Rogue Trader: Session 3 – Halcyon Rising

Recipient: House-Master Ephialtes Arcadia

Author: First Officer Torian Ramirez
Report: TR373
Date: 920810.M41
Placation: Emperor Guide His Loyal Servants
Subject: Strange Tides

A strange fortnight, I had expected the Rogue Trader Druce Barathon to ask about his ship, it seems only natural to want what is yours back, I was also unsurprised when my Lord-Captain accepted with a potentially profitable arrangement, I could even have imagined Druce Barathon being as cold as he indeed was, what I did not expect was to actually find his ship, holed, burned but generally speaking, whole despite 3 Destroyers, a hard ship no doubt.

But that was only a minor point in the strange goings on my Lord.

The new ‘Navigator’ through blackmail has begun manipulating those in command, establishing itself within the Navigators tower, and using it for Emperor knows what, I do not care how effective he proves to be, he has locked himself away, it would take a concerted effort to remove this particular Tick.

I had expected all hands on deck and a salvage team to be sent over to the floating hulk of the light cruiser, this End of Days, Druce passively noting the crew call it ‘Calamity’ they seem to be largely correct as according to auspex and Harrai’s expert eye it is without power to almost the entire ship, without power and without life sustainers for over a month, a tomb no doubt, and still my Lord-Captain is worried about the number of possibly hostile voidsmen for the beleaguered ship, strange, I believe this system is making the Dynastic leader nervous, paranoid even.

I had received reports of missing personnel and minor bouts of violence in the decks below us, worryingly around the Labratorium and the Medicae red decks, but dismissed them as in light of this systems baleful effect on peoples temperament, believing in the Chief Bosun and Winter Seraphina River to settle the matter.

Unfortunately this proved unwise, the command staff were prepared to leave the ship and begin salvage operations my duty wouldn’t let me dismiss the reports, I decided to check with Solar Holt and inquire if he had divined any problems, he did not respond, what I found within that room was a ravening lunatic throwing up more blood than his body could possibly contain and screaming about skulls, wings and crimson, it took 5 armsmen to pin him down.

I later was informed about the Choir-Master has been specifically requested by Lord-Captain Gabriel, aswell as the S.A.S’s head of discipline Garret Baldie, I later learned Garret was gifted a melta-ring, and asked to depose of the Choir-Master, strange indeed.

Eventually my Lord-Captain took action against the growing threat building aboard the ship, joining in after Adjutant Varco Gearhart voxed about an armed conflict within the Laboratorium, dispatching all armsmen available and the S.A.S to stomp on the ‘mutiny’, I am used to uncaring masters but he seems distracted from his duty more than anything else.

The after action reports of my men are utterly unclear, somehow hostile boarded the ship, set up within the thrice-sealed Laboratorium and murdered everyone within it, according to some unhinged men who have been granted the Emperors mercy described the enemy daubing the surroundings with blood, both theirs, mechanicus and the blood of my men in strange patterns, I fear it was to invoke the warp and summon daemons aboard the Halycon Blade.

The Mechanicus aboard the ship relented to my men cleaning up the mess, Victor Victrix taking his holy instrument and burning the tainted things from our ship, for we were boarded, for the Daemon was indeed invoked and in turn banished by the Lord-Captain, Winter Seraphina River is missing, she is not among the dead, the last eye witnesses were a few armsmen, describing her square off against a daemon, they did not report who won the conflict, but she is gone and the Halcyon Blade is without her skill as a gunner, she will be missed.

Still after this event and given a week’s delay the Navy pilot Casmirri Orthesian saught out benediction and sanction from his old commander Druce Barathon, traversing across the void to the End of Days in an attempt to salvage lore and other worthies in a sense of duty, commendable, however his success seemed to drive him into the same paranoia that the Lord-Captain suffered from, and requested (and granted!) the use of Murder-Servitor to clear out some apparent defence-servitors, a clear act of aggression and a reckless act, confirmed by the destruction of the ships bridge and command structure, however despite this Druce Barathon has raised no formal complaint.

Strange time indeed.

Signed

First Officer Torian Ramirez