Post by An Ancient Xenos Relic on Sept 11, 2004 7:03:05 GMT -5
'The heart burns in red-red flames, what power at hand. What do you suppose that means?' Dominic Nestrazzi II asked as he held the astropathic message in his hands.'Put that down!' Clyde Markov yelled. This kid really annoyed him. He just didn't know his place. He was always touching things he had no right to touch, and just generally got in the way. 'That's a message from Ejerholm's Forge World,' Markov replied to Dominic, who had quickly replaced the data-slate on the desktop. 'They've translated the piece of text we gave them years ago. Me and Ejerholm had done quite a bit of it ourselves, but that last bit was just too tough for us. We didn't have the databanks. The Forge World did though.' Markov's tone had changed. He was supposed to be teaching this kid, plus he liked sounding like he knew it all. 'As to what it means, we have a few theories, but we aren't entirely sure. We think its talking about a relic of some power that was buried with some scientist. We're heading to the world mentioned in that report right now actually.'Dominic chanced a glance back towards the data-slate. 'Panea III. Where's that?' He stated the first part with an air of understanding. He asked the second totally lost.Markov chuckled. 'Basiacally, you don't need to know.' Dominic looked disappointed at that. 'OK, OK,' Markov said, bringing a slight look of cheer to Dominic's face. 'It's pretty near the Ghost Stars, galactic north-east. No humans there though. But it least it does have air, unlike the last rock.''Do I get to come along?' Dominic asked expectantly.'Yes,' Markov answered begrudgingly. 'As long as you promise to do exactly what you're told. Without question.' Dominic nodded.
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The Adeptus Mechanicus ship broke warp at the edge of the Panea system. 10 hours later and the ship had cruised past two gas giants and through an asteroid field and was in orbit over Panea III's chilly form. An explorator shuttle detached itself from the craft's belly and burnt its way through the atmosphere. On board were Clyde Markov, Techpriest Ejerholm, Savant Dorsin and Dominic Nestrazzi II. Not the best company Markov could have wished for, but he didn't have much choice in the matter currently. Dominic Nestrazzi I had hired the Archeoxenan to find him exotic treasures for his study at a substantial price; but he had to educate his son, and be followed around by the fat, sour faced savant. At least Ejerholm was with him. He and the Xenarite had been working closely for well over a decade now, and he counted the Techpriest as one of his friends. Whether or not Ejerholm had the emotional capacity to know his part in the relationship was anybody's guess.The shuttle set down in a small clearing in the cold forest that ringed Panea III's equator. The icy world had only a 5000km gap between its north and south poles, and even this stretch of green barely got above 10 degrees celsius in the summer months. At the moment it was late spring, and snow still lay in the shadows away from the weak light of the Panea system's star, a red giant heading for extinction.'Cold out,' Dorsin said as he stepped onto the planet's surface.'Thermal sensors register at 2 degrees,' Ejerholm reported in his rasping voice.'Which way to the tomb?' Markov asked.'Bearing of 321, 1.675 kilometres,' Ejerholm stated, 'do we proceed?''Proceed,' Markov answered, buttoning up his overcoat. He paced forward a few yards, before he turned to Dominic, who was pulling on some gloves at the bottom of the shuttle's ramp. 'You coming?''No,' Dominic stated firmly.'Well, when your dad asks what you learnt, you'd better tell him that you decided not to come exploring with us,' Markov retorted. With a humph, Dominic started after them.
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The tomb, like all Dorvastian structures that Ejerholm had catalogued had no foundations. The Techpriest's theories about electro-magnetic repulsion circuits built into the underside of the buildings hadn't been proven as yet, but he was still confident. A krak grenade had dealt with the door, and now they were inside, their lamps playing across the bare, smooth grey walls inside. The corridor seemed to stretch on for forever. The explorers headed further inside.Drugal let the cold air caress his face, as the Kroot Vulture flew towards the location Drugal suspected the tomb to be. The greenery below him that swept past in a blur, reminded him of home, but the temperature did not. He was freezing cold."<There!>"Drugal pointed to a small clearing and the Vulture Kindred changed course. Over the clearing the Vulture gave Drugal a good luck and let him go. Drugal felt his adrenaline rush through him, reveling in the sensation before he hit the ground on all fours, his tightly wrought muscles absorbing the impact. Drugal looked around, his kroot eyes looking into the forest around him, then sniffed the air. He spun suddenly, bringing his kroot rifle to bear and squeezed off a shot. The crack of his rifle was followed by a thump, as a reasonable sized lizard fell off the rock it was hiding on. Drugal stared at his kill, shivering in the freezing air, before kneeling over and taking his first bite of the dead lizard.. . . .Drugal looked at the temple in curiousity. He no longer shivered, and his skin took on a duller grey look, similar to the lizard he had eaten a few hours ago. He also moved a little slower, a slight side affect, but he hadn't seen any fast moving creatures yet.Drugal stepped foreward cautiously and examined the door, running his claws into the grooves of the achaic symbols carved into the door. He placed the melta bomb he had been carrying on the door and set it for 20 seconds. Carver, he thought, had better pay good for this little trinket he was been paid to fetch.
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Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant On the Dracos II, the officer's ward room was occupied for the first time in months. A holo-projection of a desolate planet hung over the oval table. A mechanical almost-human voice spoke with authority to the group. "Panea III is the next target of our investigation. We have a general layout of the planet surface and knowlege of a series of underground tunnels and catacombs. Unfortunately, there are no recent files on where the cache is or which entrances lead to it."He paused, replicating a human trait of taking one's breath before speaking. "Although this may seem a foolhearty search, it is not. I disagreeociates have provided me with a special auspex file which will effectively search out the Xenos energy source. I have already installed the device onboard, as it will need the ship's power to pick up the faint source. Be warned, the auspex program is only acurate to a 40k meter pick-up and a 3k meter pinpoint. Once the exploration team lands, I will be able to more accurately track our target."Pausing again, he scanned the table of faces. Inquisitor Stryde sat on the other end, Juxt to her right and the Navigator Borno on her left. Next to them sat an Imperial Guardsman officer he hadn't met yet and an elderly savant which recorded everything onto a data slate.He continued, "I have mapped the best possible course with the Navis Nobilitai," pointing off-handedly to Borno with a metal digit. "Questions?" He picked this phrase up long ago when he worked away from his Tech-brothers. Things that made perfect sense to his Brothers would make nonsense to everyone else.The older officer spoke up, "What's the climate like? Are there natives? How large is the thing we're looking for and is it dangerous? How do you know 'it' is still there?" Silos stared the mechanical face that studied his."Good questions...Major..." he saw the rank on his uniform and registered it. "The planet has an atmosphere that has low toxicity limits. The climate is extremely low for your biological facilities. Thermal suits are a necessity for the team, aside from myself. There are no known native lifeforms that could threaten the team. The 'thing' as you so distinctly put it, is unknown. My sources have most recently sent a message to me on it, so there is great reason to believe it is still there. Also, it's location clearly is outside normal spaceways.""Fine, Tech Priest, good report. Silos, is your detachement team ready?" Lady Stryde asked the Major."As ready as they can be in the week's time we'll be in transit.""Good enough. Brother Mechanicus, the exploration team will consist of myself, Juxt, Savant Gjoruio Mosk and yourself. Silos, keep an extraction team ready just incase. Borno, keep in contact with my link when we reach planetside. Anything else people?""There is one more thing...Jenna..." Raalthon still had trouble speaking to an Inquisitor with their first name. "I must come into contact with the artefact first, and I require full authority over 'it'.""She's all yours. Meeting adjourned." The sleek green and silver corvette slashed through the immaterium. At one point they almost had to exit early for fear of a warp storm. And yet, with the guidance of the two astropaths onboard and the masterful foresight of the Navigator, the Dracos II found it's destination.Jenna Stryde took the pilot's seat and perused the runepads and pict-viewers before her. Her old pilot instincts took over as she issued commands. The new auspex files were online, the shields and weapons power supplies redirected to the outboard sensors. The ship went at a stealthy crawl as the sensors swept the icy planet.A faint pulse issued from the screen on a large area of the planet. She headed the ship that way, unknown that more starcraft were in the area and that others were searching planetside already.
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The Adeptus Mechanicus ship broke warp at the edge of the Panea system. 10 hours later and the ship had cruised past two gas giants and through an asteroid field and was in orbit over Panea III's chilly form. An explorator shuttle detached itself from the craft's belly and burnt its way through the atmosphere. On board were Clyde Markov, Techpriest Ejerholm, Savant Dorsin and Dominic Nestrazzi II. Not the best company Markov could have wished for, but he didn't have much choice in the matter currently. Dominic Nestrazzi I had hired the Archeoxenan to find him exotic treasures for his study at a substantial price; but he had to educate his son, and be followed around by the fat, sour faced savant. At least Ejerholm was with him. He and the Xenarite had been working closely for well over a decade now, and he counted the Techpriest as one of his friends. Whether or not Ejerholm had the emotional capacity to know his part in the relationship was anybody's guess.The shuttle set down in a small clearing in the cold forest that ringed Panea III's equator. The icy world had only a 5000km gap between its north and south poles, and even this stretch of green barely got above 10 degrees celsius in the summer months. At the moment it was late spring, and snow still lay in the shadows away from the weak light of the Panea system's star, a red giant heading for extinction.'Cold out,' Dorsin said as he stepped onto the planet's surface.'Thermal sensors register at 2 degrees,' Ejerholm reported in his rasping voice.'Which way to the tomb?' Markov asked.'Bearing of 321, 1.675 kilometres,' Ejerholm stated, 'do we proceed?''Proceed,' Markov answered, buttoning up his overcoat. He paced forward a few yards, before he turned to Dominic, who was pulling on some gloves at the bottom of the shuttle's ramp. 'You coming?''No,' Dominic stated firmly.'Well, when your dad asks what you learnt, you'd better tell him that you decided not to come exploring with us,' Markov retorted. With a humph, Dominic started after them.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The tomb, like all Dorvastian structures that Ejerholm had catalogued had no foundations. The Techpriest's theories about electro-magnetic repulsion circuits built into the underside of the buildings hadn't been proven as yet, but he was still confident. A krak grenade had dealt with the door, and now they were inside, their lamps playing across the bare, smooth grey walls inside. The corridor seemed to stretch on for forever. The explorers headed further inside.Drugal let the cold air caress his face, as the Kroot Vulture flew towards the location Drugal suspected the tomb to be. The greenery below him that swept past in a blur, reminded him of home, but the temperature did not. He was freezing cold."<There!>"Drugal pointed to a small clearing and the Vulture Kindred changed course. Over the clearing the Vulture gave Drugal a good luck and let him go. Drugal felt his adrenaline rush through him, reveling in the sensation before he hit the ground on all fours, his tightly wrought muscles absorbing the impact. Drugal looked around, his kroot eyes looking into the forest around him, then sniffed the air. He spun suddenly, bringing his kroot rifle to bear and squeezed off a shot. The crack of his rifle was followed by a thump, as a reasonable sized lizard fell off the rock it was hiding on. Drugal stared at his kill, shivering in the freezing air, before kneeling over and taking his first bite of the dead lizard.. . . .Drugal looked at the temple in curiousity. He no longer shivered, and his skin took on a duller grey look, similar to the lizard he had eaten a few hours ago. He also moved a little slower, a slight side affect, but he hadn't seen any fast moving creatures yet.Drugal stepped foreward cautiously and examined the door, running his claws into the grooves of the achaic symbols carved into the door. He placed the melta bomb he had been carrying on the door and set it for 20 seconds. Carver, he thought, had better pay good for this little trinket he was been paid to fetch.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant On the Dracos II, the officer's ward room was occupied for the first time in months. A holo-projection of a desolate planet hung over the oval table. A mechanical almost-human voice spoke with authority to the group. "Panea III is the next target of our investigation. We have a general layout of the planet surface and knowlege of a series of underground tunnels and catacombs. Unfortunately, there are no recent files on where the cache is or which entrances lead to it."He paused, replicating a human trait of taking one's breath before speaking. "Although this may seem a foolhearty search, it is not. I disagreeociates have provided me with a special auspex file which will effectively search out the Xenos energy source. I have already installed the device onboard, as it will need the ship's power to pick up the faint source. Be warned, the auspex program is only acurate to a 40k meter pick-up and a 3k meter pinpoint. Once the exploration team lands, I will be able to more accurately track our target."Pausing again, he scanned the table of faces. Inquisitor Stryde sat on the other end, Juxt to her right and the Navigator Borno on her left. Next to them sat an Imperial Guardsman officer he hadn't met yet and an elderly savant which recorded everything onto a data slate.He continued, "I have mapped the best possible course with the Navis Nobilitai," pointing off-handedly to Borno with a metal digit. "Questions?" He picked this phrase up long ago when he worked away from his Tech-brothers. Things that made perfect sense to his Brothers would make nonsense to everyone else.The older officer spoke up, "What's the climate like? Are there natives? How large is the thing we're looking for and is it dangerous? How do you know 'it' is still there?" Silos stared the mechanical face that studied his."Good questions...Major..." he saw the rank on his uniform and registered it. "The planet has an atmosphere that has low toxicity limits. The climate is extremely low for your biological facilities. Thermal suits are a necessity for the team, aside from myself. There are no known native lifeforms that could threaten the team. The 'thing' as you so distinctly put it, is unknown. My sources have most recently sent a message to me on it, so there is great reason to believe it is still there. Also, it's location clearly is outside normal spaceways.""Fine, Tech Priest, good report. Silos, is your detachement team ready?" Lady Stryde asked the Major."As ready as they can be in the week's time we'll be in transit.""Good enough. Brother Mechanicus, the exploration team will consist of myself, Juxt, Savant Gjoruio Mosk and yourself. Silos, keep an extraction team ready just incase. Borno, keep in contact with my link when we reach planetside. Anything else people?""There is one more thing...Jenna..." Raalthon still had trouble speaking to an Inquisitor with their first name. "I must come into contact with the artefact first, and I require full authority over 'it'.""She's all yours. Meeting adjourned." The sleek green and silver corvette slashed through the immaterium. At one point they almost had to exit early for fear of a warp storm. And yet, with the guidance of the two astropaths onboard and the masterful foresight of the Navigator, the Dracos II found it's destination.Jenna Stryde took the pilot's seat and perused the runepads and pict-viewers before her. Her old pilot instincts took over as she issued commands. The new auspex files were online, the shields and weapons power supplies redirected to the outboard sensors. The ship went at a stealthy crawl as the sensors swept the icy planet.A faint pulse issued from the screen on a large area of the planet. She headed the ship that way, unknown that more starcraft were in the area and that others were searching planetside already.