Session XXXV: Action at the sound of the Chime! - Report

General Summary

We focus back on the crew as they move around Port Wander in preparation to 'deal with' Chime Hobart. At his point It has been very unclear as the why Chime still has control of the 'Eternal Perdition', why he's come back to Port Wander, what his dealings with Eve he's had and whether he has been complicit in the party's troubles.   The crew stayed mostly together as they collected information on Port Wander and in their wheeling and dealing they came up with the plan to bribe Phil the dockmaster on Port Wander. The group's current ship, the Viper Class Scout Sloop would be no match for the formidable Eternal Perdition's gun batteries and they would need to come up with a plan to board the Perdition without being spotted. Phil said he would let them know when the Perdition came into dock after he was offered a fat sack of thrones for his help.   It made sense that everyone was being so cagey about helping the crew out potentially against Chime. He owned almost half of Port Wander and his influence here was undeniable. As the team was coming up with a way to hedge their bets and avoid open war against the crew of the perdition while still reclaiming their vessel, Murk of all people had a plan. He would hide in the ship's cargo containers that were being loaded. On it's face a straight forward plan but not something that would be expected. It was a well known fact that Chime was running out of rations on board so it was obvious that he would need to resupply on Port Wander when he arrived.   Seeing no better options the party headed over to the primary docks where it was expected that the 'Eternal Perdition' would make port. The group looked around for any indications of where the Perdition's cargo that would be loaded was but after everyone took a look around none of them came up with anything substantial. The docks were just too busy with constant motion of workers and the shouts of their supervisors. Realizing they would need he the crew spotted one such supervisor. A clear functionary of the docks as he viewed a data-slate list and barked commands at the dock workers.   Bjorn figured it was time to put his silver tongue to use and walked up to the man wearing man layers of clothing and covered with a long coat and a mechanical eye that seemed to telescope in and out randomly as it focused on different things. The supervisor ignored Bjorn's presence for long moments until Bjorn finally spoke up in his heavy Scottish brogue. 'Could you lend us a hand finding some cargo' he said.   The functionary focused intently on Bjorn for a few seconds, his telescopic eye focusing in close to Bjorn's face. The man took many seconds to respond giving Bjorn the concept that he was running some sort of facial recognition software on him but eventually having not come to any clear conclusions the tech sighted man replied. 'Possibly. What is the nature of your inquiry and what is your intent with the cargo in question?'   Not wanting to waste an opportunity Bjorn tried to come up with his most convincing lie to be allowed access to the Perdition's cargo. Unfortunately, he wasn't very convincing as he tried to explain that he and his mates were throwing a surprise party for the Captain of the Perdition and that they were planning on stowing away in the cargo container to surprise him later.   Nothing about that sat right with the docks supervisor. He had never heard of such a convoluted plan to surprise a friend before, one, but two and three he might be aiding potential stowaways or possibly giving would-be assassin's the ability to slip onto a ship undetected and allow them to murder some poor Captain. Stranger things happened all the time and he wouldn't be a party to it himself. He quickly rebuffed Bjorn's attempt to assuage his doubt and bid them goodbye walking away quickly. As the group watched an opportunity walk away, literally, they noticed he was headed right for a couple of PDF troopers guarding the docks.   Ani was quick on her reactions though and reached out mentally to the retreating man to try and erase the last five minutes of his memory. Working past the man's mechanical augments was a strain and while eventually she felt her will find purchase on her target's thoughts she also felt something snap. The warp powers went haywire and suddenly everything was worse than it was previously. Ani's will was manifest in a terrible and fully unforeseen way.   Every mechanical device in the immediate vicinity started to malfunction or breakdown and every machine spirit was acting like Armageddon had come and were actively retreating from the center of the disruption which happened to focus on Ani. This was all the more destructive and terrible because of Ani's location. They were currently standing at the edge of the primary docks to Port Wander and the machine spirits of the docked vessels were no exception to the terrifying effect the psychic power was having on them. Voidship machine spirits strained and pulled on their moorings and clamps to the point of destabilizing the entire port. Eventually the cables and clams buckled and failed under the strain of the ships wrenching on them and Port Wander began to stabilize as the station's engines attempted to right themselves but the damage was done and the port was in disarray and broken.   In the midst of this chaos Murk had become rather bored, likely because he hadn't caused all the trouble himself. In any case, Murk spotted a cargo crate that he believed would eventually be brought onto the Perdition and pried it open with his own brute force. Without thinking further he hopped into the crate, closed the lid and waited patiently until he noticed what was in the crate with him. Murk almost bust through the lid of his own crate standing up and pointing out to Bjorn that there were more crates and items inside the box that bore the symbol of the serrated query. Ani was immediately worried but not one else paid much attention beyond the initial thought of 'Oh great!'. Bjorn was out of fucks to give and he pointed himself in the direction of the nearest bar where he planned to drink his problems away. Stig liked where Bjorn's head was and followed leaving everyone else in the group behind on the docks to sort out any other problems they discovered or created themselves.   The remaining members of the team looked on as their Captain walked away, not so much in disbelief just annoyed silence that they seemed to care more than him about a ship they wouldn't be commanding. As the Captain and the always ready to party Stig walked out of frame a shipped jumped into the immediate vicinity of Port Wander. The Eternal Perdition had finally arrived. The Crew that hadn't unknowably become too frustrated to care made ready with their final preparations and as the Perdition drew near to the docks a new warp jump translation opened up at the Mandeville point nearest the station. Another familiar ship seemed to be following closely behind the perdition. The Sunseer laser scarring and lance damage to the super structure of the ship was unmistakable as it drew closer to Port Wander. Captain Hadarak had defied death and arrived to make matters more difficult for the crew. How he was able to pilot his ship anywhere and survive a warp jump was a mystery but one that would have to wait.   As the now crippled docks attempted to pull the Perdition into a slip through the use of a small army of servitors Hadarak's ship closed on it. The crew was sure they were about to witness the damaging or even destruction of their home when suddenly the bad acting Rogue-Trader sailed past the Perdition and started docking operations on the far side of Port Wander. Something was going on and Murk was just the Ork to find out as no sooner had the ship come into dock and began lowing it's gangplanks and cargo holds than Murk was barreling forward to strike up a 'conversation' with now Captain Chime.   The big green xeno pushed his way past a bustling crowd of crewmen. Some seemed confused at seeing Murk and others seemed happy. The worst reaction he got was indifference as the others following close behind the greenskin took notice of their former crew's reactions. Murk was oblivious himself easily shoving of tossing the smaller humans out of his way as he forged a path forward through the throngs of his crew. Eventually he made it onboard and worked his way to an intersection where Isaac was sure that Chime would be appearing from. The Psyker's hunch was correct as usual and Murk spotted Chime coming down the Corridor with a new ludicrously large hat on. Murk wasted no time charging down the hall bellowing "CHIME!" at the top of his lungs.   Chime's eyes were as wide as saucers when he spotted his former crewmate coming towards him with intent. Few things can be as terrifying as a pissed off Nob screaming your name and running at you. Chime froze in his tracks not knowing what to say or what was going on. Murk seized on the opportunity and also seized on Chime's slender frame with one of his gigantic meat hooks that he calls hands pinning the older gentleman to the wall with force and prejudice, knocking the wind from Chime's lungs.   Rasp was ready to saw the legs off Chime and be done with it, but as he went for him with his bone saws Ani stepped in an psychically froze Rasp in place overpowering him mentally. While this was happening, Murk was insisting in his own way that Chime fess up to everything that's happened so far. It would of been a lot easier for the retired naval officer had he been able to get a lung full of air that wasn't being brushed out of him by Murk's hand around his mid section. Ani chided Murk and allowed the man to breath enough to speak. He was quick with information after that.   He was told by Eve back in orbit above Ritammeron that the Valkyrie had exploded due to taking enemy fire and all hand onboard were lost. As such it seemed unproductive to risk their own lives dropping in an active warzone to retrieve a few bodies if anything was even left. The risks far outweighed the benefits as Chime could see but he didn't want to take orders from a witch either. The two now captains Eve and Chime parted on somewhat wary terms. Eve had managed to mentally block the conversation about where she was going so that Chime would be unable to betray her by telling others but Ani was able to dig it out of the man's head. Apparently Eve had made off for the world of Silverhammer. The team consulted there star charts and realized there would be no way to catch her before she got there and they would head in that direction to pursue but that had other matters to deal with in the time being.   Chime then informed them of what had happened with the warp mishaps that cost him easily half his crew getting to the Hermitage and eventually Port Wander and of the deal with Hadarak that prevented the pirate captain from destroying the Perdition. He owed Hadarak repairs on his vessel and would be making good with him in order to keep his own skin. The crew wanted to remove as many obstacles before moving on to stop Eve so they decided to intervene on the deal and remove Hadarak.   Rejoining with Bjorn and Stig after the others consulted with Chime, Bjorn was quick to offer Chime the Viper class scout sloop as a vassal ship to Bjorn's wannabe Rogue Trader dynasty. Rather having a ship that not and nothing to show for it, Chime was quick to accept. The team then began plans to take Hadarak out permanently.   They had him monitored for a day to understand his patterns and they realized that Hadarak was a paranoid man, keeping armed guards around him at all times and when monitoring pict feeds from his temporary habitat that was video taped by Chime they noticed that he had who they believed to be an official assassin from a temple. It must of cost him a pretty penny to hire her. She disappeared from the video screens about half way through the day and did not reappear anywhere.   They would have to use force they determined to stop Hadarak. Bjorn set up across the rooftops with his sniper rifle, ready to plug Hadarak as soon as he got a shot and the gang posted up in the stairwells to Hadarak's room. The one person needed to get him in front of a window so Bjorn could shoot him was Ani, who volunteered to pose as an Eldar call girl. While not the most glamourous of details, Ani didn't seem horribly off put by the role. Maybe the humans had rubbed off on her too much? *insert sound of drum set rimshot*   In any case she brought a number of bottles of very expensive Amasec that Chime provided. She then used her booze, looks and charm to make it past the guards and begin the process of moving Hadarak to a window where he could go over the ledge or get shot by Bjorn. As things escalated Ani was able to work her way over to Hadarak who couldn't of been more pleased with the situation. Ani did a dance for him in the main room and Bjorn was unable to get a shot because of the furniture that was in between them. Ani eventually beckoned Hadarak into the bedroom in hope that Bjorn could get a better shot. She continued to administer to Hadarak's physical needs while trying to direct him to a balcony. As Hadarak was about to comply and join his new concubine on the balcony for more enjoyment the woman the group had seen previously on the pict feeds unmelded from the wall she had essentially been a part of and put a hand in the way of the Rogue Trader blocking him from joining outside. She then spoke coldly to Ani telling her to continue her work indoors on the bed as the balcony couldn't be 'secured'.   Ani wasn't happy but continued mostly undaunted. She pushed Hadarak to the bed and when she turned him on the mattress and began to work between the man's legs Bjorn finally had his shot. BOOM! was the sound that echoed out across the crowded streets and alleys of Port Wander as Bjorn shot Hadarak from an extreme distance away. The large caliber bullet traveled across the expanse through the plate glass window and through Hadarak. The man was shot badly and bleeding out but the force of the bullet ripped clean through Hadarak's leg and slammed in Ani as well on the other side of it. The Eldar woman was hurt badly as well. No terrible disgusting dead done for the greater good of the group goes doubly unpunished.   The guards started to attempt to bust into the room with Ani in it immediately and the guards in the hall were turning to help as well when the rest of the group emerged from the stairwells and descended upon them. Ani crawled beneath the bed to hide and wait for rescue or death as she was nude and unable to defend herself. As she lay there hearing the sounds of battle she heard a monotone and calculating "hello". Turning her head she was looking straight into the eyes of the Assassin that had been hired to protect Hadarak. Ani froze but the woman continued on talking. "My contract expired when you killed Hadarak so you have two options. Hire me immediately so I can recoup my loses from this contract or I'll kill you for the trouble you've caused me." Seeing no alternative Ani immediately agreed. The woman who introduced herself as Nyxotte van der Kjar sprung into action once more, moving almost imperceptibly fast. She cut through the remaining guard that was trying to enter the room as the other members of the party had dispatched the other three in the time the two women had negotiated Nyxotte's new contract.   We left off there where the crew was in the process of cleaning up after the battle and they would need to decide what to do about Nyxotte and where they were headed next.

Rewards Granted

• +4 xp
• 125 total xp
• Ani +16xp (previous logs)
• Bjorn +15xp (previous logs)
• Isaac +6xp (previous logs and hidden plot found)
• Murk +9xp (previous logs)
• Rasp +1xp (previous haikus)
• Stig +20xp (previous logs)

Missions/Quests Completed

COMPLETED MISSIONS

• The Milk Run (Completed)
• Murk - A tail of two Waaagh! (Completed)
• Ani - Getting past the visions of the future (Complete)
• Grasping hands from every corner of the Void - (Completed)
• Stig - The Jungles of Ash (Completed)

 

ACTIVE MISSIONS

• The Yve of Destruction - (Phase 1 - Complete, Phase 2 - In process)
• Bjorn - Darktide (begun - Part 1, optional objective 1 failed, Part 2 Complete, Part 3 - In process)
• Isaac - The god-machine (Part 1 & 2 complete, Part 3 - In process)
• Rasp - Children of the Machine (begun - detoured - Objective 1 Complete, Objective 2 failed, Objective 3, - Complete, Objective 4 - Paused.)

Character(s) interacted with

• Chime Hobart
• Brother Alfonse
• Lord Captain Hadarak
• Nyxotte van der Kjar
• Dockmaster Phil

Created Content

• Nyxotte van der Kjar
• Dockmaster Phil

Related Reports

Session XXXIV