A Decade on the Edge (Game Thread: Closed, Dead)

[Sithmorack]

Jack saw the Kroot approach with the blow torch and felt mildly reassured he wasn?t going to be frozen at a moment?s notice. Then he heard her say.

"This-ss one is-ss quite uns-ssure how to 's-ssecure' that. But this-ss one does-ss know that it is-ssn't friendly."

?No shit it isn?t friendly.? Jack thought as he resisted the urge to face palm. He wasn?t really worried about ?securing the area? as much as he was about getting out alive. He then watched as the Kroot forced open the broken door with nothing but sheer force. ?Note to self: Don?t fuck with the Kroot.? Jack thought idly as he made his way through the broken door. Soon after he heard the scarred guardsmen ask.

"Do you know whats going on here? Do you know of Chaos?"

Jack had never encountered any forms of chaos personally. Though from what he had learned through his contracts, he knew that it wasn?t anything to trifle with. He brushed the question off and continued forwards, flicking his night vision on and off every now and then to see the shadows in the room moving on their own. Then he heard it, the low rumbling echoing from somewhere in the ship. ?Looks like he hit the nail on the head there.? Jack thought as he resisted the urge to shit his pants as he glanced around the darkened halls searching for any signs of danger nearby.

He also noticed Ysenelle focused on the surroundings. He?d gleamed just a bit from his time with her but if anyone could spot something before it killed them all it was probably her. He decided to let her concentrate and proceed through the hallway.

It was then he heard the scream of a man coming from the med ward. He was scared shitless but he couldn?t leave whoever was in trouble just because he was scared, his personal morals wouldn?t allow it. Jack rushed ahead to find whoever was in trouble only to find that no one was there. ?What the hell?? Jack muttered as he looked around baffled for a few moments. It was then that Jack realized that the others hadn?t caught up with him and that those screams could soon become his. ?Uh, hey guys? You all still there.? Jack said as he looked around the room, his imagination creating images of horrific monsters looming in the corners of the room from the darkness, scaring him further.

 

[sage42]

Natasha's eyebrow shot up at what the weapon looked like. A Las-lock? These relics haven't been used in centuries....How old is this hulk? "Sir Maarku. This is something even you may recognize." Natasha called to the Space Wolf. She gently lifted the the weapon from the corpses hands by the barrel. Before she could show the ancient warrior the just as ancient weapon a voice reached through her vox.

"This is... I don't even remember anymore. My men have all frozen to death and I haven't heard anything since I came to this wretched place. Are you the second wave?" At this Tasha set the weapon down and hefted her Flamer towards the door. Was....was that human? Could someone still live on the hulk? No it had been too long in the warp. There could be no one sane or pure left aboard the ship. "Maarku, I suggest either extreme caution or extreme prejudice while dealing with this individual. I do not trust whomever, or whatever, is speaking over the vox." She doubted she needed to tell the veteran space wolf this, but something made her speak anyway.

 

[ShardAura]

Cha'Chak, Phantom Chair Frozen Room

After being rejected by most of the crew Cha'Chak turned towards the small group that had exited from the torpedo. Khauch was padding around the group, keeping his nose glued to the ground.

"Do you know whats going on here? Do you know of Chaos?" The scarred limping man said,

Cha'Chak had heard of these creatures but has never encountered one. But there was one thing she remembered from her small times, was to never ever under any circumstance eat a "Chaos" creature.

At that moment Khauch raised his hackles and let out a deep and menacing growl as the sounds of low rumbling came from within the bowels of the hulk ship.
Looking towards the coloured Eldar, Cha'Chak noticed her eyes were glazed as she focused on the surroundings. Khauch was on his guard, not letting anything get past him this time.

Then a scream echoed out from the hallway that Cha'Chak had opened before going back to help the other crew members from the torpedo. The almost visible aura of dread was wafting through the room now from the hallway. The group slowly started moving towards where the scream originated. Cha'Chak taking careful hunched steps with Khauch by her side.

""You mean dem spikey boys, who go around shouting about a blood god and a skull throne and all dat dere sorcery? Yeah, I've heard of them Humie; hell, even thought them once or twice. Then again, that was a small Chaos Cult, none of them proper spikey Space Marines and the like.", The Giant Ork stated as he walked after the group,

Jack had ran ahead, as soon as the screamed bounced down the hallway. He launched from his spot leaving the entire group behind.

"Hey! Metal one, you s-sshouldn't run off!!" Cha'Chak called after him,

Deciding against her survival nature, Cha'Chak went ahead of the group to catch up to Jack, incase he needed help. Two was always better than one.

"Uh, hey guys? You all still there." , Cha'Chak heard Jack say, seemingly far away,

Khauch was absolutely rabid, something was upsetting him greatly turning around she could see the group, turning back towards where Jack's voice was coming from she saw nothing but the red glow from the flare in the hallway. Wanting to help the small human but also not wanting to be separated from the group, she stood there waiting.
The complete feeling of dread washing over her like someones hot breath on the nape of neck. Shuddering, her quills twitching with anticipation. She was quite ready for anything. Well. Almost anything.

 

[thatsnozaku]

Brother Hulic, Group One

As the Sister of Battle addressed the nearby Son of Fenris following their sudden contact with.. something, Hulic's dark eyes narrowed behind the luminous lenses of his studded helmet, his gaze drifting from where the nearby shaft had just been sealed to the barricaded door that seemed to offer their only means of entry into the decaying vessel. It was then that the wayward champion began to steadily advance, the golden light of his power weapon warding off the preternatural darkness like a manifestation of the Emperor's divine will as deference to an honored battle brother gave way to martial pride and urgent necessity. This was not a position they could retreat from if overwhelmed, and the proud Astartes refused to see his oaths go unfulfilled by dying without a fight in such a tainted place.

When he neared the gateway to horrors unknown, even Hulic felt a tug of caution given the surrounding examples of whatever terrible fate had befallen the hulking ship and every soul on board -- but he also understood that any other course of action, any other, seemingly easier path they might instead try to take still exposed the entire group to whatever had been worth suicide to escape. And so the blow came, vicious and terrible as the disruptive field of his mighty relic blade was set loose upon scrap metal that had been welded to the door long enough ago that the degree of rust covering it may have enabled even a pipe in a guardsman's hands to become an effective form of entry into the frozen halls that lay beyond.

 

[Athol]

"Sir Maarku. This is something even you may recognize."

Looking at the Las Lock, a dark look flashed across his face; the last time he'd seen one of those weapons in action, Prospero Spireguardsmen were putting them to great effect against his Brothers. Before he could put voice to his change in appearance, a call came into his vox...though it was not from the Valiant Light as expected.

"This is... I don't even remember anymore. My men have all frozen to death and I haven't heard anything since I came to this wretched place. Are you the second wave?"

His first response was to switch to a priority channel back to the Light. "Maarku here. Vox contact with unknown person or entity, Chaos suspected but not confirmed." Going back to an 'open; channel, he spoke into his vox. "I am Brother Maarku Frostclaw of the Space Wolves, identify yourself."

"Maarku, I suggest either extreme caution or extreme prejudice while dealing with this individual. I do not trust whomever, or whatever, is speaking over the vox."

"Aye." He replied to the Sister. "Most likely it's some trick from the Warp. Even when dealing with that foul place for as long as I have, it still manages to create new surprises." The crash of Hulic's blade brought Maarku's attention to the other Marine. "Hold Brother." He said, approaching. "Nobody goes off alone; there may be dangers here that may be too much for someone on their own, even an Astartes."

 

[booksv2]

Smoke, Docking bay

Stepping away from the small group for a second to settle his rifle Smoke spots some crew members working on a metal tube across the bay and wanders over to look at them, having to lean down almost bent over half way to get a good look inside. Stepping in around some of the crew and walking halfway down the tube he is checking out the different parts when some clicking from outside distorted by the metal he is in makes him stand quickly and try to turn. Slamming his head on the top of the tube and falling to his knees Smoke slowly falls onto his face knocked out from the huge impact he had done to his head.

Laying stretched out across the middle of the tube several of the crew members who were working on it stop to stare at the large green furry thing laying down in the middle of their work area. Recognizing it as one of the contracted they work together to push him over under the bolted on seats and use some straps to keep him there, after that ignoring him and going back to work.

Hurtling through space in a metal tube

As the metal tube rattles through space towards its target Smoke stayed under the seats and passed out, the rattling coming through as violent shaking in the fear and surprise induced dreams his mind seems to be stuck on as he tries to fight back to wakefulness. Twitching several times Smoke never gets close enough to waking till the tube slams into something and drills into it. Starting and trying to sit up he slams his head again on the underside of the seats and lays on the floor groaning for a while. Closing his eyes and listening to those around he can just make out some of whats going on.

"Do you know whats going on here? Do you know of Chaos?" Comes from somewhere not right here from something Smoke knows he recognizes, if only this head pounding would go down.

"You mean dem spikey boys, who go around shouting about a blood god and a skull throne and all dat dere sorcery? Yeah, I've heard of them Humie; hell, even thought them once or twice. Then again, that was a small Chaos Cult, none of them proper spikey Space Marines and the like." Comes from closer but is harder for Smoke to listen to, reminding him of old story's about home.

Tearing off the straps rolling from under the overhanging things he had been under Smoke tries to stand again and slams his head a second time into the ceiling, though this time not enough to knock him out it sets his head pounding harder and holding onto his head he stumbles down the slight incline of the tube before yelling as he trips. Trying to reach out to catch himself and falling out of the tube towards a floor several yards away Smoke curses in Kroot as he slams into the floor and lays there for a minute. Slowly sitting up and holding his head he keeps up a constant stream of whistles and clicks.


Standing unsteadily and turning Smoke pulls his arm back and punches the side of the tube hard making a loud ringing sound off for a second before it fades. Shaking his hand and turning to look at the room he is in for the first time Smoke rubs his head as he peers at everything before looking a second time while scenting the air.

 

[Azkar Almsivi]

Ysenelle - Group 2 AKA 'the undesirables'
As Ysenelle focused upon the ship the cold of the ground started trying to seep into her flesh and her clothes. The psychic imprints upon the ship came with it filling her mind. There had been an altar to a long forgotten god in this chamber where the sick and dying came to pray for salvation. The altar had been torn down and burned for warmth a long time ago though. Thoughts of fear, hunger, and panic occasionally bled out from the distance.

As she thought and looked into the ship the psychic unease that had been gnawing away at her became clearer, a consciousness inhabited the ship clinging to everything. Slumbering and daemonic it sat waiting for something, the wrongness of the cold was quickly realized to be a byproduct of its presence. The cold. It was so cold here.

Ysenelle did her best to convey what she was feeling to those immediately around her. At the moment she was unsure as to what was giving off this psychic saturation exactly. She decided against using any powers for the moment and instead focused on clearing her mind and carefully sensing the area immediately around the group. If anything strange and dangerous would be conjured up again she would be ready to warn her little mottled group beforehand.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

"I am Brother Maarku Frostclaw of the Space Wolves, identify yourself."

"Sir." The voice snapped to attention slightly stammering "I was sent here as part of a scouting expedition for Lord Joseph Kurtz, three days ago according to my chronometer. I cant give you my name because this place has stolen it from me."

[hr]

Little occurred as they stood there. Though as Ysenelle started sending out the impressions she had received to the others, the shadows stopped moving and seemed to turn towards her.

In the med-bay as Jack stood there he began to hallucinate the corpses twitching and hearing something ragged whispering into his ear saying "Free me"

[hr]

"Ten seconds" yelled the pilot as the guncutter approached the hull of the ship. "One" yelled the pilot as the cutter slammed into the hull. After a few moments a report sounded back into the crew quarter "No damage sustained. Seal established." After he heard those words Volkov began yelling at the men around him. From what they could tell from scans the reactors would be nearby, once they were online they could begin making their way to the bridge using whatever transit system they had on this wreck.

As he exited through the cutters hatch into the mess outside he yelled at the security team scrambling to work "Secure the area! Lights and Guns Up Now!" Autocannons and floodlights being dragged into positions in the corridor they had breached into.

In the back of the cutter stood Kurtz waiting for the area to be secured before he walked onto his new ship.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Eva went about setting up a defensive perimeter with the rest of the foot sloggers that made up their team while the specialists among them went about their way. They'd been joined by another freakin' Astartes! She hadn't caught his name yet, this one seemed a lot more quiet than Frostclaw in his grey armour as he walked on carrying nothing but a sword the size of about three Eva's that doubled as a torch. It was quite the thing to see. Who knew what these two would have been capable of once they broke into full close quarters combat. The red dress he was wearing was a bit off putting mind, but Eva had heard that some chapters had their quirks. Whatever he needed to get the job done, that was her view.

This was a pretty motley band all in all, as one of the few people on the team with environmentally sealed armour and helmet Eva was looking pretty overdressed compared to the non-military contractors. How much she could count on them to do their jobs if things got ugly was still up in the air. At least the big wolf had taken a shine to her by the looks of it.

"You gunna help keep me warm in this fridge, eh pup?" She cooed at Skoll.

The peace of their arrival didn't last long though as a voice broke over the internal vox system. Eva kept quiet as the marine took the lead. She preferred it that way, they were the experts and she was a follower.

"I was sent here as part of a scouting expedition for Lord Joseph Kurtz, three days ago according to my chronometer. I cant give you my name because this place has stolen it from me."

"Is... is that even possible?" She asked, her voice muffled and crackling though her helmet's mic. This ship was supposed to be Pre-Imperium... right?
=======================================================================

The crude, cramped, tube they were shoved into did its best impression of a bullet as it hurtled through the void and smashed into their destination head first. Such a dignified entrance. No doubt it would have zero negative effects on the crumbling ship they were set to explore. Kalgard rolled his eyes at the proceedings, Mon-keigh science, it was like apes playing with sticks.

The way forward opened and the others climbed out. And Kalgard watched. They set foot upon the icy floor and Kalgard watched. The furniture play havoc with them and Kalgard watched. Always the scout, always the patient hunter. For now these ones were yet to give him any reason to see them as anything other than expendable, he would observe and let them test out any possible traps or threats. Something was amiss here, that much was obvious.

The spirits were at work in this place, Kalgard could feel the same restless sensation he had experienced back on the ship. Space bound warfare was not his forte but if he had to give any guess, he would say that something had made its home here. The others were clearly distressed from the illusions that were being presented too them. Of course they were being forced on Kalgard as well, but he was Eldar, his mind was superior to these lesser beings and his mental defenses rallied to their task. He would struggle through. Undaunted.

Kalgard hit the ground as lightly as a cat, moving across the ice without making a sound. He monitored the harlequin, this was her element, as a trained warrior he knew deferring to her was the wisest choice here. They would have to work together to thrive in this frozen tomb. The subtle messages she sent out to those near her confirmed Kalgard's suspicions. To his own mind at least.

("Scouting out further.") He whispered, keeping quiet for security's sake.

He moved out to find the metal Mon-keigh surrounded by stirring corpses. The shadows were not behaving either but he would not be threatened by them. They had not harmed them yet and had shown no ability to. He would not be bullied by a weak farce.

"You must not listen to the things here." He said quietly to Jack, appearing behind the cyborg's shoulder. This one seemed adequately armed at least.

 

[thatsnozaku]

Brother Hulic, Group One

"Hold Brother. Nobody goes off alone; there may be dangers here that may be too much for someone on their own, even an Astartes."

Hulic paused when addressed by the veteran Space Wolf, his shining power weapon drawn back for a second strike meant to sunder the barricade once and for all, and it was then that the superhuman warrior clad in black and white ceramite would finally speak in a voice both amplified and somewhat distorted by the vox system within his stylized headgear. "With respect, Battle-Brother, death is our duty -- and it is the Emperor's will that we fight and die! We came aboard this vessel to vanquish that which taunts us with Warp trickery for our idleness, yet instead we court danger and heresy with inaction!" Despite such fiery oration, the space marine rose from his aggressive posture, the crimson tabardry about his legs billowing aside as he stepped back from the blocked passageway.

Instead, the champion would make use of the augmentations by which he had become more than mortal and the venerable machine spirit within his armor, photolenses and various auto-senses alike activating with only a thought as the red-haired Astartes attempted to see what - if anything - might be discerned from the hallway beyond the sealed doorway if viewed through multiple spectrums. Likewise, Hulic made a conscious effort to filter the signal they continued to receive, hoping to perhaps discover what part of the hulk the broadcast was sent from relative to their current location rather than concerning himself with the truth of the voice's supposed origins. Whatever answers lay within the frozen ship's lightless environs wouldn't be found through loitering and guesswork.

 

[Sithmorack]

Jack - Group 2 'Undesirables' - Medbay

At first Jack froze up for a moment, his body refusing to move for a moment. He just couldn?t handle everything that was happening. Jack was good at killing people not fighting off hallucinations and chaos. ?I can?t?? Jack whispered as he pressed his back against a wall. The whispering continued as he leveled his rifle. Pointing it at anything and everything but not really knowing what to shoot, he sat there in a state of panic. ?I can?t free you!? Jack shouted as he held his palm to his head, a blinding headache and fear keeping him from thinking straight and caused him to stagger a few feet forward.

"You must not listen to the things here."

He hadn?t even realized that the Eldar had walked behind him and realized placed his hand on his shoulder until he heard him speak. Jack took a few calming breaths before looking back around. The corpses were still twitching but the whispering had calmed down. It wasn?t as loud as before. Jack turned back to the Eldar and said. ?I uh? Thanks.? He stood back up and took a few more composing breaths before finally standing up straight. ?Can we please get out of here?? Jack asked as he made his way closer to one of the doors.

 

[Dogmatic99]

It honestly surprised Kalgard that the machine was so affected by the perils around them. Obviously his kind had little defense against the spirits and demons but he would have thought that the dead metal parts of himself would have offered some protection, or at least been less vulnerable.

"Can we please get out of here?"

"Not possible." He said bluntly. "We've stumbled into its lair now, if we try to escape whatever is doing this may be able to follow through us. An unacceptable risk. The only way out now is forward." In truth Kalgard wasn't overly knowledgeable in this area, he knew little beyond the sweeping basics that every Eldar was taught. But he wouldn't show such weakness in front of the Mon-keigh.

"Besides, do not your leaders kill those who fail them? Kurtz is expecting spoils." His tone remained neutral. "Rejoin the others if you must, I will scout ahead." And with that Kalgard unslung his rifle and went into the shadows again, cautiously sneaking his way through the medbay and towards whatever rooms might lie beyond.

 

[Athol]

"Sir... I was sent here as part of a scouting expedition for Lord Joseph Kurtz, three days ago according to my chronometer. I can't give you my name because this place has stolen it from me."

That made Maarku raise a bushy grey eyebrow. "Alright the soldier. I want you to wait on this channel, I'll need a full debrief." With that he began jumping vox channels; first back the Light to inform Lord Kurtz that they'd made contact with one of his men...supposedly, and second to Group Two advising them of the contact and urging EXTREME caution.

Off to the side, Skoll responded to Eva with a 'huff' in her direction. Fortunately for the Guardswoman, her breathing gear spared her a face full of rather rank wolf breath.

"With respect, Battle-Brother, death is our duty -- and it is the Emperor's will that we fight and die! We came aboard this vessel to vanquish that which taunts us with Warp trickery for our idleness, yet instead we court danger and heresy with inaction!"

Why is it when someone stresses the word 'respect', I get the impression they mean 'Go suck a Bolter'? "Do not confuse caution with inaction Brother. I've fought the Warp and its servants for a long time, and have learned that charging blindly into the unknown is just a good way to waste one's life; and to waste your life with a needless death is the same as failing the Emperor. You achieve nothing."

Speaking almost to himself, he gazed down the blackened hallway Brother Hulic had opened up. "Lives are the currency of the Imperium, all He asks is that we spend them wisely." With that, he keyed his vox to the channel he?d been using to speak to the 'voice'. "Alright soldier, report."

 

[Sithmorack]

Jack ? Group 2 ?Undesirables? ? Medbay

Jack was still inching his way towards one of the doors of the room when he heard.

"Not possible."

?Great.? Jack muttered to himself as he looked at the Eldar again.

"We've stumbled into its lair now, if we try to escape whatever is doing this may be able to follow through us. An unacceptable risk. The only way out now is forward."

?I kind of meant?? Jack started but was cut off as the Eldar said.

"Besides, do not your leaders kill those who fail them? Kurtz is expecting spoils."

?I wasn?t? I just meant can we get out o-.? Jack was again cut off as Kurtz said.

"Rejoin the others if you must, I will scout ahead."

Jack just growled through his helmet as he watched the Eldar sneak into the shadows. ?I meant leave this room you asshole.? Jack thought as he pressed a few buttons on his suit. The suit itself became see-through making Jack near invisible. He followed the Eldar into the shadows being almost as quiet as the Eldar himself.

 

[booksv2]

Smoke, Group 2 'Undesirables'

Smoke was still rubbing his head when he looks down at the frost trying to creep its way up his feet. Squatting down and setting his hand on the frosted floor he watches as it starts to freeze his palm and creep up the side. Pulling his hand away and looking it over he flexes his hand to break the frost and stamps his feet to get rid of it there to.

Not possible."

"Great.

We've stumbled into its lair now, if we try to escape whatever is doing this may be able to follow through us. An unacceptable risk. The only way out now is forward.

I kind of meant...

Besides, do not your leaders kill those who fail them? Kurtz is expecting spoils.

I wasn't...

Rejoin the others if you must, I will scout ahead."

Smoke looks up and over through one of the doors and watches as two figures slide away, only one of them recognized. Turning towards where they went and walking through the first door into a room filled with frozen dead. Pausing and looking around at the dead he grabs one of the hands and with a sharp twist breaks the whole hand off and keeps following the figures ahead. Sliding the frozen hand into his harness and leaving it Smoke goes on all fours and stays close to the ground as he watches the two ahead, his quills quivering and rattling just faintly.

Scenting the air constantly Smoke quickly gets right behind the almost invisible man ahead, following his scent to stay behind. His eyes following along the edges of the hall.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

As Grimm monitored the shadows in front of him using his Scanna Gahgals, he could feel a slight buzzing sensation in his head, at first it was a mild annoyance but as it continued, the buzzing faded, replaced by a feeling of dread and unease. He looked around to see where it was that this sensation was coming from, lo and behold, his Orky senses were pointing towards the Eldar Shadowseer.

Grimm had pondered on how to handle these shadows, his first thought was to toss one of his Stunbombs into them, thinking that it might make them back off, giving the group, and more importantly the Shadowseer some breathing space. However, he was unsure whether or not it would work.

"Oi, Harlequin, any idea on how we should proceed? These 'ere shadows aren't me area of expertise afta all."

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

"Alright soldier, report."

The ragged voice replied after a few moments "My torpedo breached a few days ago. Since then out of the men I was deployed with I'm the only one I'm aware of left standing. Most of us have frozen to death, but a few had to be shot after the voices started." He paused briefly before continuing "The ship is wrong, it's like it's in the warp and the gellar field has failed." He paused again "Anything of value has been looted and what we had found has been in crew quarters." A banging noise could be heard through the vox as the man continued his tone sounding desperate "Shit... Sir. This place needs to be burned. If you can still leave, run."

As the man stopped Brother Hulic's equipment began to get an idea of his location. The equipment determined the broadcast to be coming from thirty feet up and one hundred feet to the south east. The cardinal north being the point in which they had breached.

[hr]

As the three men moved forward the darkness seemed to lessen, though for no visible reason. There was no light. The corridor in which the medical lab exited out to was lined with doors leading to similar labs though at the end there was a shaft. If it was checked there would be a series of entrances lining it up and down to other corridors.

Down led to more darkness and the occasional screaming of mad souls and three floors down the shaft ended in solid ice. Up however led to a corridor with flickering lumen globes and frozen blood coating the walls.

[hr]

The voices though for Jack continued, while the whatever had stopped speaking a persistent and unintelligible whisper began and seemed to be trying to find its way into his thoughts.

The two kroot and the hound would feel a certain sense of welcoming as they were in the ship. It was strange but it felt like something in the distance was calling them.

The harlequin would feel a voice beginning to echo out of the consciousness pervading the ship. Something far off flashing in recognition at the presence of so many. She felt the voice call to her briefly, though what it was saying was unintelligible.

The ork would feel a sense of odd confusion as something prodded his mind before violently recoiling.

[hr]

Guns were working, lights were on. Volkov looked over the security team and the tech priests that would be following him to the reactors. All of them loyal. It was good to see men dedicated to their work. The group began their march into darkness. Kurtz upon feeling the cold and seeing the darkness went back into the cutter, deciding to wait until the reactors would be online as aimless wandering was unfit for one of his stature.

 

[sage42]

Natasha glanced up, her brow furrowed and a frown on her face. Whatever this is may be trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Fool. She turned to face the dark hallway, squinting into the dark. "Sirs, if I may. We did come here with a job to do, one las-lock does not constitute holding the ship. We should press forward, cautiously. Save what we can, burn the rest. Starting with this....things location. If it has the power or supplies to reach us, we may be able to make contact with the other party. Warn them. I lothe as I am to admit it, most of the Xeno's could still be of use." She turned her head to look to Maarku. "And it seems to me our only other choice is sitting here in the cold waiting for whatever stalks the dark to find us." She hefted her flamer. "I'd rather find it first."

 

[Athol]

Maarku considered the crewman's words for a moment; deciding what their next move should be, when the Sister spoke up.

"Sirs, if I may. We did come here with a job to do, one las-lock does not constitute holding the ship. We should press forward, cautiously. Save what we can, burn the rest. Starting with this....things location. If it has the power or supplies to reach us, we may be able to make contact with the other party. Warn them. I loathe as I am to admit it, most of the Xeno's could still be of use."

"Agreed, finding this 'person' may answer some questions." He said thoughtfully, before giving a nasty smile. "And as for the Xenos...perhaps we can persuade whatever inhabits this vessel to chew on them while we go about our tasks."

"And it seems to me our only other choice is sitting here in the cold waiting for whatever stalks the dark to find us. I'd rather find it first."

"Indeed. Standing around here accomplishes nothing; though before we go in search of our speaker, we'd best at least get a rough idea of where they are." With that he looked to Natasha and Hulic. "Did either of you get anything with your gear?" While those two sorted things out, he then went over to the Guardsman that was commanding the ship's contingent. "Lieutenant, get your men into dozen man sections and send them to make contact with the closest scavenging teams. Once the do, tell them to set a beacon for us to find."

The Krieg trooper saluted, and set to organizing his men; within a few minutes the crew were organized and ready to go. "All right." Maarku said, addressing everyone. "As soon as we've got a location we'll move out. Stay in your sections and be cautious. I'll take the lead with Sister Solomon. Brother Hulic, you and Trooper Stroud cover our rear. Lieutenant Cooper, you're in the middle...this may be a derelict ship but there are still plenty of ways to flanks us."

 

[thatsnozaku]

Brother Hulic, Group One

"Lives are the currency of the Imperium, all He asks is that we spend them wisely."

Hulic's chiseled featured hardened behind his laurel-crowned helmet, the remark rubbing salt in wounds still fresh from whatever dire events would've seen such a well-armed space marine cut off from his brothers and trading his Emperor-given talents for passage to parts unknown in the first place, but the righteous firebrand chose not to put voice to such feelings while seeking out the source of the dubious transmission. He had already made his case for immediate action, so to debate further or take offense over the details of the exchange was to dishonor both combatants with needless pettiness and to endanger the entire group with unnecessary distraction. Even Hulic agreed that no mere difference of tactics was worth the risk of currency that was His alone to rightly spend.

"Did either of you get anything with your gear? As soon as we've got a location we'll move out. Stay in your sections and be cautious. I'll take the lead with Sister Solomon. Brother Hulic, you and Trooper Stroud cover our rear."

It was then that the machine spirit in Hulic's armor appeared to answer the Space Wolf's question on its own, directing a crosshair towards a location some distance from their point of entry with as much certainty as one might hope for in such a foreign and clearly unsound vessel. Following the Sister's demonstration of her own willingness to face whatever treachery that awaited in a combination of the suggested methods that had warranted the previous discourse by the two Astartes, a measure of approval had dulled the edge Hulic's bearing had thus far assumed and lent his voice a more even tone as he answered his fellow marine. "Acknowledged. Whatever powered that signal originates nine meters above us and thirty meters ahead with our backs to the torpedo."