Every 'comm currently linked to the senior crew of the Pious Lament chimes in complex five-part harmony at the same time before Jak - apparently backed by a large chunk of local authority - puts everyone into a shared conversation.

 "Explorator Tesla, Speaking for the Manufactorum Expedition. Successful recovery of command authority has been completed. Successful recovery of high-level records revealing the course of events that have influenced recent Gelron history has been completed. This is not merely not the original sector to which Gelron was assigned, it is also not its original star. In 4.918.99.M40, stellar instabilities were identified in its local star and all local authorities were committed to the constriction of a planetary defence system utilising Pattern 133A 771 STC 33090/b7, a borderline accepted pattern which appeared to includes Empyric circuitry in its construction. Confirmation of this circuitry was to be found when Gelrons local sun indeed underwent catastrophic expansion, causing the shield to activate and displace Gelron and the Manufactorum to this location. Due to the extreme forces this event caused, extensive loss of manufacturing assets including, but not limited to pattern data, construction records, all psychic personnel, many human memories and a statistically significant number of human lives were suffered."

 "The danger is now past. It will be possible to repurpose the Manufactorum and restore Gelron, but to do so will be a non-trivial task. A permanent Grand Magos will be needed to undertake the role. My recommendation is that the current Magos, who has spent significant time operating the station be raised to this position with Arius Draccius as his understudy and aide. My further recommendation is that Confessor Wells collaborate with other human-interface personnel on a broad announcement to local populations of the change in priorities only after a full assessment of what is needed to restore the system has been completed. I am standing by for alternative proposals."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:30, Sat 16 Sept 2023.

Some hours later Deacon enters the room and approaches Vormav directly, ”excuse me Sir, but there has been a development that I think you ought to know about, it seems that Gelron Prime have suffered some sort of military coup, details are very sketchy at the moment but I will let you know as they come.”
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The small ship thunders across the landscape at 2,000 feet, in spite of the noise it’s not flying fast, this is a familiarisation flight and Ravandio is just getting to know the landscape. The area chosen is close to the borders at the nearest point to ‘Varcity’, the capital of Gelron and seat of the Gelron Prime government but that is two hundred miles away across the border and as long as he doesn’t cross it, the thunder hawk should be safe.

The main road between Gelron Prime and the Norther Alliance runs through here and at this low altitude Ravandio can see clearly see the lines of traffic in both directions and the make shift borders post where opposing troops where identical uniforms. Across the boarder there is a strange eery darkness in the distance where the star is eclipsed by the ‘disk’, only the edge can bee seen from here but the stunted and withered crops there are obvious by the change of colours in the landscape.

The border runs almost parallel to the equator here and is not marked on the ground apart from the tracks created by the military patrol vehicles on both sides of the imaginary line. As he moves East of the crossing point, over a small river, passed some farms where people in the fields give him a friendly wave, and over a small wooded cops, Ravandio notices white smoke rising into the sky from over the next ridge and soon passes over the wreckage of three military vehicles and twenty or more bodies scattered across a small gulley, they look to be Northern Alliance troops.
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In reply to Deacon (msg # 82):

Vormav is elbows deep in paperwork looking like a mad man with strings running between cork boards with papers pinned to them. He rubs his temples and straightens his hair. "For all of the Emperor's love, do you know which faction took control? I suppose it hardly matters. Are your ministers concerned? Are we in danger? et cetera? We were already at war, typically there is only a coup if they wanted to fight harder or wanted to stop fighting.

I still need that meeting with your Arch Bishop. I have new information."

Vormav realized that his questions wouldn't likely have answers but with luck the man would keep them in mind for his next report.

***From the Pious Lament***

Openning a direct voxline to her forces on the planet she orders her vox to contact ++Master Rathnyr, I've received reports of possible saviour pods from the Emperor's Glory landing at the following co-ordinates, attempt a recce run, but priority is keep the bird as undamaged as possible, there has been a coup in Gelron Primary and we will be there as soon as possible and likely in combat stance++

Vormav is informed that communication links with Gelron Prime are not currently functioning and that they don’t know the current whereabouts of the Arch Bishop.
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He saw the smoke immediately after his co-pilot saw the strange heat signature on the scanners. "Mark it," he said to his on co-pilot as he flew over the wreckage of some sort of attack far down below. Ravandio had started to circle back around and come in lower so that he could get some sort of idea about what had happened and maybe spot who had done it when his vox crackled and a message came through from the Lord Captain. He listened to the message relayed to him through his vox operator swears softly. His little recon mission down below will have to wait.

"Relay a message back to the Lord Captain. ++Acknowledged. Proceeding to coordinates immediately.++" Ravandio proceeded to climb altitude again and head towards the location that Searlait had sent to him.

With the Captain’s new instructions ringing in his ear, Ravandio does not stop to investigate the destroyed Northern Alliance patrol but can't help but notice that a very large military formation had passed this way very recently with scores, maybe even a hundred tracked vehicles involved.
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This message was last edited by the GM at 11:03, Thu 21 Sept 2023.

Vormav is informed that General Peliaxe, head of the Northern Alliance armed forces, has dispatched all mobile units and every other unit he can find transport for, across the border to the orbital launcher, the first elements should arrive in about eight hours. He has also dispatched recognisance units to the area where salvation pods may have landed.
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Vormav asks whoever brought him the message "Why would he do that? Can I meet with him? I may have delicate information that could inform his tactical decisions."

He keeps his cool but inside he is frantically working out the repercussions. Unless the launcher has some military use then this seemed like the exact kind of irrational action he expected to see of people who have spent years frantically working towards something without knowing why.

The guy, who Vormav has seen but doesn’t know, informs him that he believes the General is acting on a request from Lady Captain Saorise but is not certain. The General is already on the march but can be contacted by vox com.

After a few minuets a large field comms set is bought in and set on a table, Vormav is handed a hand set and through the static comes a grough but cheery voice, ”hello, this is Peliaxe, you are the Rogue Trader’s bean counter I believe, Vormav, is that right? What can I do for you my fine fellow?”
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OOC: Can we retcon being in contact with the general. I figure I would get in contact with the Lord-Captain first and everything we talked about made this conversation moot.

Thinking on it and keeping in mind what the captain has told him Vormav is going to do some snooping around the records he was given access to he looks for anything unusual that would suggest the Northern alliance is hiding something from them, food disappearing to feed an unreported population, vehicles falling off the manifests, anything to suggest that this is all an elaborate ruse.

Vormav and his team dive deep into the available records, doing what they do best, the crunching of numbers, it takes time but it all adds up, they find a few minor discrepancies that can be put down to clerical error and suspect that someone in the canteen is not paying for their meals but there is nothing to point at any additional forces or cover ups.

Over the time it takes, things become very quiet here in the Northern Alliance capital, bare a few, all the Northern Alliance troops all of their vehicles and a good proportion of the civilian transport have gone. On the ground right now, from the Lament, there are three chimera, a staff car, two honour guard, (staff car drivers) and thirty-six assault troops, (the compliments for the cymeras), plus your own staff.

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In the background, hardly audible, there are a series of whistles in descending pitch, the loud explosions that follow them, shaking the ground and causing dust to fall from the ceiling cannot be ignored, there are twenty in all, close to Vormav’s location but not on it, another sequence of whistle and explosions are followed volleys of small arms fire as around him, Vormav’s staff look around in alarm and his guards from the Lament, ready weapons.

The sergeant, approaches and salutes, ”sorry Sir, all comms are being jammed so I can't say what is going on, the rest of our contingent will be here in a moment.”
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Vormav watches out the window as the bombs start falling. When the sergeant gives his preliminary sit-rep he steps away "Establish a perimeter as best you can until the remaining squads join us. We don't owe these people anything so our safety is the primary concern. We are a third armed party in this conflict so until we link up with the local guard we are at an incredible risk of a deadly misunderstanding. Establish a scout detail and figure out what in the Emperor's name is going on!"

Not bombs but artillery shells, a battery of twenty howitzers firing a high trajectory, the target is the southern edge of the town. There are three salvos in all then massed firing of laser small arms but this is out of sight from Vormav’s window.

People are hurrying this way and that in the street outside, those in military uniform heading towards the gun fire, there are very few, and the others heading away from it.

The rest of the personnel from the Lament arrive in dribs and drabs, including the drivers there are twenty two armsmen dressed for combat, and a similar number of office staff, most of whom are armed in some way, some even have basic armour. The armsmen, lead by Sgt Bagley, are reassuringly professional, they have the doors and windows covered, one corporal has organised the office staff and had them construct an inner defence from upturned furniture.
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Vormav thinks a moment "Sergeant, with the skeleton crew that the northern alliance left here I expect the other factions are making a play. Where are our vehicles parked? They are the only heavy weapons we have access to and reasonably our greatest asset, correct?"

”The vehicles are all by the door sir,” the sergeant informs Vormav, ”Nunber one has a more sophisticated vox caster and we are trying to break through the jamming but no success as yet.”

”Sir, there is an officer approaching with a white flag,” a trooper calls from one of the windows, ”he’s wearing a different uniform, must be GDF.”

A young subaltern is standing about thirty feet away, holding a stick with some white fabric attached and looking pretty nervous.
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Vormav peeks out, he was wary but he needed information "Bring him in, we need to know what is going on here." he says to his sergeant.

He stands ready for a fight. Pistol drawn and hell gun in it's ready position.

The young subaltern enters under guard, he looks very nervous, frightened even and does not seem to be carrying any weapons.

”I   I   I bring a mess,  a message Sir,”  he takes a deep breath before continuing with a little more fluency, ” Brigadier Clune apologises for the inconvenience and wants to assure you that you and your people are not in any danger, the GDF will not assault or even approach this building, however, he does ask you to remain here for the present as he can’t guarantee your safety otherwise.”
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Vormav looked the young officer up and down trying to determine if he had some sort of tell but he was unsuccessful. This was a sticky bit of business they weren't strictly beholden to this particular faction but then they were his hosts at the moment. He tells the man "Return to your superiors and tell them that I appreciate their consideration in this endeavor. I accept their terms and expect to meet with them at their earliest convenience once the fighting has stopped."

Once the man is safely out of earshot he turns to his sergeant "Plot us the best course out of here, get the men ready to load up, I don't trust these people and I would rather be out of the city rather than living by their good graces."

OOC: 22:49, Today: Vormav rolled 60 -- 4 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 15.  Scrutiny.

The chimeras and staff car could conveniently carry all the troops, Vormav and his three closest aids leaving nearly twenty additional personnel without a ride, these could squeeze in on peoples laps but it would be really tight and the chimeras could not fight if that were the case.

Vormav suddenly receives a splitting headache, the headache apologies for the intrusion but goes on to explain that it is actually the Astral Choir abord the Pious Lament communicating with his on behalf of the Captain and that help is on it’s way. It askes if there is any message he would like to relay back.
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This message was last edited by the GM at 05:45, Tue 24 Oct 2023.

Vormav is in the middle of assuring the staff that they will be safe where they are when he gets the telepathic call "Ow, Vormav here, advise on extraction point and any available sit rep. Current course is to use Lament military assets to vacate leave the city and stay mobile."

The pain of this comunication is intense and brings Vormav to his knees, much to the alarms of his staff, but a message does come back.


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