Chapter 1: Into the wild black yonder IC

A small squadron of shuttles flew down to the mining facility. From above, the ground was a blanket of green.




As you got closer, you got a better idea of the scale-the trees where hundreds of meters tall, the leave easily the size of a person. You could even see some creatures below the canopy; a behemoth using its tusks to scape bark off the trees, and from the scale was likely the size of a superheavy tank.

From a distance, the mining complex was largely invisible-jjust a pile of greenery. From closer-up, you could notice that the plants where shorter, and that there where no trees. From just above, you could see the char from the last landing, that reveals what might have been cement but was now little more than gravel. As you landed, Lt. Balder came out of one of the other shuttles.

We'll start loading the ingots. Keep an eye out, the weird flying critter didnt appear this time. Dunno what to expect.

As your looters started doing their job, you could faintly recognize the silhouette of the larger buildings under an opaque veil of greenery. Even the pit mine had been filled, with only its somewhat regular form and unnatural depth marking it presence.

*On the bridge*

"Lord Captain, from my analysis this planet is in the top percentile of potential worlds to put the STC station in orbit of. Extensive resource exploitation opportunities, matched with limited viable locations for a ground-based colony. And the metals already mined would be a useful addition to our limited assets in the expanse."

*On the surface*

The Magos was fully loaded as the command crew settled in for overwatch of the looting operation. Hellgun ready as he swept the treetops for signs of danger, his meltagun sat on his back at the ready should a higher-power solution be necessary.

"It seems likely that this planet would attain the classification of a low-grade death world," he observed as his eyes scanned for heat signatures in the distance.

Lethia looks around the green hell before her. Every shadow and leaf concealed a hidden danger in her eyes. And the smell...dirt and vegetation made her almost nauseous. Without the smell of recycled air and techpriest unguents this place seemed so unnatural.

"A low grade deathworld? Best get our business done here fast and quick."

Alexium agreed with the Magos - this was a rather spectacular find of a planet, as far as planets were concerned. Having the STC station in orbit above it was a good call.

They said nothing to the point as tech was neither their specialty, nor were they asked. They were just happy to have a capable team.

"I would hope that a low-grade Death World would be well within our capabilities to handle, given our experiences as of late, but you can never know with these things. I will try my hardest not to get cocky. No promises."

They gently adjusted the deep blue silk scarf that covered their eyes. Alexium chuckled a bit at Lethia's response.

They were both spacers, born and raised, but Lethia was always a bit more on edge when standing on Terra-Firma than otherwise. "Don't worry, Lethia. Just look at all the GUNS we have."

They smiled widely, as though they were eager to use them.

As your workers started loading the ingots, the critter watched, waiting until one was separated from the "pack" and jumped out. You might be able to save them, but it would take a quick reaction...

Ignatio's eyes had honed in on the beast, and he quietly raised his hellgun to line up the barrel on it. If it charged out--

"Alert: Hostiles incoming!" He blurted as it moved, faster than he'd expected.

Torian had kept an eye out for movement throughout the recovery efforts. It was moments like these when he allowed his paranoia to take hold and flood his body with adrenaline. He was sharp as a knife, just below twitchiness. By the time the beast had parted the greenery, his archeopistol was in his hand, aimed. He fingered the high alert code into his combead to the security team, began striding toward the beast, and opened fire.

Alexium took a deep breath in. Then, very slowly, let it out. It was then that things began to move around them, almost in slow motion.

A miniscule, minute moment, of mollification.

Then it began.

They were ready. They... Ah, fuck Alexium thought as they got a brief bit of vertigo, totally losing their concentration.

Torian paused in his stride to fully brace and aim. He breathed out, steadied, drew a bead between the beast's eyes, and fired. He continued striding forward.

Before anyone had a chance to notice, Torian had drawn and fired a single shot at the descending creatures. The fine beam of white light cut through the air, striking at where its head had been just a second ago-in the middle of its chest, a direct heart-shot that had the corpse hit the ground just beyond its target. It landed lifeless, the shot having cauterized the heart so effectively that blood couldnt even flow out the wound.

Alexium's eyes went wide under their silk sash.

"Emperor's Holy tits, Torian, what a shot! Didn't even let me have a chance to convince the beast to literally fuck itself. Well done, boss!"

Anyone could tell that they were not taking the piss. That was impressive.

Torian eyed his archeopistol with respect. It felt like an extension of his hand, in a way few other weapons had (and Torian had used plenty of weapons growing up in the gang wars).

"What was that? Magos, would you investigate? Anything you've hunted, Cousin?"

Ignatio went to investigate as he was bid, patting the Looter who'd almost been snatched by the beast on the shoulder as he went by him, quickly examining him for injuries.

"You are a worthy cog in our machine, it is good that you were preserved," he told him, before turning to the downed monster for a closer look. His servo-skull circled around to capture it from all angles.

"Show's over. Back to work!" Lethia says in a commanding voice.

"Unless you want to sit and wait for another one to show up?"

She wanted off this planet as soon as possible. The soil felt so unnatural under her feet. And tree's were not safe and sturdy bulkheads, they were simply curtains behind which denizens lurked.

Just for safety, she keeps her hellpistol at the ready for another one.

It had been weeks and hundreds of kilometers since Wurgard had woken up on this verdant world, with no signs of civilization to be found. The terrain was vast and unrecognizable to the Ork; enormous flora and fauna, great beasts roaming the mountains in herds that would protect themselves from hunters. He'd managed to take down a straggler with a concentrated blast of energy that drove off the rest of the herd but the lurid green lights of his conjuration soon attracted a large winged predator forcing him to drop most of his harvested meat in escape. Luckily, the flying monster took off after the fleeing herd and let him be, for the time being.

The journey crossing the mountain range was arduous but nothing an Ork couldn't handle, as long as he kept one eye upward but instead of his airborne tormenter Wurgard was surprised to spot a shuttle of human design heading south-west. Wurgard eagerly followed its path as it climbed higher in the mountains. Then, a squadron of shuttles appeared on the same vector including a bigger winged craft of unknown design. To his ear, Wurgard was sure they were making a landing further ahead.

As he caught up with them, a gunshot sounded nearby which slowed the Ork's approach; he found the shuttles grounded in a large plant-covered enclosure with an even larger plant-covered peak coming out of its center. Humans dotted the area clothed in strange fashion that was not of the Tallurian Free Alliance. Some were busying themselves extracting metal ingots from plant-covered mounds. Others stood round the corpse of the same winged predator that had attacked Wurgard and the roaming herd. He kept to the cover of the enclosure's plant life from a distance, not wanting to risk becoming the shooter's next target. He'd been tempted to stay quiet and observe but he'd look more suspicious that way and they could leave at any moment. Imperium or not, he had to take a chance with an approach.

"HO THERE!" Wurgard called out in the plummy, untypically Orky dialect of his clan from his hiding place, "I SAY, BLOODY GOOD SHOT!"

Enhancement:

Torian purposefully put the pistol back in its holster. The voice surprised him, but he did not let that show. "Thank you! Who goes there, and what are your intentions? We were not aware of any civilised life on this rock - do you require assistance?"

Alexium has no idea if they can psychically sense this newcomer or not. So, they just stand there with their thumb, metaphorically, in their ass.

~~~ And are your intentions of the, say, nefarious sort? ~~~

They reached out psychically to gauge the reaction of this seemingly humanoid newcomer.

Lethia whirled around and had her helpistol aimed right at him. Her reaction made her look as jumpy as she was.

"Orks!" she hissed through clenched teeth. Several times in her life she had lived through ork boardings. They never made it to the command decks, but they got close. She had sifted through the aftermath of those battles and saw firsthand the sheer brutality of the race.

"There's bound to be more." she warns.

“My good man,” Replied Wurgard, “I dare say yoo’d be jolly hard-pressed to find one less civil. I am no local, and my intentionz are simple: I seek passage home. I am Wurgard, of the Goldengunz Klan: memberz of the Tullarian Free Alliance.” As a female in the group aimed her pistol at him, Wurgard raised both hands in the air in surrender, though he kept his stick in one hand.

“Indeed madam, I am an Ork,” Wurgard admitted, “But I am here alone. Well, apart from my fellowz here but I assure yoo they are quite harmless.” Two drones floated slowly into view from the tall grass, masked with Orkish skulls wrought in metal at the front, their rears appeared as exposed brains exuding a lurid green energy that seemed to mobilize them. Lights crackled in their eye sockets giving them an odd semblance of life.

Alexium pinched the bridge of their brow underneath the purple sash that covered their eyes.

Emperor-Damn it, Lethia.

The apparent-child turned to face Lethia and shrugged their arms up as if to say, "Bro what are you doing right now?"

"How many Orks have you met who can form complete sentences with proper vocabulary, Sister-Navigator? We are having a civil conversation."

Their annoyance clear, they stand in front of Lethia as though to project themselves between the firearm and the newcomer, though Alexium was shorter than Lethia's arm height.

They then transmitted one more mental message to the Ork: ~~~ I apologize for our Navigator. She was kicked in the head by a mule as a child. Hell of a third-eye though ~~~

Then, with their mouth, seem to focus on the skulls. "Oh yes, I quite like those."

Torian calmly walked to Lethia and gently pushed the gun downwards. He spoke gently, too. "Hold your fire, Navigator Lethia. Let us assess this situation first and respond to it once we know more."

"Wurgard! It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Torian. I represent both the Filianatus Trading Dynasty, under whose benefaction this expedition takes place, as well as the Anatem Imperabit Mundus, the glorious vessel who brought us here. We are merchants of the Emperium of Man, may it last eternal. This planet appears to have stores of precious metals amid the ruins, which we are now processing. We do not expect to stay long, particularly with those around." Torian gestured vaguely to the corpse of the beast he had just slain. "Do you represent a larger party? We detected no Ork vessel in orbit, nor groundparties - although the canopy blocks much of our sensors. We wish no quarrel."

"I wish no quarrel either, Torian of the Imperium," Replied Wurgard lowering his arms, but keeping his distance for now, "Faulty teleportation haz brought me here, I have no love nor connection to this planet, do with it as yoo will. My klan iz from a world in the Outer Rim and I know not how far I have travelled from them. Until we are reunited, I reprezent a party of one, but I am certain member-speciez of the wider Tallurian Free Alliance would take interest in your 'trading dynasty' if yoo could return me to them."

Though Wurgard had no means of replying to messages from the speaker in his mind, he was able to get a feel for the source of the transmissions in the youngest-looking member of the group. The mental technique reminded the Ork of his interactions with the Exodites of Eldamar. Though Wurgard attempted to broadcast a general sense of appreciation for the telepath's reassurance, he also prepared himself to fortify his thoughts should the Imperial try to probe further. His two brain-dronez, automated copies of the Ork's own mind, rotated to face the telepath and intensified their crackling mental fervor in response.

"Do you have any idea how far it is to your Alliance, or in which direction? We have an astrological navigation team that might be able to assist. A representative of potential trade partners is always welcome aboard my ship. Would you be a guest of the Filianatus Dynasty? Our friends tend to accumulate significant wealth - perhaps we could supply you with a Golden Gun, with time. Until then, please stand down and prepare for departure. Do you have any injuries requiring attention, or a hunger or thirst, perhaps? My attendant will see to your needs."

Torian gestured to a military attaché.

"Do you know anything about these beasts? About this world?"

“I accept your generous offer,” Replied Wurgard with a toothy smile, as he stepped out from the overgrown shrubbery towards the group. He felt more reassured of his ongoing safety now that he was offered protection as a guest of the trade dynasty. “I do not currently have my bearingz but perhaps in time your navigation team can assist. In the meantime, food and drink aboard the Anatem Imperabit Mundus would be appreciated.” Wurgard nodded towards the military attaché. The Ork didn’t have the first zogging clue how to get to the Alliance but the Lord-Captain didn’t have to know such minor details. The important thing was the Ork had found safe passage off the unknown planet along with means of ongoing sustenance - he would live to fight another day. As Torian asked about the winged predator, Wurgard looked down at it.

“This… blasted… BLAGGARD…” Snarled Wurgard, struggling to keep his temper down, “BEDEVILLED ME crossing these ZOGGING mountainz.” He gave the corpse a harsh jab with the butt of his stick. He took a breath and swallowed, finding his calm again. “I have walked this green terrain for weeks. Massive treez, immense beasts. Herdz of large herbivorez roam the mountainside and these pests like to eat them so their meat comez with recommendation.”

Alexium nodded and smiled before turning to Lethia.

"You see? Already the newcomer has shown themselves to be a connoisseur of fine foods, just like yourself. Clearly we need to bring one of the large herbivores back to be prepared for a feast tonight. The meal will no doubt improve the morale of the crew, and be a nice time to get to know one another. Furthermore," and here they stepped forward to get a good close look at the downed apex predator.

"...this prize needs to be taken as well. If we can use the meat, wonderful, but the current form in tact needs to be memorialized and made a trophy for The Seneschal."

Alexium stood and smiled at Wurgard. To the Ork, they looked no more than 12 years of age for a human. Both their gender and voice were completely ambiguous, but Wurgard would have noted that the voice they heard in their head was much more mature than the one coming from the child's physical mouth.

"For what are we without the memories of our times spent together. Welcome Wurgard of the Goldengunz Klan. I am Alexium, Astropath Transcendant of the Anatem Imperabit Mundus."

Lethia shook her head, a hard look on her face.

"It is well spoken for an Ork. Im surprised it can speak our language at all. Wait to tell me of his virtues until he rips our crewmates apart."

What could Alexium and Torian know of the horrors Lethia had seen. Those ork boarding action she kept as far from her mind as possible.

Everyone boards the ships and return to the Anatem Imperabit Mundus. From a distance, you could see the massive vessel, easily the size of a battllecruiser.



The inside it the usual labyrinth of human ships, though with even more baroque ornementation than most. When you return to the bridge, Valry Mace asks:

Where to next captain?

Lethia was gripped by a horrible sneezing that wracked her scrawny frame.
She didnt say anything, but it was obvious to those who paid attention that it happened when she was forced to be close to Wurgard.

Having only been close to dead orcs after boarding actions, she wasnt sure if this was normal or not.

The helm repositioned and started to make the way to the mandeville point. The next system on the warp-route was AE-09178.

Well, this is our data on the next destination.



Binary star system... hm. Not much solar movement based on our documentation. There are probably planets, but they arent huge.

All that was missing now was warp-entry.

"Well we will see what this system has to offer. If nothing interesting comes out of the long-range scans we may just continue onwards to our goal. Cousin, Alexium, Lethia, prepare for warp-entry. Alert the crew." Torian turned from his speaking podium and descended into his command throne.

The estimate was long-this was by far your longest jump yet over the path-was that you'd likely have at least one week in the warp.

The voyage itself was quite a bit shorter-merely 3 days-before you reach your destination, with no real disturbances-another unusually smooth ride. The weird light in the warp you'd seen before was becoming brighter, and from this distance almost seemed like a silhouette.

System Map:

Scanners coming up...3 worlds. Binary star system. Only one has a notable atmosphere, it seems to be living, but...its weird. A sort of pinkish-green?

As usual following a lengthy jump, Torian had his chef and the ship's culinary team on-call for providing the highest possible quality meal to Lethia following the immense demands of warp travel.

"get what data you can, but unless there are compelling reasons, I am tempted to return to the warp once our navigator has rested. We are but one jump away from our goal. Can our cartographers contribute anything as to why this coloration might occur? Do your memory-vaults return anything useful, Magos Ignatio?"

Alexium considers the captain's words. That planet was quite strange, but that was nothing new. Every system they encountered seemed to have some rogue anomaly, something awesome, or something horrific.

They cleared their throat and nodded. "Right, well let's see if this system is screaming with the voices of a thousand daemons. BRB." With that, the Astropath headed toward the Astropathic Choir to reach out and see what was what.

Lethia came back onto the bridge, drenched in sweat.

Navigating the ship was no easy feat. She had a headache behind her third eye, her navigators eye.
It was a reason the staff of office was a staff, they needed its support after they performed their duty.

"Fortuitous that it took half the time I expected."

Iron and Metal wrote:

Alexium considers the captain's words. That planet was quite strange, but that was nothing new. Every system they encountered seemed to have some rogue anomaly, something awesome, or something horrific.

They cleared their throat and nodded. "Right, well let's see if this system is screaming with the voices of a thousand daemons. BRB." With that, the Astropath headed toward the Astropathic Choir to reach out and see what was what.

As your senses reached out, you felt nothing of the power and viciousness of the demonic, but despite that it wasnt...typical. Usually the buzz of a living world was dull, the faint soul of endless plant life and bacteria. This was greater, though not by much...it felt like an enormous animal? It was certainly like nothing you had felt before.

"The planet is alive." Alexium broke in. They had returned from the choir with the odd findings and, after hearing the response of "hemoglobin" was convinced that this was the case.

"While we detected no demonic entities in this system, that planetoid came back with a stronger response than we'd typically get from one filled with your usual plants and animals. I received no feelings of intent, hostility, or anything of that kind, but my money is on it being one... gigantic... living creature. Fun, right?"

They smiled and filled a glass with amasec.

Alexium's assessment correlated with what Lethia thought after hearing the cartographer's report.

"Before any jump is made, should we not at least perform a thorough augury scan. Im not familiar with such things, but could this be like a tyranid hive ship. Its doubtful because their was no warp shadow. Something similar but not maybe.... I don't know.

She looked towards the mass out the viewport. Her curious nature impelled her to know more.

Roderick cleared his throat quietly. I take it a living planet is more of a literal term rather than a poetic one, Old Son? I'm not sure we should trifle with it. Leave it for those chasing our tail to make the mistake of exploring it.

If it is a tyranid ship, I want to be ready to jump at a minute's notice. Perform the scan, and set us on high alert

It took about a day to reach the world. From up close, it looked even odder-the "continents" (if you could even call them that) where greenish-pink, with odd heaving-almost like a heartbeat-appearing at periodic intervals. The "seas" where very shallow, so shallow you could see the flesh underwater.

Still, the closer scan revealed that this was a fairly typical rocky world-the fleshiness was at most a dozen meters thick, under which there where minerals. You could also see occasional "islands" of metal sticking out from the fleshiness, some quite large, where you could detect signs of localised high temperate-like from fire. More was harder to tell due to the metal's density blocking most orbital scans.

I dont like this. Its like a fleshy skin. Urgh.

Lethia watched the proceeding information come in with interest.

"It certainly isn't anything the Imperium would approve of. Perhaps an orbital salvo to gauge its response? Otherwise I say we make a note of it and move on."

"Indeed, Hot Rod. Indeed." Alexium clarified to his old friend.

They then looked toward the crew's newest member. No one had asked the Ork's opinion. Alexium wondered if this was simple xenophobia or something else. They broke the ice:

"What do you make of this, Wurgard? Have you come across anything like this before?"

They were not convinced that this was an actual Tyranid, though they didn't know much of the species other than they were terrifying and produced deep blackness in the Warp. And the thought of a salvo to "gauge a response" interested them greatly.

Wurgard stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Most coorious. All formz of Ork-kind under the Green are comprized phyzically of a symbiosis between flesh and algal propertiez so this planet's structure is familiar to me. Perhapz, like myself, this great mass haz its own regenerative propertiez." The Weirdboy's curiosity was piqued.

"I cannot know for sure. For all I know, this planet could be planet-sized Squig, the largest one ever encountered. I can perhaps try to reach out and detect if it haz a connection to the great psychic collective of my people."

Thirsty wrote:

Wurgard stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Most curious. All forms of Ork-kind under the Green are comprised physically of a symbiosis between flesh and algal properties so this planet's structure is familiar to me. Perhaps, like myself, this great mass has its own regenerative properties." The Weirdboy's curiosity was piqued.

"I cannot know for sure. For all I know, this planet could be planet-sized Squig, the largest one ever encountered. I can perhaps try to reach out and detect if it has a connection to the great psychic collective of my people."  

She had steered clear of the xenos as much as she could. This was really the first time she had been in its vicinity since they left the prior planet. Suddenly she found herself marveling that it could speak so eloquently.

"Are you an oddity among your own kind?"

Wurgard looked over at Lethia, surprised that the human who had feared him most would show such curiosity.

"In termz of psychic ability? No, all Ork-kind are gifted with it. It connects us together in the Great Green, or the 'Waaagh' as some know it. I am a rarity in that I can sense, harness and direct it to a greater degree than most. But in termz of the way I speak, compared to the other Klanz yoo may have encountered upon your travelz, yes, I suppoze I am in the minority but the Goldengunz Klan all speak and think az I doo." The Weirdboy took one of his floating drones in his hand to absent-mindedly calibrate it, leaving his staff to stand upright effortlessly on its own while he inspected the copy of his own brain.

"The potential of the other Klanz haz not been unlocked by the Great Green in the way that mine haz. Our mission is to bring an age of enlightenment to all Ork-kind, but we have encountered some... difficultiez along the way." He released the drone to float next to its sibling whilst he took his staff back up.

Now Alexium's interest was piqued. "Difficulties? Go on." They prodded politely.

Well, I've got targeting solutions on an area where the...stuff is extremely thick. Boris tells me both lance and macrocannon are ready. Valry stated. She was clearly experiencing significant discomfort.

As for the Orkoid's psyche, it streamed out towards the massive living world...the sensation was not that of the whaagh however-it had none of the gorkiness or morkiness, just a placid desire to survive. It felt more like a symbiosis of animal and plant, rather than animal and fungi like the orks where.

"Must we destroy it before we figure out what it is? Don't get me wrong; if it were a Tyranid or had any taint of chaos, I would be the first to want to hit it with everything we've got - twice. But this is different. It is new. Perhaps we can communicate with it. Be nice to have a living ally in a new system."

The apparent-child smiled widely to any who looked at them.