Super Robot Wars: Calamitous Dawn

[sir_fire]

I rather doubted that we had enough rope between the 4 of us to allow everyone on board to repeal down.
The figure in the corner was of quite some interest, but I suppose getting them down was the more expedient option.

Of the Pskana I have, by and far the least used was my Telekinesis. Even at its most powerful, it was simply less than Ignus, so bothering to master it was never really an issue.


However, I should have enough grasp, especially in this place with alot less Warp interference, to simply drag a dune of Sand over to the breach.


As it had been a while, it wasn't the entire dune shifting over. Instead it was several smaller streams, even then it took time and focus.

But after almost a full minute, the sand had piled high enough that it was less than a meter drop from the breach to the dune. It seemed that the fight, or at least the overextention of my soul had left me drained. While still a lot of sand, moving a few dozen tons of sand shouldn't have taken so long even with my inexperience.

One by one the crew began to slowly and carefully slide down the sand dune, the junior officer and the Magos, despite being the two highest-ranking members; had not taken advantage of the privilege of their rank and chose to stay, to help guide and carry the more mentally and physically drained crewmen to safely descend. At terra firma, several of the crew dropped their stoic demeanor and began to kiss the dirt beneath them, in disbelief and jubilation that they wouldn't die aboard their ship-turned tomb and that they were blessed that they could once again stand on solid ground with their own two feet after their perilous transit through the warp.

Soon it was only the Magos and the officer that remained on the sub-bridge, along with the mysterious golden stranger. The pair share an indistinct look before the officer gives a short, solemn nod and takes his leave, headed towards the sleeping giant while the Magos cranes his head towards Ignus and speaks, unclear if he is addressing either the Knight aboard or the machine itself.

"Techmarine Laurentius. Did he die well?"

Despite the droning, tinny inflection of the techpriest's artificial voice; Valrin could clearly feel the raw emotion in his words: Worry, sorrow, longing, and resignation.

 

[Sigismund]

One by one the crew began to slowly and carefully slide down the sand dune, the junior officer and the Magos, despite being the two highest-ranking members; had not taken advantage of the privilege of their rank and chose to stay, to help guide and carry the more mentally and physically drained crewmen to safely descend. At terra firma, several of the crew dropped their stoic demeanor and began to kiss the dirt beneath them, in disbelief and jubilation that they wouldn't die aboard their ship-turned tomb and that they were blessed that they could once again stand on solid ground with their own to feet after their transit through the warp.

Soon it was only the Magos and the officer that remained on the sub-bridge, along with the mysterious golden stranger. The pair share an indistinct look before the officer gives a short, solemn nod and takes his leave, headed towards the sleeping giant while the Magos cranes his head towards Ignus and speaks, unclear if he is addressing either the Knight aboard or the machine itself.

"Techmarine Laurentius. Did he die well?"

Despite the droning, tinny inflection of the techpriest's artificial voice; Valrin could clearly feel the raw emotion in his words: Worry, sorrow, longing, and resignation.

"His soul lays now with the Omnisaiiah. I can confirm he was not corrupted before he passed."

A non answer, but since I hadn't witnessed the Marines true last fight, only hear his souls warning. Which would not have sounded had he have fallen.

But these were people apart of an Inquisitiorial Ship. Best to give them a tangible objective for them to focus their minds on rather than falling to the despair of their own thoughts.

I spoke to the remaining members on the subbridge, turning down the speakers so those on the dunes could not hear the conversation.

"We are currently on an unidentified Planet, even the Warp is extremely different. Its highly likely we have either emerged at a point in time before the Aldari's profitety caused the birth of Slannesh, or the Warp has managed to spit us out in an entirely different dimension rather than our own. I have ascertained this via the other Knight like machines that have accompanied myself, their reported histories, the strange ... stillness in the Warp compared to our contemporary expectations, and upon hearing the stories of the histories of those accompanied me. Its imperative that anything salvageable, or any supplies, be secured as soon as possible. From an established base camp, we can then move onto other matters."

 

[Crimson Dragoon]

The demon's bolt exploded moments after making its mark, blowing off a significant portion of the limb's upper shoulder armor and upper arm in a violent plume of hellfire, as bad as the damage seemed at first glance; it honestly looked worse than it actually is, with most of the servos and wiring remaining relatively untouched by the blast as the Null's damage reports would reveal soon afterward.

The same cannot be said for what Liam shot did to the demon knight, however. The railgun slug was aimed true and unerringly screamed towards its head. Realizing that it wouldn’t be able to move aside in time or use its wings to get out of the way fast enough, the demon instead forcibly wills its wings to protect it, where one-half of the shade-cloak spasms forward onto the slug's path, its sense of self-preservation wholly overwritten by the Knight’s own drive to live. As expected, the wing is torn asunder by the hypersonic projectile, scattering scraps of shadow every which way and barely slowing the slug from its fateful encounter with the demon’s head, but it already knew that; it simply hoped that the sacrifice of its appendage would at the very least turn aside the slug’s course from its head.

It did not.

The slug, far too dense and going far too fast was hardly thrown away from its path and with a deafening keen, the projectile digs a trench across the knight’s forehead, and from the terrible wound, a gout of black flame shoots out of it like a perverse volcano. Moments later, its arms go slack before it lifelessly falls to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut, and soon afterward the rest of its body and weapons subsequently immolated into ebony flames, slowly burning away into the ether.

With that, silence once again falls in the enginarium save for the crackling of the Gaia Gear's flaming debris and the droning hum of the Mercury's nuclear fusion core. They had won.

I used my sights once more to check the area to make sure it was entirely clear. While that shot seemed to have vaporized most of the daemon, it never hurt to be careful.

With my attention split, I also contacted the crew through the vox. "The Omnisaiiah has delivered Salvation through his servants, the daemon threat is gone at this breachpoint."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. It was truly over then. He looked to the still burning wreckage of what was once a mobile suit. An unfortunate casualty of the battle, and a reminder that no one can be completely safe. He offered a moment of silence, then moved on.

Daniel followed the Knight Scion, who cut through those reinforced shutters to open a way out for the survivors and psychically moved a sand dune for them to safely climbed down. The ones remaining on the sub-bridge were then addressed, and Daniel was still nearby as well.

“He’s right,” he chimed in. “Is there anything that can still be used from this ship?”

 

[sir_fire]

"His soul lays now with the Omnisaiiah. I can confirm he was not corrupted before he passed."

A non answer, but since I hadn't witnessed the Marines true last fight, only hear his souls warning. Which would not have sounded had he have fallen.

But these were people apart of an Inquisitiorial Ship. Best to give them a tangible objective for them to focus their minds on rather than falling to the despair of their own thoughts.

I spoke to the remaining members on the subbridge, turning down the speakers so those on the dunes could not hear the conversation.

"We are currently on an unidentified Planet, even the Warp is extremely different. Its highly likely we have either emerged at a point in time before the Aldari's profitety caused the birth of Slannesh, or the Warp has managed to spit us out in an entirely different dimension rather than our own. I have ascertained this via the other Knight like machines that have accompanied myself, their reported histories, the strange ... stillness in the Warp compared to our contemporary expectations, and upon hearing the stories of the histories of those accompanied me. Its imperative that anything salvageable, or any supplies, be secured as soon as possible. From an established base camp, we can then move onto other matters."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. It was truly over then. He looked to the still burning wreckage of what was once a mobile suit. An unfortunate casualty of the battle, and a reminder that no one can be completely safe. He offered a moment of silence, then moved on.

Daniel followed the Knight Scion, who cut through those reinforced shutters to open a way out for the survivors and psychically moved a sand dune for them to safely climbed down. The ones remaining on the sub-bridge were then addressed, and Daniel was still nearby as well.

“He’s right,” he chimed in. “Is there anything that can still be used from this ship?”

The Magos only gives Ignus a short nod and makes a sign of the cog, both in thanks to the Knight avenging his comrade's death and to see the fallen Grey Knight's soul off as he goes to meet the Emperor-Omnissiah. Immediately afterward, he began acting in the cold, logical manner far more typical of the machine cult's acolytes, back to business once personal matters had been settled.

"I know too little of the warp to help answer your queries, but I do have some answers for the matter of survival on this unknown world. While accessing the ship's pantries would be too risky and awkward and the probability of the provisions inside being untainted too low to consider the effort and danger, The emergency supplies within the sub-bridge are still untouched and from our current number of at least 50 souls, including your... Allies; will last us a month if properly rationed. Far longer if we are to find any water sources during the march; which according to the last scans of the Mercury's auspex, we would encounter much sooner than later."

A grunt of exertion is heard from the Junior officer in the background before he emerges back into the light, dragging with him several crates full of emergency rations and a currently-unpacked Imperial Navy-standard portable multimode water purification device. Despite his expression betraying no weakness or complaint, his ruddy features and the sweat beading on his face show that he was clearly having trouble with carrying the provisions all on his own.

"Pardon me."

The magos leaves the conversation to aid the officer in getting the supplies out of their storage area and sliding the heavy crates down the dune for the waiting crew below to unpack and outfit themselves for the coming trek.

 

[Mazin Kiryu]

The big man keeps his jovial attitude throughout, even with Tyzell's reluctance to interact. The glint in his big, friendly eyes saying that he's got something planned for the youth to get him to open up.

"Just did, food's pretty bland but it's got that real homecooked feel to it y'know? Say, I've always wanted to meet one of you guys, actual outworlders, Isekais. Lucky me that my current assignment took me to a place where they tend to drop by huh?"

A closer look on big man Tyrone, aside from the obvious fact that he was utterly jacked even through his fairly thick clothing reveals an emblem on his left breast: Rayleonard?

"Word around the base says you two are as fresh as cookies straight outta a tiny old lady's oven. So how's it like? Crossing over to this here Earth of ours? Like waking up from a dream? Or getting to see things that people wouldn't believe, like the universe unfolding before your eyes like a real good drug trip?"

*Kane listen as he went back to eating, hearing him speak before he answer.* “It felt instance, a dream inside a dream, nothing special, not the first time something like this happen here and in my world too”

Kane said as he felt.. weirded out as if he was being recruited for something or just being stalk by a secret organization.

 

[sir_fire]

*Kane listen as he went back to eating, hearing him speak before he answer.* “It felt instance, a dream inside a dream, nothing special, not the first time something like this happen here and in my world too”

Kane said as he felt.. weirded out as if he was being recruited for something or just being stalk by a secret organization.

Despite Big Man Tyrone's large presence, he was able to tell that Kane was somewhat off-put by his attitude. Supposing he did indeed come on a bit too strongly with his introduction, the burly man tries to deescalate.

"Aw, don't look at me like that! I may wear a suit but I'm no g-man, I'm just the average outworlder appreciator. I wasn't lying when I said I always wanted to meet one."

"Bob!"

The conversation is suddenly interrupted by a distant, stern feminine voice coming from a few tables away. Should the three men at the table turn to look they would catch the woman with long, red hair tied in a tight and neat ponytail looking very cross at the big man, trying to assert some form of authority over him.

"So that's where you went!"

She said, raising her voice quite a bit due to the distance, and even then it was barely heard when paired against the sounds of chatter coming from the tables around them.

"Bob" just casually turned his head in the redhead's direction, offering her a wide, hearty smile and a hand wave. While her face turned reddened slightly in reaction to his antics and she narrowed her eyes and deepened her frown, big man Tyrone briefly tilted his upper frame sideways closer to the Mazinger duo and placed a hand next to his mouth.

"The Red Dragoness coming this way is Stella Vermillion. Technically she's my superior and as you can tell a real stickler for rules and company image." He muttered, with the intent to clarify.

Firm, measured footsteps were soon to be heard as the aforementioned woman strides with purpose towards their table. Her expression of anger and annoyance made it look like she was ready to drag Bob away by the ear. But not without speaking to the duo first, offering them a quick apology in a cool, professional tone, doing a well enough job to restrain the anger in her voice.

"Please forgive my colleague if he's being a bother in any way."

 

[TrickOLF]

The big man keeps his jovial attitude throughout, even with Tyzell's reluctance to interact. The glint in his big, friendly eyes saying that he's got something planned for the youth to get him to open up.

"Just did, food's pretty bland but it's got that real homecooked feel to it y'know? Say, I've always wanted to meet one of you guys, actual outworlders, Isekais. Lucky me that my current assignment took me to a place where they tend to drop by huh?"

A closer look on big man Tyrone, aside from the obvious fact that he was utterly jacked even through his fairly thick clothing reveals an emblem on his left breast: Rayleonard?

"Word around the base says you two are as fresh as cookies straight outta a tiny old lady's oven. So how's it like? Crossing over to this here Earth of ours? Like waking up from a dream? Or getting to see things that people wouldn't believe, like the universe unfolding before your eyes like a real good drug trip?"

*Kane listen as he went back to eating, hearing him speak before he answer.* “It felt instance, a dream inside a dream, nothing special, not the first time something like this happen here and in my world too”

Kane said as he felt.. weirded out as if he was being recruited for something or just being stalk by a secret organization.

"Like waking up in a different bed." I simply replied as I continued to eat.

Despite Big Man Tyrone's large presence, he was able to tell that Kane was somewhat off-put by his attitude. Supposing he did indeed come on a bit too strongly with his introduction, the burly man tries to deescalate.

"Aw, don't look at me like that! I may wear a suit but I'm no g-man, I'm just the average outworlder appreciator. I wasn't lying when I said I always wanted to meet one."

"Bob!"

The conversation is suddenly interrupted by a distant, stern feminine voice coming from a few tables away. Should the three men at the table turn to look they would catch the woman with long, red hair tied in a tight and neat ponytail looking very cross at the big man, trying to assert some form of authority over him.

"So that's where you went!"

She said, raising her voice quite a bit due to the distance, and even then it was barely heard when paired against the sounds of chatter coming from the tables around them.

"Bob" just casually turned his head in the redhead's direction, offering her a wide, hearty smile and a hand wave. While her face turned reddened slightly in reaction to his antics and she narrowed her eyes and deepened her frown, big man Tyrone briefly tilted his upper frame sideways closer to the Mazinger duo and placed a hand next to his mouth.

"The Red Dragoness coming this way is Stella Vermillion. Technically she's my superior and as you can tell a real stickler for rules and company image." He muttered, with the intent to clarify.

Firm, measured footsteps were soon to be heard as the aforementioned woman strides with purpose towards their table. Her expression of anger and annoyance made it look like she was ready to drag Bob away by the ear. But not without speaking to the duo first, offering them a quick apology in a cool, professional tone, doing a well enough job to restrain the anger in her voice.

"Please forgive my colleague if he's being a bother in any way."

It was then that he was eventually taken away by...huh, Stella? I suppose she's also called that in this world.

I simply looked at her with a slight shake.

"He was no bother. But I'm not a guy who likes being interrupted while I'm eating food."

 

[Cavaliere]

The demon's bolt exploded moments after making its mark, blowing off a significant portion of the limb's upper shoulder armor and upper arm in a violent plume of hellfire, as bad as the damage seemed at first glance; it honestly looked worse than it actually is, with most of the servos and wiring remaining relatively untouched by the blast as the Null's damage reports would reveal soon afterward.

The same cannot be said for what Liam shot did to the demon knight, however. The railgun slug was aimed true and unerringly screamed towards its head. Realizing that it wouldn’t be able to move aside in time or use its wings to get out of the way fast enough, the demon instead forcibly wills its wings to protect it, where one-half of the shade-cloak spasms forward onto the slug's path, its sense of self-preservation wholly overwritten by the Knight’s own drive to live. As expected, the wing is torn asunder by the hypersonic projectile, scattering scraps of shadow every which way and barely slowing the slug from its fateful encounter with the demon’s head, but it already knew that; it simply hoped that the sacrifice of its appendage would at the very least turn aside the slug’s course from its head.

It did not.

The slug, far too dense and going far too fast was hardly thrown away from its path and with a deafening keen, the projectile digs a trench across the knight’s forehead, and from the terrible wound, a gout of black flame shoots out of it like a perverse volcano. Moments later, its arms go slack before it lifelessly falls to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut, and soon afterward the rest of its body and weapons subsequently immolated into ebony flames, slowly burning away into the ether.

With that, silence once again falls in the enginarium save for the crackling of the Gaia Gear's flaming debris and the droning hum of the Mercury's nuclear fusion core. They had won.

William Liam Tinmall
<<<Ø>>>
The initial blow shock the scientist, making Liam blink several times as he became once more aware of his surroundings.
It seemed like his plan, or at least the desperate measure he employed, had worked: the two projectiles had not crossed each other, with his shot striking true while the Demon's attack was just a passing...

BOOM!

"Great Scott, what happened?" what appeared to be small damage suddenly exploded in a violent fashion, catching the scientist off guard and making the Null fall over. Fortunately, with the battle over in their favor and no other threat on the horizon (maybe), he simply pushed the controls to manage an awkward kneel from the gray, busted machine.

"I didn't... oh, this is bad can I even manage to repair it here? I don't know if this place had a functional hangar or personnel..."

In a rush, Liam exited the Gundam, wobbly on his feet after so long in space, but his concern managed to overpower the dizziness, too worried over his creation to notice the people coming in nor the incredible act of telekinesis from Valren.
Only when the other machines began to move that he finally gathered his wits, fubling back inside the Null and park it beside the others.
It was not one of his finest moments, almost overstimulated after the calm he felt before that shot.

"We are currently on an unidentified Planet, even the Warp is extremely different. Its highly likely we have either emerged at a point in time before the Aldari's profitety caused the birth of Slannesh, or the Warp has managed to spit us out in an entirely different dimension rather than our own. I have ascertained this via the other Knight like machines that have accompanied myself, their reported histories, the strange ... stillness in the Warp compared to our contemporary expectations, and upon hearing the stories of the histories of those accompanied me. Its imperative that anything salvageable, or any supplies, be secured as soon as possible. From an established base camp, we can then move onto other matters."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. It was truly over then. He looked to the still burning wreckage of what was once a mobile suit. An unfortunate casualty of the battle, and a reminder that no one can be completely safe. He offered a moment of silence, then moved on.

Daniel followed the Knight Scion, who cut through those reinforced shutters to open a way out for the survivors and psychically moved a sand dune for them to safely climbed down. The ones remaining on the sub-bridge were then addressed, and Daniel was still nearby as well.

“He’s right,” he chimed in. “Is there anything that can still be used from this ship?”

The Magos only gives Ignus a short nod and makes a sign of the cog, both in thanks to the Knight avenging his comrade's death and to see the fallen Grey Knight's soul off as he goes to meet the Emperor-Omnissiah. Immediately afterward, he began acting in the cold, logical manner far more typical of the machine cult's acolytes, back to business once personal matters had been settled.

"I know too little of the warp to help answer your queries, but I do have some answers for the matter of survival on this unknown world. While accessing the ship's pantries would be too risky and awkward and the probability of the provisions inside being untainted too low to consider the effort and danger, The emergency supplies within the sub-bridge are still untouched and from our current number of at least 50 souls, including your... Allies; will last us a month if properly rationed. Far longer if we are to find any water sources during the march; which according to the last scans of the Mercury's auspex, we would encounter much sooner than later."

A grunt of exertion is heard from the Junior officer in the background before he emerges back into the light, dragging with him several crates full of emergency rations and a currently-unpacked Imperial Navy-standard portable multimode water purification device. Despite his expression betraying no weakness or complaint, his ruddy features and the sweat beading on his face show that he was clearly having trouble with carrying the provisions all on his own.

"Pardon me."

The magos leaves the conversation to aid the officer in getting the supplies out of their storage area and sliding the heavy crates down the dune for the waiting crew below to unpack and outfit themselves for the coming trek.

When he finally reached the others, he didn't really know how to help in the conversation: he was a physicist and improvvised MS developer, no survival training in the slightest, no experience with these kind of situations at all.
At least they could help with their Mobile Suits? Even then he felt unnecessary.

"Uh... which parts of the ship are still functional? Or, uhm, untainted as you say? Maybe by examining those parts I can help with fixing the others? It's a bit more in my area of expertise, which is not too vast but... I want to help?"

He said that last part as a questions, unsure how people coming from another dimension where that found out that metaphysics was provable could get from him.
He was sure that they had their own Zero point energy system tucked somewhere just out of sight.

 

[sir_fire]

William Liam Tinmall
<<<Ø>>>
The initial blow shock the scientist, making Liam blink several times as he became once more aware of his surroundings.
It seemed like his plan, or at least the desperate measure he employed, had worked: the two projectiles had not crossed each other, with his shot striking true while the Demon's attack was just a passing...

BOOM!

"Great Scott, what happened?" what appeared to be small damage suddenly exploded in a violent fashion, catching the scientist off guard and making the Null fall over. Fortunately, with the battle over in their favor and no other threat on the horizon (maybe), he simply pushed the controls to manage an awkward kneel from the gray, busted machine.

"I didn't... oh, this is bad can I even manage to repair it here? I don't know if this place had a functional hangar or personnel..."

In a rush, Liam exited the Gundam, wobbly on his feet after so long in space, but his concern managed to overpower the dizziness, too worried over his creation to notice the people coming in nor the incredible act of telekinesis from Valren.
Only when the other machines began to move that he finally gathered his wits, fubling back inside the Null and park it beside the others.
It was not one of his finest moments, almost overstimulated after the calm he felt before that shot.




When he finally reached the others, he didn't really know how to help in the conversation: he was a physicist and improvvised MS developer, no survival training in the slightest, no experience with these kind of situations at all.
At least they could help with their Mobile Suits? Even then he felt unnecessary.

"Uh... which parts of the ship are still functional? Or, uhm, untainted as you say? Maybe by examining those parts I can help with fixing the others? It's a bit more in my area of expertise, which is not too vast but... I want to help?"

He said that last part as a questions, unsure how people coming from another dimension where that found out that metaphysics was provable could get from him.
He was sure that they had their own Zero point energy system tucked somewhere just out of sight.

The Magos turns to face the newcomer as he was busy assisting the officer get the last of the provisions out of storage and demonstrating typical Mechanicum efficiency, he answers Liam's question without skipping a beat in his current task.

"That will not be necessary. The Mercury's Alacrity will never sail the cosmos again nor will it have to. As your encounter with the daemon in the Enginarum clearly showed, the only mercy left for her is to grant her a dignified end while she is still recognizable as an instrument of the Emperor-Omnissiah rather than let the corruption that infested her seep out and damn this world."

The tone of the... Cyborg was exactly like Valren's; utterly uncompromising like a fanatic but also pragmatic and cold. He is dead set in ensuring that those things that tried to get inside Liam and the others' minds and like that Demon Knight would not get out of the shipwreck. And just as he finished his statement, the magos and the officer were done with getting everything out of the sub-bridge, everything but one last item...

"That is the last of the provisions. Now for our most precious occupant..."

"Has there been any improvement?"

"None at all. Whatever happened to him, only the Emperor can help him now."



The two then head deeper into the structure and after a few moments, with audible grunts of exertion and grinding metal coming from the pair, they then bring forth into the light... By the Emperor... A massive figure clad in shining gold armor, with a single pauldron painted in ebony and white pteruges hanging down to protect gaps in his power armor and his armaments, magnetically clamped on both sides of his waist and his massive back: A weapon that can only be described as a hand-cannon on one side and a buckler shaped like the mighty imperial Aquila on the other.

But it was the weapon on his back that truly brought the most attention: An utterly gargantuan broadsword, nearly as tall and as wide as a man, with a crossguard made with two boltguns...

There is no doubt, no mistake about this: That is a member of the 10,000; the eternal guardians of Terra, a Custodian Guard. But the question is... Why is he aboard an inquisitorial cruiser and what has happened to render such a mighty and indomitable warrior to be in such a state?

"The Lord Custodes lives, but he has not awakened ever since we had fled the disaster that had cost us our mission and the Lord Inquisitor's life. But we are certain that he will rouse from this cursed slumber. Oh, and can you help us set him down below gently? Just letting him slide down that dune seems rather disrespectful to someone who helped save our souls..."

 

[Sigismund]

The Magos turns to face the newcomer as he was busy assisting the officer get the last of the provisions out of storage and demonstrating typical Mechanicum efficiency, he answers Liam's question without skipping a beat in his current task.

"That will not be necessary. The Mercury's Alacrity will never sail the cosmos again nor will it have to. As your encounter with the daemon in the Enginarum clearly showed, the only mercy left for her is to grant her a dignified end while she is still recognizable as an instrument of the Emperor-Omnissiah rather than let the corruption that infested her seep out and damn this world."

The tone of the... Cyborg was exactly like Valren's; utterly uncompromising like a fanatic but also pragmatic and cold. He is dead set in ensuring that those things that tried to get inside Liam and the others' minds and like that Demon Knight would not get out of the shipwreck. And just as he finished his statement, the magos and the officer were done with getting everything out of the sub-bridge, everything but one last item...

"That is the last of the provisions. Now for our most precious occupant..."

"Has there been any improvement?"

"None at all. Whatever happened to him, only the Emperor can help him now."



The two then head deeper into the structure and after a few moments, with audible grunts of exertion and grinding metal coming from the pair, they then bring forth into the light... By the Emperor... A massive figure clad in shining gold armor, with a single pauldron painted in ebony and white pteruges hanging down to protect gaps in his power armor and his armaments, magnetically clamped on both sides of his waist and his massive back: A weapon that can only be described as a hand-cannon on one side and a buckler shaped like the mighty imperial Aquila on the other.

But it was the weapon on his back that truly brought the most attention: An utterly gargantuan broadsword, nearly as tall and as wide as a man, with a crossguard made with two boltguns...

There is no doubt, no mistake about this: That is a member of the 10,000; the eternal guardians of Terra, a Custodian Guard. But the question is... Why is he aboard an inquisitorial cruiser and what has happened to render such a mighty and indomitable warrior to be in such a state?

"The Lord Custodes lives, but he has not awakened ever since we had fled the disaster that had cost us our mission and the Lord Inquisitor's life. But we are certain that he will rouse from this cursed slumber. Oh, and can you help us set him down below gently? Just letting him slide down that dune seems rather disrespectful to someone who helped save our souls..."

A Custodian in full regalia and armor? I was aware of the Eyes of the Emperor, but I was under the impression that they left their armor behind on Terra when they left as to not draw suspicion.
Then again considering where we now, that we may still have the Omnisaiiah's own Guard as a representative, this would have to undoubtedly been the Omnisaiiah's will.

Moving the Custodian via siege claw would be prudent and fast, but not exactly the requested gentle. So, I reached out with my will once more and prayed that the ancient armor would cooperate. Instead of just picking him up, and risking any automatic Pskana defenses, I bent the metal floor around the Custodian to create a sled with scaffolding keeping the Custodian upright and supported. Then, having to use more will than I originally thought, pushed him down the dune. With only a few more adjustments and a very annoying few seconds of trying to have a metal sled with several tons of momentum not go too fast, he was now at the bottom of the dune unscathed and upright.

 

[sir_fire]

A Custodian in full regalia and armor? I was aware of the Eyes of the Emperor, but I was under the impression that they left their armor behind on Terra when they left as to not draw suspicion.
Then again considering where we now, that we may still have the Omnisaiiah's own Guard as a representative, this would have to undoubtedly been the Omnisaiiah's will.

Moving the Custodian via siege claw would be prudent and fast, but not exactly the requested gentle. So, I reached out with my will once more and prayed that the ancient armor would cooperate. Instead of just picking him up, and risking any automatic Pskana defenses, I bent the metal floor around the Custodian to create a sled with scaffolding keeping the Custodian upright and supported. Then, having to use more will than I originally thought, pushed him down the dune. With only a few more adjustments and a very annoying few seconds of trying to have a metal sled with several tons of momentum not go too fast, he was now at the bottom of the dune unscathed and upright.

@Crimson Dragoon @Cavaliere @The Ancient Purple

The men below give way for the Mechanicum Questor and his precious cargo. The Custodes looked all to the world like a golden idol and like one was treated with reverence and awe, the crewmen giving him all due space; as if afraid to even breathe on him. Though a more cynical and pragmatic observer would instead see that the crew was rightfully keeping away from something that didn't seem all that stable and didn't want to die in such a foolish manner as being crushed after inadvertently tipping the slumbering Custodes over.

Seeing that their VIP is now safely overboard, the officer, at last, joins the rest of the evacuating crew, taking extra care not to end up anywhere near the Custodes' idle form. The Magos however, still had one last thing left to do aboard... Broadcasting on an open radio channel that even the most limited short-range comms can pick up, the Magos declares his intentions to the quartet.

"The minimum safe distance is one kilometer away from the Mercury's Alacrity. Preferably behind one of the sand dunes created by her impact. I ask of you and your allies a final favor noble Questor: Guide me to the Fusion Core, for I have the clearance codes and knowledge of the proper rites to initiate the scuttling."

Down below, the crew of 50 were busy securing the sleeping Custodes onto his sled, tying him with very generous lengths of cordage before the entirety of their number began to drag him away from the shipwreck; already aware of what is to come and wasting no time towards getting as much of a head start as possible from the area.

 

[Crimson Dragoon]

@Crimson Dragoon @Cavaliere @The Ancient Purple

The men below give way for the Mechanicum Questor and his precious cargo. The Custodes looked all to the world like a golden idol and like one was treated with reverence and awe, the crewmen giving him all due space; as if afraid to even breathe on him. Though a more cynical and pragmatic observer would instead see that the crew was rightfully keeping away from something that didn't seem all that stable and didn't want to die in such a foolish manner as being crushed after inadvertently tipping the slumbering Custodes over.

Seeing that their VIP is now safely overboard, the officer, at last, joins the rest of the evacuating crew, taking extra care not to end up anywhere near the Custodes' idle form. The Magos however, still had one last thing left to do aboard... Broadcasting on an open radio channel that even the most limited short-range comms can pick up, the Magos declares his intentions to the quartet.

"The minimum safe distance is one kilometer away from the Mercury's Alacrity. Preferably behind one of the sand dunes created by her impact. I ask of you and your allies a final favor noble Questor: Guide me to the Fusion Core, for I have the clearance codes and knowledge of the proper rites to initiate the scuttling."

Down below, the crew of 50 were busy securing the sleeping Custodes onto his sled, tying him with very generous lengths of cordage before the entirety of their number began to drag him away from the shipwreck; already aware of what is to come and wasting no time towards getting as much of a head start as possible from the area.

It was obvious that the one in the golden armor was a very important figure. Daniel could ask questions about that and some other things later, but for now there was this matter to settle.

“So this is the only way to make sure, huh? Fine, ready when you are. After this, I think we should have a talk about exactly what kind of enemy infested this ship. I and others excepting the Knight aren’t really in the know.”

After all, this might not be the last time they’d face such a thing.

 

[sir_fire]

"Like waking up in a different bed." I simply replied as I continued to eat.



It was then that he was eventually taken away by...huh, Stella? I suppose she's also called that in this world.

I simply looked at her with a slight shake.

"He was no bother. But I'm not a guy who likes being interrupted while I'm eating food."

@Mazin Kiryu

Bob turned towards Stella with a hearty smile, one that he could totally pass as casual.

"What? I can't mingle with the other guests?"

Stella simply makes her glare colder, huffing air out of her nose to complete her expression of utter displeasure at Bob's attitude.

"On what planet does harassing these two men and interrupting their meal count as "mingling"? You're lucky HR never followed through on any of the complaints filed against you."

Bob seems unfazed by the woman's outburst. The smile eventually ascends into a full-on toothy grin. It was clear that he was somehow having fun with the situation.

"Y'know that coldness really doesn't suit you, princess, ruins your fiery beauty."

Stella was hardly impressed by Bob's flattery, rather it had the opposite effect. As demonstrated by the tightening of her grip on the cane she carried, to the point that it began to shake in her hand.

"If only there weren't so many people around... Then I'd really give it to you."

One of the many eyes to have their attention turned towards the table where the scene was happening, the one pilot known as 'Shinkai' decided to take action. With the most casual stride, the man gently approached Stella from behind, using the tip of his fingers to tap her on the shoulder, prompting her to turn towards him with a harsh glare, only to lighten up when she realized who it was who dared intrude on her personal space.

"Miss Stella please, you're getting caught up in his pace again. I'm positive that Bob means well."

"Yeah, since when have I never Shin?"

"Be quiet Bob."

"Still, is there any real need to cause a scene over this?"

Shinkai tried his best to calm his partner with a patented pleading stare that he once used as a child to get favors from his relatives and older friends. One that surprisingly still worked, even against someone like Stella as an expression of doubt slowly replaced her frown. Glancing towards Bob again, who by now was looking at her in expectation then back at Shinkai. Until finally, she relented with a long sigh and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Alright fine, but I'll be taking my seat here now. To at least ensure Bob conducts himself properly."

Surprisingly enough, Bob didn't think that Stella taking a seat right next to him like an overbearing mother was a bad situation, rather, the look of smug superiority on his face made it clear like he got exactly what he wanted out of the scene. Noticing his expression, Shinkai had something of a delayed reaction before simply sighing loudly and also taking a seat with his co-workers, accepting that he was once again utterly played by the pilot.

"Again, we're really sorry about all this..."

Stella once again apologizes to the Mazinger pilots, though now that she was right in front of him; Kane might pick up some strange signs from the redheaded Office Lady: For one thing, her posture screamed military; not a mere pencil pusher but someone who had seen action in the front lines and her eyes, there was something... Missing from them, like a certain spark of life that should be there but isn't.

 

[The Ancient Purple]

The demon's bolt exploded moments after making its mark, blowing off a significant portion of the limb's upper shoulder armor and upper arm in a violent plume of hellfire, as bad as the damage seemed at first glance; it honestly looked worse than it actually is, with most of the servos and wiring remaining relatively untouched by the blast as the Null's damage reports would reveal soon afterward.

The same cannot be said for what Liam shot did to the demon knight, however. The railgun slug was aimed true and unerringly screamed towards its head. Realizing that it wouldn’t be able to move aside in time or use its wings to get out of the way fast enough, the demon instead forcibly wills its wings to protect it, where one-half of the shade-cloak spasms forward onto the slug's path, its sense of self-preservation wholly overwritten by the Knight’s own drive to live. As expected, the wing is torn asunder by the hypersonic projectile, scattering scraps of shadow every which way and barely slowing the slug from its fateful encounter with the demon’s head, but it already knew that; it simply hoped that the sacrifice of its appendage would at the very least turn aside the slug’s course from its head.

It did not.

The slug, far too dense and going far too fast was hardly thrown away from its path and with a deafening keen, the projectile digs a trench across the knight’s forehead, and from the terrible wound, a gout of black flame shoots out of it like a perverse volcano. Moments later, its arms go slack before it lifelessly falls to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut, and soon afterward the rest of its body and weapons subsequently immolated into ebony flames, slowly burning away into the ether.

With that, silence once again falls in the enginarium save for the crackling of the Gaia Gear's flaming debris and the droning hum of the Mercury's nuclear fusion core. They had won.

One by one the crew began to slowly and carefully slide down the sand dune, the junior officer and the Magos, despite being the two highest-ranking members; had not taken advantage of the privilege of their rank and chose to stay, to help guide and carry the more mentally and physically drained crewmen to safely descend. At terra firma, several of the crew dropped their stoic demeanor and began to kiss the dirt beneath them, in disbelief and jubilation that they wouldn't die aboard their ship-turned tomb and that they were blessed that they could once again stand on solid ground with their own two feet after their perilous transit through the warp.

Soon it was only the Magos and the officer that remained on the sub-bridge, along with the mysterious golden stranger. The pair share an indistinct look before the officer gives a short, solemn nod and takes his leave, headed towards the sleeping giant while the Magos cranes his head towards Ignus and speaks, unclear if he is addressing either the Knight aboard or the machine itself.

"Techmarine Laurentius. Did he die well?"

Despite the droning, tinny inflection of the techpriest's artificial voice; Valrin could clearly feel the raw emotion in his words: Worry, sorrow, longing, and resignation.

The Magos only gives Ignus a short nod and makes a sign of the cog, both in thanks to the Knight avenging his comrade's death and to see the fallen Grey Knight's soul off as he goes to meet the Emperor-Omnissiah. Immediately afterward, he began acting in the cold, logical manner far more typical of the machine cult's acolytes, back to business once personal matters had been settled.

"I know too little of the warp to help answer your queries, but I do have some answers for the matter of survival on this unknown world. While accessing the ship's pantries would be too risky and awkward and the probability of the provisions inside being untainted too low to consider the effort and danger, The emergency supplies within the sub-bridge are still untouched and from our current number of at least 50 souls, including your... Allies; will last us a month if properly rationed. Far longer if we are to find any water sources during the march; which according to the last scans of the Mercury's auspex, we would encounter much sooner than later."

A grunt of exertion is heard from the Junior officer in the background before he emerges back into the light, dragging with him several crates full of emergency rations and a currently-unpacked Imperial Navy-standard portable multimode water purification device. Despite his expression betraying no weakness or complaint, his ruddy features and the sweat beading on his face show that he was clearly having trouble with carrying the provisions all on his own.

"Pardon me."

The magos leaves the conversation to aid the officer in getting the supplies out of their storage area and sliding the heavy crates down the dune for the waiting crew below to unpack and outfit themselves for the coming trek.

@Crimson Dragoon @Cavaliere @The Ancient Purple

The men below give way for the Mechanicum Questor and his precious cargo. The Custodes looked all to the world like a golden idol and like one was treated with reverence and awe, the crewmen giving him all due space; as if afraid to even breathe on him. Though a more cynical and pragmatic observer would instead see that the crew was rightfully keeping away from something that didn't seem all that stable and didn't want to die in such a foolish manner as being crushed after inadvertently tipping the slumbering Custodes over.

Seeing that their VIP is now safely overboard, the officer, at last, joins the rest of the evacuating crew, taking extra care not to end up anywhere near the Custodes' idle form. The Magos however, still had one last thing left to do aboard... Broadcasting on an open radio channel that even the most limited short-range comms can pick up, the Magos declares his intentions to the quartet.

"The minimum safe distance is one kilometer away from the Mercury's Alacrity. Preferably behind one of the sand dunes created by her impact. I ask of you and your allies a final favor noble Questor: Guide me to the Fusion Core, for I have the clearance codes and knowledge of the proper rites to initiate the scuttling."

Down below, the crew of 50 were busy securing the sleeping Custodes onto his sled, tying him with very generous lengths of cordage before the entirety of their number began to drag him away from the shipwreck; already aware of what is to come and wasting no time towards getting as much of a head start as possible from the area.

Unfortunately the moment the young psion tried to access the data he had gathered on the demon knight, the data instead came to him; forcibly assailing his mind with visions of carnage and murder, of blood, skulls and rage unending, and all of it, all of the heinous violence it was done by his own hands and seen through his own eyes! At this moment Kazuki realized that was witnessing the memories of the Knight, while he was privy to only a fraction of the thousands upon thousands of years of the demon's existence of endless battle and bloodshed, the experience was so vivid and raw that the psion's body was unconsciously copying the movements depicted in the memories; causing his VARG to aimlessly stumble about like a drunkard and by the time the demon had been vanquished, Kazuki found himself deeper in the enginarium and with a trail of mangled machinery behind him.

All of a sudden, Kazuki found himself awakening in the darkness. That was strange... Was he not fighting a giant demon knight the size of his VARG? Darkness was a bit of a misnomer though, the light of the ship's fusion core was more than enough to act as a beacon, for him to get his bearings and direction. But the how and the why?

It did not to take long for the clairsentient scout to recover from the mild shock that crashed down in his nerves and wholly realizing exactly what just had happened, using the information regarding Daemons already provided earlier. The boy's mental situation could have been a lot worse, had he not already have been sufficiently desensitized into the carnage of bloodshed and chaos of battle. Getting a hold of his VARG, he quickly takes in the location of his teammates and marches towards them. Only a single sentence released through communications from him. "... What the heck just happened?"

According to his IFF and his signature, the other members of the quartet would realize that Kazuki was transmitting from deep inside the reactor room, likely in a dark corner that allowed him to completely avoid the notice of the Demon Knight while it had been busy trying to slaughter them.

 

[Crimson Dragoon]

Daniel kept getting the nagging feeling he was forgetting something, but not quite sure what. As he was about to try to put it out of his mind, something happened to make him remember what exactly he forgot about.

Unfortunately the moment the young psion tried to access the data he had gathered on the demon knight, the data instead came to him; forcibly assailing his mind with visions of carnage and murder, of blood, skulls and rage unending, and all of it, all of the heinous violence it was done by his own hands and seen through his own eyes! At this moment Kazuki realized that was witnessing the memories of the Knight, while he was privy to only a fraction of the thousands upon thousands of years of the demon's existence of endless battle and bloodshed, the experience was so vivid and raw that the psion's body was unconsciously copying the movements depicted in the memories; causing his VARG to aimlessly stumble about like a drunkard and by the time the demon had been vanquished, Kazuki found himself deeper in the enginarium and with a trail of mangled machinery behind him.

All of a sudden, Kazuki found himself awakening in the darkness. That was strange... Was he not fighting a giant demon knight the size of his VARG? Darkness was a bit of a misnomer though, the light of the ship's fusion core was more than enough to act as a beacon, for him to get his bearings and direction. But the how and the why?

It did not to take long for the clairsentient scout to recover from the mild shock that crashed down in his nerves and wholly realizing exactly what just had happened, using the information regarding Daemons already provided earlier. The boy's mental situation could have been a lot worse, had he not already have been sufficiently desensitized into the carnage of bloodshed and chaos of battle. Getting a hold of his VARG, he quickly takes in the location of his teammates and marches towards them. Only a single sentence released through communications from him. "... What the heck just happened?"

According to his IFF and his signature, the other members of the quartet would realize that Kazuki was transmitting from deep inside the reactor room, likely in a dark corner that allowed him to completely avoid the notice of the Demon Knight while it had been busy trying to slaughter them.

There was a transmission coming from somewhere in the reactor room, and it was one of their allies. Corporal Kazuki was his name. Daniel heads towards his location and said, “What the hell happened to you while we were fighting for our lives?”

He tried to keep out as much annoyance and indignance out of his tone, but some probably leaked through anyway. A sigh shortly followed.

“The enemy is dead and we’re trying to help the survivors. There’s enough salvageable resources from this ship to last them for a while. And speaking of the ship, we’re planning on destroying it by having someone set off the reactor. Apparently it really is that badly tainted.”

 

[Mazin Kiryu]

@Mazin Kiryu

Bob turned towards Stella with a hearty smile, one that he could totally pass as casual.

"What? I can't mingle with the other guests?"

Stella simply makes her glare colder, huffing air out of her nose to complete her expression of utter displeasure at Bob's attitude.

"On what planet does harassing these two men and interrupting their meal count as "mingling"? You're lucky HR never followed through on any of the complaints filed against you."

Bob seems unfazed by the woman's outburst. The smile eventually ascends into a full-on toothy grin. It was clear that he was somehow having fun with the situation.

"Y'know that coldness really doesn't suit you, princess, ruins your fiery beauty."

Stella was hardly impressed by Bob's flattery, rather it had the opposite effect. As demonstrated by the tightening of her grip on the cane she carried, to the point that it began to shake in her hand.

"If only there weren't so many people around... Then I'd really give it to you."

One of the many eyes to have their attention turned towards the table where the scene was happening, the one pilot known as 'Shinkai' decided to take action. With the most casual stride, the man gently approached Stella from behind, using the tip of his fingers to tap her on the shoulder, prompting her to turn towards him with a harsh glare, only to lighten up when she realized who it was who dared intrude on her personal space.

"Miss Stella please, you're getting caught up in his pace again. I'm positive that Bob means well."

"Yeah, since when have I never Shin?"

"Be quiet Bob."

"Still, is there any real need to cause a scene over this?"

Shinkai tried his best to calm his partner with a patented pleading stare that he once used as a child to get favors from his relatives and older friends. One that surprisingly still worked, even against someone like Stella as an expression of doubt slowly replaced her frown. Glancing towards Bob again, who by now was looking at her in expectation then back at Shinkai. Until finally, she relented with a long sigh and a shrug of the shoulders.

"Alright fine, but I'll be taking my seat here now. To at least ensure Bob conducts himself properly."

Surprisingly enough, Bob didn't think that Stella taking a seat right next to him like an overbearing mother was a bad situation, rather, the look of smug superiority on his face made it clear like he got exactly what he wanted out of the scene. Noticing his expression, Shinkai had something of a delayed reaction before simply sighing loudly and also taking a seat with his co-workers, accepting that he was once again utterly played by the pilot.

"Again, we're really sorry about all this..."

Stella once again apologizes to the Mazinger pilots, though now that she was right in front of him; Kane might pick up some strange signs from the redheaded Office Lady: For one thing, her posture screamed military; not a mere pencil pusher but someone who had seen action in the front lines and her eyes, there was something... Missing from them, like a certain spark of life that should be there but isn't.

Kane watch the whole scene happening, as soon both of them took their seats, he simply spoke.

“It fine if we have company, I don’t mind really but even our situation and time, a discussion like this would have suited best outside at lunch and maybe a walk or talk about current state of this world problem.”

As he then stare at Stella, his eye staring before he went to eat more of the roll and then swallow.

“Your like us aren’t you? Not from this world?” He said, asking the question as he though maybe a conversation could kill time while they eat.

 

[sir_fire]

Kane watch the whole scene happening, as soon both of them took their seats, he simply spoke.

“It fine if we have company, I don’t mind really but even our situation and time, a discussion like this would have suited best outside at lunch and maybe a walk or talk about current state of this world problem.”

As he then stare at Stella, his eye staring before he went to eat more of the roll and then swallow.

“Your like us aren’t you? Not from this world?” He said, asking the question as he though maybe a conversation could kill time while they eat.

Stella directs her gaze at Kane at being questioned. Eye contact makes it clearer to the Mazinger pilot that the woman had a very dull look in her eyes, leaving one with a nagging feeling that she is looking through people rather than at them. "The eyes are a window to a person's soul." as the saying went, but behind those windows, it seems as though there's nobody home...

"No, you're mistaken. I am native to this Earth, but I can see why you'd think that way."

Bob cuts in.

"Yeah, it wasn't always like this; we all just got used to whatever this new messed up world throws at us and carried on. Human adaptability, am I right?"

"...As Bob so succinctly put it. Yes."

Then Shinkai says his piece.

"New and very unfriendly. I don't know if you two were already told or noticed, but the entire human race is on a war footing."

"Unfriendly? I'd have much stronger words for than just "unfriendly" for a bunch of two-bit evil aliens and megalomaniacal madmen straight out of comic serials."

"Which megalomaniacal madmen? The eco-terrorists or the ones leading the off-brand version of SHOCKER?"

"...Both I guess? Also, the hell is SHOCKER?"

With the way Shinkai spoke of those madmen, one can clearly tell he had quite the sore spot regarding them judging from the bitterness in the young man's voice.

 

[The Ancient Purple]

Daniel kept getting the nagging feeling he was forgetting something, but not quite sure what. As he was about to try to put it out of his mind, something happened to make him remember what exactly he forgot about.

There was a transmission coming from somewhere in the reactor room, and it was one of their allies. Corporal Kazuki was his name. Daniel heads towards his location and said, “What the hell happened to you while we were fighting for our lives?”

He tried to keep out as much annoyance and indignance out of his tone, but some probably leaked through anyway. A sigh shortly followed.

“The enemy is dead and we’re trying to help the survivors. There’s enough salvageable resources from this ship to last them for a while. And speaking of the ship, we’re planning on destroying it by having someone set off the reactor. Apparently it really is that badly tainted.”

Kazuki was fast to pick up on Daniel's signature and using him as a beacon to reach the others. Luckily, the prospect of navigating a long maze of corridors if need be didn't faze him in the slightest. He would eventually be able to find his way back and maneuver with confidence unless something happened to interrupt the flow of his movements. All the while, he tried to skim through his thoughts in order to figure out what to say... To not much avail.

"Daniel? I apologize immensely. It's just... The visions. I've seen some stuff. I'm not sure how to explain exactly what I've seen on that devil knight's memories. And the situation is pretty unfortunate. I'm recovered and willing to help in any way I can now."

 

[Crimson Dragoon]

Kazuki was fast to pick up on Daniel's signature and using him as a beacon to reach the others. Luckily, the prospect of navigating a long maze of corridors if need be didn't faze him in the slightest. He would eventually be able to find his way back and maneuver with confidence unless something happened to interrupt the flow of his movements. All the while, he tried to skim through his thoughts in order to figure out what to say... To not much avail.

"Daniel? I apologize immensely. It's just... The visions. I've seen some stuff. I'm not sure how to explain exactly what I've seen on that devil knight's memories. And the situation is pretty unfortunate. I'm recovered and willing to help in any way I can now."

Visions, he said. Ah, he was a psychic too. Those sensitive to the world beyond the material would have their minds overwhelmed by something like that. It sufficed as an explanation, but hopefully he'd be ready next time they encounter an enemy like the knight again. This was easy to say from Daniel's position, of course, and was unable to really fathom what having a third eye truly meant. However, at the end of the day, they honestly couldn't risk potential dead weight, harsh as it was.

"We'll be glad to have your help then. I'd say to just keep your guard up for next time, but I'm not the best one to consult for this. You could ask that Valrin guy for help if you really want to prevent what happened earlier. He's...odd, to say the least, but I think he'd know some things."

 

[Sigismund]

@Crimson Dragoon @Cavaliere @The Ancient Purple

The men below give way for the Mechanicum Questor and his precious cargo. The Custodes looked all to the world like a golden idol and like one was treated with reverence and awe, the crewmen giving him all due space; as if afraid to even breathe on him. Though a more cynical and pragmatic observer would instead see that the crew was rightfully keeping away from something that didn't seem all that stable and didn't want to die in such a foolish manner as being crushed after inadvertently tipping the slumbering Custodes over.

Seeing that their VIP is now safely overboard, the officer, at last, joins the rest of the evacuating crew, taking extra care not to end up anywhere near the Custodes' idle form. The Magos however, still had one last thing left to do aboard... Broadcasting on an open radio channel that even the most limited short-range comms can pick up, the Magos declares his intentions to the quartet.

"The minimum safe distance is one kilometer away from the Mercury's Alacrity. Preferably behind one of the sand dunes created by her impact. I ask of you and your allies a final favor noble Questor: Guide me to the Fusion Core, for I have the clearance codes and knowledge of the proper rites to initiate the scuttling."

Down below, the crew of 50 were busy securing the sleeping Custodes onto his sled, tying him with very generous lengths of cordage before the entirety of their number began to drag him away from the shipwreck; already aware of what is to come and wasting no time towards getting as much of a head start as possible from the area.

Very well. "May the Omnisaiiah protect"

Ignus Turned and made back for the enginarium, as communication s came throught.

It was obvious that the one in the golden armor was a very important figure. Daniel could ask questions about that and some other things later, but for now there was this matter to settle.

“So this is the only way to make sure, huh? Fine, ready when you are. After this, I think we should have a talk about exactly what kind of enemy infested this ship. I and others excepting the Knight aren’t really in the know.”

After all, this might not be the last time they’d face such a thing.

I switched the channel into a more private secure wave. "That was a Daemon of the Blood God Khorne, and a fairly unique one that that. More typical of their type is to go for brute strength and resistance. However they very much can still corrupt, inflate you're bloodlust, pull you from logic to lose yourself in adrenaline and power. Ignore that, for that way likes to pure corruption as we have seen.

Daniel kept getting the nagging feeling he was forgetting something, but not quite sure what. As he was about to try to put it out of his mind, something happened to make him remember what exactly he forgot about.

There was a transmission coming from somewhere in the reactor room, and it was one of their allies. Corporal Kazuki was his name. Daniel heads towards his location and said, “What the hell happened to you while we were fighting for our lives?”

He tried to keep out as much annoyance and indignance out of his tone, but some probably leaked through anyway. A sigh shortly followed.

“The enemy is dead and we’re trying to help the survivors. There’s enough salvageable resources from this ship to last them for a while. And speaking of the ship, we’re planning on destroying it by having someone set off the reactor. Apparently it really is that badly tainted.”

Kazuki was fast to pick up on Daniel's signature and using him as a beacon to reach the others. Luckily, the prospect of navigating a long maze of corridors if need be didn't faze him in the slightest. He would eventually be able to find his way back and maneuver with confidence unless something happened to interrupt the flow of his movements. All the while, he tried to skim through his thoughts in order to figure out what to say... To not much avail.

"Daniel? I apologize immensely. It's just... The visions. I've seen some stuff. I'm not sure how to explain exactly what I've seen on that devil knight's memories. And the situation is pretty unfortunate. I'm recovered and willing to help in any way I can now."

Visions, he said. Ah, he was a psychic too. Those sensitive to the world beyond the material would have their minds overwhelmed by something like that. It sufficed as an explanation, but hopefully he'd be ready next time they encounter an enemy like the knight again. This was easy to say from Daniel's position, of course, and was unable to really fathom what having a third eye truly meant. However, at the end of the day, they honestly couldn't risk potential dead weight, harsh as it was.

"We'll be glad to have your help then. I'd say to just keep your guard up for next time, but I'm not the best one to consult for this. You could ask that Valrin guy for help if you really want to prevent what happened earlier. He's...odd, to say the least, but I think he'd know some things."

"Do not seek to ponder them, ignore them, reject them, isolate them from your mind and as soon as we are able they will be obliterated from your mind. This place may be weak, and its influence weakened, but memories stripped from a Daemon are always seeds of corruption. Whether that be days, or decades. It is inevitable, so they must be scoured away while still possible to save your soul. To leave them to fester will spell from for us all in time, and damn your soul. "


I left the alternative to silence, but they had seen what happened. They knew the alternative.



Now Ignus had made it back to the opening in the Enginarium, the path for the tech priest to follow made clear.