Chapter 0: Before the Dread Gate IC

"Correction:" Ignatio voxxed. "I do not hate either of you, as to do so would be illogical. As an Astropath, I would assume that you have received the blessing of the omnissiah himself."

"The Navigator gene was developed by the ancients, in the time before the age of strife, and as universal law thirteen states, 'The knowledge of the ancients stands beyond question'."

Turning to the young Navigator, his augmetic eyes whirring as he took the opportunity to examine her face in greater detail, he said "I do not believe I acquired your name in the course of the meeting, Navigator. Would you do me the honor of curing my ignorance?"

"In that case I expect you to never question me," Alexium said with a very wide grin.

As the aquila finally landed in the shuttle bay, the engines cycled down and the doors opened. In front of you opened a large space. The bay was a hive of activity, with a crowd of workers and voidsmen active on the far wall. A passing voidsman gave you the sign of the aquila as you exited, A large asquila hung from the ceiling in front of a large arched portal filled with darkness. Before entering, Parvus said some final words.

You each have a chamber prepared in the luxury deck. However, most officer posts have an associated chamber. The choir-master telepathica has a large space beneath the astropathic choir chambers, and the warp-guide below the navigator chambers. The enginseer prime has chambers and a workshop above the enginarium.

Otherwise, that is all. We will speak again before departure from the system. As you seem to have decided amongst yourselves, take your posts. Should you wish to discuss specific topics, I can be made available, but I must rest in the meantime.

His bodyguards rolled him slowly into the corridors of the ship, going to his personal chambers on the luxury deck.

"While I must immediately begin familiarizing myself with this sacred vessel, I will schedule an hour for socialization. It is also important to interface with the organic components of the ship, after all."

If that was a joke, nothing about Ignatio's demeanor gave it away.

With an automatic bow, he then turned to make his way into the ship.

Carnelian wrote:

Lethia wrote:

"Forgive me, you simply looked the most fitting for the part." she says in a near emotionless way

"I am not used to a ship where there is not a definitive command element in place. It is most....unusual."

"Not at all, you flatter me. You're right though I also find this unusual." Sebastián suddenly smiles at a thought. "Perhaps some of us won't make it back from the Arch Magos task, will make the choice easier, eh?"

She smiles uneasily.

Iron and Metal wrote:

"Speaking of 'most unusual,' how do you do? We should probably become friends, since everyone here already hates us. Except Roderick of course. He's one of the 'good ones.'" Alexium giggles and extends a hand.

"You're supposed to shake it, if you didn't know."

She looks at the hand before shaking it in turn.
"Master Alexium. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am unused to seeing such a young master of the astropathic arts. Should we have the time I would like to hear more about your unique talents that have cast you in such a light."

"Roderick is the man who is always at your side yes? And exactly what talents does he bring to the table?"

Her voice was gentle as she spoke to the child, she might possibly his help to send a message back to the house should things prove distressful to house tzemopolus-contrary to the magos' calculations.

Pyritefoolsgold wrote:

"Correction:" Ignatio voxxed. "I do not hate either of you, as to do so would be illogical. As an Astropath, I would assume that you have received the blessing of the omnissiah himself."

"The Navigator gene was developed by the ancients, in the time before the age of strife, and as universal law thirteen states, 'The knowledge of the ancients stands beyond question'."

Turning to the young Navigator, his augmetic eyes whirring as he took the opportunity to examine her face in greater detail, he said "I do not believe I acquired your name in the course of the meeting, Navigator. Would you do me the honor of curing my ignorance?"

She bows her head slightly, casting her headed face in even more shadow. The white tuft of hair still visible.
"Lethia Tzemopolus of the ancient house tzemopolus. We have an ancient pact with the Filiantis dynasty and I have come to fulfill it."

"Curiouser and curiouser," comments Alexium as Ignatio leaves.

To Lethia, "That's right! Roderick is always by my side and not the other way around. Never let him tell you otherwise, the scoundrel. What does he excel at, hmmm. He can make a particularly mean cup of re-caff, he is quite handsome, and his singing voice is fabulous. Perhaps less importantly, he is fantastically level headed under extreme duress, knows intimately the functions of a frigate bridge, and is as passionate about hunting down rogue-sons-of-whores as I am. We're a real power couple."

Alexium more or less ignored the comments about age from Lethia. "At dinner you can tell me the tale of your illustrious family and their deeds."

Lethia nods with amusement and a girlish chuckle.
"Interesting. You are a most intersting astropath. I would be delighted to share woth you the exploits of the house. I very much look forward to the dinner."She pats her robed stomach with the free hand while the other holds her navigator staff, topped with the eye sigil.

Power couple?! I'll give you a powerful couple of kicks in the arse if you're not careful. And I'll use this singing voice to quell your tears after I'm done. Roderick squinted suspiciously at the child astropath for a second before getting it by the scruff and giving its head a work over with his knuckles. However, you did have me at more amasec and cards! he released his tiny friend and looked at the Navigator. They hadn't spoken, but they would need to work together in the coming forays if they were going to make it. He came to attention and stuck out his large hand which he'd used to accost the child introducing himself. We'll be working very closely together in the future, so we should become acquainted quickly, Lord Roderick of House MacCoinneach. Pleasure to meet you...? I didn't actually catch your name down there.

Noting Lethia uneasy smile at his joke, Sebastián observes the others. Alexium and Roderick seemed to be the comedy duo of the group. Hopefully they keep the entertainment value up during the no doubt long journey they were about to embark upon. Sebastián liked the levity they brought, he looked forward to a drink with the pair.

As he watched them he cursed inwardly, he'd not answered Ignatio's question regarding his name. "Ah, Ignatio. I didn't answer your query. I take my mothers name, as it has always been. I think Parvus prefers it that way, it separates me by another degree from the 'curse'." Sebastián finishes the final word with a small amount of disdain.

The entire group is on the Aquila Lander. A specialized pilot-servitor is in the cockpit, with access to the command codes allowing you temporary passage on the world. Your expedition, classified 3759, is directed towards unexplored tower 17334. Along with the servitor came a data packet containing limited information on Skaros Aeros.



+++++
Data Packet: Skaros Aeros
Planet Type : Atypical Gas Giant
Unusual Features: 20736 towers rising from atmosphere; dark ages architecture, likely built by Skaros Technocracy; energy field maintains breathable atmosphere
Inhabitants:
Technorog:
-Rambler form
-Hunter-form
-Ogre Form
-Titan Form
-Giga-serpent form
-Sky-striker Form
-Grenadier form
History:
-First identified by Lucius Expedition 51-9, M28.
-3758 expeditions to date; 1830 successful.
-Current record: 3744-R, rescue expedition by Argent Ultima Kill-team; one of the members fell off a gantry and reached record depth of 2.2 km, managed to ascend and rejoin team to evacuate (further data under censure by Ordo Xenos).
-Worst expedition: 1295, M33, massive skitarii, knight and titan deployement on tower 1728 (largest identified tower). Loss of 90% of personnel, all titans, all knights, all heavy vehicles.
-Further data unavailable, under censure by Inquisition.
+++++



The servitor is programmed to drop you off on the landing pad, then will lift off to avoid attracting attention. Ten halo landers, piloted by your own men and crewed with a small force of armsmen, will await in orbit to pick you up & any resources you managed to recover. It is estimated you are minutes away from landing.

Where before Magos Pulsanus had merely worn his power axe beneath his mechanicus robes, now he was armed with his hellgun, complete with power pack.

As they came in toward the landing pad, he ritually re-attached the hellgun to it's power pack, checking all the signs of the machine spirit as he spoke aloud the litany.

"My weapon is alive, even as I, because it is my life. Therefore, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its charge pack, its sights and its focusing crystal. I will keep my weapon faithful and ready, even as I am faithful and ready."

Then he connected the MIU cable running from the back of his skull to a port in the side of the rifle.

"We will become part of each other."

The ritual complete, Ignatio looked up and around at the others, and reached out for the bulky sensor array he'd been issued by the Archmagos. "Could someone help me install this?"

Hydrako wrote:

Power couple?! I'll give you a powerful couple of kicks in the arse if you're not careful. And I'll use this singing voice to quell your tears after I'm done. Roderick squinted suspiciously at the child astropath for a second before getting it by the scruff and giving its head a work over with his knuckles. However, you did have me at more amasec and cards! he released his tiny friend and looked at the Navigator. They hadn't spoken, but they would need to work together in the coming forays if they were going to make it. He came to attention and stuck out his large hand which he'd used to accost the child introducing himself. We'll be working very closely together in the future, so we should become acquainted quickly, Lord Roderick of House MacCoinneach. Pleasure to meet you...? I didn't actually catch your name down there.

I am Lethia Tzemopolus of house Tzempolus. I will be the navigator Pirmaris for this foray into the unknown.


On the journey down.....


Lethia's third eye was closed, as it would be unless it was needed, but she could feel her witch sight here dimming.Using the eye here would be like trying to navigate the warp without the astronimicon.
It was a good thing that what her house was known for, now if she could only live up to the name.

"My third eye is dim." she informs the others, Somthing on Skaros Aeros is hindering the warp, but not blocking it entirely. At least, not yet."

Standing at ease Sebastián is armoured in a burnished golden pressurised carapace, the helm he holds under one arm. The armour is clearly of an exceptional quality and has the air of the antique. A gift from his father. A plasma pistol is holstered on his right thigh and his power sword at his left hip. His equipment gave him some measure of confidence which he hoped would shine through, although he was sure he was as nervous as the next man. He had over a decade’s worth of experience aboard void ships and a good amount of that in positions of command, but little to do with actual combat. He had trained in swordsmanship, but had never killed a man or anything for that matter.

They were headed into danger, he looked amongst his companions and wondered if any of them had much experience in a fight. It would probably be wise to find out. Despite his lack of actual combat experience he knew he had some skill with a blade.

With a slightly raised voice to ensure all hear Sebastián speaks with an easy charm, addressing anyone who cares to listen. "Right everyone, listen up please. We should avoid a confrontation if possible but we should proceed as though we expect to face it." he looks amongst his companions equally, not lingering on those you might assume to be 'weak'. "Anyone here not have confidence with a blade or a gun? It would be useful to know, so we can proceed accordingly. People with some combat training or experience at the front and flanks, those others protected in the middle."

Sebastián pats his powersword, "I'm passing with this and am well armoured so would be happy up front."

The shuttle shuddered as it touched down on the platform, interrupting your preparations. Powerful cross-winds had pushed the shuttle until it reached the platform, where the air was deathly calm. The servitor pilot opened the exit ramp. Inasmuch as it was possible, the servitor appeared impatient, flashing the exit lamps and reving the engine. Had it been on skaros aeros before? Regardless, the drab metal platform could be seen past the ramp, gunmetal-gray, smooth and unmarked.

"I've killed." said Gerold as the lander touched down, " I'll take point alongside you."
He didn't have the protection of San-Sebastian, but his armour will have to do. With Family heirloom in hand, he stepped forward. It seemed even their mindless pilot was eager to get of Skaros Aeros, but that was not a case with Gerold. He wanted to take down one of those things. He wanted to see light die off in its eyes. There was no point in staying back. Their prey and prize where forward. He doubted there will be much places to use long range weapons except if the towers had some open spaces inside them, so he kept his hellgun strapped to his back.

Alexium stood near the rear of the shuttle. It was no accident.

The caged songbird, Ruben-Gold, had been left back on the ship as it did not want to come down planetside. The seeming irritation of the servitor pilot reinforced that it was a solid decision.

I will have to get inside Ruben's mind and really see what it knows. If I live.

The child was dressed far differently than it had been at dinner. No fancy robes or slippers. No, now it wore a full suit of Imperial Guard flak armor, although this one had clearly been fitted for a child, as it fit Alexium perfectly. It clearly existed only for the most dire of circumstances, which worked nicely for Alexium.

Strapped to the outside of the child's meticulously packed backpack was a simple, but effective, shield. Right now it provided extra protection to the back, but when worn, it covered the arm almost completely and parts of the body.

The look was completed by a short sword on the left hip and las pistol on the right, with sturdy hiking shoes on the feet. And of course, a beautiful silk sash was tied tightly around the eyes.

"Though I may look the part, I do not have much direct action experience. Not to worry, however. I am sure this venture will change that. I will stay in the middle of the group."

Allow some more experienced bodies to fight off and soak up hostilities.

It wasn't until the doors opened that Lethia's words rang true to Alexium. Pain split from the one side of the head to the other, ebbed, and went away briefly, only to return. The child put both hands up and leaned over, attempting to massage out some of the tension. "The warp is incredibly weak here. Ack. Fuck."

Lethia moves with each bob and weave of the lander. He rhood was drawn low as always and she held her staff on the ground in front of her.

"I can defend myself if need be. But I'd rather not." she says uneasily.

As much as she wanted to avoid making landfall, the turbulence of the lander did not bother her in the slightest, she had been through and seen much worse.

When the lander landed, she was first to stand, but last to exit.

The land beyond the exit looked exceptionally dusty and dismal. Already she wished for the stale air aboard a ship, the diamond plate steel beneath her feet, and the near silent vibrations of a ship in transit.

"He seems eager." she says, referring to Gerald as he exited the craft.

She checked her holster once again to make sure the helpistol was still good and ready.

Roderick rode the sway and jolt of the lander all the way down to the "surface" with his eyes closed and arms folded tightly behind his back at attention. He savoured the feel of the atmosphere strengthening its grip on them as they descended. As they exited onto the landing he drew his bolt pistol with his left hand, I can shoot a bit, and Haast here can handle itself as well. He looked up at the augmented eagle hovering above the group. It looked down at him with cold killer eyes. Roderick nodded to it and it began circling the group at a higher altitude, keeping an eye out for danger. I can cover one of the flanks

Having gone unnoticed by the others, Ignatio releases his servo-skull from within his robes. The floating drone helps him view the array from behind, and nudge it into place around his neck.

Inserting the plug of his MIU cord into the array, ignatio's body is siezed by a shudder. He freezes in place for a moment as the data pours into his mind, and he struggles to comprehend it.

Then, suddenly, the noise resolves into clarity, as an awareness of his surroundings enters the magos's mind.

"I am ready, and the machine spirits are willing," Ignatio says, picking his hellgun back up from his seat where he'd set it.

Turning to the others and stepping forward, he further informed them, "I am no stranger to combat, and much used to hunting in similar surroundings. My hellgun is a significant long-range weapon, and my power axe is a significant force in close quarter." Glancing down, he added "The weight of the array may make it difficult to move quickly or evade fire, however."

As the seconds pass and everyone disembarks, the shuttle leaves though you still have radio contact with the halo barges in orbit. Haast the eagle wisely flies low, his avian senses spotting that any higher would trap him in the high-speed winds of the gas giant.

A large arched passage stands before you. On the sides, short walls curve away showing a large, 200 meter diameter circular dome. Through regular openings in the structure, you can see a vast field of stacked containers within; and in the gloom of the portal, a large yellow vehicle in the distance, its crane arm still holding a container in its grasp.

She steps forward, warily. Covering her hooded face with her forearm and using the staff to brace herself.

"This will be the most oft searched area, I doubt there would be anything nearby for us to find."

Sebastián was pleased at the response, they had a rough formation to protect those less inclined for combat. Gerold and himself at the front, Roderick and Ignatio on the flanks with the rest in the middle. He was no strategist but common sense stood for a lot. One of the many responsibilities of a captain was to keep his crew protected.

Before he descends the ramp of the transport he dons his helm and with a click the suit becomes sealed although he keeps his helms grill open so he can breathe the passable air, no point in using up his suits oxygen supply for now.

As they assemble on the landing pad Sebastián turns to Ignatio. He'd seen arrays before so he thought he recognised the device attached to the tech priest "Ignatio, you're fitted with a sensor array, yes? Do we need to stop for you to use it or can if function while we're moving?"

Igantio moved smoothly in his place in the formation, answering San-Sebastian's question.

"No, Lord-Captain. I am fully capable of reading the sensor array's information while on the move, and stopping should only be necessary if I need to examine something in detail."

He glanced through the openings into various chambers and then froze. Turning his head to run his augmetic eyes over what he found inside, while carefully examining the information that his array was sending him about it, he spoke.

"That... is a Galvanic Crane." Anyone peeking past him could see that it was a large metal crane set on a trailer.

"It may appear to be a standard piece of construction equipment, but it is not. The STC for the original design of the Ancients has never been recovered, so every one is a relic from the Dark Age of Technology. Modern attempts to emulate the design produce devices which consume ten times as much fuel, operate at one-fifth the speed, and can carry a load limit of less than a quarter of what this machine can carry at full extension, with a much greater risk of losing grip or tipping over. It is an artifact of logistics. If we could obtain it, it would be of immense value to the mechanicus, or could be a significant asset in our colonization efforts."

He glances back in the direction they came from. He paused for a moment, double-checking the math. "However, I do not believe that it can be made to fit on our transport."

Carefully approaching the machine, the Magos examined it more closely.

Alexium eased forward, ensuring there were always bodies around the perimeter, looking at what Ignatio had described.

"Now that is something - enough to make a profit and increase the productivity of our future endeavors. If we extract it, we need to keep our presence small - one ship at a time. But I suppose it is all predicated on one thing; do you think it'll start, Ignatio?"

There was a playful grin on the child's blind-folded face.

As you passed through the doorway running out of formation, you entered a surprisingly large space. The sensor array's lidar reconstructed the area it could visualize, indicating a large hemispherical space 200 meters in diameter. Immense, meter-wide circular pillars that went from floor to ceiling. The container area was delimited by red safety markings. As you enter, you can see the shipping containers much more clearly, hundreds of them, possibly thousands. The powerful sonar of the sensor array shows that all you come across are full to the brim.

Somehow, a container is still dangling from the crane, undisturbed, possibly having dangled there for 15 millenia. A testament to the quality of the tool, every slight oscillation caused by a gust of wind was being compensated for by automatic, unpowered mechanisms that eliminated movement in seconds. A quick look showed that whatever machine-spirit it might hold was dormant, awaiting for the opportunity to be unleashed.

Nonethless, your unnatural senses detected the slightest machine activity in th walls and pillars; while the choir mechanic was silent, a faint and delicate undertone came out from those surfaces, like billions of soft cymbal-strokes; perhaps nanocybernetica? Regardless, there where not yet any significant reading of heat, light, radiation or any energy at all, though even the array-assisted senses could only go so far.

map:

(Legend: 1m center-to-center of each hex; Yellow:  galvanic servo-hauler; dark grey: containers (darker containers are on the first level, lighter are second or third stacked; darkest grey floor to ceiling pillars)

"A man may die yet still endure if his work enters the greater work. Time is carried upon a current incepted by forgotten deeds." Ignatio intoned reverently, quoting a great techmagos as he took in the perfection of the enormous machine.

Plugging the electro-graft that had replaced his pinkie into a slot on the side of the towing vehicle, Ignatio proclaimed 'Some fuel remains in the tank, and fuel produced by the ancients has not been observed to degrade over time."

He turned to look at the others. "I believe these machines should answer the call of their activation runes, but I believe that this may draw further attention. The crane could also be used to quickly load a Halo barge with many of these containers. It may be best not to activate them until barges are on the way."

As the others moved up, he added "The sensor array is detecting a potent source of energy emanating from approximately seventy meters beneath us. I believe, from the energy trajectories, that these energies are emanating from a portable device. Speculation: This device is most likely either a powerful grav generator or a stasis field. Either could represent a significant discovery, especially given the often legendary contents of stasis fields."

Alexium meandered near Roderick after Ignatio gave his findings, speculations, and warnings.

"What odds have you got on the Tech Priest accidentally stumbling upon something that kills us all?"

It was a crane. Sebastián understood why Ignatio would have such a fascination, he'd proclaimed it an STC, but it was still a crane. A potent source of energy and potentially some kind of STC, clearly out trumped it.

"Let's make this energy source our primary target unless something more tempting presents itself?" it was clearly a question and not a command. Sebastain saw himself amongst equals, each of them skilled in their field. "If we get the opportunity perhaps we can pinch one of these lifters, but if we're in agreement lets press on and look for a way down."

Haast swooped through the arch above the group and settled up high on a container, keeping an eye out for trouble. Roderick looked at his companion and nodded before throwing his crowns into the ring. "I'm all for taking the easy loot, but I have to agree. A stasis generator has to have something special hidden inside. If we can take a container with us on the way back, that will be a nice bonus." He looked at Ignatio, "sorry mate, but that crane might have to wait on this platform for the next group." When Alexium asked about odds Roderick whispered back, "kills us all? Nay, that won't happen. Kills one of us? 11 to 1 in favour of you, but you HAVE to pick the right cadaver beforehand. If I win, I'll think of my prize later. What do you think? Fancy a wager?"

When it became clear that the intention of the party was to keep moving, Ignatio removed his graft from the outlet on the side of the hauler, and resumed his place in the formation as the party made it's way across the platform, seeking a way down towards the source of the signals he'd received.

Lethia kept pace near the back of the group.

She appeared calm and in control with the hellpistol holstered and using the staff in a loose walking grip rather than a two handed defensive grip.

inside, she was just above trembling. She hated being groundside, add to that the threat of the electo-beasts that were known to kill those who ventured in......she wasnt optimistic about the journey.

As the group moved forward, a central area revealed itself. In the center of the chamber, a large empty pit seemed to fall into darkness; two pillars to the side may have been elevator mechanisms, though no elevator remained. To the side of the pit, two immense ramps spiraled around this central space, going deeper into darkness.

map:

To the side of this central space, a small office space could be seen; possibly the foreman's office? From a distance, a medium-sized cogitator unit could be seen in the office to the north.

Alexium nudged Roderick and pointed to the office. It was worth checking out before they put it at their backs. The child simply assumed Ignatio would be drooling to get to the ancient cogitator.

The Astropath took a few tentative steps toward the office, merely observing it to see if it was going to be easy enough to enter.

Reaching the great hole in the platform, Ignatio looked down it and focused the sensor array down the shaft.

"It appears that the elevator is out."

Producing a length of climbing wire from within his robes, apparently attached to a harness under there somewhere, he asked "Does anyone else have climbing equipment? It would make decent much quicker than using the ramp."

Noticing the office with the cogitator, his head snapped to the side to examine it in more detail. "That ancient cogitator likely contains a manifest of what this facility has to offer. I will endeavor to commune with it."

He turned and made his way toward the office, hands still clutching the hellgun.

The office areas themselves where fairly sparse; a small cubicle farm with no closing doors, low walls and an armature "cage" likely meant to block falling containers.

As Ignatio rushed forward, the cogitator itself was somewhat disappointing; a fairly simplistic model using solid-state magnetic data storage that would have decayed in less than a century. However, a palm-sized metal rectangle lied on the nearby desk, connected to the cogitator by a single cable. It appeared to be a reinforced dataslate armored in adamantine; as a high-durability model, its internal storage might be more durable as well, and there was a chance-however small-that it could be recovered.

Taking in that the various decayed devices, Ignatio put away his hellgun and made the symbol of the cogwheel with his fingers, whispering a prayer to the Machine God asking him to look over the lost spirits of these machines, and begging forgiveness on behalf of humanity for allowing them to have succumbed to disrepair.

With that done, he quickly notices the still-intact dataslate, picking it up and puzzling over it for a moment. "I may be able to restore power to you," he said to the dataslate, pulling out his own and setting it on a nearby desk, then deftly removing the slim battery pack with one hand.

++I apologize for the disrespect,++ he said as he pulled the golden contacts of the dataslate battery into shape to fit the ancient slate's charging port. ++But there is insufficient time.++

Speaking a prayer to the motive force, asking it to bring life back to this machine, he made the connection and waited for the device to charge. After a few moments, there was a pop, followed by a wisp of white smoke rising out of the slate as it's own battery burned out.

++Omnissiah, forgive me for my hubris,++ the Magos muttered as his hands went into a blur of action, rapidly disassembling the dataslate to remove the ruined battery before it could cause further damage and retrieving what he could from it's databanks.

Pulling a crystalline data library from the slate, he pocketed the adamantine case and several other components. Leaving the office, he says "I have taken more time than I intended, we should resume our journey, and I will attempt to access this data as we move."

Lethia follows Roderick and Alexium to the office.

She remains silent to Ignatio's query on climbing gear. It should have been painfully obvious that she had none.

She looks around the office, finding nothing more interesting inside.
Ignatio, however, seemed to be very interested in a dust coated dataslate.
"What have you found?" she asks him.

"That is a shit bet and you know it, even at 11-to-1. Odds be damned - the true bet has us each making our stakes; we each choose the individual who will feth us all. Whether or not that results in someone dying, or only being grievously injured, doesn't matter. We simply have to choose the right player. Winner can choose their prize. I have chosen mine," Alexium turned a blindfolded head toward Ignatio. "If you accept, choose your muse."

+++

Alexium rubbed at the dull pain within the cranium; the initial excitement of these new discoveries had allowed it to fade some, but now it ebbed softly underneath all else.

Fucking ancients and their disrespect for the Warp. Complaining, even internally, made the child feel somewhat better.

The office was a bust - aside from some doo-dad that made the Tech Priest jump with joy. The Astropath gently made its way out of the office and headed for a ramp. Until someone went first, Alexium waited at the top, gently swaying back and forth from the ball of the foot to the heel, smiling.

Ignatio held up the crystal for Lethia. "This is a form of data library that the ancients used. I believe I can still access it, but I will need some time. It is my hope that it will contain the cargo manifest of what can be found in these crates."


Arriving at the ramp along with Alexium, the Magos waited for the rest of the crew to be ready before proceeding downward.

Shit bet? Roderick said incredulously. That is a terrific bet on a match on Dalmore. All you have to do is pick the right body. Out of 8 players, that's a steal. He grunted in thought as they entered the office with Ignatio to look for...anything. Your bet is shit. We're on a world full of technical treasure and you've gone ahead and picked the thief that is least likely to be able to keep his hands in his pockets. You cannot lay the bet and then pick first. However, since you have I will either accept or deny the prize you choose after the mission. If you ask too much, I will give you something else instead. As for my pick, Roderick leered down at the child thenI choose you. While the two bickered over odds and bets, they walked in and out of the office and back to the others as if on autopilot. Joining the group again, Roderick glanced up at Haast and pointed up to the sky. The giant eagle took off then and began circling the group.

Sebastián took what cover was on offer outside the administration block. He thought he'd have little to offer those already inside and as a number had already entered he thought it best someone kept watch. He addresses anyone lingering outside. "Unless you think you have unique skills to offer in deciphering whatever is within, I suggest we hold this place and keep an eye out."

The squad started moving down the ramp. As large as an avenue, the ramp could allow multiple servo-haulers to pass side-by-side. As you descended, large window-gaps showed thick clouds occasionally pierced by a pillar or pipe.

Maps S1-S5:

After a first full revolution, you reached a first landing, empty and otherwise featureless. On the second landing, another inactive servo-hauler that seemed to have been stopped on its way down. On the third landing, two more servo-haulers where found, immobile but oriented in opposite directions. On the fourth landing, nothing was present save some drifting dust. After this, there was no more landing; a wide floor opening up bellow you.

Map-S5:

To the upper left & lower right, rows of metallic tables. To the upper right and lower left, hundreds of cheap, flimsy metal lockers. The sensor-array's echolocation told you they where mostly empty, though a select few still had something metallic in them. In the distance, you could see large corridors criss-crossed with large pipes; likely some form of chemical processing plant. The graviton source was still somewhere below.

The magos took a moment as they passed each Galvanic hauler to check its machine spirit, seeing if he could read the fuel gauge. Otherwise he was tinkering with the crystal and his dataslate, slowly modifying an interface cord to be able to connect to the crystal. His legs moved forward almost automatically, like those of a servitor.

By the time they reached the ground floor, he'd managed the hardware connection and was securing the crystal to the bottom of his datapad with a strip of adhesive tape, which featured prayers to the machine god printed in binary on it's surface. He was now working out how to get his slate to interface with the ancient data storage system.

"Several of these lockers contain metallic objects, the others appear to be empty," he announced, taking a moment to scan the area as they reached the bottom floor. "Our current goal still lies further down, so we should endeavor to find a manner to further descent."

"Your initial bet has me risking all and you risking nothing. Typical. Ha! I was about to choose me as well, then the new bet would have been about as even as the original."

Alexum shrugged. "This was my idea, so I chose first. Can you ever not be a sore loser? I agree to your terms. If I win, I shall choose something, listen to you bitch and moan while you pick something else. Seems fair."

As Haast flew, Alexium asked a simple question. "How do you two communicate? MIU uplink, or something far more simple?"

+++

Alexium paid close attention to the others at each floor, always pushing its mind's eye out and sensing the world around them in vivid detail. This was a fascinating place, and the child wanted to immediately move to the lockers and see what valuables the ancients may have left behind. Even something mundane could be incredibly useful to the team. Alas, the child also did not want to have Roderick win the bet, so it stayed put.

"What do you think we should do, Ignatio?" It "stared" at the tech priest with a smile.

The tech priest, who had been rapidly scrolling through his dataslate and selecting options, stopped at being asked the question. For a moment, a faint hum could be heard from his head.

"Observation: the fact that we have not yet been attacked is surprising, considering that every prior expedition has faced hostiles." A pause, then "Speculation: Hostiles may only appear when triggered by specific conditions. Thus far, for instance, we have not used any form of high-energy technology, or broken into any secure locations."

"Suggested course of action: We should endeavor to secure the most valuable object, expecting this to cause a significant response, and then secure what else we can as we retreat back to the shuttle."

He and I have a bond. Eagles of his breed are wickedly intelligent and trainable if you can forge a bond with them. They are bellicose, temperamental bastards though. There are ways to upgrade him using psybernetics to truly link our minds, but that might be something we do in the future. For now, he's like a dire-hound. Loyal and deadly with a mind of his own. They walked with the group again, on autopilot, down until they found the next level.

The talk of lockers containing artifacts made Roderick's ears perk up again. He wanted to walk along the lines and look inside each, but the time that would take up would be a foolish waste. He also didn't want to lose the bet by triggering some unseen security system. I agree, Ignatio. Let's get to the real prize in that stasis chamber, and grab what we can as we retreat.

Sebastián nods to Ignatio "Your logic is sound and I agree we should press on, but if we do return this way and get a chance to pilfer a few of these lockers how long do you think it would take to open one? If we're being chased for example and the lockers are tough to crack we probably should just pass them by if we know in advance."

Magos Pulsanos took another glance at the lockers, scanning them with the sensor array he bore on his shoulders. Shaking his head, he answered "No, Lord Captain. While these storage devices may contain sensors that would alert the facility to intrusion, physically they are quite simple. A strong man with a combat knife would have little difficulty prying one open."

Walking down the set of lockers, he took out a device from his robes typically used for making wax purity seals, and used it to make a small wax mark in front of each locker that seemed to his sensor array to contain anything substantial. "These containers have significant contents. The others should likely be ignored."

Turning back to the others, he added "I cannot detect any hint of the motive force within these containers, which suggests either that there are no significant sensors, that any sensors they would have are unpowered due to some mishap, or that the sensor technology of the ancients is beyond my ability to detect. It is possible that it would be safe to open these now, though I would reccomend a low-energy solution, such as the aforementioned strong man with a combat knife."

With that done, Ignatio went back to tapping on his dataslate, quietly chanting binaric supplications.

Lethia keeps her normal eyes peeled on the surroundings for any sign of attack.

The debacle of betting and odds was amusing, like an old married couple, but in these settings it was strange-out of place (At least for Lethia's sensibilities)

As out of place the chatter was, it was a welcome distraction from the expansive emptiness that Skaros Aeros was. Even in the more confined areas, she felt like she was alone on a never ending plain of sand, exposed and easily targeted. She knew it was just a feeling derived from being on a planet, but the feeling was as real as anything else.