pause before the man continued. I have sent Thunderbolt Fighters to escort you to my facility. While it is very unlikely anyone would try anything, I rather not leave any chances. I am sure I will see all of you shortly, untill then I will eagerly await your arrival." Andromedai closed the com channel then sighed lightly, almost inaudibly. "Heavily armed escorts always make me wonder who is actually being protected, the planet or the actual escort?" said Andromedai as she adjusted her course towards the new marker that had been placed upon the Typhons built in HUD.

The large towering building of Imperial Gothic architecture stood out among all others in the area, it was obvious this is where the Planetary Governor resided. "Is he trying to make himself stand out amongst the rest of the planet, or is he just flaunting his position of power?" said Andromedai, mostly to herself as they approached the landing pad they had been silently assigned to. Even before they had landed, Andromedai could see that an armed escort was waiting for them at the two large metallic door that lead into the facility.

Once they were close enough to the landing pad and the Typhon had engaged its landing sequence, the two Thunderbolt Fighters broke off from the Typhon then regrouped further out, before vanishing into the distance. Andromedai watched this unfold in real time through cameras installed around the aircraft, deciding to not comment on their departure. Instead, she focused on bringing the Typhon down carefully and gently onto the landing platform before giving new orders to her retinue. "This may be needless, but I require all of you to act professional and to the standards that are expected from us." Andromedai would unstrap herself from her seat and stand up, narrowing her eyes at Medaira is irritation. "Medaira, you will no longer refer to anyone during the length of this mission as a prank victim, call them by name. You are in the company of the Inquisition, you need to act accordingly." Andromedai would then move to the back of the ship and open the airlock giving her final orders "Remember what I said about the Chaos infiltrators, treat everyone normally but do not give away our knowledge of their potentially being any. You are allowed to ask questions and make comments, but use common sense. let us move out, and stay close to me."

Celestian Superior Andromedai was the first to leave the Typhon, and would allow everyone to depart, but would step rather aggressively in front of Scribe Titus before he got to far. "I do not appreciate the way you flaunt that null collar, especially how you passive aggressively did so to our Psyker, Adrianne. A single Psyker is worth fifty thousand Scribes at least, it would do you well to remember that. While I myself own a device of such, be weary of where and how you use such, I do not want it interfering with Adrianne's abilities. You are new among my retinue, and you must learn your place if you wish to be counted as an equal.

Andromedai would turn her back to Scribe Titus, then move forward towards the two heavily and well equipped Imperial guardsmen who were waiting for them. They saluted Andromedai and her retinue before speaking, "Celestian Superior Andromedai and the Inquisitorial Retinue are requested to follow us to Planetary Govanor Nickoli's quarters for more a full beefing, please follow us." said the higher ranking Guardsmen before turning to open the door for the retinue and stepping inside. Andromedai would be the first to enter alongside the higher ranking Guardsmen, while the lower ranking would follow behind the group. Within a few short moments of walking through Imperial Goth architecture filled corridors that were a bit to brightly illuminated for Andromedais taste, they arrived at Nickoli's quarters. The two Guardsmen opened the doors that lead into the quarters and would then close them behind the retinue once they had all entered. Instead of departing though, the two Guardsmen now stood outside of the doors, guarding the only way in or out.

Nickoli was a tall man, almost reaching Adriannes height, though this was not known until the older man stood from the lavish chair behind the antique desk he had been positioned at. Instead of wearing robes or some other form of formal clothing, the man wore what appeared to be a type of Guardsmen armor that not even Andromedai had seen before. It was heavy decorated with war medals and other signs that the man had not only seen but taken part in many wars over his lifetime. "I wish to thank all of you for responding to my message so swiftly, the situation within Hyperion has not changed for the most part, one could be thankful for that, and another could see it as a concern. I am sure you all have been briefed on the situation so I will not waste my time repeating any of it. What I will say is that we have pinpointed where most of these reports are coming from. I will pass the appropriate information to you, Andromedai. The man would return to his lavishly decorated chair and take a seat once more, "I am a busy man, this planet does not run itself and I must return to my current duties. I have a safe house in the city where all of you may reside comfortably, should you chose to do so. I have no doubt that you will find the source of the Chaos infestation and burn it out.

"My lord, what foetid corner of the Imperium breeds these fawning idiots? That is all he is going to say?" Thought Andromedai to herself before speaking, "The daemonic are without number, and their legions span the galaxy. But faith does not tire. Should it take us an eternity, the Inqusition will find and exterminate them all, I swear to you this. As for the safe house, we are thankful of the offer but I have my own somewhere on the planet that is used by other members of the Inquisition, this is where we will reside while upon Erathell." Nickolai nodded his head, "If that is what you wish, then so be it. I must ask though, are there any questions any of the retinue has before you are dismissed to do as you see fit upon my wonderful world?

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

@Guy0fV4lor Don't worry about it. :3

Halo: Aegis Team

Peering into the far distance, Aviza had her Generation 2 ARGUS-class Mjolnir armors advanced information system lock onto the SDV-class corvette, as well as the two CCS-class battlecruisers, and started to feed all of team Aegis the incredibly detailed information it was gathering. "Shih, is there anyway you can combine the information that the Mammoths sensors have gathered, and combine it with my own?" Asked Aviza as she queued information about the estimated amount of time it would take for the team to arrive at their destination. [2 Hours] was the message that came up, though that information could be wrong since she was basing this off of the distance of the nearest ship. "Everyone, break up into teams of two, but stay within viewing distance, I do not want any of you leaving the area of operations or getting separated from the squad. Let's move out, if I need to carry one of the ONI Spooks, I will do so." said Aviza, teasing the two a little bit.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

@Rithy I'll definitely take those suggestions into consideration. -nodnod-

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

I'll be posting either today or tomorrow. :D

New rule going in place, you have 7 days since my last post to get one up before I move the story forward.

Halo: Aegis Team

For the last two days, Aviza had done what she could to make use of the free time upon the Mammoth that they had all been granted. During this time, she had ran a full inspection on all of her gear to ensure it was still in top condition, or near it. Along side this, she also spent time with her fellow squad-mates, conversing with them and getting to know them better, beyond the soldiers they were. During the day she would patrol the exterior of the Mammoth, occasionally stopping by the interior to inquire on how everyone was doing. During the night, she would run system checks on the Mammoth and gather detailed information about their surroundings for future reference.

It was on the second night that Spartan Aviza had decided to actually allow herself to rest, she had found a dark area of the Mammoth that was away from prying eyes. Propped up against a few pillows, and some bags filled with something soft. Aviza had managed to drift off into a deep, relaxing, dreamless sleep that was held for many hours before being jolted awake from the sudden stop of the Mammoth. The message about unidentified Covenant ships being spotted on the horizon drew Aviza's full attention.

Once fully awake and ready for any trouble ahead of her, Aviza assumed that the squad would gather upon the command deck of the Mammoth. With a quick pace, she headed through the Mammoth, heading towards her destination. Once she arrived, she found that a few members from Aegis had already gathered, Vael being among them.

"No, there have not yet been any additional orders given, Ben." said Spartan Aviza as she approached the group that had gathered around Vael, only now appearing in the entryway behind them. "I am here to change that though." Aviza maneuvered past the present members of the squad and was now positioned next to Vael, upon his immediate right. "At the moment, I assume we do not know if those those ships and their crew are hostile, but we should assume so until proven otherwise. Everyone that is not part of Team Aegis is to stay inside of the Mammoth and hold position until we give the all clear. We should head in the direction of the ships on foot and use the cover of night to our advantage, do not engage any targets unless absolutely necessary. Let's move out, keep your head on a swivel."

Without wasting any time, Aivza would head in the direction of the nearest exit of the Mammoth, and would shortly there after be out on the desert sands.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

For a moment, Celestian Superior Andromedai Morgenstern stood alone in hanger Four-Two-Seven-Three-Three along side her ship. The lack of any conversation or there of was filled by the Empherian's soft ambient hum, one that she had found strangely comforting after spending many years aboard such starships. Even though Andromedai was currently alone, she was not idol. The Celestian looked over the data-pad that was built into the left forearm of her armor, enabling to her to draw information from almost anything around her at a whim. While the HUD built into her helmet could do the same, doing so at this moment was unnecessary. Currently, the data-pad displayed information about the changes made upon the Typhon, and other crucial details. There would be no second chances, and no returning to the Empherian for an unknown amount of time, and thus all systems and equipment being brought along was double or even triple checked.

Celestian Superior Andromedai was still looking over the information of her ship and its equipment when the first member of the retinue arrived rather promptly. "Alexei Stukov, prompt and professional as usual." said Celestian Andromedai with a slight nod of her head. "I expect the others to arrive shortly, once they do, we will head out immediately."The next to arrive was their sanctioned Psyker, Adrianne. The rather tall woman would receive the same greeting that Stukov had, "Welcome Adrianne, I was just informing Stukov that once the other members of the retinue arrive, we will board the Typhon and depart for Erathell." Celestian Andromedai turned to face the Typhon as she queued a command for the ships airlock to open for them.

The arrival of Tech-Priestess could be easily heard before she was even seen, "Tech-Priestess Medaira, you are the final member of the retinue to arrive." said Celestian Andromedai with a nod of her head in acknowledgement to the woman. "I do believe that all members of the retinue are currently present, let us... before Celestian Andromedai could finish her sentence, another arrival entered the hanger, one that Celestian Andromedai had not been expecting. This new arrival appeared to be a Scribe, yet Andromedai had not requested one. Once the man had introduced himself, Celestian Andromedai would approach him and merely observe the new addition silently before speaking. Scribe Titus, I did not request one of your kind to accompany me on this mission." The Celestian looked over her information for the mission and saw that there had been a last minute change, the addition of this Scribe. Apparently, you have been assigned to my retinue, though for what reason is beyond my current understanding. Follow the rest of the retinue Titus. Celestian Andromedai would turn her back to the unexpected arrival before walking up the ramp and into the Typhons airlock.

The Typhon was a custom ship designed and produced specifically for Celestian Andromedai. Unlike other starships, this craft was sleek and luxurious, both on the exterior and interior, a far cry from other ships in the Imperium of man. Along side the obvious cockpit, the interior of the Typhon had an armory, a living quarters installed with a kitchen, personal and enclosed bunks, two shower and bathroom stalls, a medical bay, engineering bay, a command room, and other essential areas. Once Andromedai had entered the cockpit, she would take the pilots seat and secure herself into it before speaking. "Psyker Adrianne, take the co-pilot seat with me, controls are free to use if you sense any disturbances." There would be no time wasted, once everyone had sat down and secured themselves in their seats, Andromedai would quickly but skillfully enable the starships systems before gracefully maneuvering it out of hangar Four-Two-Seven-Three-Three and towards the now rapidly approaching Erathell.

"I have already briefed all of you, expect Scribe Titus, on the situation at hand." began Celestian Andromedai. "Though for the sake of the mission and all of your lives, I will repeat it. Two weeks ago, the head planetary Governor for Erathell sent an encrypted message to the Inquisition, this message informed us that he suspects that Chaos forces have infiltrated the Hyperion system. After providing us with sufficient evidence, it has been decided that these chaos infiltrators are most likely part of Slaanesh or Tzeentch, though I suspect both of them are playing their hand here. I was also informed that it is possible that these agents of Chaos have also replaced high ranking, important figures. The planetary Governor, who we refer to as Nickoli, has requested our discrete presence upon Erathell and others within Hyperion to root out the chaos infiltrators before they can cause irreparable harm. A short and simple explanation, I know, though nothing more needs to be added at this time. I am, however, allowing any questions that the retinue may have to be asked."

In the distance, Erathell could now be seen, a small ball of blue light that was growing in shape and size as they neared their first destination.