A Decade on the Edge (Game Thread: Closed, Dead)

[booksv2]

Valiant light Mess hall


Ignoring the female behind him and pushing himself up to his full height Smoke moves away from her and weaves himself through the tables and chairs in the room before getting to a hatch on the other side of the room. Sticking his head out and looking left and right he slowly moves into the hall and goes in the general direction of where he thought he felt something touch him. Sniffing every few minutes and trying to find something close by to guide him to whoever it was Smoke gives up after several minutes of fruitless searching.

Stopping in an intersection between passages and looking through each of them before he stops looking and sits down right in the middle of it deciding he needs to figure out the communicator he had been given. Taking it off his ear and turning it over in his hand a few times he finds the button the female said to push and tests it out by pushing on it on and off several times quickly. Putting it back on his ear and pushing the button he tries to talk normally.

"I give half signing bonus for clutch of Grox if brought on ship."

Holding the button for another second or two before letting it go Smoke nods to himself a few times before getting up and scenting each of the halls. Moving down one towards where he had been brought on ship where the shuttles dropped him off he makes his way towards it so he can meet anyone from the planet and hopefully they will have his Grox.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

Grimmfang

"I'm with da 'humies. They be getting uhda 'humies togetha for a large trip. I be wit dem and you should come wit us." Lock said, cracking his knuckles in the process. "It gunna be plenty o fun an have da lots o dakka and da promise of teef." His two Gretchin buddies then clambered onto Lock's back and started fighting one another which made Grimm sound off a deep chuckle.

"Plenty of Dakka you say? And teef too? Probably gunna be a few stabbinz as well. Da more I fink about it, da betta it gets. Kaptin won't be best pleazed with me leaving, but I'm sure a few thousand teef wil keep 'im 'appy. If you'll scuse me Lock, gunna find sum Humies to talk to." Grimm then moved past Lock and headed into the recruitment centre itself from the exit side.

"Rite den Humies, where do I sign?"

 

[Athol]

With everything seemingly settling down, despite the addition of a damnedable knife-ear to the ship?s roster, Maarku returned his attention to the ships First Lieutenant as the man spoke.

"I'd be honored... Is she fine with Valkyries? The climb-dogs back where I'm from panic during take off."

Grinning and laughing, he ruffled the fur on Skoll's massive head. "She'll be just fine. After travelling with me as long as she has, I doubt there is much in the Materium that would fazed her." To punctuate his point Skoll let out a happy bark, that was more like a mortar round going off at close range. "If there's nothing more, we'll decamp to the vessel...we've disrupted your operation here enough as it is." Nodding in appreciation to the Kreig who'd drawn on the Eldar so quickly, he turned about to leave.

Making his way to a waiting Valkyrie, he and Skoll quickly boarded and got tapped into the Valiant Light's vox channels. After a quick vox to the ship, he had them dispatch a Sky Talon to another dock, where Maarku was storing some essential supplies for the trip.

Later aboard the Valiant Light

Entering the quarters that had been made available to him, Maarku was gratified to see that they'd set up his Armour Locker off to one side of the room. Although he was more than capable and happy to wear his armour at all times, being back in the Materium, and actually getting the chance to remove it from time to time was a luxury he couldn't pass on.

Hitting a few keys on the face of the locker, he detached his cloak and threw it on the bed, while the machine spirit woke and brought its servo-arms to the ready. Once it was ready, he set his weapons into their waiting positions, then keyed the device. Moments later, the machine spirit began to wind down, packing the armour away for future use. Free of his armour Maarku pulled on a set of elk hide trousers, tucking his axe and a dataslate, into the waist band before drawing the cloak across his massive shoulders once more. The rest of his 'cargo' had consisted of large casks of Mjød, one of which was also stored in his quarters.

Filling a flask, he and Skoll set out for the Mess to see if there was food fit for a Space Wolf to be found. As he padded down the corridor, he sang an old hunting song from his youth [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oaUySCCvMc].

"I give half signing bonus for clutch of Grox if brought on ship."

Maarku stopped as a voice sounded in his ear. "Xenos." He said out loud, with a look of disgust; Skoll growled in agreement. Since there was no more vox traffic from the sender. He continued into the Mess where he spotted a Sister of Battle, with weapon in hand, look at an empty doorway. Making his way to her, he spoke up. "Tell me Sister, what kind of Xenos is it? I'm unfamiliar with it's smell."

 

[sage42]

Valiant Light Mess Hall

Natasha stared after the creature as it stalked away. That creature may end up being more trouble than it'worth. She thought holstering her pistol.

"Tell me Sister, what kind of Xenos is it? I'm unfamiliar with it's smell."

Natasha turned to the new voice and her eyes widened a little as she looked up enough to meet the Space Marines eyes. "Oh! Sir." She said throwing her fist across her chest in salute. She dropped it a moment later, scowling after the Xeno. "A Kroot, an opportunistic carrion feeder a best. But one who seems to know how to track, if his comments of smell were any indication. Too shifty even for a Xeno." She looked back. "And unfortunately I doubt the Kroot will be the only Xeno we have to deal with on this journey." She paused for a moment before a thought struck her. "But where are my manners? Sister Natasha of the Adepta Sororitas" She said putting her fist across her chest again with a slight bow.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Eva Straud - Shuttle 1

With her paperwork done Eva was about to join the motley pair that had already taken their seats in the transport shuttle and were getting nice and chummy by the looks of things. They made one heck of a sight, that much was certain. How could anyone be so casual around a xenos like that? The mind boggled. Eva was content to set her things down and sit the ride out quietly but it wasn't to be.

Not long after she took her place they were joined by two more new arrivals, one of them wearing a desragled uniform and the unmistakable hat of a commissar, the other was stumbling along and almost looked as if- OH HELL!

He only went and opened fire inside the shuttle! No doubt aiming to take the gaudy Eldar's head off but all he managed to do was ruin the shuttle ceiling and wing himself by the looks of things. Eva had leaped to her feet, fueled by the instinct and muscle memory that had been drilled into her over the years and had helped keep her alive. Luckily the would be attacker had crumpled to the floor soon enough and the metallic peacemaker was already trying to see to him.

"Uh, could someone give me a hand over here?!"

Eva knelt by his side and looked over the wounds, this poor fool had gotten himself plugged good by someone. Eva didn't have anything on her that could help and - to her knowledge - the nearest medicus was way too far away for this one to make it.

"The Valiant Light have a medbay? Because we need to get this fella out of here asap!" She yelled to the nearest confirmed crew member. This shuttle needed to get off the ground soon.

'Bloody throne, eva, what kind of crew have you signed up for?'

 

[Azkar Almsivi]

Ysenelle - Shuttle No. 1

Ysenelle saw the wounded feral looking mon-keigh boarding sat looking absent mindedly at it as it's quick rage soon hit the befuddlement that is looking at a shadowseer too long before attacking it. However as it discharged his weapon into the roof of the Valkyrie the recoil of the weapon made him do a beautiful pirouette with tiny droplets of blood cascading and orbiting him like little rubies as his form half hit and half soaked into the ground in a solid thump.

Ysenelle gasped and clapped at the unexpected performance. With a spring she bound between Jack and the random female mon-keigh that had been self lubricating on seeing the space marine. On closer inspection she noticed that the performance was more likely a result of the mon-keigh and it's current lack of vital bodily fluids, which it was still losing.

"To think I have to repay your kindness in such a way, how distasteful." Ysenelle sighed and started unbuckling the armor and pulling back the clothing on the wounded would be Eldar slayer. After his attire was sufficiently out of the way she sighed and looked at the wound proper, also taking in his complexion, pulse and the look of his eyes.
The colourful Eldar sighed and stood, jogging over and slamming her fist on the shuttle wall a few times, as she figured the shuttle boarding ramp soon began to close as the ship hissed and bellowed.
Moving back to the mon-keigh that seemed to have more foul smelling grog in him then blood, Ysenelle perched next to him and put firm pressure on his wounds, taking in the words of her partner and the female mon-keigh.

"Best we can do with this much blood loss is stop the bleeding and get him on board. We're not equipped to deal with this completely. Hope there were no other charming mon-keigh that you wanted on board because we're leaving now."
Ysenelle faced the female guardsmen and leaned in, making sure she got a good look of her mask so she would have a reaction to it. Mon-keigh were easier to deal with when they're spooked and despite Ysenelle's acrobatics she is well aware this one would have shot at her if it could lift it's gun any faster.
"I'm watching you girl-that-gawks-at-dogs. How rude."

 

[Athol]

"A Kroot, an opportunistic carrion feeder a best. But one who seems to know how to track, if his comments of smell were any indication. Too shifty even for a Xeno, and unfortunately I doubt the Kroot will be the only Xeno we have to deal with on this journey."

"Kroot, hmm?" He replied. Taking out his dataslate, he tapped it a few times, then nodded. "Here we go. Ah, they're an ally, servant race, whatever...of the Tau Empire? Never fought them either...one misses so much while hunting in the Warp." Putting the 'slate away, he shrugged his massive shoulders. "Should it become an issue, we'll just have to kill it. As for your doubt...I'm sorry to say you are right. While I was planetside, I saw them sign up an Eldar of all things...though if I'd had a moments more warning that wouldn't have been an issue."

"But where are my manners? Sister Natasha of the Adepta Sororitas."

"Greetings to you Sister; I'm Brother Maarku Frostclaw, Space Wolves Chapter, 13th Great Company...who I intend to rejoin, just as soon as I can find them; and that..." He said pointing to Skoll, who was sniffing amongst the tables and chairs of the Mess. "Is Skoll." With a sharp whistle, the wolf trotted over, and sniffed Sister Natasha a few times. Satisfied, she lay down at Maarku's feet.

 

[Outcast107]

After the ensured chaos was finally calm down and everything settled back as it was before. He was finally given permission to return to the ship after it seem not many would be joining them and with the new crew it would probably be best if more loyal crew members were up on the ship to make sure no xenos cause trouble.

Catching a ride on one of the other shuttles, Kurt was thankful to be back on the ship where he can be left alone. Moving his way to the Mess Hall as it has been a long, long day down on the hive world. Getting small portions for his meal as he headed to a small table that was empty. Not taking off his mask as he just open up a compartment to it. Eating like this as he payed no mind to anyone who was watching.

 

[booksv2]

Smoke, Valiant Light, towards shuttle bay

Following signs on the walls of the halls and remembered scents of oil and other things that seem to waft through all of the ship anyways it takes Smoke a while to find the large shutter bay again. Several times he bumped into small things that smell of oil and metal and burnt. Watching as they look up at him and then run away probably to do something, or get away, Smoke speeds up to keep away from anyone who may be on the ship already that he had had a run in with before.

Rounding a corner and almost tipping over a hatch way Smoke catches himself on the wall and looks at the little divets his claws make in the wall he walks over towards the edge of the large bay. Standing against the wall and watching the sudden bustle around the bay Smoke tilts his head as red lights start to flash. Listening to the random snatches of conversation around he realizes that a shuttle was coming up with a fairly wounded new crew member and a few of the people seemed to think from how it was going he might die.

Scratching his beak slowly and watching more closely at the bay doors Smoke can feel his quills moving against each other lightly making a soft sound of rattling that doesn't go very far. the tips moving in small circles less than a centimeter each.

 

[Sithmorack]

Jack ? Shuttle No. 1

"The Valiant Light have a medbay? Because we need to get this fella out of here asap!"

Jack nodded as he got up and rushed towards the head of the shuttle. He knocked as hard as he could on the pilot?s door. ?Hey Pilot! Someone?s injured; we need to get to the Valiant Light now!? With a slight frown forming on his face, he thought. ?Can?t believe that I?m actually helping this dude. Whatever.? ?What? Who? It?s not that xeno ***** is it?? Jack resisted the urge to go in there and beat the shit out of the pilot but for now he needed him awake. ?No! Now get us to the Valiant Light now!? He yelled as he hit the door again. After a few moments Jack felt the shuttle shudder as the pilot made the shuttle take off. He also heard the pilot radio ahead to the ship.

"To think I have to repay your kindness in such a way, how distasteful."

?Sorry?? Jack muttered as he turned back and sat down. Soon enough, the shuttle came to an abrupt stop inside the Valiant Light and landed. Jack stood back up and headed for the exit as the shuttle opened up. He walked out and spotted quite a few doctors/medics waiting outside. They quickly boarded the shuttle and put Gordon on a stretcher before carrying him out. Jack let out a sigh of relief as they carried him away. He turned back to the other two occupants of the shuttle and said ?Thank you. I know he kind tried to kill you. But thank you.?

 

[booksv2]

Smoke, shuttle bay

Looking up as the shuttle lands and the back starts to open Smoke walks over and stays on the outside edge of the small ring of doctors and medics. Looking over all their heads at the heavily bloodied and very drunk, by the smell, man they start to carry from the back of the shuttle he leans over the heads of the crowd to get a better look as he takes a few deep sniffs and sneezes.

Shaking his head and ignoring the hurt but alive human as they carry him out of the bay and away Smoke turns towards the shuttle and peers inside the darkness inside it. Sniffing again he steps up on the ramp and pokes his head in, looking at the two humans with blood on their hands and the not human with them also with blood on its hands.

Looking at them closely and taking in their scents Smoke eventually decides that they are new people and not those who have been on this ship before. Stepping deeper into the back of the shuttle he rattles his quills slightly and looks at them closely. Standing several feet taller than any of them.
"New ship mates yes?"

 

[Azkar Almsivi]

Ysenelle - Shuttle Bay
Ysenelle just nodded at Jack as she focused on not letting the man become a bloodless sack of meat.
The Eldar shrugged her shoulders at her fellow would be medics as the wounded would be assassin got carted out and very large Kroot clambered in upon landing.

Ysenelle awkwardly held her gloved hands away from her body as they were still coated in mon-keigh blood and stared at it for a moment. "Yes... new ship mates. You're a tad on the large size." Ysenelle shook her head as she walked past the Kroot in her new and pressing quest to find a location applicable for the dire task of cleaning her gloves.

After wandering around for a few minutes Ysenelle managed to rinse of the undesirable substance in a bathroom. Backtracking her way to the bay, Ysenelle wandered around pointlessly. Looking around and twirling around her new compatriots.
"So when do we find out where our rooms are? Aren't I apparently getting some form of currency? Maybe I should just hoard it for now... can it be spent on the ship?"
The colourful Eldar continued to natter on quietly among the Kroot and mon-keigh as she waited for additional direction.

 

[mcpop9]

Vanessa
The commisar watched in stunned shock as she saw the man manage to hit himself with a scatter gun pointed in another direction, however; what had rocked her the most was watching an Edlar assist and try to help. she stood dumbstruck and watched the landing shuttle fly off towards the sky. "Oh... right... i shoulda been on that." she said, cursing herself, grabbing another shuttle up, she departed with it, arriving not too long after them.

Vanessa had arrived right after the eldar had gotten back into the hangar. Stepping down off of the ship, she walked out into the hangar, making a beeline for the eldar. "ELDAR! FRONT AND CENTER!" she called out to the xeno.

 

[Azkar Almsivi]

Ysenelle - Shuttle Bay

"ELDAR! FRONT AND CENTER!"
Ysenelle stopped for a moment and looked back at the angry little mon-keigh shouting out like some form of ape. The Eldar took in the uniform and managed to hold back her assumption that it was a bored teenager specifically bred for breeding as she noticed the tell tale signs of military culture about her.
Lovely, child soldiers in big hats and bigger shirts.

Ysenelle gracefully walked up to the commisar and observed the mon-keigh for a moment. Was it a sub breed of mutant used specifically for breeding? It's breasts were colossal. Ysenelle crossed her arms over her rather small set in comparison and rolled her head a little, facing the commisar.

"I'm humoring you for now but you need to be aware that my contract doesn't require me to follow orders from you. You might take this opportunity to introduce yourself a little more eloquently." the Eldar's tone was polite and carefree, her pose appeared to be relaxed but Ysenelle was ready to spring away at a moment's notice. Mon-keigh were well known for poor character.

 

[Sithmorack]

Jack ? Shuttle Bay

What? What was it? Jack stared at the creature before him and was filled with curiosity. ?What are you?? He questioned rather stupidly. It was way taller than him and now that he thought about it he probably should have been cautious. ?Sorry, that was sort of rude.? Jack said while stepping back a bit. He then looked straight at what he assumed was its face and asked. ?So what are you?? However before he got an answer he heard.

"ELDAR! FRONT AND CENTER!"

He turned around and spotted a rather small and yet large woman. ?How do those even fit on her small frame?? He thought to himself before remembering that the woman in question yelled for Ysenelle?s attention. He spotted Ysenelle roll her head towards the woman. ?This? Is not going to go over well.? He muttered to himself as he turned back towards the creature. He?d step in if he needed to and subsequently get the shit beat out of him? And possibly killed. He really wanted to know what this creature was however. ?Anyways.? He began as he leaned in a little closer to get a better look. ?What are you??

 

[mcpop9]

Vanessa

IT took almost a minute of thinking to understood what the eldar had found wrong with her. It was when it hit her did she look down and grab the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh. She looked back up with a more calm demeanor. "Shit... i just lapsed into my commissarial attitude... force of habit. I bossed around troops earlier in my career... you needed to command with author-" she said and gave herself a shake to stop the tangent she was on.

"I first saw you and wanted to personally pull you limb from limb cause you were a damn dirty xenos.... but.... in light of what you had done for that guardsman, i must apologize for my unacted intentions and even say... thhhh-th-th" she said and began stuttering, the words having difficulty being formed and the female having to force them out. "-thank.... you..." she said with a shudder, holding out a hand for the xeno to shake. "I am Vanessa, Commissar of the imperial guard. I'm sure he would have bled out if not for you..." the commissar finished, sucking up her complete pool of pride and wondering how much this would bite her in the ass later.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Gordon Kasteen, Valiant Light, Medica Facility

Unconscious and still bleeding, Kasteen is rolled into the Valiant Light's medica facility. Upon arrival, several servitors are deployed from the walls, and begin to scan him for damage. Five minutes later, a physician and tech priest approach.

"Massive blood loss," the doctor says, scanning over the print outs one of the servitors is ejecting. "Multiple superficial lacerations on the head, neck, and shoulders. Multiple pieces of shrapnel in the left hip and torso. Destroyed hip. Toxicology is..." the doctor checks again. "Throne, someone was having a good time. What do you think, Adept?"

The Tech Priest moves in closer to Kasteen to inspect his wounds, two personal servitors trailing behind him, attached to his shoulders by cables. Stopping only for a moment to perform radiological scans of the hip wound, the priest raises his arm, his hand replaced with a mass of mechadendrites. Intoning prayers to the tentacle like appendages, the tech priest jams the mass into Kasteens wound.

After several minutes of probing and sleep screams of agony, the techpriest retreats. He turns to the servitor to his left, who holds parchment in its hand and a quill on a mechanical arm extending from where its mouth should be, and places the shrapnel he pulled in a bin connected to the constructs waist. Turning to his second servitor, he blurts a stream a binary. +Skeletal replacement, zone 56a, 56b. Menial grade.+ The first servitor dutifully notes his words and requisitions, as the second accepts the order and executes. It's legs have been removed, and the torso mounted on a massive track unit. Behind it, it drags a large metal box with multiple bins and compartments. Spinning on its waist ring, it pulls the desired parts and passes them to the Tech Priest.

Turning to the doctor, he passes the required augments to him. "Use these."

The doctor looks at the augments and almost has to choke down a laugh. "You can't be serious," he remarks. "These are almost useless. Don't you have anything better in that mobile bin of yours?"

The Tech Priest lets out a short burst of indecipherable binary. "Subject is Ex-Imperial Guard. Estimated age: 47. Well past typical life expectancy. Priority: Omega. Return the augment when he has expired." And with that, the Tech Priest turns and leaves the medica, presumably to go to his micro-forge.

The Doctor looks again at the augments in his hands, and then back at Kasteen. A servitor has finally attached blood lines, and begins the process of enriching the subjects veins. Shaking his head, the Doctor mutters a prayer to the Emperor, and apologizes to the guardsman. "Sorry about this, guy. This is not going to be pleasant."

On a table next to Kasteen, the doctor sets down the augment pieces and goes to a nearby sink to wash up for surgery. The augments, two massive, crude, dulled out brass and iron pieces shaped like a femur cap and part of a pelvis, await surgical implantation. Neither are particularly similar to the bones they would soon replace, and both are easily 20% larger then the originals.

The doctor returns. "Well, time to start." He picks up a bone saw, and begins his work.

 

[booksv2]

Smoke, shuttle bay

"Yes... new ship mates. You're a tad on the large size."

Looking down at the shiney thing and nodding Smoke whistles and clicks his beak a few times before shaking his head and saying down at it in a more understandable language.
"You all look small. What was the hurt one? It did not look like food, it was still living."

Turning his head as more comments come from the other small thing, human this time, while the last in the shuttle seems to be unwilling to talk to him.
"What are you? Sorry, that was sort of rude. So what are you?"


Opening his beak to answer this surprisingly polite human Smoke jerks around to stare as a loud voice rips through the fairly quiet background.
"ELDAR! FRONT AND CENTER!"

Staring at the woman and the thing that had talked to him just seconds before Smoke tenses as he considers rushing over to stop the people, he things, are his new ship mates. Stopping before he even takes a step his eyes flick back and forth between the two a few times before he straightens up again and shakes his head.
They sound like they were fighting but then not, and i am sure they are not two humans. This place is... very confusing...


"This... Is not going to go over well. Anyways. What are you?"

Looking back down at the human who seems to have no fear or hate of him Smoke again feels confusion and uncertainty.
"I am Smoke, a Kroot. I come planets ago and stayed here this one so not to get chased. Ship is fairly empty now, but many new people come. I smell them all on bay."

 

[Azkar Almsivi]

Ysenelle - Shuttle Bay

The Eldar took the shorter woman's hand and gently shook it.
"Well that's a surprise from a flithy mon-keigh, maybe you'll be further surprised by a filthy xenos? Only time will tell. I can assure you that our continued cooperation easily satisfies the interests of this vessel's crew and my own."
Ysenelle let go of the commisar's hand and motioned around.
"Our ability to stand each other may be thinner than thin at some points as a team however I think we'll find the company is better than the Tyranids or those that worship She Who Thirsts."

The Eldar planted her hands on her hips and looked around the bay once more.
Hopefully she would find what she needed after taking on so many risks. Hopefully the insane mon-keigh on board had all their psykers in check. Ysenelle tried to clear her mind but couldn't shake a faint feeling, a tiny echo.

"This trip isn't going to be easy, animosity might not even be our biggest problem." the harlequin couldn't place it and didn't trust she had an area where she could calmly meditate on the matter and thus left it.

"So when do we get quarters anyway? I imagine mine would be well away from the humans and various other species I'm bound to not get along with due to xenophobia, tradition, etc." the woman just whirled her hand around absent mindedly as she spoke. After hitting the epiphany that her race was doomed her focus, hopes and despair had taken the lime light and the stage away from most of the elitism and petty racism common among most living sentient things.

 

[sage42]

Valiant LightMess Hall

Natasha gave a bow of her head as Maarku introduced himself and his wolf. "An honor, Sir. And too you as well Skoll. She said with a slight smile. Her face returned too a neutral expression as she continued. "I can't say I'm surprised to learn we'll have to deal with the Eldar as well. Few in number they may be they always find a way to worm their way in." She glanced after the Kroot. "By The Holy Father if I hadn't known that they might be necessary, I would see the these Xenos in a pile of ash drifting through space." She shook her head. "Not much I can do now, If I want any of the artifacts we could find to make it to the right hands I will have to live with the lesser evil."

She stood for a moment debating weather to chase after the Xeno to make sure he didn't get into trouble or simply returning to her room. Then question struck her. "If I may ask, Sir Maarku, what is a Wolf doing so far from his pack?"