WardenCelestine

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

I will be posting today, tomorrow morning at the latest.

You are approved @Theyra, going to send you a PM shortly.

Halo: Aegis Team

"I like the idea of causing chaos and confusion among the two factions present, though if we are going to call in reinforcements, the anti-aircraft cannons and other defenses will need to be dealt with first. Sending in a team with active camouflage, as Spartan Ryker suggested, is a sound plan, and I say we act upon it when the chance arrives." said Spartan Aviza, still prone upon the mesa. "The question is though, who here has active camouflage and will join us on this short but very important stealth mission? Remember, the longer we wait, the worse this whole situation could get. It is better that we handle the problem at hand so they do not develop into something more serious." If it was up to her, and it wasn't, she would have called quite a few MAC-Blasts down upon the complex, wiped them all out, and called it a day before any of the hostiles would know what happened. Aviza was very straight forward like that at times, but deep down she knew that was not going to work for the current mission.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

"Stoic Tannan suffering..." said Celestian Aviza under her breath with a slight laugh, "I do indeed have some Tannan leaves stored away for an occasion such as this, I'll brew some up for you shortly, Stukov." Moving to the next person upon her left, Aviza would listen intently and take their drink request. "I should have guessed you would have chosen wine, Adrianne. If I am not mistaken, I should have some Synod Ministra vintage here. Now standing in front of the Tech-Priestess, Celestian Aviza eyed the woman with curiosity, though still listening closely. "Coffee is simple enough, I will brew that along side the Tannan suffering." Thankfully, Celestian Aviza had quite the stock pile of supplies readied for the safe house before arriving, and was thankful to the Emperor that she was able to fulfill everyone's requests.

Quickly setting to work, Aviza would prepare the tea first, using an old fashioned and extremely rare kettle to brew Tannan leaves. She would then rummage through the wine cellar not far from the squad and retrieve the very expensive bottle of wine for Adrianne, pouring its contents into a crystal glass and handing it over to the Psyker with great care. The coffee would come next, easily being set up next to the tea kettle that was brewing Stukov's Tannan tea. All of this would occur within a very short amount of time, and the Celestian would carry out each action with grace and skill while doing so.

While all of this was happening, Celestian Andromedai had already begun to enjoy the meal that had been prepared for each of them, taking a small sip of the contents from the metallic cup now sitting to the left of her plate. "After we all enjoy our lunch, I will show you around the safe house, from there you can pick your own room and will have three hours to do as you see fit before we head out on our first mission. Andromedai paused for a moment to take another bite from her sandwich before continuing to speak. "For now, relax and enjoy your free time, there may not be much of it once we begin."

By now, Aviza had handed out the requested drink to each member of the retinue. Stukov with with Tannan suffering in a bowl, Adrianne with her wine in a crystal glass, Medaira with her coffee inside a rather large metallic mug, and Andromedai with her Mint Julep ice tea inside of a frosted glass. Aviza, had taken a seat next to Andromedai once she was finished with the orders and started to enjoy her own lunch, the same everyone else was eating, though her drink of choice appeared to be some sort of carbonated confection smelling of Smokey vanilla, caramel, licorice root, sarsaparilla root, molasses, and cinnamon.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

Who is posting next? ._.

@Theyra Still thinking on your CS, will get back to you soon.

Halo: Aegis Team

Spartan Aviza observed the current situation at hand, weighing her options on where the best location would be to gather information about the compound in the distance while remaining undetected. It was obvious at the moment that the team was currently not set up for any stealth missions, they would be identified almost instantly then obliterated shortly there after if they tried anything besides keeping their distance. "It's never that simple is it.." said Aviza under her breath before she came to a conclusion on to where they could best view the point of interest and its surroundings. "It appears that our best option on observing the compound in the distance without being caught from the patrols would be to move to the Mesa in the distance, Shih, could you please ping that location for the team?" Without waiting, Aviza would start moving out towards their destination, and would be the first to arrive. When she did, she would quickly go prone and enable her Argus armor to start scanning the surroundings in great detail.

Warhammer 40k: Enigmas of the Warp

@LucianNo worries, when / if you decide to get back into the RP I’ll re-add you to the Discord.

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?