Chapter 2: Tonight...we lick our wounds (IC)

It had been two months since the “success” of your mission.  Encrypted reports trickled in from Olivia’s various spies and contacts who had infiltrated Vir Modren’s backwater operations on various worlds.  All of the reports painted the same picture.  The bittersweet victory had acted as a powder keg that set off a chain reaction of events, ultimately ending in Gargoff ‘Eadbreaka’s succession from Modren, and a personal declaration of war against Fleet Mistress Sabina Alsunet.  With the might of his navy now engrossed in a constant battle with the Ork Privateer, as well as a strained relationship with the fleet mistress due to her impudence, Modren was feeling his world fall apart for the first time.

But  Vir Modren wasn’t the only one with problems…..

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Wounded, she drifted across the stars… yet her sleek body still maintained its exotic, gothic beauty. Silence betrayed the violence that cradled her, and accosted her weary frame as she glided across the field of black.  The Pedro had suffered losses, but nothing she couldn’t come back from with the proper captain at her helm.  As was she broken however…so was the man who commanded her.

Erik stood, softly swirling a crystal glass of Amasec in his hand as he peered out into the blackness of the void.  The vintage alcohol had been in his family for generations.  A bottle he had been saving for a special occasion, not unlike the other twenty that now lie empty, littering the crimson carpet at his feet.  His personal quarters were a mess.  Disheveled, unkempt and reeking of various liquors…not unlike himself.  The young Captain rubbed his chin.  His squared jawline was covered in light beard that was beyond stubble now, and his matted hair clung wildly to the back of his stormcoat…this was the only garment of clothing he was currently wearing.

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Tensions were high aboard the Pedro, and the rift between diverging factions was so thick it had to be waded through carefully, lest one were to succumb to the petty, yet dangerous environment that was now your home.  Until recent events, the Sword Class frigate had boasted an unusually high morale and an uncanny sense of unity between its Imperial and Xenos inhabitants.  All of that had changed in the blink of an eye.  The most obvious segregation between the human occupants and the remaining Tau wasn’t even the worse of it.  The Ramune had established themselves as a ragtag unit, with little regard for the Pedro’s original naval security forces.  Drax acted as a liason between Minear and his personal security force of ex-pirates, mercenaries and bounty hunters who called Modren’s realm home.  Discipline alone would not remedy the problem.  These men needed to blow off steam the proper way….”The Grease Pit” was that place.  

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Located in the underdecks, directly below the ship’s kitchen was The Grease Pit.  The aptly named fighting pit, watering hole and gambling hall rolled into one had been a part of the Pedro for centuries, but only recently had its popularity been revitalized.  The air was so putrid it felt as if it literally crawled into your nostrils and clung to your throat.  The rockrete bricked walls glistened with stagnant black grease and food waste that trickled down from above, and poured into the drainage grates that served as a perimeter to the entire establishment.  Rumor had it; the only access to the den of debauchery was located at the rear of the ship’s kitchen in the form of a rather large cargo lift. Any who entered would need the proper “credentials”, or an invitation. Other rumors however, suggested simply looking the part and having the thrones to throw away was enough to gain entry.  Few of the Pedro’s elite would ever find themselves here, and the only Xenos known to frequent the establishment was a rather large Kroot, accompanied by his rather feminine *ahem*….friend.

Cheers and screams erupted from The Grease Pit as two fighters entered the arena.  Both men were brutes, and veterans of the pit…but it was clear who the crowd favored. Almost in unison, one word was chanted….

“Scrag…Scrag…Scrag..!”

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There was little to be said of the Pedro’s naval security forces.  Generations of Men and women who had been employed by the Von Handz family acted with a military precision.  It was business as usual, and little had changed save for the snarls and glares that were cast towards the Tau.  

Hibi, the Pedro’s Navigator walked the halls of the Pedro, his hands clasped behind his back. Striding beside him was an eerie, unfamiliar figure. The man’s pale skin and obsidian hair was obscured by a hooded robe. The contrast between the two was uncanny.  Hibi walked with the swagger and charm of a man who lived a life of excess.  The man next to him moved with clenched fists, averting the eye contact of others…for their sake.

Hibi smirked. “Come Reiner…it’s time we let you off your leash and introduced you to my good friend…what’s his name? Shaemus…Sandus…..Bah, never mind. Let’s go see our boys in blue.”

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The Tau’s dedicated section of the Pedro was a stark contrast to the gothic halls of the rest of the vessel.  The air was dry and warm, kept this way to artificially replicate the Tau’s ideal living environment.  Bright lights and white walls gave the surrounding area an almost sterile feel.  The tau had suffered the heaviest losses during boarding actions conducted by the vile Ork raiders.  Many of them held resentment for the humans they threw their lives away for.  There was no praise for the Tau’s sacrifice. Instead, they were met with sneers and hostility.  Despite a heavy blow to their operations and claiming the mantle of outcasts, the unification of the Greater Good prevailed.

Studying a holo-map of the sector, two blue skinned warriors from the fire caste carefully contemplated the Pedro’s next plan of action. The two warriors, one a man the other a woman, ran index fingers along the map, attempting to locate the safest location for the Pedro to lick her wounds. Their blue flesh took on an almost turquoise hue as the green light of the holo-screen blanketed their faces. With Erik…indisposed Sammus’ influence aboard the Rogue Trader vessel had grown considerably.  Despite tensions and a festering sense of Xenophobia, none could deny the tau tactician’s role was critical to their survival in Modren’s realm.  

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[With the Tau]

Sammus studied the map intensely, nodding at the suggestions he was hearing about where the Pedro should move to next. Each planet, moons, asteroid belt, supposed space station, or outpost had its own rewards and drawbacks. Had The Pedro been operating at peak capacity, Sammus would have wagered it could have conquered whatever lay before them, perhaps without firing a shot. But now...

He sighed through his mouth and blinked. Now everything had changed. Their post-mission homecoming had been a shock to them all. The glory of such a blow against he ork shattered as the damage reports came in. The tau had suffered unnecessary losses due to the lack of tactical insight, and frankly courage, on behalf of many gue'la naval armsmen. The humans too suffered greatly, but their lack of unity and cohesion had cost both sides immensely.

And now they had the audacity to look down upon the tau as though somehow it was the xenos' fault. He had heard that word a lot more regularly now. "Xenos." Only now it was a perjorative, said with the same hiss as a snake looking down on a rat for supper. But he couldn't dwell on it. He had grown to know the hearts of humans well - and he knew how easily they could change. And because of this, he knew they could change for the better.

"Repair and resupply need to be our first priorities. Without resupply the crew's already low morale will plummet further and without repair we cannot defender ourselves against another attack. But in our current condition we need to find a space port that is at least neutral. Friendly would be ideal, but I doubt there is anything like that this far out. We will need to double check with Minear, Olivia, and Cassius. Perhaps Roland knows of somewhere as well."

Sammus purposely left out the Lord-Captain's name. Erik had become a shut in the weeks since the attack. It was something the main crew knew, but on principle kept their mouths shut about. On paper, all decisions were at the command of Lord-Captain Von Handz, but in reality it was his bridge crew that were desperately trying to hold on to order in his mental absence.

"We need to set up a meeting of all main crew. And we must consider the gue'la Warp-Navigators. They will be essential in getting us wherever we decide to go."

Sammus waited for Tash'var's assessment of the situation. If he had missed something, she would likely catch it.

Minear had kept busy in the last two months directing the actions and repairs of the Pedro.

Now, he stood at the helm and watched the stars outside the viewport. Mordren's realm was beautiful with swirling nebulae of red and purple hues. That beauty belied the deadly civil war that now engulfed the sector, thanks to the actions of the small and insignificant pedro. She lurked in the star-realm like an unknown cancer in the body, waiting to strike the crippling blow.

He also had his own personal goals to attend to. He wanted the fleet mistress, wanted to break her and watch her pride slowly ebb away. Getting her alive, however, would be a problem.
Therin lay the problem. Erik had been on sabbatical since they got back. He had hardly spent any time in command and when he wasn't around, the work fell on Minear. He always had problems to sort through for the Pedro's sake, and it was a never ending job. He had no idea that Erik took care of so much, or maybe it was just a penchant for micro-managing that made the department supervisors lax in thier own duty?

Either way, he stood at the helm, his thoughts as lost in his mind as the Pedro in the stars....

The comb sliced through his obsidian hair with speed and agility, pressing down towards his sharp shoulder blades as if he meant to punish them too. Glistening in the fluorescent light of his quarters, he began to apply the powder to his face. To try and at least hide some of the horrors that displayed themselves for all to see. Slowly, painstakingly, Reiner opens his eyes to feast upon what he has wrought for the world this day. The eyes stare back from the mirror, almost judging him, almost intrigued by him. 

He crosses his legs, cracking his neck from side to side in anticipation. Anticipation for having to go outside and meet others, for them to feel his very presence and more like than not, empty their stomachs because of him. He takes the bottle of exquisite Sandurian Musk and sprays it into the air, letting it fall down around him in a shower of scent and dampness. The fine clothes he wore contradicted his life, having only keep them safe out of deference to his father and their tattered legacy. 

The classical opera flowed through the suite, filling it with the sadness of a voice lost to time. Amplifying the dour, damp mood within. Bringing out the darkness that scattered within. Reiner picks up the black lipstick, caressing it over his lips in sudden flashes of movement. He makes sure his eyebrows and lashes are of the same darkness, juxtaposing the paleness of his freakish face. The music invigorates him for a moment, closing his eyes to savor the sweet notes as they pour over him in a rush of emotion and longing. The climax. The epitome of the work coming to fruition. He holds onto it as long as he possibly can. 

The soft knock shakes him from his erotic moment, brushing him back into the reality around him. It was Hibi, of course, come to take him to the Tau. Come to show him who ran the ship. 

He pulls the hood over his head, shrouding himself in darkness. The crimson clothing is covered by the cloak, allowing him to shield himself from everything. He stand, golden chains clinking against the metal pieces of his finery. Putting one black boot onto the seat, he lashes the laces together quickly, tightening them to the fullest. Lastly, he ties the blood red sash around his waist, draping it down over the darkness of his pants. 

"Coming Hibi, unless you would...like to enter."

The muffled response is a firm negative and Reiner could understand why. None would enter his quarters and not immediately be repulsed by at least one of the many things eerie and wrong with it. 

"Suit yourself, my friend...I shall come to you."

Lithely, as if almost floating, the navigator pushes his way through the room, over to the entrance. He presses down on the control panel, letting the lights go out before opening the door. 

"Good evening, Hibi. Shall we be off?"

The screams called to him as he stepped from the darkness and into the pit - he was a brute of a man his head shaved bald except.for a shock of red in a short mowhawk, his body a mass of scars and tattoos as the cheers and calls.continued a smile split his face and he raised his arms and gave out a triumphant roar in response to the crowds adoration. Then he rolled his shoulders and fixed his oppoenent with a grin, his huge calloused hands folded into fists
"Hope you last longer than the others."

Roland had barely had a time to sit down and try and sort through his thoughts, including the occasional orkish thoughts that would often try to take over.

Luckily being so busy with the repairs and tending to the machine spirits, had kept his mind mostly focused on that.

After they had arrived back, and gotten things back under control, he had been rushed off his feet with emergency and critical repairs.

Eventually he had made time to get his mechadedrites installed and with plenty of repair work, had had plenty of time to calibrate them. With the Utility and Medicae mechadendrites installed, he was able to better perform his duties.

Now if he could only get rid of the voices...

Tash’var relaxed and stepped back from the holo-map, she squeezed the bridge of her nose in an attempt to shift the slight headache she’d gained from pouring over the map for the past hour. She considered if she cared about the state of the Pedro and its crew, even with the animosity her kind had faced after the be’gel attack she didn’t trust the gue’la – they had given her no reason to. It didn’t help Tash at all that she was in the dark as to why they were helping the gue’la, she hoped that would become clear soon. For now she’d have to be content with she’d been ordered to help.

“I agree Sammus  - I would hope and expect the gue’la to know best where they should dock for supplies and repair. If they don’t we may have to present ourselves with strength even though we are weak to gain what we need.” There was some hostility in Tash’vars voice which was not directed at Sammus but at the situation as a whole, not that that was particularly obvious.

Red was mixing with black. A ruby eye in the void. As they swirled the colour slowly lost its hue and died.

Olivia blinked and focused again on her hand. She had pricked herself with her quill and her blood had dripped on the parchment. The pain was so slight she barely noticed it, but there was something comforting watching the drip, drip, drip, drip....
She flexed out her long pale fingers, and rolled up the paper she had been working on and pushed back from her desk. Her head was pounding and her skin felt pinched and flush with sweat. She hadn't been sleeping properly since their return from the Ork ship, terrified of what the night would bring. Her dreams had only become more vivid, and seemed to always be on the verge of her waking consciousness, threatening to invade. Some of these dreams were easy for her to understand. Alone in the dark in an enclosed space watching and waiting while the lights converged on her.
A foul smelling beast chasing her up the stairs of a tower, his panting breath just on the nape of her neck. These dreams were derivative, and once the light returned she was able to dismiss them.
It was the other that terrorised her, that left her screaming, shrunk into the corner of her bed. She never knew how long she had been awake, how long it took for the animal panic to subside and for her to realise where she was again. And each time she could only remember the one image.

A small circular lake. Its waters were still and silent. And as black as the Pit. There was something achingly beautiful about this lake. A beauty that burned her with its ice cold totality.
And then the truck came. And from it poured black plastic.Thin, easily broken plastic bags, in this never ending stream. Into the lake.

That was the last she ever remembered, panting, hair slick to her neck. Her rational mind couldn't decode it, what exactly was so terrifying about it. But she had taken to working late and rising early, filling her day with research, paperwork and gun drills, exhausting her body and mind until she merely sank unconscious. She knew that it wasn't good for her, but there wasn't another solution she could accept right now. Letting her robe fall to floor, she stripped off her shift, choosing to ignore the ribs that were becoming even more marked and moved to cleanse herself.

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Dressed in a fresh robe, white based and marked with dark green swirls, brown riding boots and her orange hair in a long braid that reached the inferno pistol on her hip she moved through the ship. Focused as she had been with her own work and problems, she was not blind to the malaise that had infected the ship. It was like the Pedro, which had been so wounded in its battle had picked up an infection and this was now running through its decks. The outnumbered Tau moved in packs, not anxious to expose their backs to the rest of the crew. On that note...
Olivia turned her head to see the top of a xenos head disappear down a ladder leading to the lower deck. She hesitated, thinking to the information on the scroll she had just translated and then curiosity getting the better of her, she moved towards the ladder. Where would one of the Tau be moving on their own?

The lower deck was dim and quiet, the holo lamps less frequent, and the only sounds, the dull throbbing of some machinery and a slow drip of some liquid. There was a puddle of something foul smelling near the bottom of the shute and she wrinkled her nose as she stepped around it and scanned around her for the one she was following. In the distance she heard the soft clunk of someone walking. She was just reconsidering her decision to come down here and return to her more normal climbs when the sharp clank of metal on metal caught her attention. She hesitated and there it was again, and this time followed the murmuring of voices. Taking care to walk as quietly as she could, she moved towards the sound, which became clearer and clearer.
By the time she reached the bend in the corridor, it was only too clear what it was.
From what she heard, there were three of them, two men and one woman.
“It’s good stuff. Premium, number 1 quality”
“Not any of that ship made grox stuff. Factory produced, checked and qualified.”
“Take a look yourself. Hold it up to the light.”

The conversation gave Oliva some pause. Something illicit was going on but was it really worth her intervening? She was well aware that she should, but the black market was something that would continue whatever she did. Plus inter species trade however illegal could be the start of a rapprochement. Half turning to make her way back to the main deck, she stopped suddenly as the nature of the sounds changed. A grunt followed by the sounds of a scuffle which was ended by a dull thump and the sounds of more violence.
“Xenos scum!”
“You think we’d trade with you, bug eyed cockroach?”
“Going to get your just desserts now”

Oliva took a deep breath and drew herself to her full height, froze her face into the look of haughty distain that was part of her birthright, and with her right hand hovering near her hip, strode around the corridor, boots clanging on the metal.
Three faces turned to stare at her, anger mixed with surprise.
“What exactly is going on here?”

There was a brief pause as her question hung on the air and the three humans stared at her, before glancing at each other and the Tau pushed itself up to its hands and knee’s. One of the men, his arms bare and spattered with welts and burns moved forward until he was just a foot away from her. He was tall and bald, his eyes an inch or so above hers.
“This is no one’s business but ours. Just turn around and there’ll be no trouble.”
“There will be no trouble, sir”

The man’s face reddened and his teeth bared as he glared into her eyes. She held his stare, looking deep into his eyes, her face dead of any emotion bar disdain. His head jerked forward, his nose almost touching hers.
“Just turn around. Turn around you little bitch or…”
“Decckie just leave it.”
“Its not worth it.”

The bald man’s eyes had flicked to his side as his friends spoke and at this instant Olivia slammed her knee into his groin. His mouth opened in surprise, eyes staring, before she brought up her elbow and struck him hard in the temple. He crumpled to the floor and his two friends took an unconscious step back. Reaching inside her robe she withdrew a llow stick and screwed it into an ornate white holder and lit it. Taking a drag she stared dismissively at them before exhaling.
“Get this reprobate out of my sight before I have you whipped to the bone.”
They hesitated and she took a step forward and both heads suddenly bent in supplication and they lifted their friend.
“We’ll get him out of here sir.”
“He didn’t mean anything sir. Just a misunderstanding sir”

She waited until the sounds of their feet had disappeared before she relaxed and ground the stick out on the steel walls and then looked down at what she now recognised as a Tau female who was leaning against the wall and staring at her warily.
“I don’t actually smoke them, but they can be helpful at creating an impression. Some traders won’t deal until after a shared smoke”

The Tau said nothing and stared up silently. A bruise was rapidly forming over one eye and an arm was cradled by her side but it didn’t look like she had any serious injuries.
“What’s your name?”
“Shas'La Vespid Dia'ra”
The alien tongue was not as strange to her as it had once been and she had a good idea which bits defined what, though their meaning outside that of rank was still mostly unknown to her.
With one hand she lifted the scruffy cloth bag on the ground and put it into her side satchel, aware of the eyes on her the whole time. She couldn’t read any emotions on the Tau’s face but she could guess what she might be feeling. This was not the time to check what she might have buying though.
She held her hand out towards the Tau and gave her a brief smile.
“Diaara… Di’ara? I think it’s time to vacate this area. I was on my way to see Commander Sammus in any case. You can be my escort”

The Tau hesitated for a long moment before accepting the pale hand above her and pulling herself to her feet. A small thrill went though Olivia as again she considered the wonder, and utter normality of such interactions.
They made their way up the corridor, side by side, the Tau clearly in some pain but still walking as stiff backed and straight as she could. With some experience with soldiers Olivia knew better than to offer assistance. Soldiers never changed.
After climbing back to the main deck, they started to make their way towards the Tau area of the ship. They were nearing this when the Tau suddenly stopped and reached out her hand in front of Olivia.
“That bag… The stuff…”
Olivia looked at her curiously and said nothing and watched as emotions played across the others face.
“If you tell Shas’Ui….. I will be punished. It was a mistake.”
She paused again and looked into Olivia’s face.
“Please.... Sir.... I will keep quiet about this.”

She turned then and hurried, still clutching her side, off toward the barracks. Olivia stared after her and thought before moving towards where she suspected she would find Sammus.

[With the Tau]

Sammus turned his head to one side, "cracking" his neck. It was an oddly human gesture and one he had picked up from his assignments with the gue'la auxiliaries well before finding himself aboard The Pedro. He took a deep breath in through his mouth. The glands at the back of his throat picked up the various smells in the tau quarter. Steel, plasma burn, the tang of various lubricants, the earthy natural smell of the tau themselves. He found himself taking small moments like that more often now. He had not nearly as much time anymore for meditation, so he had to find meditation where he could.

"There are other options as well - less savory options that we must consider. We cannot ignore those under Modren's rule who have the means to repair and refit us. The pirate De Soth is the most favorable to reach out to. He should still hold us in high regard for re-taking his base from the fleet mistress, but we also made an agreement to grant him seventeen percent of our future riches - riches that we currently do not have. The fleet mistress herself is another option though less savory; we cannot know for sure how much she knows of our involvement in both the re-taking of her base and pitting the ork against her."

He had to resist the urge to spit before saying the next part. But the hesitance was clear in his face. He chose his words carefully.

"We must also prepare ourselves for one of the crew to suggest we seek aid from the fleet of Kaptin 'Eadbreaka himself. This, of course, is folly."

His eyes briefly caught a tension among The Bonded. The quartet had stopped speaking to eyeball a human and an unarmored fire warrior move into the tau quarter.

Olivia Hippolyta. Seneschal of The Pedro and a gue'la Sammus very much considered a friend.

I wonder what brings her here.

With an all-clear nod, The Bonded relaxed and Sammus waved Olivia over.

Olivia inclined her head towards Sammus and then towards the other Tau in the room before moving towards the two at the Holo map. Her back was straight and she moved with care, hands relaxed by her sides. She gave the Tau commander a smile.
"It is good to see you again Sammus. You are looking fit and healthy."

In most human settings, words would have come to her easily, be her audience high born, merchant traders or smugglers. However with the Tau, her only real experience was with Sammus himself and a lot of those conversations were either deliberations before, or during a conflict. She didn't know what words, or subjects might be offensive or unwelcome, if she talked too much or too little.
But when she looked up at Sammus, her first thought wasn't Tau. It wasn't even the second or third, but some of those thoughts were confusing and considering their situation, better left to another time.
She was happy to see him, and to be in company with someone who had come to mean a lot to her. And so really she didn't have to think too hard.

She turned to the other Tau at the Holo sphere and bowed her head, her hands moving up a little from her sides.
"I don't believe we have met formally. My name is Olivia Hippolyta and I am Seneschal aboard this ship  "
She waited for the other to respond before looking back to Sammus and gesturing at the sphere with a wry smile.
"It looks like we have both have had similar thoughts in mind. We need to find somewhere to dock and repair the ship. I've been decoding some reports from my contacts in the area and I might have some information. I was actually on my way to see you when something else interrupted me."

Her face grew serious and she eyed both of the Tau. This was the moment she was most unsure about and one that she wished she had time to prepare her words. But they were standing on a possible powder keg and the facts needed to be presented with as little adornment as possible.
"The recent tension between the Human and the Tau crew is something that has been worrying me. The ship is a family and though some conflict can be expected, we are beyond that now. Whatever happens, it cannot be allowed to get worse."

She took a deep breath.
"And on that note, on my way here I saw an unarmed Tau making her way alone, below decks. Such a thing shouldn't be worthy of note, but considering the rather inflamed feelings of some of the crew, I decided to check it out. At first it appeared to be some form of trade between the Tau I followed and some members of the crew. However it quickly turned violent. I stepped in and returned some of the violence they handed out and guided.... Shas'La Vaspud Diara I think, back here. The crew members can be punished naturally. What is more worrying though is what they were trading."

She reached into her shoulder bag and removed the battered cloth bag and opened its draw string.
"An inauspicious little thing isn't it?"

She reached inside and carefully lifted out a syringe filled with red liquid before setting down on the flat edge under the sphere. It was followed by two others, orange and blue and a bag filled with tiny purple rocks. And then a data pad. Olivia leaned this against the other items and her slim fingers tapped its activation rune.
A single message was displayed.

WE haVE ThE NAmES. PaY ThE PRiCE. You geT REvenGE. No ROcH XeENos shIT.

She eyed both of the Tau carefully, trying to gauge their reactions. Her fingers on the data slab were quivering slightly.
"Now what exactly are we going to do about this?"

[With the Tau]

Sammus smiled as Olivia dispensed the niceties. It was not nearly as awkward as it had looked when he had first started encountering her species back in the Farsight Enclaves. Though he and all Shas'ui had been briefed by the water-caste on the human reliance on physical displays of emotion, it was still awkward when put into practice. The smiles, the arm and hand touching, the "kissing." He had thought it unnecessary - a waste of time when rank alone should dictate how one acted toward another.

Only now it came naturally to him. Something in him instinctively wanted to smile, even if his species had no use for it, when he saw her. A brief moment of happiness was followed by guilt at the scars draped across her face. She had forgiven him for the disaster in the derelict ship's engine room, but he couldn't quite forgive himself. The guilt was like the blink of an eye and he quickly shoved it down.

"I thank you for your kind words, Seneschal Hippolyta. You too are looking well. You certainly do not look like grox shit." Sammus had heard the phrase used in many forms from the negative "feeling like grox shit," to "tasting like grox shit," to the positive "this is the shit," and "that grox shit was great." It confused him to no end, but he considered himself something of a linguist and wanted to understand the nuances of Low Gothic. Even if he couldn't quite eliminate his own accent, he would do his best to master the subtlety of the confusing language.

He stood by rigidly as Olivia and Tash'var acquainted themselves with one another. He felt a fleeting moment of awkwardness, but for the life of himself could not imagine why.

His large eyes regarded Olivia with interest as she told her story. They moved from her, briefly to Tash'var, and then scanned the room for the tau he had seen accompany Olivia in. His jaw muscles tensed as the contents of the bag were pulled out.

"It would appear discipline is eroding from the inside out." He quietly inspected the syringes as the rocks. To the tau, these were almost not worth looking at. An assortment of synthetic protein and carbohydrate supplements and some synthetic tissue repair crystals. They were standard issue for firewarriors, but were never issued to gue'la auxillaries. The humans had quickly figured out that when smoked, they reacted differently and became a high grade narcotic. Something akin to an opioid and hallucinogenic. Sammus didn't understand the details of it, but it was clear the humans aboard the Pedro had figured it out for themselves.

He sighed and looked at what it was being traded for.

Human names. Revenge.

He glanced at Tash'var. There were two ways to approach the situation before the powder keg they were sitting on exploded. "Mont'ka or Kauyon?

Tash’var remained stone faced as Sammus ran through some of their options, although at the mention of reaching out to the be-gel her left eye brow raised slightly in a rare show of surprise, that would have been missed by most. “Some of these gue'la would really think of seeking aid from the be’gel – that is not acceptable.” She disregarded such an option, it would be highly foolish to try and parley with such a violent race, it could only come to ruin. Besides the mention of De Soth peaked her interest; someone under Modrens rule, but one that also owed the Pedro for past endeavours. Tash’var knew little of what had gone before but De Soth might be a good contact to find out information about the kidnapped Ethereal Aun’Roh. Recovering the Ethereal was her primary concern and repairing and supplying the Pedro had become part of that “De Soth it sounds from what you’ve said would at least be friendly, even if there are no profits to share – certainly a possible starting point.”

Tash’var was always alert and missed little so she noted one of the fire warriors enter just before the human that had caught Sammus’ attention. Shas'La Vespid Dia'ra was injured and trying to hide it, little escaped her attention. With Dia’ra moving off into the communal areas of the Tau habitat Tash’var hoped this human had an explanation. Inclining her head slightly in response to Olivia’s greeting “Shas'La Mira'hai Tash'var” rolled off her tongue in Tau before she switched to halting low gothic “You can call me ‘Tash’, I report to Shas’O Ja’vra”, the greeting was a little blunt but certainly not hostile.

There was no outward reaction from Tash’var as Olivia said her piece and presented the evidence, on the inside though there was great disappointment that Dia’ra was part of this. “Shas'La Vespid Dia'ra, will no doubt be punished. As to the wider situation, it must be dealt with for the Pedro to operate with efficiency to allow us to achieve our goals.” Tash returned Sammus’ glance “Mont’ka is my preference, we need to deal with the situation on the ship quickly so we can concentrate on finding Aun'Roh”

[With the Tau]

For the moment, the shas'ui didn't touch anymore on the issue of the orks. He hoped no one would consider that an option, but if they did he was glad he and Tash'var were on the same page about it.

Sammus noted the hint of confusion in Olivia's eyes with the unfamiliar tau words. "Forgive my rudeness, Seneschal. The Mont'ka and Kauyon are the building blocks of tau combat strategy. Think of them as philosophies, or arts, of war. Should we be straightforward and go on the offensive with this problem as the Mont'ka dictates; or should we adhere to the Kauyon and take a more subtle approach and draw the problem to us."

There was merit in Tash'var's approach, but Sammus was determined to play the long game.

"Given the sensitivity of this issue, I do not believe a hard approach would yield the best results. The seeds of discontent are sprouting. If we show force now, we may pull a few of them, but we will not get to the root of the problem. It may be that Shas'la Dia'ra is acting alone, but I highly doubt it. We need to keep eyes on the tau - starting with Dia'ra. Seneschal Hippolyta, you have trusted people at your disposal. You should get all the information you can about the names on this list. The more intelligence we gather, the better suited will we be to handle the problem."

Olivia looked at Tash'var with interest while they exchanged greetings, though taking care not to stare. She wondered if she was merely a colleague or more of a confident with Sammus. She hadn't seen him with any other Tau in particular prior to this, but their attitude spoke of something more than a superior officer and an underling. The name of the officer she reported to was also unfamiliar. She needed to know more about the exact position of the Tau on the ship. With more information the better she could understand and get a better handle on events.

Her eyes had flicked between the two with the quick exchange of their native words trying to discern some meaning. Naturally she would be unable to ask at the moment, it would not be civil.
She briefly wondered the possibility of learning some of their language before Sammus spoke to her.
"Think no more about it. Standing here, I should really be the some speaking in your tongue."

Her fingers were pressed gently into eachother and held in front of her and she had to resist the temptation to take out her data pad and note down the terms. She would do it later.

"I'll gather information on these names as soon as I leave here. There is another aspect to this that concerns me though. Perhaps it is as simple as some of the crew exchanging information for those items."
She paused and forced her eyes to remain on the two in front of her and not at the things from the bag. They were clearly drugs of some kind but what function did they serve for the Tau? Combat drugs? Relaxants?
"Or as you suggested with Dia'ri there may be more behind this. The names on this may be enemies of someone, or it could be an attempt to frame the Tau and incite something. My vote would be for Kaa yon as well. We don't know how deep the roots are as of yet"

She brought her hands up to touch the edge of her chin and raised one eyebrow, the old eldar scar rippling as her face moved.
"There would be a certain irony in someone attempting to destroy us from within, turning us against each other as we attempt to do the same here."

The music continued to ring through his shaking eardrums as Reiner made his way out into the hallway with his compatriot Hibi. The two had been born of the same cloth in a manner of speaking, albeit Hibi's House seemed to have not come under the scorn of the Inquisition as Reiner's had so long ago. Reiner's turns and locks his quarters before turning back to Hibi with a flash of immaculate sharpened teeth from under his hood.  

"Wouldn't want anyone to find what I have in there, now would we?"

Hibi moved a bit back to give the creature before him a bit more of a wide berth before they began to make their way down the hallway and onward to their destination. The two of them made quite a sight strolling leisurely together, with Reiner standing a head taller than his counterpart and completely hidden from view. And with good reason. The mutations that navigators are afflicted with come in many shapes and sizes and due to House Dakkar's Renegade status and nature, Reiner had obtained quite a few mutations as his powers grew. He stood tall and lithe, fragile could even be used when describing his body structure, an elongated form that was freakish and odd. His face held an inhuman visage, complete with the lack of a nose and ears, and eyes that remained unchanged, unblinking. And black as the void. 

Many whom had had the pleasure of truly seeing Reiner would end up sweating, nauseous, and a bit under the weather for quite some time. Some went a bit insane from simply looking at him. But this was how he was. And the navigator believed he was quite splendid, exquisite really. 

He puts his feet in front of him lithely, placing the steps with care and precision. 

"Hibi, I do so enjoy your company. I am also quite thrilled at the prospect of increasing my circle of treasured friends...I do so hope they aren't too...how to put it...enraptured by me. As so many are."

The navigator chuckles to himself, but it begins to grow louder and louder, until he bends over and begins to cackle quite maniacally. He reaches up, wiping the spittle from the side of his mouth. 

"Ooooh I just can't wait to meet everyone..."

It was bred into her. Sammus was the senior Tau "As you say Shas'Ui" was all she said to him, she didn't think she needed to explain why she preferred Mont'ka. Naturally she was concerned as to the fate of the Eternal and didn't want to waste time, if there was more collateral damage... it was for The Greater Good. She was new here though and Sammus of course knew the lay of the land better than she. She couldn't help but trust in his judgement.

Tash gave nothing away as Olivia went through her concerns and thoughts, it was very troubling that discipline was so poor on the Pedro that the Seneshal gave voice of an enemy within "Do you think that likely, an enemy aboard this ship, or is it just a case of poor discipline?" she addresses Olivia staring with her ochre coloured eyes. The fact that she'd probably just been rude entirely lost on her.

The face of the new Tau had remained blank and expressionless while she had been speaking. Olivia hadn't even been sure that she was paying attention to what she was saying. It was pleasing though to learn that she was, and her point was germane.
She gave Tash a lopsided smile, the left hand side of her face staying taught.
"Your point is well made. The balance of probabilities would suggest that there has simply been a slackening of discipline across the ship and that some arms-men and at least one Tau have decided to take matters into their own hands. I am perhaps guilty of looking for a spectre's in the dark, where there are only shadows."

Her face grew serious again and she brought her hands together.
"The chances are minute that it is anything more than this, but I would still suggest that we spend a little time investigating this matter before we act."

It was clear from their exchange that Tash wished a more proactive approach, and a part of Olivia agreed with her. One could argue that they needed to cut the head off this particular serpent before it got a chance to breed. But her instinct was telling her that there was more to this than it appeared. She wondered idly how Tash might change the group dynamic.

The bell "rang" and Skrags smile got biggets as his opponent launched towards him. He had seen this before, thibking due to his size a speedy blitz would stop him. A solid forearm raised to deflect the blow soon disabused his opponent of that
"Ya need to be getting up earlier than that to catch me with my trousers down son," the big man laughed as he launched his own attack a sharp jab with his left, rather than try and block it his opponent dancrd backwards and Skrag still grinning looked at him "At least you smarter than the last fella." The last bout had beeb particularly dull the fighter thinking he could take the first blow ended up messing up his block and was put down fairly quickly.
"Guess I can take this one a bit more seriously."

Sent from Topic'it App

[With the Tau]

"Whatever it is, we will route it out in due time. Shas'la, the tau here are not mine to command and I would be out of place disciplining them. However, your cadre leaders need to be made aware of potential criminal actions - attacks - in the work against the gue'la. I know the issue is sensitive, so I will leave it to you as to who you can trust with it. For now, we three should meet with the rest of the crew in the bridge. After you."

He held out his hand for Olivia and then Tash to move out before he followed. Before leaving, he stopped to speak with the bonded. They regarded him with a salute, but those sitting remained so. Aside from the Kroot Vehr'sek, these four and Sammus were the last vestiges of the group that followed him loyally from the Farsight Enclaves on his mission of self-awareness. Together they had seen some of the hardest action the galaxy had to throw at them, and as such their bond was above such things as standard protocol in such casual situations. Sammus didn't mind. In this case, he encouraged it. Unorthodox to say the least, they had earned it.

"There could be trouble brewing between certain tau and gue'la."

Two smiled; one scoffed in a way that could be interpreted as a laugh. The fourth simply stared and nodded.

"Unless your lives are threatened, I expect you to actively stay out of it, but keep your senses focused."

As one they nodded. "Eyes and ears always open to the winds, Shas'ui."


[To the Bridge]

Heavy, reinforced and ornate blast doors slid open. The bridge looked as it always did - pristine and immaculately up-kept. The efforts of the bridge crew to re-establish some sort of normalcy after the ork attack was impressive. What was immediately noticeable was the lack of Captain. Von Handz was no doubt in his quarters - as he had been time and again when Sammus had ventured up. While it was no surprise, it was not a reassuring feeling.

He spied Minear and made his way over to him.

Olivia's face showed some surprise at Sammus's words before she brought her face under control.
She had always assumed at Sammus was in charge of the Tau here. Perhaps the Captain hadn't given him formal authority? It was a mistake on her behalf, she had been assuming all along. She wondered who would authorise their punishment. If the Captain was there, the matter would be simple. If the Captain.... Those words were fast becoming a daily mantra. She likewise gestured to Tash to take the lead and then moved up to the bridge.

The bridge was the same. Perfect in every way except the one that mattered. The apple's red skin glowing, while its core was rotting. She shook her head. The image had come on her with surprising strength and left her skin feeling itchy. Trying to ignore the feeling, she moved over to her station and activated it. She didn't have as many contacts in this sector as she would have liked but there were a number who had experience here. Hopefully one of them would have been in contact with some good news. While she automatically moved through the motions to soothe the machine spirits she wondered about the new personalities that would be joining the bridge. Naturally she hadn't wanted to distract her sources from their more important objectives but she was still curious.

Roland entered the Bridge, mutterings under his breath sounding suspiciously Orkish.

"Captain? ... oh damn still not here. Sammus. Olivia. Greetings. Is the captain still ensconced?"

He walks further in approaching the small group, giving a nod to each as he addressed them.

As Sammus approaches, Minear spots him and urns back to the viewport where he could see nothing but empty void.
"I have no orders from the captain yet. I guess we need to take the initiative this time?Now that the fleet Mistress is fighting the greenskins, it would be the best time to strike, but how?"

It wasn't too long before Hibi and Reiner drifted onto the bridge of the ship, and they were quite surprised to see it so active. It was a pleasant surprise to see at least a semblance of something happening. They had been so inactive for far too long.

Reiner licks his lips, his insides getting a bit heated up at the prospect of getting some new friends under his belt. It had been far too long, hidden away, healing from what had happened on that wretched planet---

Hibi takes the lead and walks briskly over towards the gathering crowd of the inner circle aboard the ship. He'd seen his time with them become strained as he hadn't been able to ingratiate himself fully as a member of Eric's trusted circle. Plus, he preferred to keep to his research, away from combat, navigation, and all that might end his life too abruptly. That is why he was recommending Reiner as a replacement. If they'd have his curious underling.

"Excuse me, Sammus, Tash, Roland, Minear, this is the one I have been wanting to introduce you to for some time. Seeing as I have taken a step back from the limelight so to speak, I have wanted to take the initiative to find my replacement quickly. Well, here he is. This is Reiner."

Reiner smiles, his pointed vampirish teeth glinting under the hood, as he take a flashy, pretentious bow towards the assembled ones before him.

"A thousand pardons for having interrupted what appears to be an important affair. As Hibi said, I am Reiner, a navigator. Something you all seem to be looking for. My apologies for not showing my true visage. Sometimes....people lose their lunches just taking in an eyeful of my splendor."

He elbows Hibi in the side, chuckling.

"Right? Hibi? RIGHT?"

He sucks in his breath suddenly, almost as if it were a gasp for fresh air from the situation.

"In any case, a pleasure to make your acquaintances."  

Olivia had been quickly scrolling down a series of figures, one hand on the monitor and the taking quick notes in her data pad. The tides and flows of merchant dealing were interesting enough in their own way. There were some in her old trading house who had firmly believed that you would read future peaks and troughs of commerce in the behaviour of the figures, months and even years before. They would create their complicated formulae and carefully tabulate their figures to prove theories.
While an experienced and relatively skill full merchant, she had no desire to emulate their professed mastery. It was enough for her to understand the markets as they were now.
At the moment though, she wasn't even doing this. One of her old contacts in a mercantile house exclusively communicated with her through the doctored figures of a bogus trading stock, and she was busy translating his message when the tech priest made his entrance.

She turned from her monitor while still holding her data pad and gave him a brief smile.
"Greetings Roland. Sadly it appears so, but in view of the current situation I think we need to discuss some things even without him."

She had been on the verge of turning to ask Sammus a question when the doors opened again.
Hibi was back with them, and with him was a stranger. She took a brief second to take in the full appearance of the new arrival before looking at both with a polite interest. One had to keep up the formalities. His clothes were richly tailored, but he was not noble born, you could see how he wore them. Then again, navigators were different. His speech was even more evidence of this. There was definetely something odd about him. She was curious naturally about what his face looked like, but she understood his desire to hide it. There had been times after her own scarring by the Dark Eldar.... It had been difficult, almost more difficult than anything else, to show people her face openly for the first few months after. She still struggled to look at the rest of her body naked and to this date, no one since the Eldar had.

"Well met Reiner and welcome to the bridge. I am Olivia Hippolyta, Seneshal of this ship and it will be a pleasure to see you join our small number. Someone with your skills is always welcome to follow the good work of Hibi."

She smiled and gave a half bow in his direction.
"You have no need to worry about hiding your appearance. We are a very accepting crew here, and if you prefer to wear the hood, I have no issue with it."

She had a powerful urge at this point to smile at Sammus, certain specific memories about a certain crew member in her mind, but she restrained herself.

Minear was cordial, "Reiner, welcome to the bridge. I had always assumed you were nothing more than a beacon guiding the ship over the vox during warp transit."

Of course Miner would know who Reiner was, he was the one to follow his instructions during those dangerous transits, but he had never in his many years of service actually seen the mysterious navigator.

Sent from Topic'it App

Sylphilis wrote:

As Sammus approaches, Minear spots him and urns back to the viewport where he could see nothing but empty void.
"I have no orders from the captain yet. I guess we need to take the initiative this time?Now that the fleet Mistress is fighting the greenskins, it would be the best time to strike, but how?"

Sammus stood, back like a board, with his arms behind his back. He could hardly believe what he heard. "Minear, surely you cannot be serious. An offensive action now would be extremely unwise; we are understrength, underpowered, short on fuel with crew morale at an all time low. We must recover, regroup, and heal before lest we risk everything for so little gain. I say we let them fight among themselves and while they grow weak killing one another, we rebuild. That is how we will conquer. Right now, we need allies."

As Hibi, another face he had long not seen, arrived with the newcomer, Sammus turned. His interest immediately piqued. He wondered why it was that when things seemed at their most chaotic was the same time Warp-manipulators made their presence known. It was fitting, given his last conversation with Tash'var, but the irony of it still amused him.

He bowed to Reiner, who looked more alien than any of the gue'la he was previously acquainted with. "Greetings Ray-neer. I am Shas'ui Sammus'hai Monty'r of the Tau people, formerly of the Farsight Enclaves."

Sammus resisted the urge to look at Olivia and visual check on how she as doing. Somehow, somewhere along the way, his heart had softened for her. But he would not out her here. And he would not show any of that publically. They were both warriors and loyal servants first.

Reiner breathes out beneath his hood, itching to show them his visage, but not quite sure they were ready.

"HA! Perhaps one day you will get to stare upon the beauty of my visage, but perhaps I shall save it for you for another time..."

He lavishly struts over to the Tau whom had introduced himself. Reiner bows to the Tau before him, smirking at the lengthy name.

"What a mouthful! And believe me....I know all about mouthfuls. Could I simply call you...what did the mechy man say...Sammus?"

Sammus didn't want to be rude, but he could not care less about what the gue'la speaking to him looked like. They had real issues to deal with.

"'Sammus' is fine." He bowed once more. "If you will be replacing Hibi, then I imagine you are cleared to be in on the discussion we are about to have." He cast an eye at Hibi, awaiting a nod, or motion, or some indication that the newcomer had clearance. When he gets it, he turns back to Reiner.

"We are just about to discuss how we progress from here."

Reiner smirked underneath his hood. It seemed it was all business currently, so he'd try to keep himself in check. Try.

"I am ever so glad that I may use the shortened form."

Hibi piped up after that to ensure everyone understood his current situation.

"Reiner is cleared for further discussions with the command structure of the Pedro. I have found myself far too concerned with other matters to be able to fully focus my attention on the ship anymore. I have asked for a leave of absence and will more than likely take some time to figure these things out. Reiner is my second, and thus will take over the duties of Navigation."

After the long spiel, Reiner latches onto the conversation.

"So, Sammus, others present, where do we stand exactly? From my perspective, we aren't exactly faring too well..."

The new arrival certainly thought at lot of himself. The crew had a lot of big personalities but none quite as extravagant. She allowed herself a small smile. It certainly was a distraction and quite welcome with all the tension and strain they had been under recently. He reminded her of someone but she couldn't recall at the moment. There was no time to think about that at the moment though.

"Your eyes do not deceive you Reiner. I'm sure that Hibi has informed you of our overriding objective in this sector. Suffice to say as part of our plan to encourage the wild dogs of Modren's empire to turn upon eachother we launched an attack on a major Ork battleship. After killing their Warboss and leaving the bodies of crew belonging to Fleet Mistress Sabina Alsunet we attempted to leave only to find that the Ork's had launched a simultaneous attack on the Pedro. Thankfully this attack was defeated and we were able to disengage. However both the crew and the ship suffered badly. Roland will doubtless brief us on the exact situation but my impression is that we will need to dock somewhere for repairs."

She had been standing at her console but as she continued, she moved out to the middle part of the room. Bringing her hands together in front of her, she went on.

"To me, I see us as having three issues we need to solve before we can get back to our objective. Naturally the first will be to repair the ship. The second is a little more difficult. Tensions have been rising among the general crew following the Ork assault and some minor scuffles have broken out. This might resolve itself or might need intervention."

She paused for a second and turned to look at each of the crew. The last was the most difficult, especially in front of someone new.
"It goes without saying that our last issue is the reason we are meeting here right now. As long as the Captain is indisposed, it falls upon us to take some leadership in solving these."

Roland took the mentioning of the ship to pipe up.

"She needs time and a lot of work. Between the damage the orks did on the inside, and the state of the outside after taking on a fucking ork cruiser, it's not surprising. The inside will take time but is under control. The outside is another story. We really need a safe haven to put into. We can do limited repairs, but it won't go well if we end up in another fire fight."

Sammus listened carefully. Having previously been discussing this with Tash'var and Olivia gave him some confidence in the ideas he was mulling over. He raised a hand to show that he was about to speak. The ratings may have descended into anarchy in some areas, but he would not see that happen amongst this group.

"I believe crew morale must be of primary importance. One way to see morale plummet and sedition to grow is to allow stagnation; we simply cannot have that. All crew, regardless of station need to be busy. All superiors must have jobs for them to do at all times as well as adequate rest and recuperation schedules for them. Now is not the time for 'idle hands.'"

He clasped his hands together behind his back as he spoke, his back rigid like a board.

"As Olivia can confirm, finding a safe port to dock in is not only essential for repair, but also for the fact that we are in desperate need of resupply. Without that, the crew will descend into chaos regardless of how busy they are kept... which brings us to our present problem. We cannot hope for friendly out here and personally I believe that to go to an enemy in this condition is suicide. Neutral is the best we can hope for and in that we have some options."

He took a deep breath through his mouth, letting his overactive olfactory glands quite literally taste the emotions in the room. It was a trick that he used many times unbeknownst to his alien allies to gauge their emotions.

"The pirate De Soth is the most favorable to reach out to. He should still hold us in high regard for re-taking his base from the fleet mistress, but we also made an agreement to grant him seventeen percent of our future riches - riches that we currently do not have. The fleet mistress herself is another option though less savory; we cannot know for sure how much she knows of our involvement in both the re-taking of her base and pitting the ork against her."

He let them take it in, not yet mentioning the absence of Captain Von Handz or the worst option left available to them...

MInear disagreed, "Morale may be low, but if we order it, they will work. They will work or they will be beaten by taskmasters. No, morale is not the concern, the captain is. Ive never seen him like this. The pedro without a captain is a ship without a helm. We must reach him somehow.....

Minear's draconian (and imperial bred) methods, notwithstanding, presence of the captain would increase morale at the same time....

"Ah yes, 'Imperial Justice.' And when the taskmasters no longer have supplies will they continue to beat their underlings based on our empty promises of food and water? A lack of the basic necessities for life will break the will of even your strictest task masters. And they will rally against us."

He shook his head.

"Kapitan Von Handz has made his choice. To waste our energy trying to get him past an obstacle only he is meant to overcome is folly. We are the helm now, Minear-san. We cannot rely on someone who will not even leave his quarters. If his resolve is broken, it needs time to heal. Time we do not have."

Roland thought for a moment.

"If its busy hands we need, there is plenty of repairs and maintenance that can be done by unskilled hands, supervised of course by tech priests. A little over half of it will be useful too haha!"

His laugh is slightly forced and he quickly becomes serious again.

"Busy hands and a common enemy would help i think."

Reiner had been observing them all from afar for quite some time, doing his best to keep up with the interactions between various parties involved in the dealings of the ship. He'd been invested in the ship for some time, but Hibi needed someone to take over for his duties. So his project had been to keep an eye on everything. And it hadn't been looking good at all. They needed supplies, they needed enemies, they needed a reason to continue following a captain that had seemed to stop giving a damn about his own ship.

They needed purpose.

And Reiner would do his best to help them find it. Because what was life without at least some fun in it?

"Ah, yes, while some of us like to be whipped into submission...I don't think that will do in this case. I think Sammus is right. Let us find work for everyone. Let us find a place that will give them some fun as well. All work and no play..."

He looks over at Sammus and gives him a wink.

Resting her hands on the console before her, Olivia looked at the faces of each of her companions as they spoke, her own expression that of calm interest. In truth though, she was feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. Despite the very real problems that lay before them, quite literally life or death decisions that had to be made, this was was an arena in which she was well used to fighting in. As both a merchant and a noble, discussion and negotiation were things she had been raised on. The candle didn't shine as bright when she was with other people.

"I think we all agree then that the crew need work, and we have plenty of that to go around. In the short term at least that should do. More medium term, as Sammus says, a port is essential. As well as supplies and repairs, we need a direction and port to dock in. We all know a sailor's worst fear is to be becalmed after all, either through the weather or their own indecision."

She paused and brushed a stray strand of red hair behind her before continuing.
"I wish I could provide a better third option than the two that Sammus has outlined but the truth is, in this area every port of sufficient size has been divided between the various factions. Our only two real options are between De Soth the Pirate and the Fleet Mistress. Personally I'd favour the latter option as it would bring us into additional contact and might provide us with new opportunities. This would be though by far the riskier option though. Not only would we have to keep a tight hold on the crew, especially those we had 'liberated' from the Fleet Mistress, but also come up with a believable tale why we are in such a bad condition. It could be though, if the Ork's have begun their retaliation our appearance could further ill feeling. It has more risk, but also higher possible rewards."

Looking at each in the face she asked.
"What say you?"

"No human would willingly side with an ork." Minear sneers.

"Therefore, it would be almost effortless to convince we were attacks by raiding greenskins. But has this conflict really ended either side's relations with Desoth? We have no intel, and wont have any until were can gather some at a port."

Roland spoke up.

"I think the fleet mistress's port would be the better option."

He looks at the others, waiting for their votes.

Sammus would have rolled his eyes at Minear's ignorance if the tau had had the custom.

"'No human would side with an Ork?' Do I need to remind you that the very diversionary assassination we participated in was to a start a war between the Fleet Mistress and her Ork allies?"

He simply could not believe how short the man's memory was.

"De Soth pirate is the only reasonable option. We do not have what he has requested, but that is no reason to challenge us to open battle. More likely he will simply give us harsher terms and request even more of us in the future. The fleet mistress is much more likely to end in bloodshed and battle - neither of which we have the assets or resources to afford. Use logic." He directed the last part straight at Roland.

Roland looked at Sammus.

"Our ship already shows the wounds of a fight with the Orks. We use our common enemy to build trust. And we have no idea how either of them will react. We are dealing with pirates. There is little logic to be found here."

He smiles and shrugs.

"Regardless that is my opinion. We need repairs, and we need them sooner rather than later. Whatever the others decide, i will follow with no ill will."

Sammus found himself wishing for the company of Vehr'sek. At least the Kroot understood the logic behind taking the simplest, most appropriate path through the jungle. There was never a need to walk uphill when a straight path led to the same destination.

He was frustrated. Erik's absence, Minear's delusion, and Roland's lack of sense were eating at his patience. The ship had become a skeleton and it was starting to be run on the amount of brain capacity skeleton's normally had.

He looked to Olivia. He knew he could rely on her. He would have to.

"I've other matters to attend. This ship needs leadership that doesn't come from the end of a whip. I will do my best at preventing it from ripping itself apart. Good day."

He turned and marched off of the bridge, his back as rigid as his words.

Tensions continued to rise and fester like an untended wound.  It appeared now, the epidemic had seeped into the minds of the most stalwart of The Pedro's bridge crew.  Despite tension and xenophobia that followed as a result of events that occured during the Ork boarding actions, there was an unnatural eeriness that wafted through The Pedro's halls, chilling the artificially cycled air, and causing what seemed like all but the Tau to be a lot more on edge.  This of course, did not prevent the typically calm xenos from reacting to rising hostilities.

While it felt like six months and seven days, only two days had passed when a servitor came calling to each of you individually, with the exception of Reiner.  The mindless servant was one of several of The Pedro's more "formal" abominations.  Palid flesh was adorned in a black doublet and gold trim, bearing the markings of House Von Handz.  While the dead eyes of the servitor stared back at you, the vox grill in place of its mouth played a prerecorded message.  The voice spoke to you, distracted, inebriated and laced with paranoia.  Harsh and raspy from Amasec and Lho smoke,  It was hard to take it in once you realized...this was your captain speaking.  The message begins with the distinctive sound of lips releasing pressure from the rim of a bottle, followed by a long drawn out grunting sigh.
 
"I'm calling for a council meeting....zero three hundred hours in the briefing room.  Bring nobody other than yourselves and make sure you aren't followed.  This place is a fucking mad house, and I will get to the bottom of this, do you understand me?!"  

His angry tone was less of a reassurance and felt more like an accusation.  He let's out another sigh that is abruptly ended by the sound of breaking glass, which Erik undoubtedly created.

Sammus sat cross-legged on the floor of his room, his wrists upturned on his knees, fingers pressed together and eyes closed. His rifle looked almost new, meticulously maintained even though it had seen years of use and multiple warzones. It lay across his elbows. He was completely naked, his gimono having been earlier tossed to his bed.

This was his warrior's rest. Here he could clear his mind, center himself, and remind himself of the tenants of his people.

By the Ethereals what am I even doing out here?

He had never once questioned his own personal mission. Not until now. He and Vehr'sek had ventured out on their own, leaving the Farsight Enclave's far behind. It was a mission, of course, but one that had the potential to make him a renegade forever. And now he hadn't seen the Kroot regularly for some time, the Tau contingent they were with were nearly ready to go to battle with the xenophobic gue'la, and the crew - a crew in which he had become an integral part in - could not agree on a simple path forward.

His eyes opened and he stood when the servitor came to his quarters. He kept silent at the horror of such a poor piece of craftmanship from living flesh. But when Captain Von Handz finished his ranting, the Tau scoffed.

He shooed the servitor away with a gesture and put on his armor. He hated that he had to wander the halls in full battle regalia; such was their current situation.

When he was kitted out, he sent a message in Kroot to Vehr'sek's personal communication unit.

"I have been summoned to the bridge. Main crew will report without assistance. The captain does not seem well. If something goes terribly amiss, commit to plan bravo-2. I'll meet you at the docking bay."

Olivia's brows furrowed and then she relaxed. She felt the trickle down her bicep, before pooling in the crease of her elbow. Slowly opening her eyes, her ears pounding, she watched the bright red drip slow against the downy hair on her pale forearm. Once more? Perhaps later. She didn't need to dull this high. Everything was aware and beating.
Carefully angling her arm, she let the blood trickle into her palm, before closing her fist. When she released it again, all the long fingers were painted too. She was staring at them, her eyes unfocused, when the alert came from her door.

Turning sharply, she rapidly calculated the risk. The malaise affecting their ship was almost tangibly thick, but the chances of being attacked in her own cabin were still low. Without turning to look, she slid the metal tool back into its wooden box and shut it into a drawer. Slowly unfolding herself, and getting to her bare feet, she made sure her brain was clear before lifting her thick blue dressing gown from the back of her chair and wrapping it around herself. Making a mental note, that it would need to be cleaned, she padded over to the door and checked who was outside. Spotting only the servitor, she moved back and let it into her quarters.

Once she was alone again, and the door secured, she let her draperies fall and entered her washroom. Olivia took her time with her ablutions, slowly massaging the cleanser into her skin, hesitantly touching the new marks on her scarred skin. Her mind though was focused on the message that had just been delivered. There was some level of relief to know that the endless false calm of the last two days was about to break. The waiting had been intolerable.

However only a fatalist would relax into this relief. One didn't need her noble background and familial history of betrayals and ambushes to know that some kind of reckoning was coming up ahead. Closing her eyes, she let the water and sudds flow down her face. The Captain....
She would consider her feelings for him later. Now was a time for rationality unfettered by emotions.

Rubbing the perfumed oils into her skin, the damp tendrils of her orange draped against her collarbone, she reexamined the situation. The Captain did not sound like he was in his right senses. He was exhibiting paranoia and gall, beyond even that of the rest of the ship. And yet he was still Captain. And yet, she knew what happened to those that followed blindly. It had happened to her before.

Brushing her hair out, before curling it into an elaborate knot at the back of her head, she considered the rest of the council. How would they react? Sammus she felt was unlikely to be rash. Minnear possibly the same. Roland and Reiner were harder to judge. The former was quick to anger and the latter was as of yet unknown. She would need to be aware of them all and stand on the knife edge and watch till the last card fell. Her duty was the future of the ship.

Finally exiting her washroom, she gave her power armour an ironic head tilt before turning her back on it, and moving over to withdraw a long narrow case from the bottom drawer of her chest. Inside, carefully folded was her Synskin bodysuit. In a couple of minutes, the airtight stealth gear clung to her, as if she was wearing nothing at all. Next, she strapped and tightened her xeno mesh until it was as compact as she could make it.

While her power armour would undoubtedly provide the most protection, it would be incredibly unwise to turn up to a meaning like this ready for a fight. So instead, she had taken her time cleansing and readying herself. And instead of thick armour plates, she would be wearing her formal robes. Dark green, with a scattering of white stars, its top half was made up of a belted corset before flowing down to a a tight ruff, open in front, revealing her brown boots. As she clipped her power weapon to her right hip, and inferno pistol to her left, and giving her room one last glance, she noticed a drop of blood on the cold metal floor. It was slowly sinking, drying out. Soon it would be no more than a stain. As if in sympathy her shoulder throbbed along.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia closed her eyes and concentrated. That could all come later. And doubtless it would. But for now she needed to be alert and ready. Opening her eyes she moved to her doorway. She would go straight to the bridge. As tempting as it would be to go via the Tau quarters, it might seem a trigger. Better to go there on her own.

Roland had returned to the depths of the ship after no agreement could be made on where to go. In all honesty he didnt care. They needed to dock and get substantial repairs. The tech priests could only do so much with what they had.

But these thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on doing what he could to appease the machine spirit, and repair what he could. Things were stable...just, but it took a lot of work to keep it that way.

He also had to contest with the occasional instinctual orkish solution to a problem that seemed to creep in. There was no logical way it would work, but he knew they would. Ever since he had interfaced with that damn orc ship he had been experiencing these intrusive thoughts. As distracting they could be some times, maybe he would try something someday...

He was shaken from his thoughts by the servitors message. He waved it away and spit out a string of binary to a nearby tech priest.

"Finally...", he muttered as he started making his way to the briefing room.

Minear had stood on the viewing deck for hours, watching the inky black of the void. Along the dorsal spine of the pedro he could see the flickering of work crews as they repaired the outer hull of the ancient vessel.

He always came here when he had spare time. He had been here much of late.

Then came the message from the servitor. Minear's brow furrowed. The captain had been odd as of late, this message showed a deepening paranoia that pained Minear to see.
He straightens his officer's hat, not that he had needed it. He had ditched his persona as soon as he could. He preferred the crisp and clean look of his station.

Without a word he leaves the viewing deck, taking one last look at the empty depths of space.....

Vehr'sek's dark voice rumbled in Sammus' ear.

"You suspect trouble? Finally some fun.  We will await your word, brother.  Tread carefully....something is not right."

**********************************************
Erik's temperament left you all disturbed as you make your way to the war room from your respective locations.  As you move through the halls you'd grown accustomed to navigating, you couldn't help but shake a feeling of unfamiliarity.  Any of the Pedro's various crew members you pass in her vaulted halls regard you with averted eye contact and sideways glances.  The air itself possesses a significant chill that seems to penetrate your outer garments, no matter how thick.

You finally come to your destination.  A pair of large, ornate doors tower over you.  The briefing room....you'd been here plenty of times before, but the entrance to the large chamber cast a presence over you that felt condescending.  Covered in intricate gold and ivory scrimshaw, the chamber doors were reminiscent of an imperial cathedral.  Capping the peak of the doors, two engraved cherubs, cast in gold cradled the Von Handz family seal; their eyes appearing to follow you as they seemed to both beckon, and repel your arrival.

You enter the massive chamber.  The pale, yellow lighting cast a jaundiced glow as your nostrils and eyes are met with the smokey haze of Lho smoke.  Foot and hoof prints alike echo as you walk across the marble floors.  The hollow thump of your advance seems to exasperate the feeling of emptiness in the room. Sitting entirely on the opposite end of the room at the edge of an elongated wooden table was the Captain.  His face briefly illuminated by the glow of a Lho stick was pale and gaunt.  Greasy tendrils of matted hair hung to his shoulders.  His beard had grown longer since you'd last seen him. In the center of the table, a white cloth was draped over a a lifeless form.  Next to the Captain, stood a cloaked figure.....

Erik's voice, once full of charisma and command, spoke to you with a dry, excited rasp.

"Were you followed?"

Minear looks nervously at the captain and his new friend.

He shakes his head. "Followed? no. The crew however would no doubt notice several of us officers making our way to the briefing room. They.....avoided eye contact with me."
It made sense, Minear was a stickler for propriety and had enacted somewhat punitive measures when necessary. Many of the work crews, and even their foremen, feared him.

Sammus walked proudly through the halls. He tried to ignore the chill. He preferred the hotter climate of his birth-world, and recently the Pedro had been growing colder than normal. He wondered if this was a way the human enginseers had reserved power for the life support - cutting down the heat.

The averted glares didn't surprise him, not after the tensions that had been growing between the gue'la and his people.

He entered the room to find Minear had beat him here. Normally he would have acknowledged the others with some sort of physical gesture - as the gue'la preferred - but the ominous newcomer and body on the table forced him to be on his guard.

He strode forward, back straight, cast a look at the newcomer to see what he could, and then regarded Erik.

"Kapitan, thank you for call'ing this meet'ing. It is long o'verdue." He kept Erik's gaze until he was sure he had been heard, but chose not to answer Erik's question. He would not feed into paranoia without good reason.

He kept the new figure in his peripheral vision at all times. The rifle would be too clumsy at this range. He made ready to draw his pistol and kill any threats if he had to.

Vehr'sel would just love this, he thought sadly.