Rogue Trader: The Hand of Fortune

[Vehrec]

Vir was quick on his toes, up barely a second after Raivon. "Hear, hear. To Lord Captain Umbrias Karakan, may his bountiful generosity be forever reflected and exceeded by his profits." He was giddy, feeling both light headed and light hearted with the good news. This was far beyond his wildest expectations. Oh, he had dreamed of this, but squashed such dreams as too unlikely for one Ill-starred. Now however his thoughts of a few gold or platinum rich asteroids and a few months mining so wildly exceeded, he felt better than he had since he had come aboard.

[fgalkin]

Berenice's breath caught for a second as Umbrius opened the case. Warrants were unbelievably valuable and rare, and to date, she had never actually set her eyes on one. With an effort, she looked away and returned her face to its previous impassivity. She quickly glanced around the table, wondering if anyone had seen the momentary lapse. Fortunately, it seemed that Umbrius' attention had been on his nephew.

Then, the rest of the news registered as well. A ship! A frigate! An ancient one, no less, fast, nimble and full of archeotech wonders! That was great news indeed, although not without it's own problems.

She raised her cup high, joining the toast of Ravion and Vir. "To the Lord Captain!"

-------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[White Haven]

Graylen's raspy, graveled voice isn't one he typically inflicts on incidental conversation, but an announcement such as this, a gift of such magnitude demands response. He raises his own cup upwards, a broad smile on his face. He'd been eager ever since the possibility of a ship was mentioned, but a frigate, a true man-'o-war, that has his eyes alight.

"To my Lord Captain, in thanks for this gifted opportunity, and in promise of glory returned."

[Karrick]

Valther's breath caught in his throat. A frigate! Undoubtedly there would be much work to do before it was ready, but certainly less than if Ravion had been gifted a fat, slow, freighter. Maneuverable and well armed, a frigate was a perfect vessel for a captain eager to make his mark. Valther had no doubt about Ravion's desires there.

While the prospect of a ship was good, such an ancient and revered warrant was immeasurably better. Fighting ship or no, it was the warrant that commanded respect.

Valther too raised his glass and echoed the sentiments of the others,

"To the Lord Captain! Glory..." he paused, "and profit!"

[rhoenix]

Raising a glass of water to the others' drinks, Magnus stood before replying. The Warrant was a thing of true rarity, and now it meant that there would be many interesting times to be had - in both senses of the word. Magnus smiled a bit more widely - he had been looking forward to this.

"To both the Lord Captains - may the Emperor bless you both with untold riches, well-earned glory, and priceless memories."

[Cynical Cat]

Umbrias raised his glass. "Thank you for your good wishes. To Karakan! To this dynasty and all of its members and all those who tie their fortunes to it! May we all receive the wealth, fame, and glory that can be wrestled from the lightless dark and to our holy God-Emperor, Master of Mankind, who has empowered us to seek out this wealth so we may expand his domains, crush his enemies, and reunite the family of man!"

[fgalkin]

"To Karakan and the God-Emperor!" Berenice emptied her cup.

-------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Marcao]

"To Karakan!" He said as he raised his glass in a toast alongside the others and drained his cup. His mind awash with the possibilities of what he had just heard. A frigate, one of considerable age. It was a prize positively awash with possibilities. In his heart, he would have preferred such a vessel. A cruiser was a ponderous behemoth, meant to straddle a line of its sisters and pound an adversary into dust. A frigate required far more finesse. It would be a worthy challenge.

The seal that had been presented to Ravion still lingered in his mind. He had never been so close to such a prestigious and ancient warrant. A part of him wondered if he would have been fit to possess such a thing. Still, that door had been closed long ago. His heritage had made it difficult for him to be anything resembling a Rogue Trader. He lacked the full hearted support of his family and for a rogue trader to be established, he needed every ounce of support a man or woman could muster.

[Hotfoot]

"Well said, Uncle. To our Family, to the God-Emperor, to Mankind, and to the glory of us all!" Ravion raised his glass and drank deeply. Visions of a warship plying the lanes, finally putting his the cornerstones of his grand plans into reality. There would be danger ahead, but nothing great was ever easy. Did Lord Commander Solar Marcharius simply waltz on his grand crusade? Did Commissar Yarrick play children's games with Gazukull Thraka?

Death would be waiting on this path, the trick would be bribing it, and who better than this silver tongued rogue trader?

[White Haven]

"To Mankind!" Graylen toasts, for the second time in a day, continuing on, "Mankind, its Master, and Karakan." His rasp dies away as he takes another deep draught, his mind already flicking across possible meanings of 'ancient frigate' and the possibilities therein.

[Cynical Cat]

Umbrias acknowledged the salutes and drained his glass. He added one of the small Oribissan pheasants to his plate and attacked his food with gusto. In between mouthfuls of food and sips of wine, he continued the conversation.

"It's a pity your cousin didn't get better than a superficial look at the ship, but the preliminary data is encouraging. There are several hull breaches, but the ship appears mostly intact, with functional engines and warp drive. A refitting and skeleton crew from the Illumination, under your command, will hopefully be able to restore her to service. If not we are large enough to drag her after us or tear her down for parts and plunder."

[fgalkin]

Berenice nodded at that. "So, we have no idea what really happened to her?"

-----------------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Cynical Cat]

Umbrias took his time sucking the tender flesh off a drumstick before answering the Navigator's question. "No, or at least if my nephew did find answers he hasn't shared them. If the information is correct, the hull breaches aren't severe enough to have killed the ship. You'll have to find out yourselves. "

[Hotfoot]

Ravion furrowed his brow in thought, this new information feeing his curiosity. "Hm, sounds like some manner of infestation seems likely. Did my dear cousin happen to notice anything else in the general area? Greenskins, or perhaps something more sinister?"

[Vehrec]

"Somehow, I think it unlikely that greenskins would have abandoned a functional vessel having dispatched its crew." Commod's clear distaste for the subject did nothing to quench his thirst, so he carefully tipped back another sip of wine into the appropriate receptacle. His augmentations made eating normal food slow and tedious, requiring everything be pre-sliced into tiny morsels but he himself didn't mind. Better than what most Explorator's used, and it still allowed him a fair sense of taste.

"No, far more likely they would have tried to refit it in their own particular way. More than one warship thought lost to them has appeared again either modified or incorporated into a Hulk. I would have to see these data before I make any firm conclusions, but I would regard the best case for her origins as simply this. It was a part of a larger flotilla that suffered battle damage and lost crew, and opted to consolidate their remaining numbers, intending to return later and salvage the abandoned escort." Of course, such an optimistic projection was very low probability. Other options rippled through his mind. Plague? Xenos corruption? A murder cult gone mad and consuming the entire crew in an orgy of death? Now he truly wanted those data.

[White Haven]

"A war-vessel as ancient and venerable as this one allegedly is would be less than likely to remain undiscovered so long, did the records of its existence persist." Graylen rumbles, leaning forward over the table with his eyes narrowing in thought. "Either it was forgotten, everyone who knew about it died afterwards, or no one escaped the system."

His lips twist in a wry smile as he adds one more possibliity...paranoid, definitely, but paranoid enough?

"Or someone powerful doesn't want it found, of course."

He turns his attention back to the excellent meal once again, sampling one of the megaprawns. After a short pause, he swallows and grins, "I can't wait."

[Cynical Cat]

"My dear nephew's ship was damaged by Greenskins, but that was before he fled to that system to effect repairs," said Umbrias. "He reported no signs of any threats, but we will not take that for granted." He sucked the flesh off a wing. "I will not speculate on the ship's fate based on scanty, second hand data. The void is dangerous enough without being needlessly blinded by one's preconceptions."

[fgalkin]

Berenice focused on the pheasant on her plate, ignoring the speculation of the others entirely. It seemed to her, however, that the earlier celebrations were a little...premature.

Fortunately, they were not due to arrive for another few days, it seemed. Plenty of time to prepare and to ask Him for guidance.

----------------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Cynical Cat]

Umbrias finished sucking the meat off the pheasant's bones and cleaned his hands with a napkin. Servitors presented moistened clothes for use by the dinners, which the Lord Captain made use off. Slices of oranges grown in the ship's hydroponic garden were presented in small bowls. Umbrias finished off his wine and then ate two slices.

[fgalkin]

Berenice ignored the servitor- the gloves never left her hands for the duration of the dinner. She scooped up a slice of orange with a desert fork and sent it to her mouth. The dinner was a simple affair, barely appropriate for a private conversation, but not for the formal presentation of a warrant. Still, Umbrius Karakan was a man of excellent taste and she found the dinner a thoroughly enjoyable affair, the promise of a ship of her own sweeter than any desert.


---------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Cynical Cat]

After the cleansing course of oranges, the dessert course arrived. Individual glistening, quivering custards were brought in, one for each diner. Accompanying them were several bottles of fine brandy.

[White Haven]

After the announcement of the gifted ship and the presentation of the warrant, the rest of the meal seemed somehow pale to Graylen. The fare was excellent, but it somehow seemed anticlimactic in the wake of the announcement. Still, it wouldn't do to follow the astropath's example and be rude to the host, especially not in the wake of such generosity. The broad-shouldered and battered-looking figure ate his fill with every outside sign of relish, sparing the company his rough, rasping voice except when specifically addressed.

[rhoenix]

Taking his time and relishing each part of the meal, Magnus only skipped or politely declined any of the liquor, giving full attention to everything else. Having just finished his orange slices, he then finished his custard. Once he was done, he leaned back in his chair, and took an enjoyable sip of his water. "Excellent fare, I have to say - I haven't had much like it for quite a while. My thanks again for your generosity, Captain."

[Cynical Cat]

"You are welcome Master Aurochus," replied Umbrias Karakan. "Now you know what standard to hold my nephew's dining hall to," the Rogue Trader joked.

[White Haven]

"Once our vessel itself can match your own in polish and violence, my Lord Captain, that will be something to aspire to," Graylen ripostes with a wry smile tugging at the unscarred side of his lips