Category:Down Time Fiction

2025-10-15T19:50:55Z

Cartwright: /* Götterdämmerung */

== E13 ==

'''Attack Drukari Base''' ''Cerastes,Dunrega, Von den Totten, Rexus, Lupus, Kasputin, Borovich (Success)''

In a dark corner of space, surrounded by the shattered remnants of an unformed world a Drukhari base sits in shadow. Spread across multiple asteroids the base provides refuge and rest to a fleet of vicious raiders who revel in the terror they spread around the civilisations in striking distance. The denizens of this base are used to being the predator waiting to rush the herd and cut out the choicest meat, but with the arrival of the Arkangel Fleet it is time for them to see and feel what it is like from the opposite side.

It begins with ships of the Cerastes and Dunrega Dynasties creeping quietly into the system, gently probing for information and mapping the layout of the asteroid field, finding the best places for the rest of the assault to form up and prevent any of the Xenos from escaping. Disaster almost strikes immediately as The Fist of Ichadon stumbles onto an entire fleet of raiders on their way out the system; a fleet the advanced scouts had warned was heading for Arkangel space. Lord Captain Slate immediately turns and in an attempt to act as if assaulting the fleet was the original intention draws them into a running battle all the way into Arkangel space.

Refusing to allow a single ship to dissuade them, the Drukhari gleefully attempt to swarm the Durega ship whose careful manoeuvring and judicious use of its overpowered macrocannons keep the battle running for weeks. Weeks the Van Den Totten Dynasty made good use of. Erupting from the Empyrean amongst the Drukhari fleet, a positioning made possible by the constant coordination and plotting sent by Lord Captain Slate’s astropaths. The mighty Imperial warship The Nightfall burst forth, the energy bleed from the translation alone destroying or crippling dozens of the raider vessels even before point blank weapon fire overwhelmed the shadow fields that normally wrap the Aeldari ships in a cloak of protection. As each field overloads and shuts down, Lord Captain Sev unleashes her shock troopers upon the Drukhari, and now these dark and cruel Xenos gain firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to be hunted and terrorised by black clad remorseless killers. Very few have time to recognise the irony before having their life taken from them. In the end only a handful of the raiders get the chance to flee, their assault on territory

As the Dunrega act as bait and draw the fleet away the Cerastes complete their investigations and hand over to Lord Captain Rexus who carefully primes the jaws of the trap. Setting up artillery and stormtrooper outposts across the edges of the asteroid field which make it difficult for Drukhari vessels to defend the base or flee when the attack goes in, all is in readiness.

Like the calm before the storm, a quiet tension fills Valhalla’s Regards as it awaits the arrival of their allies. If they are noticed before everyone else arrives they will gladly assault but plans are made for a reason, and this success is greater if the plan is followed. Conception of Hope, Zoya’s Triumph, and The Frank Exchange of Views soon arrive however and the time for the assault arrives.

Multiple fighter and bomber wings launched by The Frank Exchange of Views lead the attack, and guided by the emplaced stormtrooper outposts, precision strikes take out the anti capital ship defence weapons allowing the cruisers to approach in relative safety and bombard directly. Drukhari vessels use shadow field technology to hide their location and coupled with speed and manoeuvrability most weapons struggle to land a shot, a base however, has none of these protections. Their best defence is that none know where to attack in the first place and careful scouting and planning has taken this strength from the defenders.

Troops of the Kasputin dynasty that while they are no longer of the Astra Militarum in name, in spirit they still are, assault in a manner that would make the commissariat proud. Borovich landing teams may have less discipline but no less ferocity and there is still an echo of tactics any officer of the Imperial Guard would recognise in how they fire and manoeuvre across the field.

It happens suddenly, all at once the xeno ships which had been putting up a strong if forlorn defence attempt to flee. Only to discover that between Lupus Astra Nova fighter wings and the emplaced stormtroopers there is nowhere to go, it looks to all as though none will escape this punishing assault by the Rogue Trader ships. For whomever is in charge of the Drukari capture or destruction seems to not be an option and in order to make an opening a several corvette sized vessels attempt suicidal ramming attacks to clear a path for the largest of the Drukhari ships to flee.

The Suicidal ramming attacks take the Rogue Trader ships by surprise and Valhalla’s Regards chose to protect others before itself was struck a glancing blow. The damage, though minor, is lasting and forces the ship to give way just far enough for a Drukhari cruiser named Otbaunir Kotar to escape to safety.

With the departure of their leadership, organised resistance within the base soon falls apart and the ground forces quickly overwhelm the defenders. Before long the Drukhari base is in Imperial hands and loot can be claimed. The time spent by the stormtroopers before the attack wasn’t wasted as they are able to point out the locations of valuable resources to their Lord Captain ensuring a quick and efficient stripping of the base. The only potential problem occurs when in the process of clearing anything valuable the search parties find that the slave pens are nearly full. It seems the timing of the attack caught the facility between delivery cycles and thousands of humans who claim membership in the BMTF and The Font are found locked in cages. A decision on what to do with these refugees is now in front of the Captains Table.

'''Defend Arkangel against Orks''' ''Victoria, Alexander''

Space churns and twists in a spot not too far from Arkangel. Sensor warnings flare up on ships belonging to the Alexander and Victoria Dynasties. Something is coming and it's certainly not friendly. With a screech of realspace being wounded on a fundamental level the immaterium opens up. Coils and tendrils of madness and entropy made manifest reach out into the cold dark and find nothing.

With a cough made through destruction of baseline reality and physics a number of ships are vomited out of the warp and into the prime material. Each one has flaring, oversized orange and red thrusters and they accelerate to full speed almost immediately. Every ship seems like it was made as an insult to the Omnissiah, ramshackle and disorganised, bodged together from the carcasses and pieces of anything that the crew could get their grubby hands on. In fact one of the forerunner ships seems to have an Aeldari Solar Sail mounted onto the top, so maybe they are attempting to insult any God that looks in their general direction.

There is no formation or any form of strategic backing to the Ork ships as they careen forwards into what is hopefully a fight. At the very front is a massive ship, the prow hammered and melted to the point that it looks like a giant fist flying through space, the word "GROT HAMMA" is hastily painted on the flank of the vessel in a multitude of bright, garish colours. Smaller vessels soar ahead of it and screams and cries of excitement and joy blast out on all vox channels, adding a sonic assault to what should be a silent display.

Like a blade through the shadow of the void, The Glorious Endeavour cruises forwards, light sparkling across its hull like a fresh golden sunrise and setting its gunports into deep shadow, as though it were a great beast sleeping, eyes shut and claws retracted. A lone ship with no allies was simply too juicy a target. Especially when a message cut through the vox traffic to the Ork ship, insulting the Captain, everything he stood for, even his boss, almost perfectly crafted to entice him into blind, reckless rage.

With a roar of fury, Captain Squigbyta orders a full ahead and even slams his hand down onto a giant red button, sending the engines into overdrive and causing the fuselage of the Hamma to groan and squeal as though it were in pain. It was already growing closer to The Glorious Endeavour as the Imperial vessel's weapons started to cycle up and charge.

Then another message came through the vox to Squigbyta. A code signal, traded for and given as a deal with a freeboota. A signal to treat the ship as an ally. The ship that was such a juicy target, so perfectly set up to be crashed into, to give them a glorious fight and some prime loot! The realisation of the fact he had just become prey hit Captain Squigbyta like a torpedo, knocking him and his assault off course.

Or perhaps that was the actual torpedo striking the belowdecks of the Grot Hamma. Generators cycling to full power another ship came screaming out of the shadow, weapons charged and flashing death into the void. Torpedoes shredded metal and vented oxygen into space, decompression tossing green corpses out like gory confetti. The Pride of Victoria had snapped shut the jaws of the trap.

The Victoria Dynasty, masters of xenology that they were, had carefully crafted this plan to ensure maximum Ork aggression and to be certain that when the fighting began they were as confused and off-balance as they could be; maximum effect for minimum effort.

This was all the signal that was needed. The weapons of the Alexander Dynasty roared fury, casting out plasma, laser and torpedo. Caught between the might of two grand vessels of the Imperium, these ragtag ships were nothing more than salvage to be had and wreckage to be made.

The Grot Hamma burned and couldn't arrest its momentum, it listed to the side as its reactors were struck, plasma blasting out as an impromptu side thruster causing the ship to roll. The Glorious Endeavour slid past it smoothly, unleashing broadsides into the dying vessel, stripping its hull away like a hunter strips the hide from a kill.

A smaller ship, the Dakka Dansur bled gas as it was sliced open with lance fire from The Pride of Victoria, the cuts almost surgical in precision. It wasn't enough to just win this engagement, it had to be decisive, to show that facing the Pride of Arkangel was a fool's errand. The imperial ship didn't spare a second glance at the Dakka Dansur as it bled to death. It cut through expanding vapours and plasma runoff and sank its fangs into the next ship. The jagged darts of torpedoes laid waste to the ship easily and by the time it was done, The Glorious Endeavour had finished off the last of the Ork Raiders. Other than small amounts of return fire crashing against the shields like waves against a fortress, the imperial vessels were none the worse for wear.

With their kills fresh, just like the predators they were, they set about feasting, gathering salvage to trade away or use.

==E14==

'''Defend against Ork raid''' ''Dunrega, Von Den Totten, Cerastes, Kasputin (Complete Success)''

The swarm of asteroids sped through the dark directly towards the Ork fleet which had just ripped its way back from the space between madness and divinity known as The Warp. The Warboss fleet commander aboard B I G R E D pondered the poor luck of stellar navigation and considered if his peoples gods were with them on this mission. Unfortunately for him it wasn’t luck or fate that had set up a situation that would force his Ladz to split up, it was the clever planning of a Lord-Captain of the Arkangel Fleet.

Arriving several days earlier, The Conception of Hope had come to drop off weapons and supplies to support its allies who would be taking the fight to the Orks while it was dealing with another pernicious alien threat elsewhere. Originally choosing the scattering of rocks as a convenient anchor point to leave the supplies, the thought of what an asteroid storm would do to the Ork fleet brought joy to Lord-Captain Cartwright’s heart, and if the Orks were quick enough to avoid massive damage it would still enact the plan Lord-Captain Slate was working to while massively reducing the threat to his ship.

So now these natural missiles flew toward the Ork invaders, and hidden in the shadow of the sides facing away from the ships, temporary anti ship batteries were mounted. Suddenly being shot by the asteroids they were frantically dodging would likely help instil the panic required by the ultimate plan. The Conception of Hope went off on the next part of its mission eagerly looking forward to hearing how the plan went, and how its allies made the most of the situation.

B I G R E D reluctantly sent the order for the fleet to scatter and make their way through and around the oncoming storm, the Warboss Captin fully aware reorganising his forces was going to be a pain with all the independent personalities leading the ships he was meant to be boss of. As the ramshackle fleet chaotically pushed through and around the rocks before them, the ambush was struck.

The Spayce Skimmur was a nimble and nasty little ship and chose to flaunt its manoeuvrability by flying through the centre of the rock storm before suddenly being ripped apart by the hidden weapon batteries. The Boolet, a massive ship hardened and designed for ramming tried to smash its way through, single use torpedo strikes pushed it off course making it collide with an asteroid abeam rather than prow first, pulverising the relatively softer ship behind its massively armoured prow. While the violence was ongoing within the rock field Lord-Captain Slate took advantage of the natural aggressiveness of the Ork race by bombarding several ships from long range before withdrawing in apparent fear.

The Neboola Wyzrd, Dakka Dansur I1l, and The Sneeeki Boi pursued as fast as their oversized engines could spew plasma behind them. Ignoring the orders from B I G R E D to return to the fleet, “Cos there iz a Plan, Dumnuts!” they flew eager for battle, battle they received but not in the manner they expected. Like a knife in the dark the Blade of Mortis unleashed hell upon the Ork ships at point blank range as they overflew the place it had been waiting, acting like a hole in space. The ship may not have a shadow field but the ancient twisted ship, looking like it had been constructed by some engineer version of a Drukhari Haemonculous from parts of other vessels, moved and attacked with the same vicious style; brutally disabling engines and weapons before sending over squads of black armoured death troopers to cripple and destroy them fully.

Seeing the plan fall apart around him with multiple ambushes B I G R E D’s Warboss Captin decided fighting to the death was not the best use of his time and turned the last of his fleet in an attempt to break back into the warp and come back later, however the Champions of Humanity had one more surprise to drop on him; flashing in at incredible speed was a third mighty vessel of the Arkangel Fleet.

The Astral Stranger might not have the firepower of a ship of the line her size would normally carry but she was still a whole lot of ship and her surprising speed allowed her to jump in and out like a flyweight boxer, jabbing and stunning her opponents as they tried to generate warp bubbles, preventing them fleeing the trap. Coached by His fellow Lord-Captains on how to give insults in a way that would truly strike the Ork psyche vox messages were transmitted from The Fist of Ichadon to B I G R E D insulting and challenging its commander, its crew, its air recyclers, it’s puny guns, everything that Lord-Captain Slate could think of until B I G R E D changed heading and faced him.

Leaving Gas Guzzla to the untender mercies of The Astral Stranger, the Warboss faced The Fist of Ichadon. Personal authority on the line as none would follow him were he to back away from such a challenge, B I G R E D set course for destruction or glory into the teeth of the massive macro canon barrage. Perhaps if the repeated ambushes hadn’t caused earlier damage, or if the Captin had kept his cool in the face of vicious insults he could have won the one on one, but before he could close with his opponent the crimson hull of B I G R E D broke under the unrelenting pounding from the oversized shells.The spine of the ship snapped with an agonising groan all watching could hear in their mind as though sound was somehow transmitted through the empty void, and B I G R E D became two ships for a moment before the reactors within went into overload and B I G R E D became a big cloud of superheated gas and debris instead.

Seeing this destruction the invader’s ships continued their futile attempt to flee as the merciless vessels of Arkangel continued their assault. They knew the only way to properly secure this system was to act like surgeons and allow none of the Ork infection to remain lest a new growth begin.

==E15==

'''When Angels Cry''' ''Dunrega (Complete Success)''

It was a pretty normal day in Arkangel, all things considered. Sure she'd had to carefully reposition some preachers that were getting in the way of moving bloody cargo and she'd stopped two of the dockworkers from putting up another tag of the bloody Slugger but in all honesty morale was pretty high. Elaine gave a soft sigh and ran her hand over her head before putting a stamp on a cargo manifest and putting it back into an envelope.

It was getting into the night cycle now, the lights beginning to ebb low and she was looking forwards to heading back to her hab and getting a solid five hours of sleep before her shift the next day. Just as she was clearing away the rest of her desk, there was a knock at the door to the tiny cramped office she was entitled to as the leader of the Union around these parts. She gave a grunt to come in and the door cracked open, the head of one of her boys poking in, a large stony faced Ogryn by the name of Garth.

"Alrigh' boss, got some gangs 'ere sayin' they's got a permit to sees ya." He gravelled and Elaine's eyebrows furrowed.

"They say who it was from?" She returned with a frown.

"No... Didn't 'hink ta ask, lemme che-"

As Garth turned back there was a grunt, the sound of metal hitting flesh and then a loud pop that filled the air with the scent of blood and ozone, fragments of bone spattering against her desk and the wall like pieces of shrapnel. Garth fell back, missing his head and two figures pushed through the door.

Decked out in black and yellow and hazard stripes, there was a thin, wiry looking man with a blazing yellow mohawk and a shorter, stocky woman whose dreadlocks were dyed various shades of red, pink and purple. The woman was cleaning off the powerfist over her left hand that was currently coated in sticky, burned blood. Elaine spent a moment in shock before standing up, pulling open a drawer on her desk.

Before she could even reach the laspistol there was a roar that was utterly deafening in the tiny room and her left leg was blown out from under her as a bolt shell took her in the knee. She screamed and dropped as the wiry man leaped over the desk and immediately stuck her with a shot of Coag, stopping her from bleeding out before he tied up her hands. She only managed to hear the woman speak into the vox for a moment before there was a meaty thud and unconsciousness took her over.

"Get the party started."

Across the docks of Arkangel, a small-scale gang war broke out.

The dock workers weren't weak people but they were massively unprepared to be attacked by the most vicious elements of an underhive gang that had been released with distinct instructions by a very ruthless man.

Windows were shattered and any of the workers that attempted to fight back found themselves on the receiving end of chainblades and bolters, combat blades and autoguns. Strangely the gangers weren't looting anything and they were leaving the servitors and various pieces of equipment completely intact, not even giving them a second glance, instead focusing entirely on hunting down and killing the dock workers wherever they could get their hands on them.

Although this was mostly a ruse to hide their true intentions. Focused, driven hit squads of well-armed, utterly cruel gangers were breaking into offices, snatching up any and all leaders of the Union and dragging them away to a warehouse deep within Arkangel, a location almost forgotten about except to people that needed a dark place to take some prisoners.

Even the ones off-duty weren't safe as their doors were kicked down and they were kidnapped while they slept, waking up to steel-shod boots and bags being pulled over their heads. Any resistance was met by broken bones and painful, if non-lethal wounds, from blades and small calibre rounds. There was a lesson that needed to be taught and it needed all the ring-leaders alive for it.

They were all awoken to a cold splash of stinking water inside the warehouse, tied up and left on the floor. The gangers surrounding them didn't have a single ounce of mirth on their faces, simply staring at them with cold indifference; like they weren't even people, just targets, just part of the job.

When the Council came to survey the results, they were met by a smiling woman with multi-coloured dreads who escorted them to a meeting with the surviving dock workers. Before leaving she offered the Council of Angels a parting gift; a series of custom-servitors, only implanted with the barest minimum of commands and intelligence, all of them designed only for cleaning and to ensure things stayed spic-and-span. This gift was given in full view of the remnants of the Union, making it clear that they were under new management.

The uneasy looks among the various workers as they recognised the faces of the servitors did a lot to keep everything quiet and moving quickly. If people got in the way, they got removed, everyone at the meeting would be reminded of that at every opportunity whenever they looked at the servitors.

The simple, casual brutality sent a quieter message; even the Council wouldn't be safe if they decided to cross the wrong person.

'''Convert Svartalf vs Khir''' ''Alexander (Success)''

Finding people who disliked Maugur Khir was not difficult. In the years he’d exerted his malign influence over Svartal station he’d systematically bullied, harassed, scared, hurt and terrorised just about every single faction on board. The trouble was no one trusts anyone on Svartalf so it was functionally impossible to put together a coalition to go against him as Lord Captain Maxilillian had discovered. He'd been basking his head against a brick wall for about 2 weeks solid. No matter how many councillors and their attendants she schmoozed, how much military analytical data showing that Khirs Cabal were absolutely over committed, no matter how many “Gifts” and offers of hospitality he gives, most of the movers and shakers of Svartalf just do not want to play that game. It made sense he reasoned…what with the heads on spikes and the flaying.

Maximilian sat in one of the myriad Bars off the main concourse of Svartalf Station. This was the single busiest street in the labyrinth of steel that made up the station proper. “Fuck it” he said to no one in particular and downed his drink. Looking at the freshly scarred wounds on his hands. He walked out on the concourse, grabbed a waste barrel, flipped it over and climbed on top. He straightened up, pulled his shoulders back and in a voice that barely sounded like his own he announced,
“Hark! Listen and understand! You good people, you humans, lost children of Terra! Heirs of the Star Father and God-Emperor! I see your suffering! The God Emperor sees your suffering! Too long have we lived in fear! Too long have these foul Drukhari terrorised us! These ancient creatures see us as lesser, treat us as their food, their playthings! They smirk as they say that their Empire spanned the Galaxy when we humans were discovering fire. Well to this I say, we have yet to reach our peak and your empire is naught but a bitter memory! A story to be told! Your blood spent, you are the last of your line! Humans, Children of Terra look not at your feet but look aloft to the stars, our destiny, your birthright! Understand that The God-Emperor is the fire in your heart and the steel in your hand! The God-Emperor gave his life and the life of his Sons that we might inherit the Stars, not these godless monsters! If you wish to see the Tyranny of Khir Come to an end, if you wish to see his Kabal trampled into the Dust then I am your ally; The God-Emperor is your ally!” A sizable crowd had gathered, dumbstruck at Max’s words, on the busiest concourse of a station home to untold millions, somehow you could've heard a pin drop. Max could scarcely believe what he’d done, he just…let go and it happened. He realised his wounds had started bleeding again. He realised the crowd's attention had slowly shifted to huge screens over the concourse that projected news of various new events on the station in the sector. In huge letters a message scrolled “Arkangel Fleet victorious over Drukhari Raiders. The Arbour of Righteousness has been liberated.” A fire burned inside Max as he turned to the crowd and bellowed “Ave Imperator!”

It took several hours to quell the riot that Max started on Svartalf. When it was done, Khir was still an Iron councillor. He still had allies, he was still feared. But his aura of invincibility was gone. The great and the good of Svartalf saw how little stood between them and the mob, how quickly they could turn. This filled all of them with a deep dread. The people of Svartalf saw something different. They saw a man ready to stand up and fight a terrible foe. They saw someone willing to give his life to help them. When he spoke they saw a man ascendant.

They saw Man Ascendant.

'''Convert BMTF to leave Arbour alone''' ''Alexander (Success)''

Gunboat diplomacy was a very ugly phrase though Lord Captain Blair as he sipped tea, impassively sizing up the BMTF “Captain”. He hasn't introduced himself as a Captain, he had said he was the “Vessel Executive Director” or some such foolishness. But he was the Captain of the vessel that the “Pride of Victoria” was currently playing chicken with. Gunboat diplomacy was the phrase this “Captain” had used. Which was poppycock of course. For a start the Pride of Victoria was a ship, not a boat. Also at this range the guns were not this fellow's problem unlike the torpedo batteries. Those same batteries that he knew Europa would be cycling excess atmo through to ensure they all appeared on scanners. Or perhaps he meant the Fighter Bomber formations that Artemisia had been buzzing them with for the last 45 minutes? Once again, those were void attack craft, not boats. And they were sent as part of this diplomatic mission, a show of respect. Pageantry to show this “Captain” how important the Victoria Dynasty thing he is. Adelaide spoke in even tones,
“You must accept our sincerest apologies Director, according to our Astral charts and the transponder idents from the closest star cluster, we are in Arbour space?”
There was a deeply uncomfortable pause. Lord Captain Blair summoned every ounce of self control and discipline to not smirk as Adelaide went in for the kill,
“Unless you, Vessel Executive Director, are claiming this…as BMTF space?”
There was rumble through the Pride of Victoria, and proximity alarms sounded, as right on cue, Lord Captain Maxillian Alexander's vessel “The Glorious Endeavour” translated from the warp, its golden hull twinking against the crackling energies emitting from the Warp.

He sipped his tea slowly, he let there be a beat of silence in the air before he spoke.

“I think it's very unfair to suggest this is Gunboat Diplomacy. For a start these are ships…” said Lord Captain Blair in his most reasonable tone.

==E16==

'''War By The Numbers''' ''Dunrega (Success)''

The Orks never were the most subtle and even if their ships didn't spew out energy readings like a broken reactor it'd be easy to find out exactly where they would be coming from. Their ramshackle and snarling vessels cruised through the void, weapons already loaded and armed, they knew a scrap was coming up and the greenskins within were starting to get antsy.

Brawling was common until some of the Nobs came around and got them back into some semblance of order. They were completely unaware that they had already been picked up on sensors and they weren't going to get the fight they were hoping for.

In the far distance, The Fist of Ichadon woke up. The plan had been sent out some time ago and everyone aboard knew what they needed to do. They'd fought the Orks so many times now it was starting to get a bit stale and they were more than happy to finally be rid of the bastards should this work. Macrocannon batteries slid out from cowlings, mass-reactive shells being loaded into them with practiced ease. Thrusters roared to life and The Fist turned, its weapons roared and spat out shells despite the range.

Most went wide but a few splashed against crude shields or blasted off chunks of scrap metal from various Ork vessels. Instantly they were on full alert and the frenzy started all over again. Afterburners ignited and the ships blasted forwards, baying for blood. Two particular ships pulled ahead, slightly larger than the others and with much larger thrusters; Big Blasta and Dakka Dansur I!l.

All of the ships started blasting out fire but none of it came close to damaging The Fist of Ichadon who continued to move in, weapons firing. Deep clunks ran through the midships of the Imperial vessel and fighter-bombers were released, diving in like birds of prey, missiles and bombs lashing out to destroy weapon ports, thruster nacelles and even strike craft bays before peeling away to return for rearming.

The Orks were both furious and gleeful, they were going to get a proper scrap and against a big ship from that Arkygel Fleet they'd heard about! So it was time to get smashing.

With a quick manoeuvre, The Fist of Ichadon turned and... Ran away. Surprise warred with indignation and bone-deep unnatural fury within the Ork ships, who found themselves firing into empty space and forced to shut off their afterburners so they could actually turn around and try and get into a proper fight. Big Blasta even blew a portion of its munitions to force a near impossible turn at the cost of a chunk of its midships vaporising but that let it come around and get ready to fire an unreasonably oversized prow lance.

Then space folded and three smaller ships flashed into what was previously empty void. They were sleek and decked out in blues, purples and whites. They immediately identified themselves to The Fist as allies and marked themselves out as Twist of Fate, Kurnous' Jaws, and Wrathful Skies from Craftworld Tel'Sharr.

The three Nightshade Destroyers unleashed a volley of torpedoes and then danced away, solar sails allowing them to execute graceful arcs that pulled them away from the Ork vessels to keep in line with the game being played by the Dunrega vessel.

Some of the torpedoes were blasted out of existence by Ork weapons and the volume of fire even caused them to manage to clip Twist of Fate through its holo-field as the destroyers moved away but enough struck to send a fresh wave of rage through the Orks. The strike bays on Dakka Dansur I!l and the prow lance on Big Blasta were wiped out in detonations of blue-white energy.

The majority of the ships still attempted to chase down The Fist however, weeping out waves of fire that splashed against the shields yet could not penetrate them. Occasionally the imperial vessel would turn and blast out a scathing broadside to break a smaller ship over its metaphorical knee before continuing to flee.

The Aeldari ships danced around The Fist, scything in to unleash torpedoes before retreating once more. Wrathful Skies took a heavy shot near the prow that destroyed some of its torpedo tubes and it bowed out of the fight, flickering away while wishing a fine day of dancing to the remaining combatants.

The rest of the battle was slow, frustrating, but effective. One cannot sustain maximum fury and energy forever and even Orks will grow tired after long enough. Being harrassed by broadsides, blasted apart by torpedoes and having chunks torn off them by strike craft, the Ork flotilla eventually just burned out as they were picked apart. Dakka Dansur I!l simply turned and left, deciding to go somewhere else for a better fight and The Fist of Ichadon was subjected to a vast amount of insults through the vox before the Orks were summarily told to git gud and get fucked before communications were cut.

As the fight drew to a close, the Aeldari sent warm regards to the crew of The Fist before turning and vanishing. The day was won and the imperial ship hadn't even taken damage beyond a bruising of its shields.

Victory wasn't always flashy but that was just the way The Fist of Ichadon wanted it.

'''Convert Svartalf vs Khir''' ''Alexander (Success)''

Mhaugir Khir knelt in his private sanctum, a spartan chamber of polished obsidian. He was using every ounce of his inhuman willpower to maintain his focus, his control, his breathing. He had lived a hundred mortal lifetimes and he was being outplayed by a rabble of Mon’Keigh, of primates. His lungs slowly filled and he envisioned his hatred as a black ichor slithering through his veins. “I will master my Rage as I master myself” he intoned, the sharp cadence of the ancient Drukhai incantation echoed on the smooth glistening walls. In a single fluid motion he stood and drew his klaive and took stance III of the “Flower of Flesh and Blood” martial form.
Slowly his body moved through each strike of the form, perfected through innumerable hours of practice and thousands of lives taken. His breathing was measured and controlled, his heartbeat perfectly in time with his movements. His body had muscle memory older than the lifetimes of men. For all his rote precision his mind rushed and roared like a storm wracked sea. His web of spies had reported a great deal of disquieting information. His once iron grip on this station and this sector were slipping. While his raids on The Arbour had been extremely successful they had come at great cost, he could not quickly recoup the losses to his Kabal. As the form continued the speed of his movements increased. His klaive whirled in the empty chamber, each stroke delivered with enough force to bisect any human who stood before it. His mind was as polished as his blade, his near eidetic memory remembering every name and every face of Arkangel’s Captains table and their crews. In extreme,surgical detail he envisioned the horrors he would inflict upon these dung hurling chimps. The one who attempted to converse with him using a clumsy approximation of Drukhari Etiquette would have the tongue torn from his mouth. He would kill another's lover before their very eyes, eat their heart and drink their tears like spring water. He would sign his name on charter using their blood. One in particular would be spared to the very end; however, one had earned his special attention.

He was a blur of sinew, wraithbone and seething, frothing, utter hatred. His muscles, tendons, nerves, and weapon were now as one. Every movement was a finely honed expression of sadistic intent. With every lethal step he thought of one Mon’Keigh. The colour of his eyes, the sound of his voice, his grunting primate voice, his foetid animal stink.

As his rage reached its crescendo, he turned about and swung his Klaive and felt the unmistakable sensation of his blade slicing through flesh. He closed his eyes and stood still as he was drenched in gore. He trembled slightly and listened to a symphony of carnage, warm blood ran down his body and spattered on the floor, the slithering sounds of entrails escaping the body. He opened his eyes to see a frantic terrified gaze, he savoured the helplessness of that begging stare. More than anything Maugur Khir hated the sounds Mon’Keigh make with their mouths. Their voices were somewhere between belching and retching, even their screams had a certain vulgarity that he could not abide. All of his personal stock would have their vocal cords removed prior to use so he could savour their torment in exquisite silence.

He turned from his victim, as they sobbed mutely and summoned one of his attendants with a gesture. A pale bald headed Drukhari entered and bowed silently. “We must conserve our strength” he seethed. “Cut our losses on Svartalf for now and be prepared to withdraw if the time comes. Gaius should keep them busy for now at least.” The attendant stood and moved to leave as quietly as he entered but was stopped dead in his tracks by Khir making direct eye contact. His eyes, black as the void, staring stabbing into him. “Bring me everything you can find on Lord Captain Maximillian Alexander” he smirked mirthlessly. “This creature shall be taught a lesson, I shall teach it the Philosophy of a Blade.”

==E17==

'''Defend Arkangel''' ''Kasputin (Crit-Success)''

Where there was even the possibility of a fight happening, the Orks would be there. Sometimes that took a little bit of patience. At a far distance from Arkangel, three Ork vessels dropped out of the warp, crackling arcs of deep purple lightning spraying against their hulls. All of them lit their engines immediately and began advancing. They knew Arkangel was somewhere in the distance and if they flew far enough they'd hit that great station and they'd get the fight they wanted.

Sure the fight against Arkangel was getting kind of boring, and the Boss said there were better fights to be found elsewhere but one last go of it wouldn't hurt would it? The thought of that started to hype up the Ork warriors within the three vessels; Lotza Led, Tha Squigazauras Rekz, and Great Green Stabba. Though none of the ships were particularly impressive they were all heavily armed and full to the brim with angry, eager gitz.

As they came screaming through realspace, one Mekboy on board the Squigazauras noticed a strange blip on their sensorium suite, although any techpriest looking at it would swear it was actually some form of sonar. Though when he brought this to the attention of the kaptin, he was summarily dangled over the edge of the bridge platform by his ankle, told no less than fourteen times that he was just a sniveling git that didn't want to fight, and that it was obviously just an asteroid before getting tossed aside.

So it was that they continued their advance.

So it was that they sailed past their so-called asteroid.

So it was that The Conception of Hope woke up from its feigned slumber. Its weapons flared into life and it struck the small group of Ork vessels like a fox in a henhouse. Lances flashed outwards, ripping open the hindquarters of the Stabba, spilling orkoid bodies and reactor gasses out into the void and causing the ship to immediately begin listing. The macro-cannons spouted death, punching holes into the flank of Lotza Led.

The Ork vessels hadn't even ignited any shields but they weren't quite done yet. Squigazauras was supremely out of position and attempted to pull itself around but Lotza Led completely ignored any defensive measures and instead fired all of its available cannons at the Hope. Solid shells sparked and flashed on the void shields of the Imperial vessel and in their fury at being blindsided, the raging Orks even fired some of their boarding torpedoes.

The still raised shields of The Conception of Hope resulted in those torpedoes doing nothing but leaving more bodies in the void as detritus.

The Imperial vessel knifed through the group with next to no resistance and immediately began bringing itself around, leaving Lotza Led aggressively trying to bring itself around while wounded and Tha Squigazauras Rekz only just managed to bring some of its weapons to bear, however they were fired into an unharmed series of void shields which held under the inaccurate volleys of shells.

Lances recharged, they slashed out again, carving through the Rekz's mid-decks, igniting several ammunition dumps and blowing out clouds of shrapnel from the Orky ship. A wave of macro-cannon shells finished the ship off, tearing the vessel in half before The Conception turned to finish the job on the others.

In the last moments on board the Squigazauras, the previously tossed around Mekboy could be found laughing uproariously at the captain who lay dead; impaled on a metal beam. He managed to call the corpse a git at least once before another ammunition depot ignited and blasted him straight into the void.

The two other wounded vessels did not last much longer against an unharmed Conception. A few more salvos and another flash of lance-fire and it was done. Three burning wrecks and nothing more was required.

As The Conception of Hope turned to head home, a trio of sleek, elegant vessels flew past. They were Aeldari destroyers but they recognised easily when their assistance wasn't needed and turned to head back into the Webway. They did send their regards however and congratulated The Hope on its fine hunting before vanishing.

'''Defend Arbour''' ''Kasputin (Success)''

Tranquility was always measured in moments. The void was still, the empyrean ebbed low and beneath the majestic shape of The Conception of Hope, the world of Verdance rotated languidly. A planet of rolling plains and gentle hills, fewer oceans than there were massive lakes and gurgling rivers that fed the vast amounts of farmland across the planet. Though Verdance wasn't a breadbasket world, it was a major textile supplier for The Arbour and its loss would cause some particularly unpleasant supply issues.

Stillness could only ever last so long. Space bubbled and frothed, arcs of sickly green energy spilled out from a point beyond Verdance's twin moons. Luckily the storm was small and short-lived, spitting out only a pair of Ork vessels, just as Arkangel intelligence had hoped for. However both of them were connected via heavy chains to what looked like asteroids bristling with gun emplacements and engines. This wasn't to be just a space battle, the Orks wanted something more. These were Rokz, filled with vehicles and warriors, ready for the first step in an invasion.

The Conception wasn't alone however and with some quick commands, the nearby troop carrier Fastidious turned and began moving to station. Within its holds, alarms sounded as the 1st Kasputin mobilised. Sergeants pulled their squads together and handlers moved their Scalebeasts into specially crafted transport shuttles to get them safely down to the surface. If the Orks got through, they'd find some particularly sharp teeth waiting for them.

Thrusters cycling to full power, The Conception of Hope started to advance, ready to pick off the Orky vessels before they could even think of attempting to land. The Imperial Vessel wasn't quite ready however for the enemy ships to detonate emergency charges on their flanks and suddenly veer to the side, whipping the rokz forwards whereupon they immediately fired their boosters and rocketed towards the planet, shattering the chains that had been used to drag them here. Bringing itself around on an emergency heading, The Conception managed to blast one of the 'asteroids' to pieces and damage the second but it had put itself wildly out of position as the two Ork combat ships began to advance on it.

There was no time to destroy the other rok, that was now up to the 1st Kasputin to deal with planetside. The Conception had two ships to contend with first. The first of them, Zappa-Kapow, had several large metal rods sticking out of its skin which began to draw in brilliant green lightning that flashed out like a hammerblow to scrape along the Hope's void shields, weakening them to dangerous levels. The other foe, Tha Meen Green Masheen, hits its afterburners and closed the distance, releasing shotgun blasts of shrapnel from massive prow-mounted cannons.

The lances of the Imperial light cruiser flared into life, white-hot energy scouring the prow and some of the starboard decks of the Zappa-Kapow as it tried to turn away from the beams, while the macro-cannons spat death at the Green Macheen, forcing it to turn aside and bring its weaker broadside weapons to bear, at least for the moment. The Conception had suffered for it however, the repeated shrapnel blasts had scored its armour and destroyed some of its point defence systems but it was still combat capable.

Coming around, The Hope managed to fire another blast of its lances into the Zappa as the Ork ship unleashed another lightning blast that heavily scorched The Hope’s prow, while the lances of Imperial vessel seemed to hit some kind of additional fuel source causing the engines of the Zappa-Kapow to flare blue sending the ship simply screaming away, seemingly unable to slow down or stop for the moment.

Now there was just one ship left and some extra fire to trade, damage would be taken but there would be no orbital support for the Orks, or Imperials, this day. The rest of the fight would be decided on the ground.

On the surface of Verdance the rok had slammed down into a cotton field like the fist of an angry God. It mostly shattered on impact, spewing out some unfortunate Orks who hit the ground in messy stains and scattering chunks of stone, dirt and metal across the massive field. There was already a frenzy going on as the Orks within got to work, grots unlatching doors and rapidly repairing what vehicles were left. It wasn't long before a fairly sizeable group of boyz, led by a few nobz, appeared and several wartrukks and a couple of Killa Kanz followed out behind them.

They weren't going to get far however as the cavalry arrived. From over a close-by hill came the first of the chimeras, painted in sharp sections of tan, green and grey. Behind them was a squadron of Sentinel Walkers armed with autocannons with slightly sour looking pilots as the final members of the advance force loped up the hill next to them.

Riding on large, two-legged raptor-like lizards, the Scale Riders of the 1st Kasputin looked almost hungrier than their mounts to bite into the Ork force. Each lizard was a slightly different colour with barely noticeable patterns across their scales, though each had also had warpaint applied by their riders to make them stand out from one another.

A moment later, a lieutenant's head popped up into the pintle mount of one of the Chimeras as he turned to look at the rest of them.

"They're disorganised for now, we got here in time. Now we just need to hold them for the rest of the lads to get here. Orks are nasty buggers so we're going to hit them hard and then pull back, don't get bogged down. Able, Baker, Charlie Scouts..."

At that two of the groups of Scale Riders turned, perking their heads up.

"Get inferno tips on your lances, you're hitting the boys out front. Dog Scouts, get melta tips on yours and take out those Kanz. Easy, I want your clankers dropping hell on the heads of those trukks, take them out or keep them blind, I don't care much either way. The rest of us are on containment, you know the drill, lets get to it chaps."

There was a chorus of affirmatives and a tense, charged energy to the air as the Riders changed the tips on their Lances. With preparations done, it was go time, though by now the Orks had spotted them and were already pulling around to try and charge their positions.

The 1st Kasputin wouldn't give them the chance.

The Chimeras charged and split, multi-laser turrets whining as they flashed out squealing beams of light at the Orks, grunts, curls of smoke and the thuds of bodies hitting the ground being the result. The Scale Riders charged directly ahead, overtaking Easy squad's Sentinels as they moved in, the first three squads of them gliding into a tightly drilled formation to cover the fourth squad who wouldn't be hitting the main force.

The lines closed in and the Orks were torn between who to shoot, some of them trying to fire at the Chimeras while some others tried in vain to take down some of the riders before they got too close, the shots were wild and inaccurate and any that came too close deflected off the hardened scales of the lizards.

"LANCES DOWN!"

The cry rang out and as one a bristling, moving wall of lances lowered into position just before they slammed into the mob of Orks. A rolling click sounded as the promethium charges on the lance-heads detonated, small explosives pushing them forwards into a burning, scouring wave of flickering red and orange death. Orks screamed as they burned, flailing into one another and simply spreading the scorching promethium around. Any that still stood after the lances were met with sharpened teeth and claws as the raptors leaped on them, tearing out throats and cleaving through skulls.

A few seconds of fighting the bewildered, and oft-burning, Orks and a hole had been punched through for the final squad of Riders to get through at the trio of Kans standing behind the main mob of Orks.

The lizards moved in, hunting in packs to surround and leap at the Orkoid walkers. Melta lances punched into steel coverings and buzzsaws tore riders apart but with flashes of extreme heat and spikes of molten metal punching inwards the Kanz had been torn apart and left to burn and melt where they stood. The Scale Riders pulled back as the Sentinels tore apart the last of the trukks with sustained autocannon fire, firing their lascarbines while deftly controlling the Lizards to pull them out of harm's way.

It was just the clean up left, and a whole swathe of land to burn to prevent the Orks from coming back but tranquillity would be restored.

If only for a few more moments.

==E18==

'''Defend J,1 from Crusader Fleet'''

With a roar, felt rather than heard, echoing across the star system the invaders crossed the barrier that separates reality from the Immaterium. This fleet of over armoured warships quickly used long range sensorums to hunt for enemy vessels, not to check for threats, but to look for targets.

They may be under orders to capture and destroy the industry of the planet before them but brutal combat is what the warriors of this fleet truly craved and yet another near defenceless system would be poor substitute for the clash and crash of true conflict. This time their prayers to The Star Father would be rewarded; sitting motionless in the void facing down the ships of Crusader Fleet was a mighty vessel of the Arkangel Fleet. It may only be a light cruiser by size but it flew the Flag of a member of The Captains Table, and the personal ships of the Lord Captains have consistently shown they should be considered a class of their own.

The Conception of Hope sat motionless relative to the rest of the system before the oncoming wave of adamantium, plasteel, and ceramite. As the ship from Arkangel waited, its command crew let out a breath they hadn’t realised they had been holding, tensely watching the attackers enter into optimal range for standard ships of their class yet nothing was sent their way. It seemed the briefings were correct, these ships had been modified to remove long range weaponry in order to fit the additional armour they bore. Torpedoes and lance beams shoot out from the light cruiser, like a smaller quicker boxer throwing jabs to get the range on its bigger opponent. Forces that could crack moons struck the oncoming behemoth flagship of the Dominion of the Star Father to little effect; the forward third of The Righteous Hammer of Cleansing Storm and Sacred Fury was armoured beyond belief even for a vessel of its size.

As the five vessels of Crusader Fleet spread like the fingers of a gauntleted hand reaching to crush a bug, The Conception of Hope finally sprung into full action. Engines roared to maximum thrust as it dove below the plane of the advancing adamantium fist. The Hammer and her grand cruiser consort The Eternal Radiance of the Guiding Star strained to make the sudden turn to chase but in addition to the extra armour the engines of these vessels were similarly enhanced and they could manage manoeuvres ships above cruiser would find impossible. Of the escorts only one attempted to chase and made the rapid turn with ease, The Righteous Deacon and Our Holiest Reward continued untoward the orbital smelters and processing plants that the fleet were sent to destroy. While they likely wished to join the chase with their sistership Faith Unbroken it was obvious they would not be needed since the Arkangel ship appeared to be fleeing as fast as it could towards the edge of the system.

Unfortunately for the invaders they were wrong, for The Conception did not stand alone. While the location where Crusader Fleet would enter the system could not be predicted, the location they would pass through as they pursued the ‘fleeing’ Dauntless class could.

With roar felt, and this time actually heard, by the ships caught in it the tear between the material and immaterial The Frank Exchange of Views joined the battle. The titanic forces unleashed by its arrival gave partial lie to the name of Faith Unbroken as its back snapped and the escort was torn in two. The Righteous Hammer of Cleansing Storm and Sacred Fury had four kilometres of it’s starboard hull stripped of armour and weapons but for a vessel of its size that could still be classed as minor damage, while The Eternal Radiance of the Guiding Star was unharmed by the sudden emergence. During this sudden reveal The Conception of Hope had not remained idle, in an act of masterful piloting and timing it had spun on the spot and was now driving toward the melee. Using the multiple long range lances that the class is famed for, the dauntless class light cruiser took brutal advantage of the newly stripped of armour sections on the wounded battleship. Beams of explosive light were driven like daggers into the body of the mighty warship, deeper and deeper searching for its nuclear heart and the killing blow.

The Frank Exchange traded close range blows with The Eternal Radiance. However a duel between a fencer with an epee and a brawler with a chainsaw can only end one way if the brawler has the size to endure the numerous small cuts and is quick enough to prevent the fencer escaping. Macro batteries, boarding torpedoes, and assault boats exploded from the flank of the grand cruiser into its smaller foe. The vaunted skill of the Imperial Navy had allowed them to attack in a precise manner but their forte was sudden devastating attack, this brutal grinding struggle was not. More and more they were being forced to redirect their broadsides away from the enemy ship to sweep the space between the vessels to stop additional waves of boarding troops. Telling damage was being done but not fast enough, the former Navis Imperialis aboard The Frank Exchange of Views could see where this trading of blows would lead, yet no thought of withdrawal was considered for the honour of the Fleet was at stake nevermind the loss of territorial integrity.

Salvation struck however, The Righteous Hammer of Cleansing Storm and Sacred Fury suddenly fled into the Warp for the damage being done to it by The Conception of Hope had become too much and to stay any longer was to invite destruction. Moments later the grand cruiser followed leaving the two ships of the Arkangel Fleet alone to take stock of the results of the attack, and the other reason for the withdrawal became obvious. The orbital industrial base of this system was now burning wreckage, the escorts which had continued on with their mission had made the most of their free run and smashed it all to pieces like petty children before fleeing far beyond the reach of the defending ships. As the Imperial command crews watched their sensorums The Righteous Deacon and Our Holiest Reward translated into the warp, mission accomplished even if the cost was greater than expected.

'''Defend L,2 from Assault Fleet'''

Like the glistening jewels of a necklace wrapped around a vulnerable throat, the hastily constructed planetary defence centres orbited the blue green world below. The orbiting PDCs bristled with weapons; lances, macro cannons, and torpedoes all waiting for the assault of the oncoming armada. These ships were once the Assault Fleet of the Blessed Multitude Trade Federation and while the name has stayed the allegiance has not. Now serving The Dominion of the Star Father they were here to reap a bloody toll on the planetary victim ahead of them.

As the enhanced overpowered weapons of Assault Fleet came into range, soldiers of the newly renamed 1st Arkangel Rifles also known as “Cartwrights Own” unleashed the weapons they had been given command and control of, and the space between the PDCs and attacking ships turned from empty void to destructive fire. This was not the sort of battle they were specialists in but they would be damned if they didn’t give it their all. Focussing their fire on the flagship cruiser officially known as CC001 but more commonly called Post-Dated Loan Check they were going by the simplest tactic of shooting the biggest one first in order to break command links and create chaos in the enemy battle plan. In return a paired escort sweep by Bad Penny and Loan Shark strafed the PDCs taking several of them out of service in a shockingly swift manner. Against most threats the recently constructed defences would have been more effective but the enhanced weapon systems universally installed in Assault Fleet could transfer too much damage too fast for the armour and simple void shields to handle.

As it looked like the battle would be swift and one sided a shuddering silent scream tore through the space at the heart of Assault Fleet and the other defender arrived. The Fist of Ichadon took mere moments for the sensorum operators to look around and decide they had arrived in the correct spot before the ship appeared to explode. Broadsides erupted from each flank and torpedoes loaded with the rest the “Cartwright’s Own” regiment backed up with specialist close range assault troops from the Dunrega gang who saw little difference between the inside of a hive or a voidship all reached out to strike the surprised DoS fleet.

The hull of Aggressive Negotiations, LCC002, buckled under the sudden onslaught removing it from the fight almost immediately as the starboard oversized macro cannons of The Fist hammered home, crippling the almost identical weapons the light cruiser had used to great effect in the past. While the escorts Gunpowder Diplomacy and Cutthroat Politics suffered brutal strikes from the port batteries of the Arkangel Fleets premier defence vessel but were able to return fire before they too were driven out of action, spewing atmosphere and pieces of superstructure like the blood of a wounded animal. The pointblank return fire from the escorts crashed through the void shields of The Fist of Ichadon, shattering armour plating and bulkheads as the close range brawler learned what its victims had felt from the ministrations of its own oversized macro cannons.

The boarding torpedoes had not been idle as this exchange of fire occurred and they drove like daggers into the hull of Post-dated Loan Check. Reports of brutal but successful room to room combat was transmitted back to the command deck on the fist before a single strange whisper came through the vox from the troops loaned by Lord Captain Cartwright. Muted in volume yet perfectly clear, the phrase, “The Anointed are here” was the prelude to sounds of screaming, inhuman roaring, and violence that the vox operators had to change the channel to protect the sanity of listeners from. When Dunrega assault troops were directed to investigate and support the Guardsmen on their withdrawal all they could find were dismembered bullet riddled corpses with no survivors. Whilst the soldiers of Cartwrights own were being annihilated the Dunrega boarders had managed to find several major munitions dumps in the heart of the cruiser and after setting them with tamper proof explosives fought their way to extract, able to watch the cruiser being gutted by internal explosions as they floated back to their home.

The cost was high, paid mostly by the warriors of the 1st Arkangel Rifles but the Dominion of the Star Father Assault Fleet was forced to flee, brutally crippled they will need extensive repair yard time in order to be battle worthy once more.

'''Support Font Rebels'''

The arched marble vaults and exquisite artistry of the Basilica to the Star father on Aqua Aeternus had been taken over by the needs of the “Great Crusade” called by the Star Father Reborn, Adamska. Once sacrosanct spaces reserved for ancient artifacts, frescoes and statuary were turned into vast command centres. These echoing places of faith had become hives to cables, cogitators, files, charts, vox controllers, officers and their retinues, hosts of scribes, adjutants, attendants, and menials. This space, once a holy site, reserved for the nobility and priesthood of The Font now ran with rich and poor alike, more than this, it now buzzed with the activity of the Star Fathers allies. T’au Gueva soldiery, Kroot mercenaries, and Fire Caste warriors shared space with Drukahri Wyches, and Heretical pirates. Adamska had united the Sector in his own way.

Coms Sec Officer Turino stared at his black and green cogitator screen, carefully reading the string of numbers and code that danced across the screen. His brow furrowed, he took another long slug of his stone cold recaff. This was barely touching the sides. His duty shift had been on for approaching 24 hours. The stims and caff were making him jittery. He couldn't believe the reading. A small patrol ship had entered a high orbit, its passwords and transponder data was old but they checked out. Not common but not impossible. The ship had logged a flight path through a high sector across the equatorial flight lane. Just at the same time an unscheduled, uncharted T’au Ambassadorial ship had demanded a flight path in the same region. Usual procedure was to chart them both and say no more. Any pilot flying knows not to ask questions when they see a Custodian ship with no clear transponder signal. The patrol ship vanished. Literally. Gone. He was sweating bullets now. Should he report this? If he did it would cause an alarm, but if this was just a malfunction or his own negligence he’d get lashes or worse. It couldn’t have just vanished.

Just then the small patrol ship reappeared. A garbled message came through about power failure, a request to break flight plan, peel off from orbit to go to one of the refit stations in position around one of Aqua Aeternus’ moons. The procedure was correct, though the accent on the Vox seemed…off somehow? They spoke T’au in a way he’d never heard before. Admittedly his T’au wasn't great, he’d learned it at a rapid pace in the last year or so. Something just didn't feel right. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was the stims. An icepick of dread rummaged his guts.

Hours later Turino was kicked awake in his cot, a simple canvas and steel camping bed in a side corridor with the other 20 members of his shift. Strange he had thought, to see this great marble and gilded passageway, lined with ancient portraits, now stale with the smell of sweat, rations and the gallons of recaff his shift consumed. A very biological and chemical smell in this most sacred place. A firewarrior towered over him, his face covered. “Chei’Da Gue’la Vesa. Da’Noh L’au. Por’Quan Raa’Nal Uash’O.” He stated in a flat, semi robotic tone, his voice distorted by the vox unit of the helmet and too quick for his still sleep-addled mind. Turino looked at him pleadinging. “Follow” he commanded in low gothic.

The terrified man followed this messenger as he stalked through the halls of the Grand Basilica. They turned corner after corner, past checkpoints and patrols, massive battlesuits cracking and destroying ancient mosaic floors under their mighty plasteel feet. Eventually they passed a nondescript door into a storage room. It was unremarkable, shelves of cleaning chems gathering dust. Only, there was an odd shimmer in the air, like heat ripples in summer air. Strange in a damn cold room like this. “Shova kauyon Kais” said the warrior to no one in particular. As he did the shimmer faded and an Armoured warrior appeared. Slightly larger than the Firewarrior, with dark plates on his armour. He took a device from his belt, grabbed Turino firmly by the jaw and shone a light into one of his eyes. While deeply uncomfortable he was too scared to move. The armoured warrior vanished again and he was shoved through a door behind a bank of shelves at the back of the pokey room. The other side was another command centre, not unlike the one he spent nearly every waking hour in. Only this was manned entirely by Blue skinned T’au. Behind a simple desk sat a slender robed Tau. With a long slender hand he gestured Turino to sit. “You look weary Communication Security Officer Turino, refresh yourself” He spoke in perfect low gothic. On the table sat a glass holding a grey liquid. Turino drank the oddly tasteless fluid. He felt lightheaded for a moment, then calm, so very calm. Calmer than he had in months.

When the T’au across the desk speaks, he feels a sense of safety, of order. His words are simple and to the point. He wants to know about the anomaly from last night's shift. The words spill from Turino, omitting nothing. No detail no matter how small, details even he thought he had forgotten. The robed figure nods impassively. When his report is complete, the fire warrior that brought him to his place firmly guides him from the seat and out another secret door.

The robed Tau sat for a moment, pondering. From the shadows another figure emerged, personal stealth field flickering as it deactivated. “It appears we have a Stranger in our midst,” the seated Tau spoke to the new arrival, “Malviosin.” There was a pregnant pause and the figure reactivated his stealth field, vanishing as quickly as he appeared. From the darkness a cold voice says,“It's pronounced Malviosin.”

== Götterdämmerung ==

'''Battle with Patrol Fleet'''

Against the backdrop of a murky void, now a staging ground, a heavily modified cruiser waited. Its shields were powered and heavy scanner arrays built into its dorsal mountings beeped and whirried, clawing information out of the emptiness of space and feeding it into kilometres of wires and cogitator banks which fed directly into Tactica Simulators and Precognitive Warfare Engines that had been created out of archeotech and xenotech components.

The ship was mostly unadorned other than the massive blue lettering on its side denoting 'CB001', the lead ship of Patrol Fleet and better known to its crew as ''Economics In Action''. The scanners trilled as another ship prowled up next to it and into a combat formation. A few more long-range probes and they'd be ready to push onwards and translate to Arkangel space to get their first proper scanner sweeps in preparation for the Star Father Reborn's assault on these pathetic heathens.

The smaller ship linked into the ''Economics''' systems and filtered through its own tactical reports and combat probabilities. Blue lettering was etched down the spine of this ship marking it out as 'LCB002' though painted under it in an obvious mechanical, if lopsided, script were the words ''Stock Market Crash''. This one looked more aggressive with all of its weapons mounted to the fore and fewer large scanner dishes, though instead it was packing xenotech phase-munitions to drive probes into armoured targets.

The two ships conferred for a moment before sending out the call. The Escort ships turned and returned to the Cruiser and Light Cruiser, forming up around them in a screen as they made final preparations and started to warm up their geller fields and warp drives.

Their scanners had been pointed too far afield however and their short range defenses screamed out warnings too late as two Imperial vessels powered into the battlefield. The Escorts were the first to react, lashing out with a stream of cannon fire into which a magnificently ornamented Star Galleon dove into without fear, the shells erupting into balls of fire that rolled over the heavy void shields without effect.

The scanners aboard ''Vault Security'', one of the escorts noted officially as FB003, was the first to identify ''Zoya's Triumph'' as the Star Galleon that had just soaked up their firepower with ease. Then lances flashed out from the Imperial's companion ship and punctured the void shields of ''Vault Security'', sending its sensorium array haywire with loose arcs of energy as the beam weapons raked down its flank, ripping apart weapons and igniting magazines.

''Stock Market Crash'' and ''Economics In Action'' finally brought themselves to bear, withering firepower slamming into the shields of the second ship as the ''Triumph'' turned to engage them properly. One of the heavy augur-shells of the Crash made it through a weakened section of the shields and lodged deep into the hide of the second Imperial vessel at the same moment it was identified positively as ''The Frank Exchange of Views''.

Return fire flared across the shielding of the Dominion Light Cruiser as it powered forwards and ''Employee of the Month'', another escort craft, threw itself in the way of a barrage of torpedoes from the ''Exchange'', saving the larger vessel from a vicious fate even as its own heart was ripped out with the ensuing explosions.

The Triumph hammered at the shields of ''Economics In Action'' though its return fire was easily thwarted as the heavy Galleon turned to let undamaged shielding take the blows. Shells ripped open several of the subdecks on the former BMTF Cruiser and damaged some of the powerful sensorium equipment and that caused the Cruiser to bark out an order. The mission was more important than this fight, they'd already taken too much damage in the ambush, the information they could glean from Arkangel would be more valuable.

Engines powering to full and weapon systems shutting down, Patrol Fleet flooded energy into their void shields and soared away from the two Imperial vessels, forcing them into sharp turns to try and chase the fleet.

With a screech from the deepest parts of reality itself, the fleet rocketed into the warp, leaving behind gutted components, clouds of freezing gas, and the corpses of thousands of crewmen now abandoned to the void.

Jury rigged repairs were completed as swiftly as they could in the short warp journey. Holes in the hull were patched over, emergency bulkheads were sealed and ammunition was loaded to replace what was spent. Information was fed into the Tactica Logi Machines and disseminated across the remnants of Patrol Fleet. Next time wouldn't be as easy for the Imperials to get the drop on them.

Unfortunately for Patrol Fleet, they had already been predicted and Arkangel Space was not left undefended.

The moment they translated back into realspace their sensors were flashing warnings as there was a ship already waiting for them, turned so that its heavy broadsides were ready to fire. ''The Fist of Ichadon'' stood like a lone sentinel at the gates, armoured in spite and fury, issuing a greeting in the language it knew best: violence.

From oversized macro-cannons shells welcomed the enemy, bursting against void shields and shaking armour plates as Patrol Fleet dove forwards. There was only one ship, they could annihilate it and then move on towards Arkangel for the scans. The Star Father Reborn was relying on Patrol Fleet and they would not fail him.

Shields overcharged the two remaining escort vessels, ''Foot The Bill'' and ''Cheque Please'', surged forwards, soaking as much firepower as they could to protect the larger ships, allowing them to get into optimal firing positions. A constant cannonade hammered into them, unrelenting, barrels on the Fist glowing red, magazines cycling and munition-serfs sweating, swearing, and dying in the dark to ensure the weapons continued firing.

''Cheque Please'' buckled first, its shields dissipating with a silent pop and its prow crunching inwards from the force of the shells, plasteel tearing and turning to molten gobbets that sprayed across the vastness of space. The ship folded nearly in half from the constant barrage and spun out of control, venting out gas and fluids that swiftly froze.

However the two larger ships had gotten close enough to get firing solutions and lashed out with their own weapons, a laser show dancing over the ''Fist's'' own shields and heavy armour penetrating probe-rounds punched through to embed themselves in the ''Fist's'' armour even as it stood its ground, continuing to fire, any spare thruster power that could've been used had been funneled to the faltering shields.

This was looking to be a desperate final stand if it wasn't for one thing.

''The Fist of Ichadon'' wasn't alone.

Erupting forth from a perfectly aimed warp translation came ''The Conception of Hope'' in its full war raiment, shields alight and weapons already picking their targets.

''Stock Market Crash's'' sensorium had barely picked up on the second Imperial warship before its defenses were torn through and the ship was snapped in half at the spine by the vicing jaws of the fiercest soldiers of the Emperor. The ''Conception'' blitzed through the expanding cloud of what was left of the ''Crash'', lashing out with further shells to annihilate even the remnants before it turned its attention to ''Economics In Action''.

Facing off against two ships now, the last dregs of Patrol Fleet fought valiantly but they knew it wasn't going to be enough. ''The Fist's'' overpowering rain of shells never ceased and The Conception of Hope tore open any vulnerability it could find, it exploited every gap made in the guard, wherever the shields went down or armour plating was stripped away ''The Conception'' was there, already carving into the ruined hide of the Dominion Cruiser.

The power went first and ''Economics In Action'' fell silent, other than its life support, all systems shut down. ''Foot The Bill'' had been mauled and now listed aimlessly, its command bridge torn out.

The two Imperial vessels approached the remains of ''Economics In Actio''n, dead in the water, and after a few moments of deliberation sent in voidsmen and gangers. Everything of use would be stripped out of the ship and put to work against the False Father.

Which shouldn't come as a surprise, the BMTF knew all about retrieval of assets after defaulting.

OOC: You achieved a complete success which combined with the efforts of the other Dynasties and Patrol Fleet’s orders has caused Patrol Fleet to be destroyed, reducing the effectiveness of the enemy in several linears in the next game

'''Defend Arbor vs Red Orks
'''
In elder days when stars doth burn bright,
And Warp's dark shadows cloaked the night,
There rose a Lord of noble grace,
Lord Captain Cartwright, hero from space.

A Rogue Trader, brave and true,
With honor firm and courage new,
He sailed the void, through chaos vast,
To forge his name in legends cast.

Upon a world of ruin and despair,
A castle ancient, bleak and rare,
Stood battered 'gainst the orks’ wild horde,
Defended by a Lord adored.

“Hold fast!” he cried, “my loyal men,”
“This fortress stands, and shall again!”
With sword and shield, with faith and spear,
They faced the green tide, born of fear.

The orks, like storm, did crash and roar,
With savage might and savage gore,
Their choppas swung, their guns did fire,
To tear the brave from wall and spire.

But Cartwright’s heart, both firm and kind,
Did rally men, and clear their mind,
“Stand firm,” he shouted, “for the throne,”
“This fallen keep is ours alone.”

Through shattered halls and broken gate,
He led his men, unbowed by fate,
His voice a beacon, shining bright,
Against the darkness of the night.

The orks, relentless, did not cease,
Their numbers vast, their wrath increased,
But Cartwright, noble, bold and wise,
Did turn the tide with cunning guise.

He set a trap within the hall,
Where shadows lurk and darkness call,
Ambush sprung with deadly grace,
And orks fell fast in their own place.

“Retreat!” they roared, but not for long,
For Cartwright’s men, with courage strong,
Did push them back with fire and might,
Until the dawn reclaimed the night.

As dawn broke o’er the battered walls,
The green horde’s cry and chaos falls,
And Cartwright, standing ‘midst the fray,
Did wipe the sweat and save the day.

“A toast!” he cried, “to all who stand,”
“And guard the dream of noble land,”
His sword held high, his gaze so kind,
A true and noble lord defined.

So sing of Cartwright, lord and knight,
Who battled through the endless night,
The defender of the fallen keep,
Whose legend in the stars runs deep.

In this present grim and darkened age,
His name shall shine on history’s page,
For courage, honor, and steadfast might,
The Rogue Trader, hero from the starry night.

As the Bard finished their performance a hushed silence fell over the court, Knights and pages watched intently. To be so honoured by the court was rare. Near unthinkable that an outsider would have their deeds recorded by the Queen's own poet.

After a long moment the Lord Captain shifted uneasily in his seat. ”It's a bit much isn't it?” he managed.

OOC: You achieved a complete success, protecting the threatened world.

AFTER ACTION REPORT: Defend Arkangel from Red Orks

“Chernobog 1st Rifles” and “Cartwright's Own” military groups engaged in successful defence of Arkangel space. A number of Freebooter captains who are members of loose alliance of Ork Tribes Freebooters and Evil Sunz designation “Red Ork” group attempted to raid Arkangel space, likely probing for weaknesses and gauging the likely victor in upcoming direct conflict. Combined efforts of Military groups successfully repulse attack and have projected perception of strength to Red Ork groups. Intelligence suggests these groups will not attempt another raid until a clear victor between Arkangel and DoSF conflict has been established.

OOC: The military forces successfully defended the territory.

'''A Missive'''

To the Esteemed Captains Table, Lords of Rogue Trade and Warlords of the Void,

Hearken, ye mighty, ye rulers of the uncharted depths and treacherous waters of the endless void! I, Briggs LePitch, dread specter of the seas eternal, do thus extend my spectral hand and voice across the aeons to thy cursed conclave.

Know this, ye masters of commerce and conquest: the shadows that cling to my soul grow restless, and my wrath, like a tempest unbridled, shall soon convulse the very fabric of your dominion if my demands be not met with swift and unyielding obedience.

It is my desire, nay, my command, that ye surrender unto me the noble Borovich Dynasty, with all their ships, treasures, and secrets, and Artemisia Blair, whose company I do desire greatly. These I claim as my crew, for the seas of the Warp and the void are my domain, and I shall see them bound to my spectral mast and cursed crew.

Refuse me, and ye shall witness the wrath and fury that knows no bounds; my curse shall haunt your every venture, your fleets shall falter, and your names shall be forever etched in the annals of dread and despair. The darkness I wield is not merely the night but a storm of vengeance, and I shall unleash it upon thee if thou art so blind as to deny my rightful claim.

Remember, ye Captains Rogue, that I am Briggs LePitch, scourge of the void, and my wrath is as the abyss—bottomless and eternal. Surrender now, or feel my icy grip descend upon thee, for I am neither merciful nor forgiving to those who cross the spectre of the depths.

Mark well my words, for they are carved in the very shadows that cling to the stars: the Borovich Dynasty and Artemisia Blair are mine by right of oath and curse, and I shall claim them unless ye choose to surrender them to me willingly. Fail me at your peril, for the night is dark, and my vengeance is darker still.

So heed this warning, ye who dwell in the light of your petty empires:

Hand over what I seek, or face the wrath of Briggs LePitch, scourge of the void, whose curse shall haunt the stars forevermore.

Beware, lest darkness become your only refuge, and the shadows claim what is rightfully mine.

Yours,

Briggs LePitch, the Dread Captain of the Eternal Seas

2025-04-07T11:38:23Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

{{PCSummary
|p=[mailto: madgnomepainting@yahoo.com Kate McAlister]
|Race= Human
|Dynasty= Von Den Tötten
}}

[[File:IMG 20190514 022822.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Sev]]

'''Name:'''
Severina Von Den Tötten (Sev)

'''Dynasty:'''
Von Den Tötten Dynasty

'''Notable Traits:'''
Combat medic

'''Titles:'''
Lord Captain of the Von Den Tötten dynasty

__NOTOC__

== Information Known by Arkangel Society ==
Severina has a long service record of postings serving the Officio Medicea across several theatres of war, mostly among Imperial Guard regiments, as well as at one point serving among the medical retinue of an Inquisitor. After the disapearence of one Lord Captain and death of his successor Severina was reluctantly thrust into comand of the Nightfall. Lord Captain of the Von Den Tötten Dynasty and master Chirurgeon. She'd still rather be in a medical bay than a comand deck but she's starting to get used to it. In her off time she is known to run a clinic providing medical care and cosmetic improvements to the varied residents of Arkangel. Seems to be both as equally fond of attempts at diplomacy as she is a fight. Her research can sometimes skirt worryingly close to mad science but her surgical skills and compitance seem to distract from this.

== Lineage ==
Daughter of the noble lord Mortitian Logarius Von Den Tötten of the cemetery shrine world Mortus.

===Known Associates ===

== Rumours ==
Is a mutant.

Is a vampire. A stupid, sexy vampire.

Her bedroom is an Astartes sized cupboard

Has a secret lab hidden on her ship somewhere.

Built Boomchucka from spare dead ork parts.

Drinks blood.

== Quotes ==
* ''"Sev is a competent enough surgeon and skilled researcher. They have repeatedly claimed to not care about their patients and crew. I feel they are in store for some harsh lessons in the future."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"It always surprises me when I meet a pleasant new person, out here. I hope she keeps it."'' - [[Araquiel]]
* ''"You know I don't know if I really have much of an opinion on them, though she does cook interesting food. Not too bad for a mutie, to be honest."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Sev has big shoes to fill; so far, things look promising, but there are lots of challenges ahead. I'll help any way I can, for Macro's sake at the very least."'' - [[Mac|Mac]]
* ''"I never realised she was also a vet. At least I can leave her to tend to the animal."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Quietly competent, a new experience at the table but an honour to her crew."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"I do not know her that well but Col. Schwarzekappel rates her highly as a medic; that will do for me for now.'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"She has tried to seem hard and uncaring, but the loss of Lord Captain Macro has shown she is not as hard as she pretends. This is good. Now she has many trials ahead of her as she takes up the mantle of Lord Captain."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel| Azrael]]
* ''"Strong truly is the leader that heals their followers - and continues to do so, in the face of dangers unknown."'' - [[Stenberg|Missionary Stenberg]]
* ''"Ouuuuuch....took a duel and made it '''vicious'''. Poison? I'm just glad she's an excellent medic to repair the excellent hurt she unleashed...and I am very glad I did not have to fight her." - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''"Baba always said something about still waters running deep. I see what she meant now."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"Good fun; she makes a convincing Max."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"A captain shapes a crew, and it seems hers will be shaping up interestingly."'' - [[Mac|Lord Captain Macharius Malvoisin]]
* ''"Has shown a previously unseen combat prowess. I can certainly say that should the med bay be attacked during a landing, the enemy will regret it."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel| Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I have never spent much time in her company before. This was a mistake I will not make again."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Can't believe I had her wrist-deep in my guts so often and never knew she could sing."'' - [[Spider]]
* ''"A decent dual-wielder; I respect her, despite her... insidious method of winning. Also a good medic. Still need to get her back though for that."'' - [[Decius Crane]]
* ''" Just because you can grow a replacement limb doesn't mean you should be carefree about losing one."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Remains a solid surgeon and researcher of medical wonders. She is a competent Lord Captain and able to pull others from places... they should not have returned to."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Love some sardonic wit when nobody else is paying attention."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Thrust into leadership, landing with a grace and efficiency that I can't help but admire."'' - [[Anahita]]
* ''"It is good to have such friends; if you need my aid, ask."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Even exhausted and bloodied she remains a commanding presence deserving of her position as Lord Captain, along with being one of the few deserving of my trust."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I still cannot quite believe that that is '''really''' something the Sororitas are known for... !"'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"I'd rather plant a kiss on Abaddon's wrinkly Eye of Terror than vote her a Black Mark; she has done us sterling work and is a fine companion when it comes to winding up Stern Stenberg."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Ahhhhh, she is the best! Scary, but brilliant!"'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''"Taking a principled public stand without damaging your spooky outsider vibe is not easy; I'm impressed."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"You have indisputably proven that it is right that we are out here, in this place and this time. Thank you."'' - [[Stenberg|Missionary Stenberg]]
* ''"I'll be damned if that little upstart thinks we'll blackball her for protecting our Faith. Especially after our time whaling."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"I enjoy the theorising, especially when backed up by the ability to do the practical."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Sev's competent presence is always a reassuring one and remains one of the few surgeons I trust to get the job done both in and out of the Medicae bay"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I do not truly understand their reverence of the dead, but their talent at preserving the living is never in question."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"I understand the rest of the effects, but why the teeth? Just why?"'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"Truly I am sorry that they had to be shot after I bled them." '' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Dangerous. Crucial. Deadly serious. Light of spirit. You embody the philosophy of what is needed out here."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"A dangerous and skilled Chiurgeon, but that gauntlet gives me ill memories..."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"Competent in her craft as surgeon, warrior and Lord Captain. I am intrigued at her latest experiments even if we did not have time to discuss them this landing."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel| Azrael]]
* ''" I find it reassuring to speak to someone with... similar fortune."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"Her noble heritage was clear at this Sanguinalia gathering, though I did her more practical attire and her presence on the lists for the tournament."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Credit given where credit is due, Lord-Captain."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''" Shows the expertise in her craft, and understanding. Thank you, Lord-Captain."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"Sev is so unlike her band of merry pranksters that it's hard to imagine how she keeps them together -- until you see it. They recognise something in her."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"What happens next is merely the sport between my kind and yours..."'' - [[Morgatt K'reen, Arch-Geneticist, 87th Degree Haemonculus of the Moribund Labyrinth]]
* ''"I find it hard to search for the right words. But we must push forward. For those in the Emperor's light."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"I am glad of the hand of friendship you extended towards Azreal."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Hey, can you please take this garland of skin away?"'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Sev combines sincerity and cynicism, and her instincts are right more often than they're wrong. Worth remembering."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"It's nice to almost talk to her, as she knows why it can only be almost talking.' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Sev is a great mind, terrible but great."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"When will it stop? When I have defeated the three great enemies. When I have become master of time, death and damnation. That's when it stops... Maybe."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"On record as my favourite Lord-Captain."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"Sends her apologies but, y'know, sometimes progress happens unexpectedly, and sometimes it starts trying to get out into the halls and eat the crew. Don't worry about it"'' - [[Evangeline Jerobaal Non|Evangeline]]
* ''"You might not agree with it, but I hope you see that the Emperor has protected you on this day."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"I believe that this is but a moment of self doubt and not heresy. You are Lord Captain Von Den Totten and the Emperor favours you so much, that he has charged you with bringing his Light to the darkest of places. "'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]

== OOC Information ==

'''Player:'''
Kate McAlister

'''Inspirations:'''
All creepy Mad Science doctors, Grave Robber from Repo, a bit of pre-Heresy Fabius Bile

'''Soundtrack:'''
Something classical

[[Category:Characters]]

Category:Down Time Fiction

2025-03-31T13:54:51Z

Cartwright: /* E17 */

Category:Down Time Fiction

2025-03-31T13:54:42Z

Cartwright:

== E13 ==

'''Attack Drukari Base''' ''Cerastes,Dunrega, Von den Totten, Rexus, Lupus, Kasputin, Borovich (Success)''

In a dark corner of space, surrounded by the shattered remnants of an unformed world a Drukhari base sits in shadow. Spread across multiple asteroids the base provides refuge and rest to a fleet of vicious raiders who revel in the terror they spread around the civilisations in striking distance. The denizens of this base are used to being the predator waiting to rush the herd and cut out the choicest meat, but with the arrival of the Arkangel Fleet it is time for them to see and feel what it is like from the opposite side.

It begins with ships of the Cerastes and Dunrega Dynasties creeping quietly into the system, gently probing for information and mapping the layout of the asteroid field, finding the best places for the rest of the assault to form up and prevent any of the Xenos from escaping. Disaster almost strikes immediately as The Fist of Ichadon stumbles onto an entire fleet of raiders on their way out the system; a fleet the advanced scouts had warned was heading for Arkangel space. Lord Captain Slate immediately turns and in an attempt to act as if assaulting the fleet was the original intention draws them into a running battle all the way into Arkangel space.

Refusing to allow a single ship to dissuade them, the Drukhari gleefully attempt to swarm the Durega ship whose careful manoeuvring and judicious use of its overpowered macrocannons keep the battle running for weeks. Weeks the Van Den Totten Dynasty made good use of. Erupting from the Empyrean amongst the Drukhari fleet, a positioning made possible by the constant coordination and plotting sent by Lord Captain Slate’s astropaths. The mighty Imperial warship The Nightfall burst forth, the energy bleed from the translation alone destroying or crippling dozens of the raider vessels even before point blank weapon fire overwhelmed the shadow fields that normally wrap the Aeldari ships in a cloak of protection. As each field overloads and shuts down, Lord Captain Sev unleashes her shock troopers upon the Drukhari, and now these dark and cruel Xenos gain firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to be hunted and terrorised by black clad remorseless killers. Very few have time to recognise the irony before having their life taken from them. In the end only a handful of the raiders get the chance to flee, their assault on territory

As the Dunrega act as bait and draw the fleet away the Cerastes complete their investigations and hand over to Lord Captain Rexus who carefully primes the jaws of the trap. Setting up artillery and stormtrooper outposts across the edges of the asteroid field which make it difficult for Drukhari vessels to defend the base or flee when the attack goes in, all is in readiness.

Like the calm before the storm, a quiet tension fills Valhalla’s Regards as it awaits the arrival of their allies. If they are noticed before everyone else arrives they will gladly assault but plans are made for a reason, and this success is greater if the plan is followed. Conception of Hope, Zoya’s Triumph, and The Frank Exchange of Views soon arrive however and the time for the assault arrives.

Multiple fighter and bomber wings launched by The Frank Exchange of Views lead the attack, and guided by the emplaced stormtrooper outposts, precision strikes take out the anti capital ship defence weapons allowing the cruisers to approach in relative safety and bombard directly. Drukhari vessels use shadow field technology to hide their location and coupled with speed and manoeuvrability most weapons struggle to land a shot, a base however, has none of these protections. Their best defence is that none know where to attack in the first place and careful scouting and planning has taken this strength from the defenders.

Troops of the Kasputin dynasty that while they are no longer of the Astra Militarum in name, in spirit they still are, assault in a manner that would make the commissariat proud. Borovich landing teams may have less discipline but no less ferocity and there is still an echo of tactics any officer of the Imperial Guard would recognise in how they fire and manoeuvre across the field.

It happens suddenly, all at once the xeno ships which had been putting up a strong if forlorn defence attempt to flee. Only to discover that between Lupus Astra Nova fighter wings and the emplaced stormtroopers there is nowhere to go, it looks to all as though none will escape this punishing assault by the Rogue Trader ships. For whomever is in charge of the Drukari capture or destruction seems to not be an option and in order to make an opening a several corvette sized vessels attempt suicidal ramming attacks to clear a path for the largest of the Drukhari ships to flee.

The Suicidal ramming attacks take the Rogue Trader ships by surprise and Valhalla’s Regards chose to protect others before itself was struck a glancing blow. The damage, though minor, is lasting and forces the ship to give way just far enough for a Drukhari cruiser named Otbaunir Kotar to escape to safety.

With the departure of their leadership, organised resistance within the base soon falls apart and the ground forces quickly overwhelm the defenders. Before long the Drukhari base is in Imperial hands and loot can be claimed. The time spent by the stormtroopers before the attack wasn’t wasted as they are able to point out the locations of valuable resources to their Lord Captain ensuring a quick and efficient stripping of the base. The only potential problem occurs when in the process of clearing anything valuable the search parties find that the slave pens are nearly full. It seems the timing of the attack caught the facility between delivery cycles and thousands of humans who claim membership in the BMTF and The Font are found locked in cages. A decision on what to do with these refugees is now in front of the Captains Table.

'''Defend Arkangel against Orks''' ''Victoria, Alexander''

Space churns and twists in a spot not too far from Arkangel. Sensor warnings flare up on ships belonging to the Alexander and Victoria Dynasties. Something is coming and it's certainly not friendly. With a screech of realspace being wounded on a fundamental level the immaterium opens up. Coils and tendrils of madness and entropy made manifest reach out into the cold dark and find nothing.

With a cough made through destruction of baseline reality and physics a number of ships are vomited out of the warp and into the prime material. Each one has flaring, oversized orange and red thrusters and they accelerate to full speed almost immediately. Every ship seems like it was made as an insult to the Omnissiah, ramshackle and disorganised, bodged together from the carcasses and pieces of anything that the crew could get their grubby hands on. In fact one of the forerunner ships seems to have an Aeldari Solar Sail mounted onto the top, so maybe they are attempting to insult any God that looks in their general direction.

There is no formation or any form of strategic backing to the Ork ships as they careen forwards into what is hopefully a fight. At the very front is a massive ship, the prow hammered and melted to the point that it looks like a giant fist flying through space, the word "GROT HAMMA" is hastily painted on the flank of the vessel in a multitude of bright, garish colours. Smaller vessels soar ahead of it and screams and cries of excitement and joy blast out on all vox channels, adding a sonic assault to what should be a silent display.

Like a blade through the shadow of the void, The Glorious Endeavour cruises forwards, light sparkling across its hull like a fresh golden sunrise and setting its gunports into deep shadow, as though it were a great beast sleeping, eyes shut and claws retracted. A lone ship with no allies was simply too juicy a target. Especially when a message cut through the vox traffic to the Ork ship, insulting the Captain, everything he stood for, even his boss, almost perfectly crafted to entice him into blind, reckless rage.

With a roar of fury, Captain Squigbyta orders a full ahead and even slams his hand down onto a giant red button, sending the engines into overdrive and causing the fuselage of the Hamma to groan and squeal as though it were in pain. It was already growing closer to The Glorious Endeavour as the Imperial vessel's weapons started to cycle up and charge.

Then another message came through the vox to Squigbyta. A code signal, traded for and given as a deal with a freeboota. A signal to treat the ship as an ally. The ship that was such a juicy target, so perfectly set up to be crashed into, to give them a glorious fight and some prime loot! The realisation of the fact he had just become prey hit Captain Squigbyta like a torpedo, knocking him and his assault off course.

Or perhaps that was the actual torpedo striking the belowdecks of the Grot Hamma. Generators cycling to full power another ship came screaming out of the shadow, weapons charged and flashing death into the void. Torpedoes shredded metal and vented oxygen into space, decompression tossing green corpses out like gory confetti. The Pride of Victoria had snapped shut the jaws of the trap.

The Victoria Dynasty, masters of xenology that they were, had carefully crafted this plan to ensure maximum Ork aggression and to be certain that when the fighting began they were as confused and off-balance as they could be; maximum effect for minimum effort.

This was all the signal that was needed. The weapons of the Alexander Dynasty roared fury, casting out plasma, laser and torpedo. Caught between the might of two grand vessels of the Imperium, these ragtag ships were nothing more than salvage to be had and wreckage to be made.

The Grot Hamma burned and couldn't arrest its momentum, it listed to the side as its reactors were struck, plasma blasting out as an impromptu side thruster causing the ship to roll. The Glorious Endeavour slid past it smoothly, unleashing broadsides into the dying vessel, stripping its hull away like a hunter strips the hide from a kill.

A smaller ship, the Dakka Dansur bled gas as it was sliced open with lance fire from The Pride of Victoria, the cuts almost surgical in precision. It wasn't enough to just win this engagement, it had to be decisive, to show that facing the Pride of Arkangel was a fool's errand. The imperial ship didn't spare a second glance at the Dakka Dansur as it bled to death. It cut through expanding vapours and plasma runoff and sank its fangs into the next ship. The jagged darts of torpedoes laid waste to the ship easily and by the time it was done, The Glorious Endeavour had finished off the last of the Ork Raiders. Other than small amounts of return fire crashing against the shields like waves against a fortress, the imperial vessels were none the worse for wear.

With their kills fresh, just like the predators they were, they set about feasting, gathering salvage to trade away or use.

==E14==

'''Defend against Ork raid''' ''Dunrega, Von Den Totten, Cerastes, Kasputin (Complete Success)''

The swarm of asteroids sped through the dark directly towards the Ork fleet which had just ripped its way back from the space between madness and divinity known as The Warp. The Warboss fleet commander aboard B I G R E D pondered the poor luck of stellar navigation and considered if his peoples gods were with them on this mission. Unfortunately for him it wasn’t luck or fate that had set up a situation that would force his Ladz to split up, it was the clever planning of a Lord-Captain of the Arkangel Fleet.

Arriving several days earlier, The Conception of Hope had come to drop off weapons and supplies to support its allies who would be taking the fight to the Orks while it was dealing with another pernicious alien threat elsewhere. Originally choosing the scattering of rocks as a convenient anchor point to leave the supplies, the thought of what an asteroid storm would do to the Ork fleet brought joy to Lord-Captain Cartwright’s heart, and if the Orks were quick enough to avoid massive damage it would still enact the plan Lord-Captain Slate was working to while massively reducing the threat to his ship.

So now these natural missiles flew toward the Ork invaders, and hidden in the shadow of the sides facing away from the ships, temporary anti ship batteries were mounted. Suddenly being shot by the asteroids they were frantically dodging would likely help instil the panic required by the ultimate plan. The Conception of Hope went off on the next part of its mission eagerly looking forward to hearing how the plan went, and how its allies made the most of the situation.

B I G R E D reluctantly sent the order for the fleet to scatter and make their way through and around the oncoming storm, the Warboss Captin fully aware reorganising his forces was going to be a pain with all the independent personalities leading the ships he was meant to be boss of. As the ramshackle fleet chaotically pushed through and around the rocks before them, the ambush was struck.

The Spayce Skimmur was a nimble and nasty little ship and chose to flaunt its manoeuvrability by flying through the centre of the rock storm before suddenly being ripped apart by the hidden weapon batteries. The Boolet, a massive ship hardened and designed for ramming tried to smash its way through, single use torpedo strikes pushed it off course making it collide with an asteroid abeam rather than prow first, pulverising the relatively softer ship behind its massively armoured prow. While the violence was ongoing within the rock field Lord-Captain Slate took advantage of the natural aggressiveness of the Ork race by bombarding several ships from long range before withdrawing in apparent fear.

The Neboola Wyzrd, Dakka Dansur I1l, and The Sneeeki Boi pursued as fast as their oversized engines could spew plasma behind them. Ignoring the orders from B I G R E D to return to the fleet, “Cos there iz a Plan, Dumnuts!” they flew eager for battle, battle they received but not in the manner they expected. Like a knife in the dark the Blade of Mortis unleashed hell upon the Ork ships at point blank range as they overflew the place it had been waiting, acting like a hole in space. The ship may not have a shadow field but the ancient twisted ship, looking like it had been constructed by some engineer version of a Drukhari Haemonculous from parts of other vessels, moved and attacked with the same vicious style; brutally disabling engines and weapons before sending over squads of black armoured death troopers to cripple and destroy them fully.

Seeing the plan fall apart around him with multiple ambushes B I G R E D’s Warboss Captin decided fighting to the death was not the best use of his time and turned the last of his fleet in an attempt to break back into the warp and come back later, however the Champions of Humanity had one more surprise to drop on him; flashing in at incredible speed was a third mighty vessel of the Arkangel Fleet.

The Astral Stranger might not have the firepower of a ship of the line her size would normally carry but she was still a whole lot of ship and her surprising speed allowed her to jump in and out like a flyweight boxer, jabbing and stunning her opponents as they tried to generate warp bubbles, preventing them fleeing the trap. Coached by His fellow Lord-Captains on how to give insults in a way that would truly strike the Ork psyche vox messages were transmitted from The Fist of Ichadon to B I G R E D insulting and challenging its commander, its crew, its air recyclers, it’s puny guns, everything that Lord-Captain Slate could think of until B I G R E D changed heading and faced him.

Leaving Gas Guzzla to the untender mercies of The Astral Stranger, the Warboss faced The Fist of Ichadon. Personal authority on the line as none would follow him were he to back away from such a challenge, B I G R E D set course for destruction or glory into the teeth of the massive macro canon barrage. Perhaps if the repeated ambushes hadn’t caused earlier damage, or if the Captin had kept his cool in the face of vicious insults he could have won the one on one, but before he could close with his opponent the crimson hull of B I G R E D broke under the unrelenting pounding from the oversized shells.The spine of the ship snapped with an agonising groan all watching could hear in their mind as though sound was somehow transmitted through the empty void, and B I G R E D became two ships for a moment before the reactors within went into overload and B I G R E D became a big cloud of superheated gas and debris instead.

Seeing this destruction the invader’s ships continued their futile attempt to flee as the merciless vessels of Arkangel continued their assault. They knew the only way to properly secure this system was to act like surgeons and allow none of the Ork infection to remain lest a new growth begin.

==E15==

'''When Angels Cry''' ''Dunrega (Complete Success)''

It was a pretty normal day in Arkangel, all things considered. Sure she'd had to carefully reposition some preachers that were getting in the way of moving bloody cargo and she'd stopped two of the dockworkers from putting up another tag of the bloody Slugger but in all honesty morale was pretty high. Elaine gave a soft sigh and ran her hand over her head before putting a stamp on a cargo manifest and putting it back into an envelope.

It was getting into the night cycle now, the lights beginning to ebb low and she was looking forwards to heading back to her hab and getting a solid five hours of sleep before her shift the next day. Just as she was clearing away the rest of her desk, there was a knock at the door to the tiny cramped office she was entitled to as the leader of the Union around these parts. She gave a grunt to come in and the door cracked open, the head of one of her boys poking in, a large stony faced Ogryn by the name of Garth.

"Alrigh' boss, got some gangs 'ere sayin' they's got a permit to sees ya." He gravelled and Elaine's eyebrows furrowed.

"They say who it was from?" She returned with a frown.

"No... Didn't 'hink ta ask, lemme che-"

As Garth turned back there was a grunt, the sound of metal hitting flesh and then a loud pop that filled the air with the scent of blood and ozone, fragments of bone spattering against her desk and the wall like pieces of shrapnel. Garth fell back, missing his head and two figures pushed through the door.

Decked out in black and yellow and hazard stripes, there was a thin, wiry looking man with a blazing yellow mohawk and a shorter, stocky woman whose dreadlocks were dyed various shades of red, pink and purple. The woman was cleaning off the powerfist over her left hand that was currently coated in sticky, burned blood. Elaine spent a moment in shock before standing up, pulling open a drawer on her desk.

Before she could even reach the laspistol there was a roar that was utterly deafening in the tiny room and her left leg was blown out from under her as a bolt shell took her in the knee. She screamed and dropped as the wiry man leaped over the desk and immediately stuck her with a shot of Coag, stopping her from bleeding out before he tied up her hands. She only managed to hear the woman speak into the vox for a moment before there was a meaty thud and unconsciousness took her over.

"Get the party started."

Across the docks of Arkangel, a small-scale gang war broke out.

The dock workers weren't weak people but they were massively unprepared to be attacked by the most vicious elements of an underhive gang that had been released with distinct instructions by a very ruthless man.

Windows were shattered and any of the workers that attempted to fight back found themselves on the receiving end of chainblades and bolters, combat blades and autoguns. Strangely the gangers weren't looting anything and they were leaving the servitors and various pieces of equipment completely intact, not even giving them a second glance, instead focusing entirely on hunting down and killing the dock workers wherever they could get their hands on them.

Although this was mostly a ruse to hide their true intentions. Focused, driven hit squads of well-armed, utterly cruel gangers were breaking into offices, snatching up any and all leaders of the Union and dragging them away to a warehouse deep within Arkangel, a location almost forgotten about except to people that needed a dark place to take some prisoners.

Even the ones off-duty weren't safe as their doors were kicked down and they were kidnapped while they slept, waking up to steel-shod boots and bags being pulled over their heads. Any resistance was met by broken bones and painful, if non-lethal wounds, from blades and small calibre rounds. There was a lesson that needed to be taught and it needed all the ring-leaders alive for it.

They were all awoken to a cold splash of stinking water inside the warehouse, tied up and left on the floor. The gangers surrounding them didn't have a single ounce of mirth on their faces, simply staring at them with cold indifference; like they weren't even people, just targets, just part of the job.

When the Council came to survey the results, they were met by a smiling woman with multi-coloured dreads who escorted them to a meeting with the surviving dock workers. Before leaving she offered the Council of Angels a parting gift; a series of custom-servitors, only implanted with the barest minimum of commands and intelligence, all of them designed only for cleaning and to ensure things stayed spic-and-span. This gift was given in full view of the remnants of the Union, making it clear that they were under new management.

The uneasy looks among the various workers as they recognised the faces of the servitors did a lot to keep everything quiet and moving quickly. If people got in the way, they got removed, everyone at the meeting would be reminded of that at every opportunity whenever they looked at the servitors.

The simple, casual brutality sent a quieter message; even the Council wouldn't be safe if they decided to cross the wrong person.

'''Convert Svartalf vs Khir''' ''Alexander (Success)''

Finding people who disliked Maugur Khir was not difficult. In the years he’d exerted his malign influence over Svartal station he’d systematically bullied, harassed, scared, hurt and terrorised just about every single faction on board. The trouble was no one trusts anyone on Svartalf so it was functionally impossible to put together a coalition to go against him as Lord Captain Maxilillian had discovered. He'd been basking his head against a brick wall for about 2 weeks solid. No matter how many councillors and their attendants she schmoozed, how much military analytical data showing that Khirs Cabal were absolutely over committed, no matter how many “Gifts” and offers of hospitality he gives, most of the movers and shakers of Svartalf just do not want to play that game. It made sense he reasoned…what with the heads on spikes and the flaying.

Maximilian sat in one of the myriad Bars off the main concourse of Svartalf Station. This was the single busiest street in the labyrinth of steel that made up the station proper. “Fuck it” he said to no one in particular and downed his drink. Looking at the freshly scarred wounds on his hands. He walked out on the concourse, grabbed a waste barrel, flipped it over and climbed on top. He straightened up, pulled his shoulders back and in a voice that barely sounded like his own he announced,
“Hark! Listen and understand! You good people, you humans, lost children of Terra! Heirs of the Star Father and God-Emperor! I see your suffering! The God Emperor sees your suffering! Too long have we lived in fear! Too long have these foul Drukhari terrorised us! These ancient creatures see us as lesser, treat us as their food, their playthings! They smirk as they say that their Empire spanned the Galaxy when we humans were discovering fire. Well to this I say, we have yet to reach our peak and your empire is naught but a bitter memory! A story to be told! Your blood spent, you are the last of your line! Humans, Children of Terra look not at your feet but look aloft to the stars, our destiny, your birthright! Understand that The God-Emperor is the fire in your heart and the steel in your hand! The God-Emperor gave his life and the life of his Sons that we might inherit the Stars, not these godless monsters! If you wish to see the Tyranny of Khir Come to an end, if you wish to see his Kabal trampled into the Dust then I am your ally; The God-Emperor is your ally!” A sizable crowd had gathered, dumbstruck at Max’s words, on the busiest concourse of a station home to untold millions, somehow you could've heard a pin drop. Max could scarcely believe what he’d done, he just…let go and it happened. He realised his wounds had started bleeding again. He realised the crowd's attention had slowly shifted to huge screens over the concourse that projected news of various new events on the station in the sector. In huge letters a message scrolled “Arkangel Fleet victorious over Drukhari Raiders. The Arbour of Righteousness has been liberated.” A fire burned inside Max as he turned to the crowd and bellowed “Ave Imperator!”

It took several hours to quell the riot that Max started on Svartalf. When it was done, Khir was still an Iron councillor. He still had allies, he was still feared. But his aura of invincibility was gone. The great and the good of Svartalf saw how little stood between them and the mob, how quickly they could turn. This filled all of them with a deep dread. The people of Svartalf saw something different. They saw a man ready to stand up and fight a terrible foe. They saw someone willing to give his life to help them. When he spoke they saw a man ascendant.

They saw Man Ascendant.

'''Convert BMTF to leave Arbour alone''' ''Alexander (Success)''

Gunboat diplomacy was a very ugly phrase though Lord Captain Blair as he sipped tea, impassively sizing up the BMTF “Captain”. He hasn't introduced himself as a Captain, he had said he was the “Vessel Executive Director” or some such foolishness. But he was the Captain of the vessel that the “Pride of Victoria” was currently playing chicken with. Gunboat diplomacy was the phrase this “Captain” had used. Which was poppycock of course. For a start the Pride of Victoria was a ship, not a boat. Also at this range the guns were not this fellow's problem unlike the torpedo batteries. Those same batteries that he knew Europa would be cycling excess atmo through to ensure they all appeared on scanners. Or perhaps he meant the Fighter Bomber formations that Artemisia had been buzzing them with for the last 45 minutes? Once again, those were void attack craft, not boats. And they were sent as part of this diplomatic mission, a show of respect. Pageantry to show this “Captain” how important the Victoria Dynasty thing he is. Adelaide spoke in even tones,
“You must accept our sincerest apologies Director, according to our Astral charts and the transponder idents from the closest star cluster, we are in Arbour space?”
There was a deeply uncomfortable pause. Lord Captain Blair summoned every ounce of self control and discipline to not smirk as Adelaide went in for the kill,
“Unless you, Vessel Executive Director, are claiming this…as BMTF space?”
There was rumble through the Pride of Victoria, and proximity alarms sounded, as right on cue, Lord Captain Maxillian Alexander's vessel “The Glorious Endeavour” translated from the warp, its golden hull twinking against the crackling energies emitting from the Warp.

He sipped his tea slowly, he let there be a beat of silence in the air before he spoke.

“I think it's very unfair to suggest this is Gunboat Diplomacy. For a start these are ships…” said Lord Captain Blair in his most reasonable tone.

==E16==

'''War By The Numbers''' ''Dunrega (Success)''

The Orks never were the most subtle and even if their ships didn't spew out energy readings like a broken reactor it'd be easy to find out exactly where they would be coming from. Their ramshackle and snarling vessels cruised through the void, weapons already loaded and armed, they knew a scrap was coming up and the greenskins within were starting to get antsy.

Brawling was common until some of the Nobs came around and got them back into some semblance of order. They were completely unaware that they had already been picked up on sensors and they weren't going to get the fight they were hoping for.

In the far distance, The Fist of Ichadon woke up. The plan had been sent out some time ago and everyone aboard knew what they needed to do. They'd fought the Orks so many times now it was starting to get a bit stale and they were more than happy to finally be rid of the bastards should this work. Macrocannon batteries slid out from cowlings, mass-reactive shells being loaded into them with practiced ease. Thrusters roared to life and The Fist turned, its weapons roared and spat out shells despite the range.

Most went wide but a few splashed against crude shields or blasted off chunks of scrap metal from various Ork vessels. Instantly they were on full alert and the frenzy started all over again. Afterburners ignited and the ships blasted forwards, baying for blood. Two particular ships pulled ahead, slightly larger than the others and with much larger thrusters; Big Blasta and Dakka Dansur I!l.

All of the ships started blasting out fire but none of it came close to damaging The Fist of Ichadon who continued to move in, weapons firing. Deep clunks ran through the midships of the Imperial vessel and fighter-bombers were released, diving in like birds of prey, missiles and bombs lashing out to destroy weapon ports, thruster nacelles and even strike craft bays before peeling away to return for rearming.

The Orks were both furious and gleeful, they were going to get a proper scrap and against a big ship from that Arkygel Fleet they'd heard about! So it was time to get smashing.

With a quick manoeuvre, The Fist of Ichadon turned and... Ran away. Surprise warred with indignation and bone-deep unnatural fury within the Ork ships, who found themselves firing into empty space and forced to shut off their afterburners so they could actually turn around and try and get into a proper fight. Big Blasta even blew a portion of its munitions to force a near impossible turn at the cost of a chunk of its midships vaporising but that let it come around and get ready to fire an unreasonably oversized prow lance.

Then space folded and three smaller ships flashed into what was previously empty void. They were sleek and decked out in blues, purples and whites. They immediately identified themselves to The Fist as allies and marked themselves out as Twist of Fate, Kurnous' Jaws, and Wrathful Skies from Craftworld Tel'Sharr.

The three Nightshade Destroyers unleashed a volley of torpedoes and then danced away, solar sails allowing them to execute graceful arcs that pulled them away from the Ork vessels to keep in line with the game being played by the Dunrega vessel.

Some of the torpedoes were blasted out of existence by Ork weapons and the volume of fire even caused them to manage to clip Twist of Fate through its holo-field as the destroyers moved away but enough struck to send a fresh wave of rage through the Orks. The strike bays on Dakka Dansur I!l and the prow lance on Big Blasta were wiped out in detonations of blue-white energy.

The majority of the ships still attempted to chase down The Fist however, weeping out waves of fire that splashed against the shields yet could not penetrate them. Occasionally the imperial vessel would turn and blast out a scathing broadside to break a smaller ship over its metaphorical knee before continuing to flee.

The Aeldari ships danced around The Fist, scything in to unleash torpedoes before retreating once more. Wrathful Skies took a heavy shot near the prow that destroyed some of its torpedo tubes and it bowed out of the fight, flickering away while wishing a fine day of dancing to the remaining combatants.

The rest of the battle was slow, frustrating, but effective. One cannot sustain maximum fury and energy forever and even Orks will grow tired after long enough. Being harrassed by broadsides, blasted apart by torpedoes and having chunks torn off them by strike craft, the Ork flotilla eventually just burned out as they were picked apart. Dakka Dansur I!l simply turned and left, deciding to go somewhere else for a better fight and The Fist of Ichadon was subjected to a vast amount of insults through the vox before the Orks were summarily told to git gud and get fucked before communications were cut.

As the fight drew to a close, the Aeldari sent warm regards to the crew of The Fist before turning and vanishing. The day was won and the imperial ship hadn't even taken damage beyond a bruising of its shields.

Victory wasn't always flashy but that was just the way The Fist of Ichadon wanted it.

'''Convert Svartalf vs Khir''' ''Alexander (Success)''

Mhaugir Khir knelt in his private sanctum, a spartan chamber of polished obsidian. He was using every ounce of his inhuman willpower to maintain his focus, his control, his breathing. He had lived a hundred mortal lifetimes and he was being outplayed by a rabble of Mon’Keigh, of primates. His lungs slowly filled and he envisioned his hatred as a black ichor slithering through his veins. “I will master my Rage as I master myself” he intoned, the sharp cadence of the ancient Drukhai incantation echoed on the smooth glistening walls. In a single fluid motion he stood and drew his klaive and took stance III of the “Flower of Flesh and Blood” martial form.
Slowly his body moved through each strike of the form, perfected through innumerable hours of practice and thousands of lives taken. His breathing was measured and controlled, his heartbeat perfectly in time with his movements. His body had muscle memory older than the lifetimes of men. For all his rote precision his mind rushed and roared like a storm wracked sea. His web of spies had reported a great deal of disquieting information. His once iron grip on this station and this sector were slipping. While his raids on The Arbour had been extremely successful they had come at great cost, he could not quickly recoup the losses to his Kabal. As the form continued the speed of his movements increased. His klaive whirled in the empty chamber, each stroke delivered with enough force to bisect any human who stood before it. His mind was as polished as his blade, his near eidetic memory remembering every name and every face of Arkangel’s Captains table and their crews. In extreme,surgical detail he envisioned the horrors he would inflict upon these dung hurling chimps. The one who attempted to converse with him using a clumsy approximation of Drukhari Etiquette would have the tongue torn from his mouth. He would kill another's lover before their very eyes, eat their heart and drink their tears like spring water. He would sign his name on charter using their blood. One in particular would be spared to the very end; however, one had earned his special attention.

He was a blur of sinew, wraithbone and seething, frothing, utter hatred. His muscles, tendons, nerves, and weapon were now as one. Every movement was a finely honed expression of sadistic intent. With every lethal step he thought of one Mon’Keigh. The colour of his eyes, the sound of his voice, his grunting primate voice, his foetid animal stink.

As his rage reached its crescendo, he turned about and swung his Klaive and felt the unmistakable sensation of his blade slicing through flesh. He closed his eyes and stood still as he was drenched in gore. He trembled slightly and listened to a symphony of carnage, warm blood ran down his body and spattered on the floor, the slithering sounds of entrails escaping the body. He opened his eyes to see a frantic terrified gaze, he savoured the helplessness of that begging stare. More than anything Maugur Khir hated the sounds Mon’Keigh make with their mouths. Their voices were somewhere between belching and retching, even their screams had a certain vulgarity that he could not abide. All of his personal stock would have their vocal cords removed prior to use so he could savour their torment in exquisite silence.

He turned from his victim, as they sobbed mutely and summoned one of his attendants with a gesture. A pale bald headed Drukhari entered and bowed silently. “We must conserve our strength” he seethed. “Cut our losses on Svartalf for now and be prepared to withdraw if the time comes. Gaius should keep them busy for now at least.” The attendant stood and moved to leave as quietly as he entered but was stopped dead in his tracks by Khir making direct eye contact. His eyes, black as the void, staring stabbing into him. “Bring me everything you can find on Lord Captain Maximillian Alexander” he smirked mirthlessly. “This creature shall be taught a lesson, I shall teach it the Philosophy of a Blade.”

==E17==

'''Defend Arkangel''' ''Kasputin (Crit-Success)''

Where there was even the possibility of a fight happening, the Orks would be there. Sometimes that took a little bit of patience. At a far distance from Arkangel, three Ork vessels dropped out of the warp, crackling arcs of deep purple lightning spraying against their hulls. All of them lit their engines immediately and began advancing. They knew Arkangel was somewhere in the distance and if they flew far enough they'd hit that great station and they'd get the fight they wanted.

Sure the fight against Arkangel was getting kind of boring, and the Boss said there were better fights to be found elsewhere but one last go of it wouldn't hurt would it? The thought of that started to hype up the Ork warriors within the three vessels; Lotza Led, Tha Squigazauras Rekz, and Great Green Stabba. Though none of the ships were particularly impressive they were all heavily armed and full to the brim with angry, eager gitz.

As they came screaming through realspace, one Mekboy on board the Squigazauras noticed a strange blip on their sensorium suite, although any techpriest looking at it would swear it was actually some form of sonar. Though when he brought this to the attention of the kaptin, he was summarily dangled over the edge of the bridge platform by his ankle, told no less than fourteen times that he was just a sniveling git that didn't want to fight, and that it was obviously just an asteroid before getting tossed aside.

So it was that they continued their advance.

So it was that they sailed past their so-called asteroid.

So it was that The Conception of Hope woke up from its feigned slumber. Its weapons flared into life and it struck the small group of Ork vessels like a fox in a henhouse. Lances flashed outwards, ripping open the hindquarters of the Stabba, spilling orkoid bodies and reactor gasses out into the void and causing the ship to immediately begin listing. The macro-cannons spouted death, punching holes into the flank of Lotza Led.

The Ork vessels hadn't even ignited any shields but they weren't quite done yet. Squigazauras was supremely out of position and attempted to pull itself around but Lotza Led completely ignored any defensive measures and instead fired all of its available cannons at the Hope. Solid shells sparked and flashed on the void shields of the Imperial vessel and in their fury at being blindsided, the raging Orks even fired some of their boarding torpedoes.

The still raised shields of The Conception of Hope resulted in those torpedoes doing nothing but leaving more bodies in the void as detritus.

The Imperial vessel knifed through the group with next to no resistance and immediately began bringing itself around, leaving Lotza Led aggressively trying to bring itself around while wounded and Tha Squigazauras Rekz only just managed to bring some of its weapons to bear, however they were fired into an unharmed series of void shields which held under the inaccurate volleys of shells.

Lances recharged, they slashed out again, carving through the Rekz's mid-decks, igniting several ammunition dumps and blowing out clouds of shrapnel from the Orky ship. A wave of macro-cannon shells finished the ship off, tearing the vessel in half before The Conception turned to finish the job on the others.

In the last moments on board the Squigazauras, the previously tossed around Mekboy could be found laughing uproariously at the captain who lay dead; impaled on a metal beam. He managed to call the corpse a git at least once before another ammunition depot ignited and blasted him straight into the void.

The two other wounded vessels did not last much longer against an unharmed Conception. A few more salvos and another flash of lance-fire and it was done. Three burning wrecks and nothing more was required.

As The Conception of Hope turned to head home, a trio of sleek, elegant vessels flew past. They were Aeldari destroyers but they recognised easily when their assistance wasn't needed and turned to head back into the Webway. They did send their regards however and congratulated The Hope on its fine hunting before vanishing.

'''Defend Arbour''' ''Kasputin (Success)''

Tranquility was always measured in moments. The void was still, the empyrean ebbed low and beneath the majestic shape of The Conception of Hope, the world of Verdance rotated languidly. A planet of rolling plains and gentle hills, fewer oceans than there were massive lakes and gurgling rivers that fed the vast amounts of farmland across the planet. Though Verdance wasn't a breadbasket world, it was a major textile supplier for The Arbour and its loss would cause some particularly unpleasant supply issues.

Stillness could only ever last so long. Space bubbled and frothed, arcs of sickly green energy spilled out from a point beyond Verdance's twin moons. Luckily the storm was small and short-lived, spitting out only a pair of Ork vessels, just as Arkangel intelligence had hoped for. However both of them were connected via heavy chains to what looked like asteroids bristling with gun emplacements and engines. This wasn't to be just a space battle, the Orks wanted something more. These were Rokz, filled with vehicles and warriors, ready for the first step in an invasion.

The Conception wasn't alone however and with some quick commands, the nearby troop carrier Fastidious turned and began moving to station. Within its holds, alarms sounded as the 1st Kasputin mobilised. Sergeants pulled their squads together and handlers moved their Scalebeasts into specially crafted transport shuttles to get them safely down to the surface. If the Orks got through, they'd find some particularly sharp teeth waiting for them.

Thrusters cycling to full power, The Conception of Hope started to advance, ready to pick off the Orky vessels before they could even think of attempting to land. The Imperial Vessel wasn't quite ready however for the enemy ships to detonate emergency charges on their flanks and suddenly veer to the side, whipping the rokz forwards whereupon they immediately fired their boosters and rocketed towards the planet, shattering the chains that had been used to drag them here. Bringing itself around on an emergency heading, The Conception managed to blast one of the 'asteroids' to pieces and damage the second but it had put itself wildly out of position as the two Ork combat ships began to advance on it.

There was no time to destroy the other rok, that was now up to the 1st Kasputin to deal with planetside. The Conception had two ships to contend with first. The first of them, Zappa-Kapow, had several large metal rods sticking out of its skin which began to draw in brilliant green lightning that flashed out like a hammerblow to scrape along the Hope's void shields, weakening them to dangerous levels. The other foe, Tha Meen Green Masheen, hits its afterburners and closed the distance, releasing shotgun blasts of shrapnel from massive prow-mounted cannons.

The lances of the Imperial light cruiser flared into life, white-hot energy scouring the prow and some of the starboard decks of the Zappa-Kapow as it tried to turn away from the beams, while the macro-cannons spat death at the Green Macheen, forcing it to turn aside and bring its weaker broadside weapons to bear, at least for the moment. The Conception had suffered for it however, the repeated shrapnel blasts had scored its armour and destroyed some of its point defence systems but it was still combat capable.

Coming around, The Hope managed to fire another blast of its lances into the Zappa as the Ork ship unleashed another lightning blast that heavily scorched The Hope’s prow, while the lances of Imperial vessel seemed to hit some kind of additional fuel source causing the engines of the Zappa-Kapow to flare blue sending the ship simply screaming away, seemingly unable to slow down or stop for the moment.

Now there was just one ship left and some extra fire to trade, damage would be taken but there would be no orbital support for the Orks, or Imperials, this day. The rest of the fight would be decided on the ground.

On the surface of Verdance the rok had slammed down into a cotton field like the fist of an angry God. It mostly shattered on impact, spewing out some unfortunate Orks who hit the ground in messy stains and scattering chunks of stone, dirt and metal across the massive field. There was already a frenzy going on as the Orks within got to work, grots unlatching doors and rapidly repairing what vehicles were left. It wasn't long before a fairly sizeable group of boyz, led by a few nobz, appeared and several wartrukks and a couple of Killa Kanz followed out behind them.

They weren't going to get far however as the cavalry arrived. From over a close-by hill came the first of the chimeras, painted in sharp sections of tan, green and grey. Behind them was a squadron of Sentinel Walkers armed with autocannons with slightly sour looking pilots as the final members of the advance force loped up the hill next to them.

Riding on large, two-legged raptor-like lizards, the Scale Riders of the 1st Kasputin looked almost hungrier than their mounts to bite into the Ork force. Each lizard was a slightly different colour with barely noticeable patterns across their scales, though each had also had warpaint applied by their riders to make them stand out from one another.

A moment later, a lieutenant's head popped up into the pintle mount of one of the Chimeras as he turned to look at the rest of them.

"They're disorganised for now, we got here in time. Now we just need to hold them for the rest of the lads to get here. Orks are nasty buggers so we're going to hit them hard and then pull back, don't get bogged down. Able, Baker, Charlie Scouts..."

At that two of the groups of Scale Riders turned, perking their heads up.

"Get inferno tips on your lances, you're hitting the boys out front. Dog Scouts, get melta tips on yours and take out those Kanz. Easy, I want your clankers dropping hell on the heads of those trukks, take them out or keep them blind, I don't care much either way. The rest of us are on containment, you know the drill, lets get to it chaps."

There was a chorus of affirmatives and a tense, charged energy to the air as the Riders changed the tips on their Lances. With preparations done, it was go time, though by now the Orks had spotted them and were already pulling around to try and charge their positions.

The 1st Kasputin wouldn't give them the chance.

The Chimeras charged and split, multi-laser turrets whining as they flashed out squealing beams of light at the Orks, grunts, curls of smoke and the thuds of bodies hitting the ground being the result. The Scale Riders charged directly ahead, overtaking Easy squad's Sentinels as they moved in, the first three squads of them gliding into a tightly drilled formation to cover the fourth squad who wouldn't be hitting the main force.

The lines closed in and the Orks were torn between who to shoot, some of them trying to fire at the Chimeras while some others tried in vain to take down some of the riders before they got too close, the shots were wild and inaccurate and any that came too close deflected off the hardened scales of the lizards.

"LANCES DOWN!"

The cry rang out and as one a bristling, moving wall of lances lowered into position just before they slammed into the mob of Orks. A rolling click sounded as the promethium charges on the lance-heads detonated, small explosives pushing them forwards into a burning, scouring wave of flickering red and orange death. Orks screamed as they burned, flailing into one another and simply spreading the scorching promethium around. Any that still stood after the lances were met with sharpened teeth and claws as the raptors leaped on them, tearing out throats and cleaving through skulls.

A few seconds of fighting the bewildered, and oft-burning, Orks and a hole had been punched through for the final squad of Riders to get through at the trio of Kans standing behind the main mob of Orks.

The lizards moved in, hunting in packs to surround and leap at the Orkoid walkers. Melta lances punched into steel coverings and buzzsaws tore riders apart but with flashes of extreme heat and spikes of molten metal punching inwards the Kanz had been torn apart and left to burn and melt where they stood. The Scale Riders pulled back as the Sentinels tore apart the last of the trukks with sustained autocannon fire, firing their lascarbines while deftly controlling the Lizards to pull them out of harm's way.

It was just the clean up left, and a whole swathe of land to burn to prevent the Orks from coming back but tranquillity would be restored.

If only for a few more moments.

==E17==

'''Defend J,1 from Crusader Fleet'''

With a roar, felt rather than heard, echoing across the star system the invaders crossed the barrier that separates reality from the Immaterium. This fleet of over armoured warships quickly used long range sensorums to hunt for enemy vessels, not to check for threats, but to look for targets.

They may be under orders to capture and destroy the industry of the planet before them but brutal combat is what the warriors of this fleet truly craved and yet another near defenceless system would be poor substitute for the clash and crash of true conflict. This time their prayers to The Star Father would be rewarded; sitting motionless in the void facing down the ships of Crusader Fleet was a mighty vessel of the Arkangel Fleet. It may only be a light cruiser by size but it flew the Flag of a member of The Captains Table, and the personal ships of the Lord Captains have consistently shown they should be considered a class of their own.

The Conception of Hope sat motionless relative to the rest of the system before the oncoming wave of adamantium, plasteel, and ceramite. As the ship from Arkangel waited, its command crew let out a breath they hadn’t realised they had been holding, tensely watching the attackers enter into optimal range for standard ships of their class yet nothing was sent their way. It seemed the briefings were correct, these ships had been modified to remove long range weaponry in order to fit the additional armour they bore. Torpedoes and lance beams shoot out from the light cruiser, like a smaller quicker boxer throwing jabs to get the range on its bigger opponent. Forces that could crack moons struck the oncoming behemoth flagship of the Dominion of the Star Father to little effect; the forward third of The Righteous Hammer of Cleansing Storm and Sacred Fury was armoured beyond belief even for a vessel of its size.

As the five vessels of Crusader Fleet spread like the fingers of a gauntleted hand reaching to crush a bug, The Conception of Hope finally sprung into full action. Engines roared to maximum thrust as it dove below the plane of the advancing adamantium fist. The Hammer and her grand cruiser consort The Eternal Radiance of the Guiding Star strained to make the sudden turn to chase but in addition to the extra armour the engines of these vessels were similarly enhanced and they could manage manoeuvres ships above cruiser would find impossible. Of the escorts only one attempted to chase and made the rapid turn with ease, The Righteous Deacon and Our Holiest Reward continued untoward the orbital smelters and processing plants that the fleet were sent to destroy. While they likely wished to join the chase with their sistership Faith Unbroken it was obvious they would not be needed since the Arkangel ship appeared to be fleeing as fast as it could towards the edge of the system.

Unfortunately for the invaders they were wrong, for The Conception did not stand alone. While the location where Crusader Fleet would enter the system could not be predicted, the location they would pass through as they pursued the ‘fleeing’ Dauntless class could.

With roar felt, and this time actually heard, by the ships caught in it the tear between the material and immaterial The Frank Exchange of Views joined the battle. The titanic forces unleashed by its arrival gave partial lie to the name of Faith Unbroken as its back snapped and the escort was torn in two. The Righteous Hammer of Cleansing Storm and Sacred Fury had four kilometres of it’s starboard hull stripped of armour and weapons but for a vessel of its size that could still be classed as minor damage, while The Eternal Radiance of the Guiding Star was unharmed by the sudden emergence. During this sudden reveal The Conception of Hope had not remained idle, in an act of masterful piloting and timing it had spun on the spot and was now driving toward the melee. Using the multiple long range lances that the class is famed for, the dauntless class light cruiser took brutal advantage of the newly stripped of armour sections on the wounded battleship. Beams of explosive light were driven like daggers into the body of the mighty warship, deeper and deeper searching for its nuclear heart and the killing blow.

The Frank Exchange traded close range blows with The Eternal Radiance. However a duel between a fencer with an epee and a brawler with a chainsaw can only end one way if the brawler has the size to endure the numerous small cuts and is quick enough to prevent the fencer escaping. Macro batteries, boarding torpedoes, and assault boats exploded from the flank of the grand cruiser into its smaller foe. The vaunted skill of the Imperial Navy had allowed them to attack in a precise manner but their forte was sudden devastating attack, this brutal grinding struggle was not. More and more they were being forced to redirect their broadsides away from the enemy ship to sweep the space between the vessels to stop additional waves of boarding troops. Telling damage was being done but not fast enough, the former Navis Imperialis aboard The Frank Exchange of Views could see where this trading of blows would lead, yet no thought of withdrawal was considered for the honour of the Fleet was at stake nevermind the loss of territorial integrity.

Salvation struck however, The Righteous Hammer of Cleansing Storm and Sacred Fury suddenly fled into the Warp for the damage being done to it by The Conception of Hope had become too much and to stay any longer was to invite destruction. Moments later the grand cruiser followed leaving the two ships of the Arkangel Fleet alone to take stock of the results of the attack, and the other reason for the withdrawal became obvious. The orbital industrial base of this system was now burning wreckage, the escorts which had continued on with their mission had made the most of their free run and smashed it all to pieces like petty children before fleeing far beyond the reach of the defending ships. As the Imperial command crews watched their sensorums The Righteous Deacon and Our Holiest Reward translated into the warp, mission accomplished even if the cost was greater than expected.

'''Defend L,2 from Assault Fleet'''

Like the glistening jewels of a necklace wrapped around a vulnerable throat, the hastily constructed planetary defence centres orbited the blue green world below. The orbiting PDCs bristled with weapons; lances, macro cannons, and torpedoes all waiting for the assault of the oncoming armada. These ships were once the Assault Fleet of the Blessed Multitude Trade Federation and while the name has stayed the allegiance has not. Now serving The Dominion of the Star Father they were here to reap a bloody toll on the planetary victim ahead of them.

As the enhanced overpowered weapons of Assault Fleet came into range, soldiers of the newly renamed 1st Arkangel Rifles also known as “Cartwrights Own” unleashed the weapons they had been given command and control of, and the space between the PDCs and attacking ships turned from empty void to destructive fire. This was not the sort of battle they were specialists in but they would be damned if they didn’t give it their all. Focussing their fire on the flagship cruiser officially known as CC001 but more commonly called Post-Dated Loan Check they were going by the simplest tactic of shooting the biggest one first in order to break command links and create chaos in the enemy battle plan. In return a paired escort sweep by Bad Penny and Loan Shark strafed the PDCs taking several of them out of service in a shockingly swift manner. Against most threats the recently constructed defences would have been more effective but the enhanced weapon systems universally installed in Assault Fleet could transfer too much damage too fast for the armour and simple void shields to handle.

As it looked like the battle would be swift and one sided a shuddering silent scream tore through the space at the heart of Assault Fleet and the other defender arrived. The Fist of Ichadon took mere moments for the sensorum operators to look around and decide they had arrived in the correct spot before the ship appeared to explode. Broadsides erupted from each flank and torpedoes loaded with the rest the “Cartwright’s Own” regiment backed up with specialist close range assault troops from the Dunrega gang who saw little difference between the inside of a hive or a voidship all reached out to strike the surprised DoS fleet.

The hull of Aggressive Negotiations, LCC002, buckled under the sudden onslaught removing it from the fight almost immediately as the starboard oversized macro cannons of The Fist hammered home, crippling the almost identical weapons the light cruiser had used to great effect in the past. While the escorts Gunpowder Diplomacy and Cutthroat Politics suffered brutal strikes from the port batteries of the Arkangel Fleets premier defence vessel but were able to return fire before they too were driven out of action, spewing atmosphere and pieces of superstructure like the blood of a wounded animal. The pointblank return fire from the escorts crashed through the void shields of The Fist of Ichadon, shattering armour plating and bulkheads as the close range brawler learned what its victims had felt from the ministrations of its own oversized macro cannons.

The boarding torpedoes had not been idle as this exchange of fire occurred and they drove like daggers into the hull of Post-dated Loan Check. Reports of brutal but successful room to room combat was transmitted back to the command deck on the fist before a single strange whisper came through the vox from the troops loaned by Lord Captain Cartwright. Muted in volume yet perfectly clear, the phrase, “The Anointed are here” was the prelude to sounds of screaming, inhuman roaring, and violence that the vox operators had to change the channel to protect the sanity of listeners from. When Dunrega assault troops were directed to investigate and support the Guardsmen on their withdrawal all they could find were dismembered bullet riddled corpses with no survivors. Whilst the soldiers of Cartwrights own were being annihilated the Dunrega boarders had managed to find several major munitions dumps in the heart of the cruiser and after setting them with tamper proof explosives fought their way to extract, able to watch the cruiser being gutted by internal explosions as they floated back to their home.

The cost was high, paid mostly by the warriors of the 1st Arkangel Rifles but the Dominion of the Star Father Assault Fleet was forced to flee, brutally crippled they will need extensive repair yard time in order to be battle worthy once more.

Capt. Cartwright

2025-02-02T16:05:01Z

Cartwright: /* Information Known by Arkangel Society */

{{PCSummary
|p=[mailto:nkwoodruff@googlemail.com Nick Woodruff]
|Race= Human
|Dynasty= Kasputin
}}

[[File:IMG 6412.JPG|thumb|[[Special:Upload|Update]] Courtesy of Ben Smith]]

''' Name: Lord Commander Nathaniel Reginald Carruthers Cartwright III'''

'''Dynasty: Kasputin Dynasty'''

'''Notable Traits: Generally quiet, observing those around him, tends to become more vocal when in combat or inebriated. Also an absolute troll with the dirty sense of humour of a line trooper '''

'''Titles: Lord-Captain of the Kasputin Dynasty, Lord-Commander beyond the Maw. formerly Captain of A Company (Mech Recce), 42nd Britannicus Stormtrooper Regiment. Scion Minoris of the Cartwright Family. Daddy Cartwright'''

__NOTOC__

== Information Known by Arkangel Society ==
[[File:IMG_1852.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Cartwright and Victrix]]
Was on attachment to the Kasputin Dynasty and was technically still a serving member of the Astra Militarum.

Was on the Conception of Hope, a Rogue Trader vessel that was trapped in the warp for around 100 years, though only a matter of weeks passed for those onboard.

Currently serving as the Lord-Captain of The Cartwright Dynasty after passing on the Kasputin Warrant and receiving the Warrant held by Tomas Rexuz.
[[File:IMG_2688.JPG|200px|thumb|left|Cartwright with the Kasputin Banner]]

== Lineage ==

[[File:IMG_2617.JPG|200px|thumb|right|FORWARD THE GUARD!]]
13th Child of Governor Elizabeth Cartwright, Planetary Governor of the Civilised World of Novabralter in the Britannicus Cluster. Due to ancient treaty, involving the 13th child of the line, he was sent to the planets Schola Progenium.

===Known Associates ===

Lady-Captain Victrix Raltus

Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel

The Victoria Dynasty

Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski

== Rumour ==

Closet Khornate.

Killed Lord-Captain Kasputin.

So Guard that he has forgotten he has a forename and not just his Surname and Rank.

Killed one of his cousins at the age of 10

== Quotes ==
* ''"Cartwright's a good officer; I know the type. I just hope he doesn't wind up like others of the type I've known."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"He is disciplined professional soldier. Under it though he hides a sense of humour and a good heart that makes up for that."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"A competent officer and steadfastly loyal, this however does not stop him from speaking out against stu... er... unwise decisions of superiors. or anyone else at that matter"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael]]
* ''"Give a Guardsman a gun and a reason to fire it, and he'll stop an army dead in its tracks. I've heard that saying more than once; I suspect the good Captain had a hand in inspiring it."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"I do not think well of soldiers. But I think well of him. He does what he does because his heart is good, not because someone told him to do it. I like that. I hope to stand at his side in more battles. He has a hunter's heart."'' - [[Skyfall]]
* ''"Wears all that body armour and carries all those weapons, and still leaves his legs bare. I just can't..."'' - [[Araquiel|Araq]]
* ''"FOR THE LOVE OF THE GOD-EMPEROR CARTWRIGHT USE A FUCKING TOWEL!!!" - on seeing him in her private spa, smoking a cigar ''- [[Lady_Navigator-Captain_Victrix_Raltus|Victrix]]
* ''"A solid operative. Easily a storm trooper in my previous vocation. Perhaps even agent material, back in the day."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"He's a dependable man in a fight and doesn't run when it gets tough, are you sure this man is an officer?"'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"I remember men like him in the Guard. Their lives were spent a little more carefully than they spent ours, maybe with a little more ceremony, maybe they would get their own box rather than sharing a pit with hundreds of others. But they were spent. The Imperium was built from his back and the backs of those like him. At least now there are people who know his true worth''" - [[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"He reminds me that I am a Guardsman. And he exemplifies the best of what that means. I hate how it happened, but I'm gonna love seeing a guy like that at the Captain's table."'' - [[Spider]]
*''"It is fortunate Captain Cartwright has decided against attempting to mount me to the prow of the ship. Now to keep him on '''his''' side of the ventilation system."'' - [[Unit 343-τω1Gj4κ “Twigjack”|Twigjack]]
*''"As I increasingly watch things change around me, and within me, I am reassured by his stable, familiar presence."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"I don't know him as well as I would like but I've met people like him in the Guard, ones that push others to achieve impossible feats for the Imperium by following their example. He will be a good Lord Captain. I also love that he has his own lascannon!"'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''" Caaaaartwright! Hey Cartwright! Wanna go do a thiiiiiiiiing?"'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]], usually while bouncing excitedly on the spot.
* ''" An true exemplar of the Guard both in spirit and action"'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''" Another one who plays the brave face but gives wide berth. I cannot fault his training."'' - [[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* ''"Such a genuine person! I wonder if he is just as much at peace with himself, too."'' - [[Araquiel]]
* ''"Nobility, loyalty and dicipline. I look forward to calling him friend."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"There is only one man in the entire universe I would rather have at my back in a fight. To any who know me that should be enough said about Lord-Captain Cartwright." [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"I can only hope he that when his vengeance comes he will let me fight by his side as a friend."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"So....I can come and help you, right? Wherever you're going looking for her?"'' - a surprisingly serious [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]] following an encounter with daemonic forces in a bunker.
* ''"Still reliable after all this time. And still alive. I can't say that about many."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"And if I told you that you had to go beyond where you were willing to go? Would you still do this thing?"'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"NATHANIEL CARTWRIGHT YOU GET BACK HERE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN THE DARK!"'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]], trying to keep up with a charging Cartwright.
* ''"Apparently he was a real meathead when he was younger, which is kind of reassuring for the rest of us meatheads. Maybe I can still be like him when I grow up."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"He gave me a prank over a hundred years in the making. He gave me a command - an ambition I gave up on a hundred-odd years ago. Most importantly, he gave me a bag of dirt, and a vision of the future. For all he says he's just the delivery boy for half of that, I say one stupid dangerous search-and-rescue op doesn't make us even. He gets as many as it takes."'' - [[Spider|Colonel Summers, Recon and Psychic Division, Imperial Guard Beyond the Maw]]
* ''"If he worries Artemisia like that again I will shoot him myself... but he does seem like a good man, and a gifted combatant."'' - [[Alexandra Euphemia Blake]]
* ''"Regiments will be named after this man. His likeness will be carried into battle on standards of gold and adamant. And still it will not be enough to honour his worth."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"I've seen injuries like that before on the battlefield. What I have never seen is someone survive them, this is what a hero of the Imperium is."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"An excellent comrade in arms. I like him very much. I'm glad he's learned how to eat a scone though..."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]

* ''"I am relieved that we have the the Cartwright I know back. His youthful mindset was interesting, but he ate scones without any mind for etiquette or class." '' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"There is much I could say for this man, but anything beyond he is my friend seems redundant."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Few people I would rather have at my side in combat, or when I am hurt. I can only hope that he and [[Erasmus Bloom|Blue]] manage to find a way to ignore each other."'' - [[Skyfall]]
* ''"A DAMNED BLOODY FOOL! Ran off into the emperor damned night for a one on one bandy with some Fething Necron! Got his arm flayed off!... putting the augmentic on was fun BUT THATS BESIDE THE POINT! I need to keep a closer eye on him "'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|X.O. Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"He left us..."'' a momentarily lost for words [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]] during the House Ingamar Navigator tests
* ''"The augmetic arm does not seem to have slowed him down. Solidly impressed with his stealth capabilities are also still sharp."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|X.O. Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"For a big man, he is surprisingly sneaky."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"Cartwright had some interesting observations on duty and freedom. I would like to continue to the conversation when he is more present..."'' - [[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
*''"Put a gun to my head at my own table. Lucky for me it was only bottle of brandy. Lucky for him my boys didn't skin him. Either way the audacity warmed my black and wizened heart, it was a real 'motherfucker' move. I'll need to return the favour.''" - [[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"He honours me with the title guardsmen as if I am an equal. Never has there been a more grounded Lord Captain."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"That I am one that he trusts will almost certainly be his downfall; that he does touches me more than I can say however."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"This mad fucking bastard nutted a Necron to death. Soul of a warrior. If he didn’t have a tribe of his own..."'' - [[Spider]]
* ''"Seems like a nice guy. Affable. Salt of Holy Terra. But he also seems like a former captain of an Stormtrooper regiment, so I wouldn't count on 'nice' to save you when the chips are down."'' - [[Sgt. Iago Lennon|Sgt. Iago Lennon]]
* ''"You felt the hand of fate, its weight, its power. But know that true power is in the knowing..."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"Loyal to a fault, a true man of the Guard. Also one of the finest tastes of booze and food, glad to have him as an anchor to back home."'' - [[Decius Crane]]
* ''"He was stuck on the Conception of Hope dealing with things this landing. At least he wasn't running off into the night and losing body parts...I should probably still go check though."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Nice hat!"'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"You can take the man out of the Guard..."'' [[Anahita]]
* ''"Thank you for your service."'' - Unknown
* ''"He is a great friend, I am glad to have been given a chance to pay that friendship back, even if it is just a nice suit."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Sometimes you need a duel to really clear the air."'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair|Artemisia]]
* ''"MY EYES! Was that dazzle camouflage or an act of Max?! How can you be that intoxicated and still fight competently? HOW!?"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Another excellent deployment, and a reminder that his crew are excellent too."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"As a warrior he is a man to fear as he charges towards you. As a surgeon he is also a man to be feared when he charges towards you." '' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"If anyone is a solid core of the Rogue Trader dynastic crews, and whose loss would feel like a piece of the heart of the fellowship had been ripped out, it would be this man."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"A lot of people are what he is; he's the only one who is who he is. It's a good combination."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"We have seen another side of you now and even through its distasteful actions was a deep unchangeable loyalty to the Empire. Keep hold of that it will strengthen you at need."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Well, that was a very eventful few days, wasn't it. I will still fight alongside you and trust you unhesitatingly with my back - but it would be a lie to say that I am not disappointed."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"I don't think we did the wrong thing, but I just can't help but feel we didn't do the right thing either..."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"No hope in all the Void I'm saluting this man. Not because I don't respect him, but cos Id have to say "Yes Daddy"."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"For someone so decisive in battle, he really took his time to make that decision."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Mmmm....I think it's a very army thing to have a conflicted psycho-sexual identity. They are very keen on thinking of themselves as leather clad badasses, who glower a lot and may have some unspecified measure of darkness in their soul. But, you know, they also secretly all want cuddles and will invariably find themselves distracted by trying to rescue a void marten trapped in Arkangel's roof. I'd be tempted to put Cartwright in that category. He does brandish a standard with great panache, however."'' - [[Octavia Viria Lupus|Octavia Viria Lupus]], in helpful conversation with [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair|Artemisia]]
* ''"If I were forced to express an opinion, it would be good for them. But luckily there are enough opinions being shared that I'm not."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"He's getting shot again if Sterling loses any more limbs under his orders, but I'll avoid anything important. I like him."'' - [[Alexandra Euphemia Blake]]
* ''"A brother in arms, it is an honor to have him at my side both in the field as the Scorpion and soon as my best man for the wedding."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Always doing what is before him needing to be done. An exemplar."'' - [[Stenberg|Missionary Stenberg]]
* ''"'''Excellent''' brother-in-law material. I could stand to spend more time with him."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"He did not sustain any lasting physical trauma this landing which is good, but he did fail a pair bonding, I will have to find the manual of "broken hearts"."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I fear that you offer me a loyalty, a friendship even, that I shall not be able to repay, in the end."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"A terrible influence on my husband... and his truest friend. We are lucky to know him."'' - [[Alexandra Euphemia Sterling]]
* ''"Truly the greatest Best Man I could ask for. Both a close friend and battle brother."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"His blade and gun bring the Emperor's justice on our enemies. I would always call him friend."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"I do understand why you feel a need for gallows humour... as I hope you understand there are lines I will not cross. Perhaps one day I may tell you why - but please do not make that necessary."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"I think this makes him my oldest friend. He did somewhat cheat though."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"You know, you probably would look good in a navy uniform..."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"I wonder how long it'll take him to find ALL of those tattoos."'' -[[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''"Honestly, I didn't really pay attention to him before - except for that delightful hat - but he's actually all right." - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"The insistence with which he attempted to force a pair boding between myself and Severina was... I am concerned for his mental state"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael]]
* ''"I fear we may all take you for granted too much."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"...Honestly? Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to inspire me. But it happened."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"That stupid hall of mirrors creepy voices had deeply out of date information. Stupid mirrors. Stupid timing."'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''" ... look, I appreciate the bomb collar Lord-Captain, and the need for it, but as a fellow guardsman seeing the look on your face I knew I was in for some ''character building''. Welp, sucks to suck, so FOR THE GUARD! "'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"All Im saying is if I knew how much you were getting around at the time, I'd of used tongue"'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"That's Certainly a creative place to hide your grenades."'' -[[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''" '''Looks at the fellow guardsman. A loud silence.''' "'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"He is reliably him. In over a century I've known how he would react. That is comforting."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Once more he has proven to be a loyal and courageous member of the expedition. Without them we would be lost."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"The Emperor Taketh and the Emperor Giveth, and I can bloody well taketh a hint"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"There are times I wonder on the magnitude of your... let's call it 'humour'. Then you do something else, and for a time, I cease."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"And you thought you could get away from me that easily."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"For all the shenanigans with Rogue Trader warrants, I do treasure him as one of my few remaining touchstones from times past."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]

== OOC Information ==

'''Player: Nick Woodruff'''

'''Inspirations:A Bridge Too Far, The Longest Day, Zulu, Ice Cold in Alex. The bugnuts insane stories of family members who fought in WW2'''

'''Soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1i0frWyovguZ8V9k5zAR9x '''

[[Category:Characters]]

Stenberg

2025-01-29T15:00:31Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

{{PCSummary
|p=[mailto:maakeff@googlemail.com Mark]
|Race=Human
|Dynasty=Cerastes
}}

[[Image:Spacepope.jpg|thumb|Archbishop Stenberg speaks on posterity.]]

'''Name:''' Emsat Praxides Stenberg.

'''Dynasty:''' [[Cerastes]].

'''Titles:''' His Most Venerable Arch-Bishop of the Diocese of Arkangel, Cerastes Head of Chaplaincy & Executive Officer, Missionary ''(former)'', Arch-Exorcist ''(retired)''.

__NOTOC__

==Information Known by Arkangel Society==
* Recently arrived through the Maw.
* Carries a large, worn but ornate, Squat-forged thunder hammer - named "'''''His Divine Judgement'''''".
* Carries a prayerbook bound in blood-red leather.
* Always willing to make time for the confessions or unburdening of those faithful to The Golden Throne.

==Lineage==
* Born on an unimportant world of no especial note, biological parentage not recorded, officially a Ward of The Ecclesiarchy.

[[Image:Stenbergsbattleface.jpg|left|thumb|Archbishop Stenberg speaks on holy violence.]]

==Known Associates ==
* [[Rafi|Rafi Borovich]]
* [[Capt. Cartwright|Lord-Commander Cartwright]]
* [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy Jones]]
* [[Mac|Lord-Captain Malvoisin]]
* [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Orderly Officer Sterling]]
* [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Blair]]
* Pietro Borovich
* Technical Specialist Barker
* Navigator Tresties
* [[BoomChucka]]
* [[Tomas J Rexuz|Lord-Captain Rexuz]]
* [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman|Lord-Captain Tollman]]
* Navigator Verona
* [[Aurelian Verontius]]

[[Image:Stenberg7.jpg|thumb|Missionary Stenberg strides into battle.]]

==Rumours==
* Was 'asked' to 'retire'.
* Has not retired at all.
* Came through the Maw as a punishment.
* His name is on the roll of candidates for Ecclesiarch.
* Has worked alongside the Inquisition.
* Has exorcised Inquisitors.
* Has been invited inside The Imperial Palace.
* Refused to enter The Imperial Palace.
* Has undergone more life-extension than he remembers.
* Has undergone more mind-wiping than he knows.
* Still knows too much.
* Still cares about humanity.
* Gives precisely zero fucks about anything anymore.
* Carries a pair of coins... one of which bears the Imperial Aquila, and one of which will be shown to no-one.

[[Image:Stenberg3.jpg|left|thumb|Missionary Stenberg speaks on His divine judgement.]]

==Quotes==
* ''"The hammer that shatters that which is glass... tempers that which is steel."'' - [[Stenberg|Emsat Stenberg]]
* ''"It was good enough for the martyrs and it's good enough for me."'' - [[Mac|Lord-Captain Macharius Malvoisin]]
* ''"Their faith is clear enough that I knew he was of the cloth before being introduced. I was not disappointed when I was. He will be an asset to the Fleet I have no doubt."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Finally! Some good, old-fashioned, fire and brimstone preaching. I like this man already."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"Seems like a proper "psalms and bayonets type" Preacher. Good"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Quiet, at least to me. I did notice him listening into one of my conversations with the other preacher. I suspect I will not enjoy the silence forever."'' - [[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* ''"I did not realise I missed that kind of certainty. When he spoke during the memorial, for a little while, I forgot how complicated everything is out here. It was nice."'' - [[Rafi]]
* ''"A fine Orator. He will make a fine addition to the fleet. We will have need of such a man in future"'' - [[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"Refreshingly a man of pure faith. I am interested to see how long that it lasts."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"It is good that such a man is here. It was... weird, to hear him compliment my ceremony, though. I never expect more than tolerance from the mainstream Ecclesiarchy for the kindsa ways and means we have in the Drifter Fleet. But I guess out here shit is so far down the other end of the scale that where I am and where he is looks pretty close together."'' - [[Spider]]
* ''"While I normally find priests painfully banal, Stenberg has an air of actual faith and authority to him... Wonder how long before he starts engaging in Max or Erasmus's debauchery."'' - [[Decius Crane]]
* ''"How do I know if I did the right thing?"'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"You are actually '''really''' funny. Love it."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Fortunately more tolerant of psykers than some of his brethren, and seems to do what he does competently."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"A solid warrior priest, humble in action, pious in word and where he was needed for the whole landing. A credit to the Imperial creed"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Fuck. What kind of question is that? You could at least wait until I've had my coffee..."'' - [[Rafi]]
* ''"Surprisingly stealthy for a man head to toe in white."'' - [[Anahita]]
* ''"Beyond the line is a difficult place for those used to around the faithful. Remember to share the burden with those of Faith or you will be brought down by the burden and fall."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"An incredibly wise and patient man, especially for us sinners who keep forgetting his name."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"He _is_ the 'Gun Mountain', unless there are Orks around, then he's the 'Dakka Mountain'."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"Your words settled something within me and now I feel more sure than ever of my purpose here."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"We all bring something to this merry cohort, be it experience, weaponry, dark knowledge or vast wealth, I believe Stenberg truly brings the Emperors Light into the dark places we walk, for that we should all be grateful. "'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"A man of unshakable faith and iron determination, whom I have only seen waver once and that instance involved a personality altering traumatic brain injury"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"We have to be better than that out here. Because what is back through the Maw is sick, it is not what He intended."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"If only our species prejudice had not robbed us of the time to debate our views. A keen mind sharpened by their faith."'' - [[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* "''Archangel has needed man of Faith for some time. One day he will have back of iron to truly make him great."'' - [[Magos Karchev]]
*"''Beneath his gaze, I am transparent. He has been fire and fury when I needed it the most. He has calmed my troubled mind. Should I ever return, I trust he will do the right thing should I have fallen too far.''" - [[Anahita]]
*"''His faith is deep and seems unshakable. That is more than I can claim, but he never Served so there are some things he doesn't understand. I hope there is still a chance at friendship, I would like that a great deal.''" - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"I understand his disgust, but I am not ashamed of doing what needed to be done."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"There is no Faith now, only Truth. Is this what's its like for you all the time? Is this the source of your fire?"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Huh, I can see why you have chased this high."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Few have a voice that can resonate with the hearts of the faithful with such passion."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Aheheheheh a little more time and you will be either cracking dirty jokes with us or trying to beat me to death with that hammer"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Preachy hoomie gonna preach. But he don't 'alf swing that 'ammer right 'ard!"'' - [[Wruturd]]
* ''"If anyone's going to be a Hearstbane Bane, it'll be Stenberg."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"I am torn between hoping you're wrong about me, and hoping that you're right."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Sometimes it's nice to look around and see he's got my back. But I don't '''need''' to look. It's just nice."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"He remains a man of faith so strong he can inspire all that hear his words. His presence is both reassuring and bolstering"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"You can try sheen my soul up a bit and I'll give you lessons in a soldiers humour, sound like a deal?."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"His faith is unshakable."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"The rock on which Arkangel sits."'' - [[Octavia Viria Lupus]]
* ''"Flaming fiery wrath! Don't wear anything flammable if you're on his bad list."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"My time on that shithole had very little to recommend it, but watching Stenberg give that mad fucker the ol' one-two was one of the few highlights."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"I can think of no better man for the job. He has my absolute support."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"Your Words ment a great deal exactly when I required them, thank you."'' - [[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''"Not one real person in the rest of the universe has his kind of patience. '''Trust me.'''"'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"A bastion of Faith that never waivers in his duty. If not for his fortifying words steadying my hands and those of others, many would have died this Landing."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"To set fire to the heretic is a duty. But to stoke the flames of faith within your fellows like that is a gift."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"To see him at the Sanguinalia gathering was comforting, but to see a joyful smile on that usually stern face..."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I shall be forever thankful for the words that he has given me. Though my faith in the God-Emperor has never been shaken, my belief in my own future was questioned. But his words, and his compasssion, reminded me to trust in the God-Emperor's plans."'' - [[Tempus]]
* ''"Quite possibly the best person I've ever met. I'm so grateful he's my Confessor - moreso that he's my friend."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"I don't know why he chose to extend his protection to me in that fight, I'm sure there were more important people for it. But I'm grateful nonetheless."'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''"Now more then ever, he shows his faith in those who fight for the light of the God-Emperor. Thank you."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"And I thought it was Max I was going to have to worry about . . . (Regarding the Brides of Khorne)"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I have learned a great deal recently. And one of the things is that everyone casts a shadow. What matters is how bright your faith burns to overcome it."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"I will be in need of your words. We all, will be in need of your words. I fear these dark times ahead."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"If this is anything like what he used to do, I don't know how he stood it. I know I barely can."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"The care he shows for his flock is admirable, but his rousing speeches truly inspire them."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"If the others had been like him, I might have taken a more gentle path."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"You bring a strength of spirit wherever you go, when you walk beside me into the darkest parts of this univeress I feel His strength walk beside us."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"I... Respect his dedication and his abilities. We're never going to like each other much, but we can work together. And we'll need to. - [[Evangeline Jerobaal Non|Evangeline]]
* ''"I'mma plant me some dates."'' - [[Stenberg|Space Pope Stenberg]]
* ''"I hope our respective paths never get to the point where we are in contention."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Fuck spiders, Bish! I never thought i'd hear such a phrase in a sermon. I evidently haven't being paying enough attention at the Cathedral services"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]

[[Image:Stenberg1.jpg|left|thumb|Missionary Stenberg speaks on faith.]]
[[Image:Stenberg2.jpg|thumb|Missionary Stenberg speaks on death.]]

== OOC Information ==

'''Player:''' Mark Fairbrother.

'''Inspirations:''' Patriarchs Bergsten & Emban from The Elenium & The Tamuli by David Eddings.

'''Soundtrack:''' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7GqDZiI7d4 Gregorian Chant], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tgi-j56ueU?t=152 the charge of the Rohirrim].

'''Photographs:''' [https://www.twitch.tv/agentbsmith Ben Smith, with gratitude]

[[Category:Characters]]

Evangeline Jerobaal Non

2025-01-27T15:02:56Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

Slate "Scrapjack" Duster

2025-01-26T18:22:44Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

{{PCSummary
|p=[Mailto:anatos.goddard@googlemail.com Tony Goddard]
|Race=Human
|Dynasty=Dunrega
}}
[[File:Slate pose1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|]]
'''Name:''' Slate Duster - also known as Scrapjack

'''Dynasty:''' [[Dunrega]] (formerly [[Summers]])

'''Notable Traits:''' Looks like he belongs in a Hive

'''Titles:''' Lord Captain, Rogue Trader
[[File:Slatepowerarmour2.jpg|309px|thumb|right|Slate in power armour]]
[[File:Slatebolter.jpg|309px|thumb|right|Bolter and bracers!]]
[[File:ThingsGoBoom.jpg|309px|thumb|right|Things that make you go Boom!]]
[[File:Slatepaintrain.jpg|309px|thumb|right|Pain Train Incoming!]]

__NOTOC__

== Information Known by Arkangel Society ==
* Hailing from Hive Ichadon Secundus on the now dead world (following Exterminatus Extremis) Dunrega VI.
* Former miner and member of a local gang.
* Slate has joined up with the Drifter Fleet, along with other survivors of his homeworld.
* Joined the Summers Dynasty as part of Spiders retinue.
* Received his Warrant of Trade abruptly
* Renamed and re-organised the Dynasty

== Lineage ==
Born in the lower levels of a Hive, he has never been considered to be anything but "Hiver scum". No education and no prospects of rising up the spires. He was taught how to use demolitions and how to fight. The rest, he picked up on the way. As part of the drifter fleet, he has picked up some of their rotes and traditions

===Known Associates ===

* Alexi Borovich
* [[The Borovich Family]]
* [[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* [[Von Den Tötten]]
* Reyna "Canary" Steelcat
* "Crow"
* Ollanius Marcarius Cain "Stitches" Oskan
* "Cables"
* [[Spider|Lord Captain/Shaman Summers]]
* [[Sgt. Iago Lennon]]

== Rumours ==
* Had a vision from the Emperor that he would one day become Lord-Captain of his own Dynasty
* Slate turned the former president of the Dock Workers Union into a servitor
* Tattooed several Lord Captains and their crews following a drunken and rowdy celebration
* Has a kill counter built into his power armour
* Despite being jovial, has a brutal and cruel side
* Is addicted to combat drugs

== Quotes ==
[[File:Slatesitting.png|200px|thumb|left|Lord Captain Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]

* ''"Only just met the chap, but I can see he knows his way around improvised explosives. wonder where he picked that skill up?"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"A new Lord Captain, hmm? Interesting. What will he add to this company, I wonder."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"A decent warrior and all round competent from what I have seen so far. I will be watching his career as a lord Captain with great interest"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"One of the common workers turned Noble and Rogue Trader. It will be interesting to see how this works out."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"As a previous FNG, I have to say he's doing as well as I did; maybe better."'' - [[Mac]]
*''"Seems like a capable captain. Totally different perspective, and I like that in a person."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"You have my attention, and not in a bad way."'' - [[Stenberg|Missionary Stenberg]]
* ''"He led competently and was skilled on those missions I went on with him."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Scum of the Earth? Absolutely. But that's '''Lord-Captain''' Scum of the Earth to you, and you'll remember that he holds that Title and my respect for a reason."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"My third favourite Lord Captain, I think. Hold his friendship close when the night is dark and your back is against a wall."'' [[Octavia Viria Lupus]]
* ''"A competent leader if not in the style I am not used too. Efficient in combat. I find myself keen to work with him in future."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"OK, he's a ruffian, but he's our ruffian and we like him."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"As a Lord Captain he is unique, but as an artist he is a travesty. " '' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"I'd query where he acquired '''that''' but I think the clue is in his name; it's certainly rusty enough."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I do not know if it is powered armour or just fat slabs of metal strapped to him, whichever it is his courage wearing it into battle is worthy of the Emperor himself."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"We should talk - I would learn about how I can help you, support you, before it becomes a regret."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"He has taken the warrant and run with it. Glad to have him with us, a solid dependable man of action."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"A wonderful test subject, though I should really try teach him a broader vocabulary to describe side effects more efficiently."'' - [[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''Under...well...'''all that''' he seems thoughtful. Plus, what a whallop."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"I am uncertain as to whether I should be concerned at the enthusiasm with which he consumed experimental combat stimulants. Despite the side effects he remained a competent leader... I will keep an eye for now"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"It is not by accident that you were never taught these things, it is by design. I shall give you that which you were denied, because it is right that I do so."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"While I understand the 'concerns' of my techpriest companions, I have to admit. To mow down the enemies of the Imperium alongside the Lord-Captain is an experience."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"A dirty and brutal fighter as appropriate to his world. Some would hold it against him but do not. Whatever gets the job done in the emperors name"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Your growing crew, their natures and their character, speaks silent volumes."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"Consider your next steps. Consider, will you be a just ruler or a tyrant?"'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"Your crew love you. If I knew nothing else, that would be enough.'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"This is why I love void siege warfare. We need to do that again sometime."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"...I did NOT need to hear the things I heard."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"And then I saw a Rabbit . . . ."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]

== OOC Information ==

'''Player:''' Tony Goddard

'''Inspirations:''' Jayne Cobb (Firefly), Tony Montana (Scarface), Tyler Durden (Fight Club), typical House Orlock ganger

'''Soundtrack:''' https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3fdnIhtphB8VkJm1KjB87u?si=625febb81f474068

[[Category:Characters]]

Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander

2025-01-26T18:15:53Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

{{PCSummary
|p=[mailto:email@site.com Matthew Tait]
|Race= Human
|Dynasty= Alexander
}}

[[Image:Rt.png|thumb|Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander]]

'''Name: Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander'''

'''Dynasty: Alexander'''

'''Notable Traits: Fun loving, Extravagant dresser'''

'''Titles: Primarus Psyker, Lord Captain'''

__NOTOC__

== Information Known by Arkangel Society ==

Born on a heavily industrialised imperial world he was brought to the black ships at a young age. As soon as he was free he was recruited as a psyker specialist to a mercenary company serving as an anti psyker assassin.

He left not long after the company was hired by Lord Captain Alexander Winter Alexander. Seeing the opportunity for new freedoms, a chance to see things no one else could and operate under the protection of an imperial warrant he joined his crew. It did not take long for him to descend into a life of decadence and over indulgence.

Currently on Arkangel he is openly critical of the dockworkers union, if they want a say at the table they should earn a warrant like the rest of us, everyone needs to accept their place. He also has little respect for the University, stupid children playing with things they have no clue about.

Maximillion was not originally in the line of succession for the Alexander Warrant. No one is quite sure how he came by the Alexander but several notable administratum officials have verified the validity of his claim and there has so far been no complaints from Seraph where the Dynasties main holdings are.

== Lineage ==

He has no notable lineage.

===Known Associates ===

He has has close ties to the Palawi.

He is know to spend a lot of time with the mercenaries of Charon's Thunder Free Company.

[[Skyfall]] They were once increadably close, after a large confrontation they are not seen near each other very often and when they are it is only barely cordial.

[[Pippan D'Emma]] - His primary navigator and one of the few people that can get him to curtail the more extreme of his excesses.

[[Araquiel]] - His formar 'Chief Engineer' after bribing him to let him onto his crew he is not sure what role he actually performs on his ship, Araquiel has however proven himself to be immensely useful so he does not question it him too much.

[[Damian]] "Baby Doc" - Often found fussing of Max after he has done something silly to hurt himself or overdosed. Damian is probably his best friend.

Frog - Ribbit

== Rumours ==

His coat is actually is possessed by an archdeamon of the Lord of Excess. Max himself merely being the vessel it controls.

His debauchery is all an act to hide a cunning mind and make his enemies understimate him.

He is actually a talented Mechanic.

He has fallen to chaos and is playing the long game to bring down Arkangel as a Champion of the plague father.

He is a nascent saint and is only waiting for the correct time to martyr themselves in the Emperors name.

Bzzzz

== Quotes ==
* ''"Have you tried snorking?"'' - ''Himself''
* ''"That Max legitimately considers huffing Ork spores a viable pastime should be all you need know of the Lord Captain. Some may see foolhardiness and decadence; I prefer to see courage and fortitude."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"I don't know what everyone's complaining about, I say that guy's a snappy dresser."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Peel the orange!"'' - -[[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* ''"Much cleverer than people think he is, because they do not understand him. I do not blame people for not understanding. His mask is very good. But he is one of the saddest people I know." '' - [[Skyfall]]
* ''"He's like a Vostroyon Cyber-Peacock with a drug addiction. Fantastic brain, just surprised he hasn't managed to melt it out of his skull"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"So, yeah, reckon it turns out Captain Fancy Pants is not ''all'' sparkle. Kinda reminds me of my first Lord-Captain. Not sure either of them'd like the comparison."'' - [[Spider]]
* ''"Fetch me the name of this man's tailor. Someone's about to get '''PAID!''' '' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"Stop it. Just stop. Now. Get the fuck over it and move on, or I'll make sure the air filtration units in your room only ever blow unscented, basic, unflavoured, undrugged, normal air ever again."'' - [[Araquiel|Araq]]
* ''"I've had hangovers that hurt less than looking at his jacket. Still though, I haven't died everytime I've psychically linked with him so it's not all bad."'' - [[Lady_Navigator-Captain_Victrix_Raltus|Victrix]]
* ''"Patience."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"That outfit is an excellent distraction but what is going on underneath I wonder?"'' - [[Sireena Cerastes|Lord-Captain Sireena Jocasta of the Blood of House Cerastes]]
* ''"At first I think he is just a fop. Then I think he is fop and usless drug addled wreck. Then I think he is drug addled fop who can turn you inside out with a blink of his eye. Now I think he is somthing else. He has more layers than the underhive''"* -[[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"Im not sure if his attire is Fashion or an attempt at dazzle camouflage. He outwardly seems to be a hedonistic aristocrat but I've seen hints something underneath that'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Lieutenant-Surgeon Azrael]]
* ''"Observation: Well protected against assassination. Just remove the coat."'' - [[Unit 343-τω1Gj4κ “Twigjack”|Twigjack]]
* ''"He frequently gets what he wants. He just doesn't want the same things as most of us."'' - [[Erasmus Bloom]]
* ''"Rawr! "'' - [[Regimental Mascot Elizabeth]]
* ''"I used to berate him for his risky habits as a psyker. I no longer feel I have any sort of moral high ground on this subject, given what I just did...and plan to do."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"There is a point where the intensity of human anguish becomes... sad."'' - [[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* ''"All the world's a stage, but sometimes it is best to not peek behind the curtain and see true pain."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"He does NOT have to move his chair back just for you!"'' - Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair, getting surprisingly angry in defense of [https://wiki.norestforthewicked.org.uk/Orderly_Officer_Charles_Bernard_Sterling Sterling]
* ''"I am hard on Max. For two reasons: I am an asshole and because he has yet to fulfill his potential. Hopefully he will achieve his destiny before he sets me on fire."'' - [[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"In clear need of some Psychological care. The Medicae Manual prescribed hug and "There there" was insufficient."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"As odd as it is to me, I was rather perturbed by seeing him less than his usual, depraved chipper self. Damned if I know how to help him, not my bailiwick, hope he gets things sorted."'' * - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I used to think he knows exactly what he is doing, every moment, every day. Now, I know better."'' - [[Araquiel]]
* ''"Remember who you are. Remember that you are '''Lord Captain''' Maximillion Alexander."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"Just when I had given up on him, he redeemed himself with nothing but a ''look''. God Emperor help me, but I'll see him realise his greatness even if it kills me."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"This it's just a flesh wound." While intestines are falling out of a gaping stomach wound'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Thought those Crom bastards had got him at one point, fellow looked a mess in surgery. Didn't realise how much he had grown on me."'' * - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I...don't understand him. I thought I did. I think he worries me. Or I'm worried for him."'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''"Better than before. But is the butterfly the final stage or is there at least one more chrysalis?"'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"He needs help, but I don't know who can help him. The rest of us just have to keep him safe until that person turns up."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"He goes through life as if sleepwalking. One day, he will awaken."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"Damm, all those people. I'm not sure what I can do to help him, but whatever it takes, Hell, even if I have to keep him company on a month long bender"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"It's done. It's over. You ruined it."'' - [[Skyfall]]
* ''"Stand tall and do not let others push you around. When Max learns this we will see what he is made of."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"I was curious as to why he so vehemently did not want pain relief and then someone pointed out that he "gets his rocks off to the pain"... I don't know what to think about this... may have to review his psy report"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Certainly makes an impression - and there is definitely a place for that, this far from the bastions of the Imperium."'' - [[Stenberg|Missionary Stenberg]]
* ''"Do you trust me?"'' - [[Romeles_Uriel_Corinthian_Blair|Lord Captain Blair]]
* ''"It was interesting to experience Narcotics under his "supervision". Not sure what to say about his casual experimentation with Frenzon however"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I'd say he might grow a little now, but either way his public face will stay the same."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Nah, what I'm sayin' is - I went round to see him, and he poured the wine without using his hands. ''That's'' what kinda bloke a TK is."'' - [[Spider]], using Max to illustrate a drunken theory about psykers.
* ''"Drugs... so many drugs... At least they're good ones. Wait, this recorder isn't on rig-"'' - [[Decius Crane]]
* ''"Clearly terrible habits and the worst gun safety I've ever seen, but very friendly and willing to step up and offer aid when required, even (or especially) when it's something experimental."'' - [[Alexandra Euphemia Blake]]
* ''" It appears behind the buffoonery there is more to this man. "'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"If you're bored then you're boring. Or maybe just a challenge..."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Next time, _don't_ keep taking the bloody drugs!"'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Remains an undisciplined Psyker who has given into his own excesses. For all that he still has value..."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Going to get someone killed one day, maybe even me."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"He must have worth beyond his easily-visible façade. He must. Those who follow him do not do so blindly, nor do they seem fools."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"He is intelligent. Moreso than many give him credit for. He has an excellent tailor and trust me when I say that people don't dress that brightly unless they're covering something deep and dark."'' [[Anahita]]
* ''"None of us'' needs ''to be anything. But Max'' deserves ''to be happy. And right now he doesn't even know what happy is."'' [[Augustronomos Corophasian-Ingamar-Vicher]]
* ''"WHAT DID YOU DO TO CARTWRIGHT! MY EYES STILL BURN!"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Hahaha, good show that man! reminds me of cutting loose in the old days, I shall have to repay him in kind, I do like a good jape!"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"He reminds me too much of an old friend. If he keeps it up he will end up with a similar fate."'' [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"I'll stand with him until the end, which I fear may come too soon."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"And how will you face the approach of that final curtain, Lord-Captain? Please continue to remember that you need not face it alone."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"There is still time. Just maybe not much."'' - [[Mac|Lord-Captain Macharius Malvoisin]]
* ''"Strength, I finally saw the strength of Lord Captain Maximillion's soul when we came back twisted with Kane Gas"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"He'z pretty flash 'imself. I guess. But all together too squishy! I fink that coat wood look better on me...don't ye fink..hur hur hur!"'' - [[Wruturd]]
* ''"I made what has proven to be a mistake, with you. I would like to correct it - if you will allow me."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"He's becoming so dependable that I'm actually stating to get a little worried . . . ."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Really should get him a block of good fresh Scrape to try . . . ."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"He will be changed by this, but not too much I hope."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"You have been given something so few people ever have a chance at. I know, because I have been there too. Do not waste this gift, it would be churlish of you to do so.'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"The light of the God Emperor can be sobering. Its power is clear when it can give even him clarity of mind."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"My last card was ''The Astronomicon'', which is apparently replicated by shining a torch at Max's new jacket."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"The Emperor's light has saved me and shown me the greatest pleasure is his to grant."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Does no one else find the sequins really strokable?"'' - [[Octavia Viria Lupus]]
* ''"You let him bee-baptise you, you dumb bastard!"'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Newly invigorated faith can be intoxicating, but next time try to show it without taking part in heathens's ceremonies."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Do you have a spare one of those shirts? Although if you tell anyone, I shall tell them that it is for burning or something."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"I never thought he would be one I would trust to stand with me in the darkness and bring the light, but here we are. It is nice to be able to rely on him."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"I'm just surprised he didnt get a demijon of mead after that."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"I didn't expect his newfound faithfulness would make him MORE reckless..."'' - [[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''"I feel like I understand Max more than most people. Make of that what you will."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Just when I think I am starting to comprehend this man and his modes of thought, he volunteers to have his head put in a basket of angry bees"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I still can't comprehend what exactly just happened, but the man has unbreakable faith."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"I do not know which concerns me more - that you are faking it... or that you are not."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"The fortitude of his soul is now as bright as his attire"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Your words had a bigger effect then I thought. I will remember them."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"Again proves that thier faith is backed by outstanding skill. I wonder what they can now achive."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"You have an awful lot to live up to now. Should you ever need a friends help, then I am here"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I think he's mellowing, and not before time. I didn't even see him do a knife bump!"'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"The God Emperor's plans are obviously beyond our understanding, but it appears he has decided you are a key part of them. "'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Interesting"'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"The Most Decadent thing I've ever done? Max - you were probably there and I won't have remembered...."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"His concern and sadness truly touched me. To the very end of this I shall have his back."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]

== OOC Information ==

'''Player: Matthew Tait'''

'''Inspirations:'''

'''Soundtrack:'''

[[Category:Characters]]

2024-10-23T14:05:00Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

2024-10-15T15:59:37Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

{{PCSummary
|p=[mailto:]
|Race=Human
|Dynasty=House Victoria
}}

[[File:417503311 10168202394955134 9141074585408127084 n.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Adelaide Mercy Blake]]

'''Name:''' Adelaide Mercy Blake

'''Dynasty:''' [[House Victoria]]

__NOTOC__

== Information Known by Arkangel Society ==

== Lineage ==

===Known Associates ===

== Rumours ==

== Quotes ==
* ''"..."'' - Everything [[Alexandra Euphemia Blake|Euphemia]] said about her sister prior to Adelaide's arrival
* ''"It seems deadly runs in the family. Now that I know your who your family is at least. " '' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Yes, she's my Psyker Killer."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]] making introductions to every Psyker they meet
* ''"She seems to be cracking on there, doesn't she? I'm going to get to know her better."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"It's good to have her back, even if I'm still figuring out who we both are after all this time."'' - [[Alexandra Euphemia Blake]]
* ''"I look forward to calling someone so reliable my sister." '' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Interesting family- haven't had a chance to interact much with the latest addition, but she seems suitably dangerous."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"I think she's here for her sister, more than she's here for me. But she is ''here'', and that's something I can work with."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"From what I have seen of her so far, she is a competent combatant and never far from her post, good qualities in my opinion."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I look forward to getting to know her better and, unlike her sister, she hasn't threatened to shoot me."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I did not realise she had that sort of leaning. But there are all sorts. Now i need to find out which of the Navy she meant as the Pretty one."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"I owe you an apology - and I must, will, make the effort & time to deliver it. In person."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"She has that sort of practicality that...is good. I feel like she's not sure about me, but I get it."' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"From What I have seen she remains well armed, competent and diligent to he post, all excellent traits. I should free the time to make a more detailed assessment"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Psykers or psyker killers or whatever are ten a throne. But smart officers are not so easy to find. Good news for the Victorias."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Good fun and with a complimentary sense of humour. Sometimes I think the Victoria Dynasty are a sort of "Found Family" out here beyond the line."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I feel that I wish to make a concerted effort to work alongside you, more. That will be a good start."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"She's a thousand times more suited to being XO than I ever could be. She does the job brilliantly."'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''"Aren't you a telepath?"'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"Blair made a wise choice making her XO, its nice to see her finding her feet."'' - [[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''"Colleague, family and friend. I pray you feel you belong as much as i feel you do."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Wait?! What?! I'm flattered but I think there is enough trouble as it is right now."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]

== OOC Information ==
'''Player:''' Verity

'''Inspirations:'''

'''Soundtrack:'''

[[Category:Characters]]

Severina Von Den Tötten

2024-10-14T17:44:02Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander

2024-10-14T17:38:19Z

Cartwright: /* Quotes */

{{PCSummary
|p=[mailto:email@site.com Matthew Tait]
|Race= Human
|Dynasty= Alexander
}}

[[Image:Rt.png|thumb|Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander]]

'''Name: Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander'''

'''Dynasty: Alexander'''

'''Notable Traits: Fun loving, Extravagant dresser'''

'''Titles: Primarus Psyker, Lord Captain'''

__NOTOC__

== Information Known by Arkangel Society ==

Born on a heavily industrialised imperial world he was brought to the black ships at a young age. As soon as he was free he was recruited as a psyker specialist to a mercenary company serving as an anti psyker assassin.

He left not long after the company was hired by Lord Captain Alexander Winter Alexander. Seeing the opportunity for new freedoms, a chance to see things no one else could and operate under the protection of an imperial warrant he joined his crew. It did not take long for him to descend into a life of decadence and over indulgence.

Currently on Arkangel he is openly critical of the dockworkers union, if they want a say at the table they should earn a warrant like the rest of us, everyone needs to accept their place. He also has little respect for the University, stupid children playing with things they have no clue about.

Maximillion was not originally in the line of succession for the Alexander Warrant. No one is quite sure how he came by the Alexander but several notable administratum officials have verified the validity of his claim and there has so far been no complaints from Seraph where the Dynasties main holdings are.

== Lineage ==

He has no notable lineage.

===Known Associates ===

He has has close ties to the Palawi.

He is know to spend a lot of time with the mercenaries of Charon's Thunder Free Company.

[[Skyfall]] They were once increadably close, after a large confrontation they are not seen near each other very often and when they are it is only barely cordial.

[[Pippan D'Emma]] - His primary navigator and one of the few people that can get him to curtail the more extreme of his excesses.

[[Araquiel]] - His current 'Chief Engineer' after bribing him to let him onto his crew he is not sure what role he actually performs on his ship, Araquiel has however proven himself to be immensely useful so he does not question it him too much.

[[Damian]] "Baby Doc" - Often found fussing of Max after he has done something silly to hurt himself or overdosed. Damian is probably his best friend.

Frog - Ribbit

== Rumours ==

His coat is actually is possessed by an archdeamon of the Lord of Excess. Max himself merely being the vessel it controls.

His debauchery is all an act to hide a cunning mind and make his enemies understimate him.

He is actually a talented Mechanic.

Bzzzz

== Quotes ==
* ''"Have you tried snorking?"'' - ''Himself''
* ''"That Max legitimately considers huffing Ork spores a viable pastime should be all you need know of the Lord Captain. Some may see foolhardiness and decadence; I prefer to see courage and fortitude."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"I don't know what everyone's complaining about, I say that guy's a snappy dresser."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Peel the orange!"'' - -[[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* ''"Much cleverer than people think he is, because they do not understand him. I do not blame people for not understanding. His mask is very good. But he is one of the saddest people I know." '' - [[Skyfall]]
* ''"He's like a Vostroyon Cyber-Peacock with a drug addiction. Fantastic brain, just surprised he hasn't managed to melt it out of his skull"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"So, yeah, reckon it turns out Captain Fancy Pants is not ''all'' sparkle. Kinda reminds me of my first Lord-Captain. Not sure either of them'd like the comparison."'' - [[Spider]]
* ''"Fetch me the name of this man's tailor. Someone's about to get '''PAID!''' '' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"Stop it. Just stop. Now. Get the fuck over it and move on, or I'll make sure the air filtration units in your room only ever blow unscented, basic, unflavoured, undrugged, normal air ever again."'' - [[Araquiel|Araq]]
* ''"I've had hangovers that hurt less than looking at his jacket. Still though, I haven't died everytime I've psychically linked with him so it's not all bad."'' - [[Lady_Navigator-Captain_Victrix_Raltus|Victrix]]
* ''"Patience."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"That outfit is an excellent distraction but what is going on underneath I wonder?"'' - [[Sireena Cerastes|Lord-Captain Sireena Jocasta of the Blood of House Cerastes]]
* ''"At first I think he is just a fop. Then I think he is fop and usless drug addled wreck. Then I think he is drug addled fop who can turn you inside out with a blink of his eye. Now I think he is somthing else. He has more layers than the underhive''"* -[[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"Im not sure if his attire is Fashion or an attempt at dazzle camouflage. He outwardly seems to be a hedonistic aristocrat but I've seen hints something underneath that'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Lieutenant-Surgeon Azrael]]
* ''"Observation: Well protected against assassination. Just remove the coat."'' - [[Unit 343-τω1Gj4κ “Twigjack”|Twigjack]]
* ''"He frequently gets what he wants. He just doesn't want the same things as most of us."'' - [[Erasmus Bloom]]
* ''"Rawr! "'' - [[Regimental Mascot Elizabeth]]
* ''"I used to berate him for his risky habits as a psyker. I no longer feel I have any sort of moral high ground on this subject, given what I just did...and plan to do."'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"There is a point where the intensity of human anguish becomes... sad."'' - [[Ed'wari Ky'mn|Ed'wari]]
* ''"All the world's a stage, but sometimes it is best to not peek behind the curtain and see true pain."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"He does NOT have to move his chair back just for you!"'' - Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair, getting surprisingly angry in defense of [https://wiki.norestforthewicked.org.uk/Orderly_Officer_Charles_Bernard_Sterling Sterling]
* ''"I am hard on Max. For two reasons: I am an asshole and because he has yet to fulfill his potential. Hopefully he will achieve his destiny before he sets me on fire."'' - [[Arkady Borovich]]
* ''"In clear need of some Psychological care. The Medicae Manual prescribed hug and "There there" was insufficient."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"As odd as it is to me, I was rather perturbed by seeing him less than his usual, depraved chipper self. Damned if I know how to help him, not my bailiwick, hope he gets things sorted."'' * - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I used to think he knows exactly what he is doing, every moment, every day. Now, I know better."'' - [[Araquiel]]
* ''"Remember who you are. Remember that you are '''Lord Captain''' Maximillion Alexander."'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"Just when I had given up on him, he redeemed himself with nothing but a ''look''. God Emperor help me, but I'll see him realise his greatness even if it kills me."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"This it's just a flesh wound." While intestines are falling out of a gaping stomach wound'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Thought those Crom bastards had got him at one point, fellow looked a mess in surgery. Didn't realise how much he had grown on me."'' * - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"I...don't understand him. I thought I did. I think he worries me. Or I'm worried for him."'' - [[Artemisia Minerva Tabbris Blair]]
* ''"Better than before. But is the butterfly the final stage or is there at least one more chrysalis?"'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"He needs help, but I don't know who can help him. The rest of us just have to keep him safe until that person turns up."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"He goes through life as if sleepwalking. One day, he will awaken."'' - [[Through Boiling Clouds of Thunder|Thunder]]
* ''"Damm, all those people. I'm not sure what I can do to help him, but whatever it takes, Hell, even if I have to keep him company on a month long bender"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"It's done. It's over. You ruined it."'' - [[Skyfall]]
* ''"Stand tall and do not let others push you around. When Max learns this we will see what he is made of."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"I was curious as to why he so vehemently did not want pain relief and then someone pointed out that he "gets his rocks off to the pain"... I don't know what to think about this... may have to review his psy report"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Certainly makes an impression - and there is definitely a place for that, this far from the bastions of the Imperium."'' - [[Stenberg|Missionary Stenberg]]
* ''"Do you trust me?"'' - [[Romeles_Uriel_Corinthian_Blair|Lord Captain Blair]]
* ''"It was interesting to experience Narcotics under his "supervision". Not sure what to say about his casual experimentation with Frenzon however"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I'd say he might grow a little now, but either way his public face will stay the same."'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Nah, what I'm sayin' is - I went round to see him, and he poured the wine without using his hands. ''That's'' what kinda bloke a TK is."'' - [[Spider]], using Max to illustrate a drunken theory about psykers.
* ''"Drugs... so many drugs... At least they're good ones. Wait, this recorder isn't on rig-"'' - [[Decius Crane]]
* ''"Clearly terrible habits and the worst gun safety I've ever seen, but very friendly and willing to step up and offer aid when required, even (or especially) when it's something experimental."'' - [[Alexandra Euphemia Blake]]
* ''" It appears behind the buffoonery there is more to this man. "'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"If you're bored then you're boring. Or maybe just a challenge..."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Next time, _don't_ keep taking the bloody drugs!"'' - [[Friedrich Sternenlicht]]
* ''"Remains an undisciplined Psyker who has given into his own excesses. For all that he still has value..."'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Going to get someone killed one day, maybe even me."'' - [[Rusev]]
* ''"He must have worth beyond his easily-visible façade. He must. Those who follow him do not do so blindly, nor do they seem fools."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"He is intelligent. Moreso than many give him credit for. He has an excellent tailor and trust me when I say that people don't dress that brightly unless they're covering something deep and dark."'' [[Anahita]]
* ''"None of us'' needs ''to be anything. But Max'' deserves ''to be happy. And right now he doesn't even know what happy is."'' [[Augustronomos Corophasian-Ingamar-Vicher]]
* ''"WHAT DID YOU DO TO CARTWRIGHT! MY EYES STILL BURN!"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Azrael Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"Hahaha, good show that man! reminds me of cutting loose in the old days, I shall have to repay him in kind, I do like a good jape!"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"He reminds me too much of an old friend. If he keeps it up he will end up with a similar fate."'' [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"I'll stand with him until the end, which I fear may come too soon."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair]]
* ''"And how will you face the approach of that final curtain, Lord-Captain? Please continue to remember that you need not face it alone."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"There is still time. Just maybe not much."'' - [[Mac|Lord-Captain Macharius Malvoisin]]
* ''"Strength, I finally saw the strength of Lord Captain Maximillion's soul when we came back twisted with Kane Gas"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"He'z pretty flash 'imself. I guess. But all together too squishy! I fink that coat wood look better on me...don't ye fink..hur hur hur!"'' - [[Wruturd]]
* ''"I made what has proven to be a mistake, with you. I would like to correct it - if you will allow me."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"He's becoming so dependable that I'm actually stating to get a little worried . . . ."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Really should get him a block of good fresh Scrape to try . . . ."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"He will be changed by this, but not too much I hope."'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"You have been given something so few people ever have a chance at. I know, because I have been there too. Do not waste this gift, it would be churlish of you to do so.'' - [[Ambrose Cordell Tollman]]
* ''"The light of the God Emperor can be sobering. Its power is clear when it can give even him clarity of mind."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"My last card was ''The Astronomicon'', which is apparently replicated by shining a torch at Max's new jacket."'' - [[Romeles Uriel Corinthian Blair|Lord-Captain Romeles Blair]]
* ''"The Emperor's light has saved me and shown me the greatest pleasure is his to grant."'' - [[Lord Captain Maximillion Alexander|Maximillion]]
* ''"Does no one else find the sequins really strokable?"'' - [[Octavia Viria Lupus]]
* ''"You let him bee-baptise you, you dumb bastard!"'' - [[Mac]]
* ''"Newly invigorated faith can be intoxicating, but next time try to show it without taking part in heathens's ceremonies."'' - [[Orderly Officer Charles Bernard Sterling|Sterling]]
* ''"Do you have a spare one of those shirts? Although if you tell anyone, I shall tell them that it is for burning or something."'' - [[Stenberg]]
* ''"I never thought he would be one I would trust to stand with me in the darkness and bring the light, but here we are. It is nice to be able to rely on him."'' - [[Tomas J Rexuz]]
* ''"I'm just surprised he didnt get a demijon of mead after that."'' - [[Slate "Scrapjack" Duster]]
* ''"I didn't expect his newfound faithfulness would make him MORE reckless..."'' - [[Severina Von Den Tötten]]
* ''"I feel like I understand Max more than most people. Make of that what you will."'' - [[Obstinacy Jones|Stacy]]
* ''"Just when I think I am starting to comprehend this man and his modes of thought, he volunteers to have his head put in a basket of angry bees"'' - [[Oberarzt Azrael Schwarzekappel|Surgeon General Schwarzekappel]]
* ''"I still can't comprehend what exactly just happened, but the man has unbreakable faith."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"I do not know which concerns me more - that you are faking it... or that you are not."'' - [[Stenberg|Archbishop Stenberg]]
* ''"The fortitude of his soul is now as bright as his attire"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]
* ''"Your words had a bigger effect then I thought. I will remember them."'' [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"Again proves that thier faith is backed by outstanding skill. I wonder what they can now achive."'' - [[Sgt. Viktor Jovanovski]]
* ''"You have an awful lot to live up to now. Should you ever need a friends help, then I am here"'' - [[Capt._Cartwright|Cartwright]]

== OOC Information ==

'''Player: Matthew Tait'''

'''Inspirations:'''

'''Soundtrack:'''

[[Category:Characters]]