Basically not a ton, seeing as how it is an RPG but it's fun to write about anyway.
999.M41
Rogue Trader Issaak Bale was bored,
annoyed, and although he hid it well, kind of terrified, as the
captain of a warp capable warship he felt the combination of feelings
was not unusual and really quite rational when you consider that most
travel takes a long time and is punctuated either by minor
inconveniences or terror beyond your darkest imaginings.
This time was somewhat unusual in that
he was having these feelings without actually going anywhere.
For over six months the warp has been
in turmoil, to the point that it blocked the light of the holy
Astronomican and prevented all travel, becalming his ship, Parte
Visiblis, in Port Wander on the
edge of the Calixis Sector and Imperial controlled space. The
original plan, to deliver unwilling colonists to the frontier world
of Gargantua, was forced to be delayed by the warp storm, the likes
of which had not been seen for millennia.
For
the last few days the storm had been abating, but that was almost
worse as now communications with other systems were being restored,
rumor of all manner of fantastical events and horrors now flooded
into the system, everything from the Eye of Terror opening and
swallowing Cadia to the Emperor himself walking from his throne to
stand with his recovered sons in defense of humanity once more.
All
rumor of course, and patently impossible, but moral suffered
nonetheless, and with the warp becoming marginally passable it was
time to begin preparations to finish their long delayed delivery.
Currently
Bale was listening to the ship commissar report on morale.
“...
in short sire, lashings are now up tenfold, and many crewmembers have
been caught engaging in... lewd behavior.”
“Shameful,
don't they have cabins for that? I am certain I saw something about
that in the last budget I looked over.”
“Indeed
they do, but it is like a fever with them, many have needed to be
restrained and to be honest, well, some of those appeared to enjoy it
even more, it greatly disturbed our armsmen.”
Issaak
didn't care to think to deeply abut that. “Heavens! Well, continue
your efforts commissar.”
The
bridge of Parte Visiblis was
in the form of a well appointed open office layout, with the crew
working at standing desks loaded with files and cogitators for their
appropriate specialty, pneumatic tubes and speaking horns delivered
reports and orders as needed, numerous monitors hung from the ceiling
showing telemetry data of nearby vessels and Port Wander, as well as
economic data filtered from the datasphere of the local system,
everything from how shares of local companies were traded to the
price of Chelon shell dishware, you never knew what might come in
handy when on a trading expedition beyond the limits of Imperial
space.
“We
need something to do, master of communications, find whoever is in
charge at the Port today and inform them we shall be departing
shortly, find out if there is anything needs delivering on the way
out, or if we can bring anything back when we return.”
Pilot
Swarznedruber, who rejoiced in the nickname “sugar glider” for
some reason, turned to Bale, “Sir, will you not go to the
authorities personally and find this stuff out?”
“Hells
no man, you couldn't pay to walk the halls of Port Wander right now.
Me I mean, you couldn't pay me, you could pay someone else I suppose.
And should, because I won't go.You've heard the stories of riots and
so on. No thank you.”
The
master of communications chose this moment to interrupt. “Sire, we
have been contacted by Honorable Represntative Pultarch Norn of House
Krin, he invites you to the Chambers of Gold where he would like to
discuss business of a sensitive nature.”
…
“Emperor
damn it.”
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