Part Two: The Plasma Drives

[Grimbold]

Enginseer Prime Melvust Malorian is sitting in the antechamber to the core cogitator and machine spirit of the frigate "Sabre". Not many people have access to this part, only the Enginseer Prime and three other Tech-priests.

Malorian is master of a dozen tech-priests and several thousand voidsmen, menial workers and servitors. He is in charge of running the ship's systems, especially the plasma drives, warp drives, gellar field, and void shields. He and his team are in charge of general maintenance as well as keeping the ship in a tolerable condition. The Sabre is a frigate that was build thousands of years ago and the plasma drives are ancient technology that even Melvust barely understands, let alone anyone else on the ship. Melvust Malorian is a senior officer on the ship and one of the highest ranking members of the crew.

The ship belongs to an age old dynasty of Rogue Traders, the Trask Dynasty, and the Captain is the holder of the Warrant of Trade, Lord-Captain Sarvus Trask. He is the Lord over life and death on the ship and his word is law. Other high ranking officers are:
Nathin Tsanthos, the Seneshal, a scholar and counselor to the captain.
Lorayne Thornhallow: Arch-militant, bodyguard and mistress-at-arms on the ship.
Ardus Helum: Missionary, he makes sure that everyone on the ship pays his duties to the God-Emperor
Aleksander Benetek: Navigator, he is the only one that can guide the ship through the Warp, using his special psy-powers.
Jurgen Notcher: the pilot, hired just a few weeks ago in Footfall.

The Sabre is a giant ship, just over 1,6km long and has a total crew of 20,000 men. At the moment it is in orbit around the planet Magoros Prime where the Lord Captain and his crew are hoping to find some hints to a long lost treasure ship, the "Righteous Path". The Captain and his team are on the surface at the moment, trying to find out more about the strange alien ruins that are on the planet.

As no drives are needed at the moment, most of the crew normally manning the drives are on leave, resting or sleeping, or getting radiation treatment (though Melvust knows it does not really help a lot).

Melvust enjoys the minutes of tranquillity, listening to the sounds of the various machines throbbing and humming around him. Then, a small light goes off and a vox message comes in. "Sir, we have something strange happening here at the Gellar Field controls. Strange sounds coming from the controls. And....... aaaarghgh!!!!" The vox erupts in a high pitched scream and then only static can be heard.

[Grimbold]

Display

Sorry if I was not clear enough - this thread is only for Melvyst, our new Tech-Priest.

[Melvyst]

Melvust has his eyes closed and listens to the humming machines around him. He really enjoys those rare moments, which do not occur very often.

Lost in thoughts and admire of the ancient technology of the ship, Melvust startles by the fragmented vox message. He is immediately alerted and gets up. Although they are not in the warp and therefore there is no direct danger, it is still under his responsibility and he really doesn't like it should something happens to his machines.

He looks around who else is currently present and intends to take two man with him to the control room of the gellar fields.

[Grimbold]

Melvust alerts two crewmembers over his vox, who accompany him. They have some knowledge in technology, but are unarmed. The enginseer prime (Melvust) then hurries to the Gellar field control room. The door seems to be locked.

[Melvyst]

Melvust curses as he inspects the blocked door.
"Move aside" he commands the two crew members and starts to find a way pass the door.

Action

Inspect the door if it can be opened somehow, if not use pure force (if possible ).

[Grimbold]

Using his skill in tech-use, the Magos Melvust Malorian pushes a few buttons, adjusts a few levers and recites the proper incantations. The door opens, leading into the hallway that forms the entrance to the Gellar field controls. The corridor is short, after just 4 m there is another sliding door. Bloodstains are on the floor. Something heavy has been dragged into the door, leaving bloody smears.

Display

Tech-use: rolled 13, success.

"Magos" is the title of a senior tech-priest.

[Melvyst]

Alerted by the bloodstains on the floor, Melvust holds back his two crew-members.

"Hold back you two, this is no good...." Pointing on one of them " You, get me some reinforcements and you get behind me" while pointing to the other.

He then grabs his power axe and slowly advances to the next door, looking for any details.

OOC

Ok, I'm a newbie int W40K therefore some stupid questions
- Do portable vox transmitter exist?
- Do I need to somehow control/guide my servo-skull or is this thing always active and autonom?

[Grimbold]

Display

yes, vox transmitters exist. You have one with you. The skull just follows you around, floating, until you tell it to do something.

"Right away, sir." The tech runs away. The other one takes cover behind Melvust and looks a bit shocked.

The smears appear to come from a bleeding body of a human that was killed here and dragged through the door.

A small loudspeaker next to the second door activates: "Hey, who's there? I wanna talk with someone who is in charge here! Don't come any closer or I'll kill this tech-priest I've got here. Bring me someone who is in charge. The captain or someone." The loudspeaker shuts down and an eerie silence fills the room.

[Melvyst]

Melvust stops his forward movement and stays where he is.
For a short moment he looks close to the bloodstain on the floor hopping to find any clues about what happend here, then he adresses himself to the intruder.

"I am the Magos Melvust Malorian and I charge here. Identify yourself and whats going on here?"

Action

Take a close look to the bloodstain to find out as much as possible. Would the wound have been caused by a gun, power-axe or what ever.

[Grimbold]

The blood seems to indicate it was from a blade or so, not a gun, but Melvust is no expert on tracking.

The voice comes back again: "Ok, stay where you are, or else... Now, I want the captain to move the ship away from this planet. It is cursed! They will come and get us if we don't! Move the ship away, and then we'll talk more. Do not do it, the tech-priest dies."