Paranoid, sleep deprived, and plagued by nightmares. For all the power and prestige, the lot of a Navigator was hardly one to be envied as the Navigatrix contemplated the depths of the Empyrean Sea once more. The dull echoes of Master Levi's screaming madness dulled only by the thickness of the bulk heads and the deliberately installed sound baffles that ensconced the navigation chamber. Both to keep the more distressing of noises contained and to support the often sorely tried focus of the Navigator engaged in the name sake.

That every sensation but her preternatural awareness of the vessel through the arcane interfaces of the Navigator's and the potent chymical cocktails that coursed through her atypical anatomy only contributed to the stress of the situation rather than alleviate it as it typically did under more ideal circumstances. There was nothing else for it, though, in Cennet's mind but to endure and to mind the shadows that warped and twisted in every direction around her as shapes formed, nearly rose, and vanished back beneath the encircling corridor of deepest ocean. Held only at bay by the thinnest bubble of real space that any chance collision or malfunction could tear away in a moment. A set of circumstances that she was all too uncomfortably aware of for the fact that she felt perpetually watched and the sensed presence remained forefront in her mind.

The second stretched to minutes, then to hours, then to days before blending into an almost meaninglessness. The contextual nature of time in real space retained only by the aggressive utilization of alarms and other such measures arranged for with the various watch captains of the House Guard and other servants. All to ensure that she and Sheridan continued their now doubled shift rotations to account for their junior's lamentable infirmity. An infirmity that Cennet could only offer quiet prayers to Him on Terra that it would not be a lasting stint of madness. Far too soon to be so struck down before the passing of even the first century of his life.

 It is true that investigation of psychic phenomena is a matter considered to be bordering upon the heretechal and actually manufacturing or tinkering with the patterns of devices that wield or manipulate psychic phenomena actively crosses that boundary (save for a small number of extremely well warded and closely watched adepts in very specific places), so there's precious little reason for the ships Explorator to come and speak with the Astropath...

 ...which makes the matter every bit as uncomfortable as she feared.

 He does however, seem amenable to trying to resolve the problem, announcing a helpful "Of course." as they go in search of their captain, remarking as they do so "The psychic mass appears to be shifting inside the confines of the Geller field that protects the ship, which argues against this being some vast and singular warp-beast... Unless we have in some fashion encapsulated a smaller piece of a larger creature. I cannot immediately conceive of a means of evacuating such an entity which is even remotely safe. Are you certain of its scale?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Thu 02 May.

Faith considers how best to phrase her estimation of their unseen nemesis in a way that Jak can understand. He's an intelligent man, no doubt, but this does not seem to be his wheelhouse.

"In my estimation, it is like a large ornamental fish released inside a too-small tank, constantly swimming around and looking for a way out. As in, it is not here now, but perhaps the nightmares and auspex malfunctions are traces of its passage. As for how this fish-entity got in in the first place, it might have been simple bad luck, or a flicker in the Gellar Field, or perhaps even an accidental invocation by a nascent psyker. It is said that every psyker has a gateway to the Immaterium in their minds, and untrained ones are like an unbarred portal that anything from the realm beyond can exploit."

 It takes very little time in the company of the Tech-Priest to realise that 'intelligent' is a staggering understatement... But that as a part and parcel of his training, he's immensely skill-forward when it comes to making assessments and predictions... As bright as he is, if someone else has a degree of qualification in an area he does not, he'll defer to their expertise.

 "This is less than optimal. It would not be practical to selectively open sections of the ship to the Immaterium in an effort to expel the entity, such a course of action would inevitably expose the ship to the Immaterium in turn." Jak remarks, only to look about as uncomfortable as it's possible for a man with a forged bronze beak of a jaw to look and then observe "It may be wise to ensure that the Xenos aboard ship are secure. They are, I understand more prone to attracting such contamination than most."

"While I do agree that we should ensure the Eldar are secure, I do not believe they are the cause of this issue. You remember what I just said about every psyker being a door to the Empyrean, I believe. In the case of the Eldar, they are more like shining beacons which call to the Ruinous Powers. All the risks inherent to human psykers are multiplied in their case and thus they must be more cautious than us in everything they do lest they call down the perils of the Warp upon themselves. Now, consider that the Eldar in captivity are members of their leadership; it implies experience and long service, and I believe that anyone who has survived for a long time under such a dire threat would not be careless enough to call an entity like the one we face to themselves. Then again, we cannot fully account for the ways of xenos, and while the Eldar do not seem as self-destructive as, for instance, Orks, my knowledge about them is largely limited to electives at the Scholastica Psykana..."

As Searlait makes her way through the corridors to the Xenos' quarters she her the metallic clanking of talons on metal and turns to see Jak and Faith walking down the corridors together, an odd combination to be sure, and one that may have a sinister leaning to the predicaments of the vessel. "Greetings Magos, Lady Faith, how far you this voyage?"

Faith nods in deference to Searlait, and then cuts to the chase.

"Ill tidings, Lady-Captain. There have been reports of eldritch occurrences throughout the vessel. Master Jak can enlighten you on the technical side of things, but with regards to the Choir's operations..."

Faith briefly outlines the nightmares the choir has been suffering and the restlessness of the nascent psykers in the forward holds even during their drug-induced slumber, as well as her impression of the causative entity as some vast insubstantial creature lurking the vessel's halls and occasionally touching the minds of others. She also mentions Gregory's report of a heavy laser powerpack exploding during a training accident and the consequent loss of three lives, as well as the latter's note that such a thing basically never happens under normal circumstances and how it is an ill omen.

"Lady-Captain, prior to this I had hoped to seek the aid and guidance of the Master of Mankind in appeasing and claming this creature, but considering the accidents are growing more dire and that they have directly affected lives aboard the vessel, I believe a passive approach will no longer suffice. With your permission, I will attempt to engage with and address the entity directly in the hopes of neutralizing it. But before that, the Enginseer Prime and I had hoped to speak with the Eldar aboard the vessel to determine if they had anything to do with this being. I doubt it myself, but it is a possibility, and they are arguably as threatened by it as we are."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:11, Sun 05 May.

Hadrian showed up on the edge of vision, tracking down the captain. He appeared to be crips and clean cut but supremely tired. Discipline did not permit any to escape the effects. He held in his care a red folder. Hadrian had a color codded system so the recipient knew the contents ahead of time. Red was the report of fatalities.

 "I do not distrust the xeno for their inexperience in their unclean ways, I distrust them for their experience. A degree of admiration for their competence is part of the process of judgement." Jak quotes pithily, before reframing his concern in a more reasonable fashion as the Captain approaches and is greeted with a bow of the head, "Whether or not the Xeno contingent intends to, or is interacting with the warp entity currently loose inside the vessel is irrelevant to the fact that it is possible that it may well have been attracted by them. If this is the case, then it is information that we must have. If they are in fact, not responsible it is a diagnostic avenue properly examined and set aside - when the Immaterium and its ways are so often unpredictable, it is more important than ever to cleave closely to orthodoxy."

"Do I need to order Mistress Shiraishi to drop us out of transit?" she asks her hand instinctively moves towards her pistols grip before she drops it attempting to seem casual about it. "I was on my way to the Xenos just now, you may accompany me there as well and ask any questions you have, come" she says about to move when she sees the Master of Whispers and calls out "Is there something I can assist you with Mr Herric?"

"Normal reports go through normal channels. Things outside the normal get handed in personally." He offered the captain the red folder.  "Also, in opposition to my better judgment I'd like to note a sense of being watched. That is something that should be next to impossible for me. If I don't want to be found it would take considerable effort."

"I am not educated as to the effects of warp travel, please forgive me if this is common. Outside of that in spite of my extensive control, something has triggered my more undesirable memories as dreams. There doesn't seem to be any order, just dredging up the bottom of the barrel." He knew sneakery and shadows, not the chicanery of the warp. He did know that consulting people more knowledgeable on such than he was best. "All other actions from the prior report have been carried out as requested."

All is not well aboard the Pious Lament, nightmares, sleep deprivation and paranoia are common occurrences during warp travel but on this trip the affects have risen to a whole new level and instead of a few cases, there are very few who have escaped the effect. The medical services are having to cope with a huge number of work related injuries alongside a backlog of mental issues, the Ecclesiarch are swamped with requests for help and guidance and every service is overflowing, and even the Mechanicus are making errors in their work. These staff are run ragged and on the point of exhaustion which is not helped by their own suffering of the warp effect.

Searlait, Faith and Jak, (and Hadrian if he wants to tag along), make their way to the quarters occupied by the Eldar, the guards outside snap to attention on seeing the Captain and come up into smart salutes. There is a high pitched keening from within the room that lasts just over a minuet then stops.

.

Searlait speed reads the most pertinent parts of the report. "Indeed, there seems to be a malaise about the vessel that many, my family included are suffering under, we are about to enquire of the Xenos have any information about the situation and if so see about stopping it, failing that we may need to drop out of the warp."

As they walk outside the chambers and the keening scream echos around the ship she asks "How long has that been going on?" as she draws her sidearm.

Gregory's face manages to get even grimmer somehow as the reports of accidents and fatalities come in. What is he supposed to do? He'd go around the ship and physically exorcise these warp spirits with a flamer if he thought it would help! Worse still, Faith is somehow NOT in again...

After checking to make sure the training losses are within acceptable parameters, he decides to take a walk through the corridors to clear his mind. Normally he'd be going alone, but in this case he decides to take a small squad of armsmen as an escort, just in case...

The guards look at each other before one of them speaks, ”they do this every now and again my Lady.”

”They tell us it helps them cope with the warp,” the other says.

”Maybe once or twice a day,” the first continues.

”They seem to be having a really difficult time with being in the warp, my Lady.”

The guard raps on the door and opens it and those in the corridor are greeted with a standard cohabitation suite in which the furniture has been rearraigned in a bizarre and seemingly senseless way. One of the Eldar is sitting on the floor, the soles of her feet pressed together while her knees are sideways, and also flat to the floor, she immediately rises to a standing position and bows.

The other enters the room from an internal door, he also bows, ”Lady Captain.”

These two look terrible, gaunt, drawn and on the brink of exhaustion.
.

The Navigatrix remained locked in her struggles with the vessel, the Endless Sea, and the denizens of that hostile and aethereal realm. It was a battle she felt, instinctively, that she was losing. Inch by horrid inch and her pride could not tolerate this, could not accept it. Much like she could not accept the indignity of being watched and not knowing the entity responsible nor the means by which it could be excised or run off.

Faith begins surveying th interior of the room with her immaterial senses, trying to see if she can figure out what's going on.

OOC:

09:12, Today: Faith rolled 91 -- 3 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 61.  Fate point reroll. – 3 degrees of failure

09:11, Today: Faith rolled 90 -- 2 degrees of failure using the Warhammer Test system with a target number of 61.  Psyniscience. – 2 degrees of failure

Hadrian followed along but kept quiet. He had a deep foundation of mistrust with any Xenos race, but it wouldn't show. He would just fade into the background and reside there. In constant consideration to if he could beat them or not. It was a flight of fancy as he wouldn't fight unless so commanded... But a man can wonder.

"Greetings Isenbenne, how are you and your brother fairing during this travel?" she asks holstering the sidearm but keeping her hand on it. The level of unease she felt was growing, between the horridly rough travel, the increasing paranoia to the thought that some warp denizen whether hostile or not was on the ship.

”Not well I’m afraid Lady Captain,” the Eldar replies with a wry smile, ”we do not usually travel within the warp and I had heard that it was . . . . uncomfortable, but this many times worse than our deepest fears and I’m afraid, if it lasts much longer we will not survive.”

”We do not complain, we are here at our own request and I can only hope that if we do perish you will return the sole stones to our people if the opportunity arises. Ours along with them if you would be so kind.”

Apologies, I had it in my mind that Isenbenne was traveling with his sister, and I’d forgotten his name, thank goodness our Captain keeps proper records.

.

Another complication was the last thing the beleaguered Navis Primaris could afford as with everything else that had transpired this development held a sinister and worrying note even if it was utterly innocuous. The decision and the correct course, however, was clear enough. Exhausted, pained, and with precious few options remaining she opened a vox link to the Lady Captain. It was a blow to her pride, rankling old wounds and stubborn inclinations but duty was her calling beyond any personal regard and as she and her peers now were... To continue the journey was inviting disaster and worse besides.

"My Lady Captain, I apologize for any delay to your ambitions and plans but I'll be initiating a re-translation shortly. My peers and I have been run ragged, Master Levi is presently incapacitated with Lady Sheridan and myself rotating doubled shifts... but beyond this... It seems that Lord Zachariah has emerged. I don't wish to give into the pervasive paranoia that's infected me but I thought you may wish to know this as well."

The Navigatrix's voice was soft as ever but now there were elements of extreme fatigue, concern, yet still a calculated quality that informed despite it all she was still... Mostly in control of herself, that she remembered pointedly her duty. That said she lingered with the line open long enough for Lady Captain Saoirse to issue any command or edict as befitted her role and title.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:00, Thu 16 May.

 Jak remains towards the rear of the group as they approach the Xeno chambers - he's one of the few individuals on the ship who seems to be almost entirely untroubled by the nearness of the Warp, either as a result of his having excised much of his own neural tissue to become what he is or simply because of his dedication to his strange arts, but as they reply in reasonable fashion to the question of the Lord Captain, he steps forwards a single pace to ask "It is a statistical probability that your presence upon this vessel makes intrusion from the Immaterium more probable, absent any malice upon your part but while there is no evidence that you are in any way linked to the entity we are detecting within the confines of the Geller field, it is appropriate to inquire as to whether you have any insight into its nature or intentions."

Searlait is about to respond to the Aeldari when the Navigatrix's message comes through ++Lady Navigator, I leave all directions about our travel within the warp to you. If you say we drop out we drop out, I'll have the Bridge send a general translation warning.++ she says typing a message into her data-slate to transmit to the officer of the deck on the bridge. Looking up after cutting the link she says "It appears the Navigatrix will be dropping us out shortly so you may get your wish to be out and I will have the Quartermaster enquire about psy-dampening materials to reinforce the chambers for the next journey we take to improve you & your brother's travels aboard."

Gregory arrives just in time to hear Searlait address the rest of the group. He eyes the Eldar warily, but his instincts to gun them down on the spot are held at bay, considering they seem as badly affected by what's going on as the rest of the ship. While this might be a trick, the Lady-Captain seems to trust them, and thus he cannot put her efforts to waste.

Instead, he salutes her and stands aside, awaiting further instructions.

Hadrian tilted his head to one side as he considered something, an idea striking him. He reopened the red folder with its crude map of the ship and started measuring the dots that indicated the violent incidents.

From his side he pulled free a caliper and locked it to the average distance and made circles around each of the cargobays of the ship.

The map is then represented to the Captain indicating the lion share of all violent altercations are within average distance to the cargo bays without exclusivity providing a few exceptions to the rule.

It was being provided as a means to give more context moving forward.