POOHEAD189

The Pavonis Campaign - Warhammer 40000

The bakerlite vox rung with an incessant clanging that threatened Zeb's eardrums, but the colonel was too busy to grab it for a solid four rings until he snatched it up like a klohawk from Ras Shakeh. "What!? I told you I needed those batteries entrenched on the left flank... I don't care if you have to yell until the sigilite hears you, if I don't get a report in an hour that satisfies me you'll be court marshalled." He slammed the vox back down.

"Uh, sir?" Zeb asked, having not deigned to sit down due to the crutches, and he kept his ground while the others had decided to walk, until they noticed Zeb wasn't with them. Colonel Brae turned to regard him, his face hard but filled with confidence only an experienced officer could muster. Almost like Katia, just less practiced and more weather-beaten.

"Soldier, I'm very bus-...you're Zebulon Conners, aren't you?" He asked, his steely countenance slacking a hair. "Yes, I've heard of you. I should have figured you would be tagging along with the Comissar. Well don't expect special treatment. You look half dead anyway."

"Don't worry about me, sir. But about your orders, I have to ask...retreat where?" Zeb inquired. He nor Katia, nor any of the men had come from any of the 'hot zones' to the north or east, but they had still lost half of their men and barely made it to Du-retour. Even if they were to be attacked within the next 3 days, he would rather be entrenched in a fortified position rather than back on the road to an evac that likely didn't exist anymore.

"To alt-sector 206, sergeant. We can update your dataslate-"

"Dataslate, sir?" Zeb chimed in.

"...We can provide you with a dataslate. Anyway, I was informed you and your men had acquired a rough map that should have the alt-sectors lined out. 206 is southeast from here, past the flat lowlands, I believe. As of four days ago, that area was cleared by our Marauders and Thunderbolts, and major Patrick Cargill has set up a perimeter there and recquisitioned a number of Arvus Lighter shuttles to be used for that purpose that pertains to your mission."

Zeb blinked. "Are we taking them off-world, sir?"

"Not if we can help it." Brae said, letting his exhaustion show. The pockmarked youth approached again, a bit less disturbed interrupting Zeb than Katia.

"Colonel, we've lost two Hellfires to an Ork bombing raid." The boy said, clearing his throat. He seemed skinny enough to almost be emaciated in Zebulon's estimation. He wondered if the lad was with the staff or had been picked up after a sudden case of dead parents? "The casualities are one hundred and eighty seven."

It was then Zeb decided to turn, resting his weight on his good leg and turning, rapidly approaching Katia and Rikkard. Come to think of it, he wasn't certain why Rikkard followed. If Zeb hadn't been ordered, he would have preferred not to know. Still, his mind whirred with possibilities, thoughts on what they were going to do. If they were going to evacuate, they needed to wait until a bombing run. Not because the Orks would be running away, but because their green asses would be too preoccupied watching the pretty fires and wanting to be part of the fun. Honestly, the best bet for any of the civilians would be to walk unarmed and without an escort. No sport for the Orks, that way. But even then, there were likely rogue units lying in weight, or maybe a flameboy needed some extra targets for their new flammah, and none of the PDF troops would ever let their wives and children leave without an escort. But if they were going to go, they needed firepower, and a lot of it.

That or an idea...

The colourful threads in a troubadour's vest

Had Ali been well, her calling herself a witch might have taken him aback more. Like every common man, he was superstitious. He remembered his da telling him of specters in the woods, and black magic performed in strange rituals in covens within the bosom of the great forests. But he had never heard of a witch saving someone's life, and as far as he had seen, she had not asked anything of him. No cup of blood, no bargaining for his soul, no firstborn child. If she was a witch, maybe they weren't so bad.

Or maybe people were simply stupid.

She tucked him in, surprisingly gently. He felt she had the hands of a healer, not of wickedness. He could not know how he was sure, but he knew he was, somehow. Ali found himself fading away back to sleep before he even knew it, and an unknown slip of time passed as he shut down, his body slowly healing from her herbs and care.

Something caused him to wake up. He had never been a light sleeper, but as was as if something had taken his hand and helped him wake up. He stirred, groaning quietly, until he heard a voice in the doorway.

"I'm not here to play games with you, witch. I'm here for what I'm owed."

Ali did not know if he had the strength to sit up, but he was deathly curious on what was going on. The voice was gruff, that of a man that was on the precipice of running out of patience. Normally, Alidren was notably strong, but right now he felt far too weak to really help out in anyway. He almost cursed himself, but he felt the need to be quiet unless the man tried to force entry, in which case Ali would need to be prepared. If it came to that, he hoped she didn't expect him to be like a knight in shining armor. Even if he would certainly try.

He held his breath in anticipation, reading his muscles in case he needed to burst out of bed quickly.

Tricksters and Theives: A Warhammer RP

"Looks like we found some rats rutting in the mess. Far be it for us to stop 'em, right Kurt?" A lean, dirt stained ruffian said. He smiled widely, revealing cracked teeth, save for one that shined like silver.

"No, no, I think it's mighty greedy of the lad to be taking up all that fine cut of meat." The leader growled salaciously, gesticulating with his blunderbuss. "Now disentangle yourselves all slow-like. Give us other lads a- SIGMAR ALMIGHTY." Neil had begun to do what the leader, Kurt, had told him. But once Emmaline had released him from her and clung to a blanket, Neil turned and sat on the cushion, looking for his trousers. At their exclamation, he looked at them curiously, as if they were deranged with warpstone. Kurt pointed between Neil's legs. "Boys he's got a club!"

Neil grinned, not only for the jovial comment, but he had also thought he was going to have to be violent or belligerent to keep their attention away from his naked girlfriend. He glanced at Emmaline and winked subtle, spinning back to the gang and placing his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I'm always armed. And you can go on and tell us who you are. Maybe we'll work with you if you can wow us a bit."

"Wow'd you, eh?" Kurt asked, raising his blunderbuss.

"Bit unfair, isn't it? You with a gun and me with just a cudgel?" Neil asked, crossing his arms. A few of the men snickered, though a feral glint was in their eyes.

"Why don't you and the missus tell us what exactly it is you do, and if you're valuable, you might live another day longer." He remarked, and there was no negotiation in his eyes. Neil knew if he did not play this well enough, the man would shoot him dead here and then do Sigmar knows what to Emmaline. He couldn't let that happen.

"We're thieves, like you fine gentlemen. Can't you tell by our clothes? We're from Nuln." Neil said, sliding his trousers on. He saw the incredulity in their eyes, and he grinned. "Yeah, we escaped, and took a good bit of gold too. Some Nuln exported chocolate as well. Check our bags." No matter what one might say, anyone who could escape a besieged city with more than they brought in would be valuable, even if it sacrificed some of their goods. Neil could already feel Emmaline's displeasure, but was better than being dead. "We can do the same thing for you guys, if you'd have us. We've been lookin' for a crew for tramp with, right babe?"

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

Cousin Slade glanced back, somehow gauging Kaiden's approach before he even announced himself. He was sure he could see a small smile on his face, but it disappeared before Kaiden could be sure that was exactly what he had spotted. Slade turned to regard him, wearing the ostentatious uniform of an accomplished astronavigator. Kaiden felt... not inadequate, necessarily, but the 2nd class grey uniform of the cinnibar navy with black piping was not necessarily an outfit meant to inspire command, even if he had the emblem of fire lieutenant pinned at his breast.

"A fine assignment you have, from what my sources tell me. You'll do well, cousin." Slade congratulated him, placing a hand on Kaiden's shoulder. The prince gave him a handsome smile, but his heart was not in it. It had been too long since he had seen a member of his family, and even though Slade was his closest contact of the clan, he still felt his father's presence even here, hovering above them as if he could hear their every word.

"Thanks, but I've got a long way to go before I'm fit to brag." Kaiden remarked, the two standing side by side now, watching as the crew of the Destroyer dubbed the Troy was being re-outfitted with the latest armor plating. She floated on water, as the destroyer itself floated on a vast inland sea, water being the usual place for ships of the line to land and finish repairs. The plasma thrusters stripped atoms and voided them as ions to give thrust, and water was a perfect reaction mass to help the ships lift and settle down with minimum incident.

"Word of advice, cousin." Slade remarked, leaning in as if to speak some hushed conspiracy. "I know you're the type to want to prove yourself, but the military has no place for heroes. Particularly not when peace is so fragile. If you want to rise up the ranks quickly, keep your head down and do as you're told as quickly and efficiently as possible. They'll take note of good work, not audacity. The world is no longer a place for men of action, like those generals you're so fond of reading about. Trust me."

Kaiden thought back to that moment, a mere week before he was shipped off to the assignment that brought him back into contact with Sabatine Hickoring, the last person in the galaxy he had wanted to see. Life was full of ironies, he supposed. Kaiden stood up from his chair, turning to exit the chamber without engaging in any preamble with Sabatine, or Lieutenant Ratchet. The entire trial had soured his mood for the moment, and for a brief second he felt as he had then when he had met his cousin. Unsure of himself, defensive. He knew it would pass, but he couldn't shake it at the moment.

"First Lieutenant?" Sabatine asked, rising behind him.

"You've done well, Lieutenant. Get some rest. In 0600 hours we'll disembark, but for now, try and sleep." He said, not deigning to look at her. He stepped off the platform and out into the hall, indicating midshipman Otis, who was awaiting Kaiden at the designated spot. He saluted, but Kaiden waved it down. "Have you got the orders?"

"Aye, sir. They've been told to every crewman set to serve on the Nestor." Otis replied, an honest man if there ever was one. "We're all loyal to you, Lieutenant. Don't worry about us."

Kiaden smiled wanly, appreciative despite the situation. Micha was being given command, but the men were to follow him only so far as to get back to base with speed. Any action that could be deemed insubordination to what the small council of Lieutenants decided today, or any dishonesty on Micha's part, and the men would rally and protest. It was not much, and even with that caveat, it was a risky gamble. But thirty eye witnesses, or at least character witnesses, would be hard to dispute even without Kaiden there to see it through.

"You're a good man, and so are they. When this is all over, I'll buy everyone a round."

"The war or this engagement sir?" He asked.

"Let's find out together."

The Pavonis Campaign - Warhammer 40000

His ribs ached like absolute hell, but the medicae had done a thorough job. In fact, he had found an emblem of the Orders Hospitaller next to his bed, once the Catachan left. He couldn't have been in better hands, unless the Emperor himself appeared and healed him with a wave of his hand. He wondered what warranted the special treatment, but he felt in the pit of his stomach the reasoning. He had done some gak-brained maneuvers out there, but somehow he had been blessed with keeping his life. The Imperium likely wanted him out on the front lines as soon as possible so he could keep at it.

"I'd rather Katia find me wanting." He said, using the polite term for front-line commissar execution. He doubted he was through with the military, but they had always fed him some lines of working your way up the ranks to get a safer posting. Hopefully that was soon.

He used his crutches to vault over the doorline, entering into the scholam-turned command center. Zeb's dark thoughts fled him as soon as he saw Hagman, Skald, and Rikkard coming up the back. He wished Prax was there, but the grief wouldn't wash over him just now. At least some of them had made it out a live. They greeted him and messed his hair playfully, some acting as if they had lasguns even now, hipfiring to mock his exploits from the other day. After some ribbing, Katia approached. Zeb sobered up, clearing his throat.

Whenever Katia walked, people looked. The squeaky stand that followed her, feeding her an IV somehow did not diminish the cold, powerful look. Though without her greatcoat, she did look far more womanly. She raised an eyebrow, as if she could read his mind and found the thought unsatisfactory.

"Sergeant Connors." She said tartly.

"Commissar Petrovska." He said, and truth be told, he was glad she was alive. "You look well."

"As do you. Well enough to see the colonel, in fact."

Zeb blanched. "What?"

She pulled the IV out of her arm as if it were a small nuisance, tossed it aside and tied her long hair into a bun, before grabbing her hat and solidly planting it on her head. "We're due in five minutes. Follow me. Men? Keep an eye on the place, will you?"

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

The Vickie jumped out of system without delay. Kaiden felt his plan going off without a hitch initially, which meant the gasket that would inevitably blow would be that much bigger, if his past luck was anything to go by. He'd gone off the map of his reality, having commandeered a vessel, both civilian in a sense, yet hostile in another. But Higgs and the rest had leapt to stations at his call and it appeared they had all settled into this new reality. More than likely as long as they were kept busy, it seemed business as usual to them. Kaiden often sneered at the aristocratic notion that the upper classes having the 'real' burdens of society, which was his main motivation for joining the military and insisting on no favors from his family. However, he did feel that might be an inkling of truth in his heart of hearts. The idea that all of this was happening on his command was...unsettling. The ship had roared internally before bursting out of their current location.

"Higgs, give us 5 degrees left of the current location of MX-2341's moon from our position." Kaiden remarked.

"Done, sir!" He cried. Kaiden swiveled his head to his right and saw Tilda amongst the men, shapely legs crossed on a chair and professional, albeit sly look in her eyes. Kaiden didn't have the time to pay too much attention to it and barked again.

"Steady as she goes, we want the Nestor to follow us without being left behind."

Tilda spun in her chair and rose, plucking the pen from behind her ear and approaching Kaiden. She wore a smart suit and a pencil skirt that hugged her form, but to Kaiden's chagrin she always wore clothing just professional enough to not warrant comment. She glided over and stood with him, flipping the cover off a small notepad. "Lieutenant Caladwarden, feel free to answer in your own time." She began as a disclaimer, before he complained now wasn't the time. "So how does it feel to be spear heading Cinnibar's efforts into a new galactic conflict?"

"Oh, it's thrilling. I've dreamed of this since I was a boy." He said, albeit sardonically.

"Can I quote you on that?" She asked neutrally.

"Absolutely not. Harwen! Bushman! Look lively!"

"Might I remind you, you're the one who brought me on here." She said.

"Might I remind you that many things have changed since then. You're quite lucky I did not leave you on the base." He admitted.

"And why didn't you?"

"Because I felt you would wait for this until after my shift." He said, using 'shift' as the layman might, unable to be humrously charming to an attractive woman, even when annoyed. She snickered, but added: "This is the greatest story in a century, I figured I would ask your thoughts as they were occurring."

"I will hold my 'thoughts' and when we reconvene with Lieutenant Hickoring, we can give a report together if she so wishes. Danzetti, realign us for entry!"

Heyo! (might be rlly long-)

Nice to meet you!

Pirates - Ye Be Warned

"Sorry for not listening," The Captain said, though it was said so casually he knew she wasn't actually apologizing. Not that he was expecting it, anyway.

"I might be a thief, but I'm an honest thief." He said with little satisfaction. He had the uncomfortable feeling that he was in a story, and he was nearing the end of the novel. Just around the time the entire band of pirates was eaten alive by the amphibious creatures below in some dark ritual to their heathen god. From this vantage point, he could see the beasts far more clearly now, though they were still quite far away.

Their heads and necks were serpentine, though it was difficult to tell if they resembled eels or some snake-like barracuda. The sinuous neck was connected to a crab-like carapace, and Galt could not tell if that was some armor they had made, or a soft shell that grew naturally on their forms. Their legs were missing, instead their large bodies were propelled by massive tails, but their arms and hands were undeniably humanoid, albeit reptilian and with four fingers instead of five, at least if Galt's eyes did not deceive him.

"We need to find the men," Galt concluded, seeing at least forty of the creatures either patrolling or... he did not know. Some congregated in small groups and conversed or chanting, it was impossible to tell.

Jess grabbed his shirt with a strong hand and pulled him down to her level by the collar, their noses touching as she glared at him. "Shut up." She said, and then pushed him away, turning to make her way over to the trail that led down the mountainside, pronouncing: "We need to find the men."

The feeling to push her off the cliff crept in his mind, but he quelled the urge and followed her. "Yes, Captain."

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

The engagement was over before it had begun.

The Vickie was generally judged as no match for an alliance cruiser, even though Kaiden would claim the crew could take on any opponent. But even if the Vickie was under a different crew, the merchant vessel wouldn't have stood a chance. They had laid in wait, and as soon as the vessel was 120,000 kilometers off, they approached bearing their guns. The Vickie usually had twenty missiles, but they could only restock five after arriving at Delta-3-7, which gave them a grand total of 13. However, they had 4-inch plasma cannons in turrets on the dorsal bow and ventral stern, giving her four guns in total. Fairly average for a corvette of its size, but easily able to outmatch any merchant vessel in what they had assumed had been a clear shipping lane.

"Bring them in Higgs," Kaiden said, turning from his vigil on the bridge.

The surly Bosun opened the hatch. Tilda sat chewing on a pen, watching with interest as the captain of the merchant vessel The Nestor was brought in under guard. Kaiden guessed he had a kind face when going about his daily business, but he looked more grave than he likely had in years, thinking he was about to be executed or sent to some unforeseeable doom. Kaiden wanted to dispell his worries immediately, saluting the man as if he was a peer.

"Greetings Captain. First Lieutenant and acting Captain of the Viceroy Kaiden Caladwarden. I apologize for the need to requisition your vessel, but you have my word you nor your crew will be harmed if you follow our orders accordingly."

"Acting Captain?" He asked curiously, then noticed the Prince was gazing at him expectantly. The striking blue of Kaiden's eyes was always captivating or commanding, in whichever situation suited him. "Er, yes. Captain Dobbs of the Nestor. I hope you know what you're doing Lieutenant, you could very well have started a war, you realize."

Kaiden hid a smirk. Either the merchantman did not know, or wanted to play dumb. Either way, he wasn't going to grant him an inch. "We'll see. Let's work together to make sure that does not happen, shall we? Now, if you follow my Bosun, he will show you and your crew to your quarters for the time being. Except for three handpicked by me to help navigate your ship."

Pirates - Ye Be Warned

Wilderness, including beachside terrain, was not his specialty. But the guild had drilled him for most situations, and Galt was nothing if not resourceful. He trudged up the hot beach, the white sand scalding and even now seeping into his boots in small pinches. He was glad he had been given a different garb than the usual black. At the current moment he looked more like a deckhand, brown breeches and a tanned linen shirt, unbuttoned to help with the heat. He still wore his 'work' boots and kept his belt, with the clever pockets one could sequester away poisons and other, more pragmatic tools for on the job.

He was not entirely sure why she trusted him to go with her, but after thinking for a moment, he guessed it was smart for her to keep an eye on him. She was clearly a bit more clever than most of her crew, she didn't want Galt giving them the slip or undermining her in some way. He had to admit he might have thought to do either, but after the whole 'ghost' attack, he just felt glad he was traveling with mortals who could get him to the mainland at some point.

As Jess finished lashing the ropes together, Galt peered into the dense jungle. It was overgrown and filled with long shadows and bright spears of light, concealed further and further as the layers of the trees came into view.

"Is there a cutlass for me?" He asked her as she finished tying the knot. Her men had already stamped north up the beach, their laughter and guttural curses fading into the wind.

"Not on your life," She said casually, unsheathing her own broad bladed sword.

"Yeah, I suppose that is the gist of it." Galt replied, stepping aside so she had room to hack apart a vine. As the blade separated the green tendril, Galt imagined the vine coiled away as if it had a mind of its own. The thought brought him back on edge, but Jess boldly strode forward, slashing at any foliage that happened to stand in their way. He did his best to guard her flank, moving aside thicker brush and trying to keep an eye on their tails. The jungle had swallowed up the small path they had made after wading just a dozen meters in. The air was heavy and humid, tight and filled with the scent of wet plants and the pungent odor of pulped vines.

A strange ape with four limbs swung from tree to tree, eagerly trying to avoid our path as it screeched. It gave Galt the impression it was the strangest creature he might see that day, but minutes later a hunting cat the size of a large dog appeared, its fur crimson save for the loud yellow color of its tail, but Galt was unnerved by its milky white eyes. It knew exactly where Jess and he stood, and gave a warning swipe of its claws before slinking back into the wilderness.

After around an hour, Jess wiped the sweat from her brow and leaned against one of the thousands of trees. "This island is bigger than it looks. Hey, make yourself useful and climb up. See how far the mountain is." She ordered.

"Aye Cap'n," Galt replied with his best seadog impression, finally glad he could do something he was good at. The thief took no time in finding a vine and using it as a safety cable as he ascended the tallest tree he could find, climbing fast enough to put the four armed monkey to shame. Briefly he wondered if Jess was impressed, though either because she was a pretty woman or the arbiter of his very life, he did not quite know. He found the canopy and slithered up the tangle of boughs until he reached the top with a yank of his hand on the last branch.

His head poked out of the jungle, meeting the open, cloudless sky. The sun nearly blinded him, but he found respite for his eyes when her turned and almost fell out of the tree from surprise.

The peak loomed above them, just half a kilometer to the north east, bent like an old man stooping to look down on him with disappointment. Well, that was good news at least. He gave a sigh, but his mirth was soon taken from him. He squinted, spying movement along the rock. Some... some humanoid slithered along the rocks, disappearing into a a hole; a cavernous maw at the side of the peak. He felt his heart thunder in his chest, wondering what by the gods he had seen. It was a snake man, or an eel man? Maybe something entirely different, or perhaps it was too far away for him to see a regular man clearly. But then that begged the question, what in the bloody hell any of Jess's crew were doing there?

The professional rogue decided to climb down and tell her about it.