You nod, holding out your hand. Khalid grabs you by the hand, and stares into your eyes.

"This'll be simple enough. Just don't resist. Understood?"

"Got it," you say.

"With the Dark Gods, the Corpse-Emperor himself and anyone else out their with the power to oversee this bargain, I pledge these two souls together by the binding contract, that we will remain allies into all ways possible. Should we break this contract, let our souls be forfeit."

You hear the chattering of thousands of daemonic voices as they watch your deal. You feel your mind be flooded into by Khalid's, as consciousness, in the way normal humans feel it, fade.

You find yourself floating in a void, surrounded by an ever-shifting mass of golden energy, that seem to make up Khalid. You look around, as you see his thoughts floating around you. You reach out your hand, touching the thought screams as you hear Khalid's voice boom.

"Is the big freak literate? Is it even sentient? I would think not. If I had to look at that face in the mirror every morning I'd kill myself."

You frown, touching another.

"Is the dumbass seriously using Kyros' former lieutenants, those who enslaved his people, as his lieutenants? He saw them betray Kyros! And now the dumbass is reading your thoughts, no doubt learning that while I'll remain loyal to him, he's a fucking wanker."

You touch another one.

"You, Karth Uwais, are ugly. See? I'm not even slightly lying."

Well, you've got what you need from his thoughts. Still, in the golden fog of energy, you can see what you assume are memories drifting around. You see his staff floating through the void before disappearing, before you see a wolf bound through the fog. You can hear distant screams emanate through the fog from some horrifying memory. You see Kyros march across the fog and step back nervously despite knowing he's only a memory.
> You follow Kyros
You follow Kyros, as the darkness forms into the very room aboard the Quill that you're in. Kyros faces Khalid, who stands alongside his two Rubric Marines. Hayes, Elizabeth, Durge and Elios stand next to Kyros, as well as his deceased lieutenants, Chapter Master Taj Suenage, Rebecca Staine and Magos Cern.

"I'm sorry, what part of kill yourself confuses you, Kyros? I don't make deals with slaves!"

"I'm no slave," Kyros spits, gritting his teeth together.

"You're a slave to the Dark Gods!" Khalid says. "I seek to master the Warp and all who dwell within it. You seek to suck off the strongest being in it."

"This decision is highly illogical. Do your men agree?" Magos Cern says.

"Oh, let's see!" Khalid says, turning to look at one of the Rubric Marines. "Narmer! Do you agree? What's that, you don't care? Because you're barely sentient because your soul has been trapped in your armor and you're nothing more than dust? And the fact that the fucking robot cunt can survive without a soul doesn't mean you can? Yeah, good to fucking know! What's that, Narmer? Yeah, the Khornate does look like she swallows!"

"You have no other allies. You need me," Kyros says. "I'm offering you a chance at vengenace. Don't you want your revenge against the Space Wolves who burnt Prospero? I promise you, theirs will be one of the first worlds destroyed.

"Fine, slave. If you make a march towards Terra, I'll join in the slaughter. But know this. When... who am I kidding? If you end up sitting on the golden throne, you'll still be a slave."

The room dissolves once more.


You nod, holding out your hand. Khalid grabs you by the hand, and stares into your eyes.

"This'll be simple enough. Just don't resist. Understood?"

"Got it," you say.

"With the Dark Gods, the Corpse-Emperor himself and anyone else out their with the power to oversee this bargain, I pledge these two souls together by the binding contract, that we will remain allies into all ways possible. Should we break this contract, let our souls be forfeit."

You hear the chattering of thousands of daemonic voices as they watch your deal. You feel your mind be flooded into by Khalid's, as consciousness, in the way normal humans feel it, fade.

You find yourself floating in a void, surrounded by an ever-shifting mass of golden energy, that seem to make up Khalid. You look around, as you see his thoughts floating around you. You reach out your hand, touching the thought screams as you hear Khalid's voice boom.

"Is the big freak literate? Is it even sentient? I would think not. If I had to look at that face in the mirror every morning I'd kill myself."

You frown, touching another.

"Is the dumbass seriously using Kyros' former lieutenants, those who enslaved his people, as his lieutenants? He saw them betray Kyros! And now the dumbass is reading your thoughts, no doubt learning that while I'll remain loyal to him, he's a fucking wanker."

You touch another one.

"You, Karth Uwais, are ugly. See? I'm not even slightly lying."

Well, you've got what you need from his thoughts. Still, in the golden fog of energy, you can see what you assume are memories drifting around. You see his staff floating through the void before disappearing, before you see a wolf bound through the fog. You can hear distant screams emanate through the fog from some horrifying memory. You see Kyros march across the fog and step back nervously despite knowing he's only a memory.
> You leave Khalid's soul
You release your grasp on Khalid's soul, wincing as you take a deep breath. You open your eyes, glancing around the room and seeing your lieutenants, alongside Khalid, Narmer and the second Rubric Marine.

"Ah, finished. Good," Khalid says. "You didn't see anything too incriminating in my mind, did you? Didn't see my perverted thoughts about your sexy little girlfriend, huh? I spent my entire time perusing through your memories of the tribal bitch naked."

You feel a surge of anger, before pausing. Space marines barely have genitalia, let alone a libido. If you're going to become partners, you need to stop letting him get a rise out of you.
> You spit a mean barb
"I saw a wolf catching its prey. I saw men turn to dust. I saw you fail," you reply.

Khalid the Despised looks at you, his eyes filling with sorrow before he brushes it off and smiles.

"Well then, you're the one who allied with the failure. I love the tattoo, by the way."

You raise an eyebrow, before noticing that there's a black ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, burnt into your robes, going around your arm at the bicep.

"Lift it up," Khalid says.

You lift up your sleeve, seeing that the ouroboros has burned into your skin, a black brand.

"A little reminder of our deal. It happens during these," Khalid says, tapping his armor, where you notice a Uwais tribal tattoo now raps around his arm. You recognize the glyphs for "Witch" mixed in with traditional hunting glyphs.

"I like yours," you respond.

"Alright, it's best you receive the grand tour, then. If we're to be allies, I'll show you what we're working with."
> You begin the tour
"Terrific," you reply.

With that, Khalid stands, and begins walking down the hall. You quickly follow him down the hallway, and you approach a set of massive bronze doors with the Thousand Sons Ouroboros on it.

"This is the Khalidic Academy," Khalid says. "Through recruiting from various worlds, rescuing Psykers from the Black Ships that transport them to be sacrificed to the Corpse-Emperor, buying or liberating enslaved psykers or many other ways, I find myself with a huge pool of psykers. Those who are over around twenty five work for me as soldiers, join the warband of the Children of Apep. Those below join the academy."

The door slowly opens inwards, and you immediately find yourself in a massive library. You walk into the library, staring at the endless rows of books. The room is packed with people from barely able to walk waddling around to look at books to young men reading tomes. There's everything from young Astartes Space Marines to horribly deformed mutants and Xenos, all seemingly content with the books around them.

"This is the library, my true pride," Khalid says, his snark and cruelty seemingly replaced by pride.

"Come, follow, follow."

You follow him off to the side of the library where the hallway leads to dozens of classrooms. Your peer inside all of them, seeing how varied the classes our. Students study ancient tomes, give speeches, practice daemonic bindings, prepare for horrifying rituals and endlessly more.

"Knowledge is everything. Here, I spread it. I'm raising a new generation of Psykers, to lead mankind to a new age!"

A little boy, barely older than seven covered in horrible scabs with four eyes, carrying a small dog.

"Jer, is it?" Khalid says, stopping.

"Yes, sir?" the boy responds.

"Tell my nitwit guest what you're going to go do now. Show him an example of the fine teaching we do here."

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, sir," the boy replies without missing a beat, as you giggle like a child.

"What class do you have next?" Khalid says, sighing.

"Mr Nitfli is teaching us how to utilize our familiars," the boy responds.

"Terrific. Get to class now, Jer," Khalid says. "We pick our children for psychic ability, not raw intelligence."

The boy nods, and runs off quickly.

"This is really all I have to show," Khalid admits. "It's about time you get the fuck off my ship."

"Well, this was good for both of us," you say. "I'll see you soon, Khalid."

"And I you, Karth," he replies.

With that, you take your lieutenants, and lead them off the ship.


"I saw a wolf catching its prey. I saw men turn to dust. I saw you fail," you reply.

Khalid the Despised looks at you, his eyes filling with sorrow before he brushes it off and smiles.

"Well then, you're the one who allied with the failure. I love the tattoo, by the way."

You raise an eyebrow, before noticing that there's a black ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, burnt into your robes, going around your arm at the bicep.

"Lift it up," Khalid says.

You lift up your sleeve, seeing that the ouroboros has burned into your skin, a black brand.

"A little reminder of our deal. It happens during these," Khalid says, tapping his armor, where you notice a Uwais tribal tattoo now raps around his arm. You recognize the glyphs for "Witch" mixed in with traditional hunting glyphs.

"I like yours," you respond.

"Alright, it's best you receive the grand tour, then. If we're to be allies, I'll show you what we're working with."
> You refuse the offer of a tour
"I think I'll pass on that," you say. "I trust you have the strength to assist us. Kyros did."

"Yes, because Kyros is a huge success story," Khalid says, rolling his eyes.

"Well, this was good for both of us," you say. "I'll see you soon, Khalid."

"And I you, Karth," he replies.

With that, you take your lieutenants, and lead them off the ship.


You release your grasp on Khalid's soul, wincing as you take a deep breath. You open your eyes, glancing around the room and seeing your lieutenants, alongside Khalid, Narmer and the second Rubric Marine.

"Ah, finished. Good," Khalid says. "You didn't see anything too incriminating in my mind, did you? Didn't see my perverted thoughts about your sexy little girlfriend, huh? I spent my entire time perusing through your memories of the tribal bitch naked."

You feel a surge of anger, before pausing. Space marines barely have genitalia, let alone a libido. If you're going to become partners, you need to stop letting him get a rise out of you.
> You brush it off
"Sure, alright," you say.

"Oh, so blase. Did I hurt your feelings? I love the tattoo, by the way."

You raise an eyebrow, before noticing that there's a black ouroboros, a snake eating its own tail, burnt into your robes, going around your arm at the bicep.

"Lift it up," Khalid says.

You lift up your sleeve, seeing that the ouroboros has burned into your skin, a black brand.

"A little reminder of our deal. It happens during these," Khalid says, tapping his armor, where you notice a Uwais tribal tattoo now raps around his arm. You recognize the glyphs for "Witch" mixed in with traditional hunting glyphs.

"I like yours," you respond.

"Alright, it's best you receive the grand tour, then. If we're to be allies, I'll show you what we're working with."


"Look... Khalid. The galaxy's a harsh place."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you learn that from your tiny fucking amount of experience in the world?" Khalid says.

You stare at the psyker as he runs his hands through his hair.

"I wanted... an alliance," you say.

"Ter-fucking-rfic," Khalid the Despised says. "Follow me."

You look at your lieutenants. The slave leaders; Fay, Olive, Castus and Cain are all shocked, while Elios, Durge, Elizabeth and Hayes seem indifferent.

"His attitude has improved," Elizabeth notes.

"Is that a joke?" Olive asks, staring at her.

"No. You should've seen him last time," Elizabeth says. "Come on, let's follow."

You follow after Khalid, and soon follow him into a large library. Khalid points his staff, and a dozen large chairs float over. He sits down into one of them, looking up at you.

"I assume you're here about the psyker, yes?" he asks.

"Uh... what psyker?"

Khalid the Despised rolls his eyes, gently tapping his staff against the ground in annoyance.

"A new psyker has supposedly risen to power in the sector. We're talking a psyker of amazing power. Tremendous power. He's seemingly pledged as the greatest champion of the renegade Chaos God, Malice. I assume you want to make an alliance to take him out."

"No... although I'll look into it. I'm taking Kyros' place as a military power, and rebuilding. I want to secure my alliance with you."

"Ah, a little kid playing dress-up in the robes of his master, yes? Why should I ally with you?"

"Do you have many other offers of alliance?" you ask.

"Fair point," Khalid admits. "Yes, I want to ally with you."

"Oh, that was easy. Shall we discuss military strength? Under my com..."

"I know," Khalid nods. "You understand the amount of knowledge my spies give me? I have quite a few spies on your ship, and that's not even taking into account my psykers trained in Divination. It might seem I'm answering far too quickly. I'm not. I foresaw you coming to ask, did my research, did what I need. I decided what was to be agreed here a while back. What I've not learned is whether I can trust you. So, I have an offer. A Binding Contract."

"A binding contract?" you ask.

"Did Kyros teach you anything other than to take a dick? A binding contract is done brwteen two individuals with strong psychic abilities. We make a contract, binding our very souls to it to be relinquished should we break it."

"What's the contract?"

"We pledge to remain loyal to each other, absolutely no aggression, come to each others aid, yadda yadda yadda. The details are mental. The words don't matter so much as the spirit behind them."

"What do I do?" you ask.

"Just shake my hand. I'll say the incantation, and our minds will meet. You'll be able to search my mind for mistrust, as I will for you. Are we agreed?"
> You refuse
"No," you say, as Khalid snarls.

"Ah. I did not expect that, admittedly. You've genuinely surprised me. I need to devote more resources to Divination classes.This is an issue. My plans revolve around having your manpower to rely on. If you're a wild card, that'll cause issues. It's better to take you out here. You understand."

In unison, the Rubric Marines raised their bolters and fire, as Khalid rises to his feet with a snarl.


Well then, you have the psychic-heavy Children of Apep, the large and advanced Tau Empire, the Dark Eldar raiders the Kabal of the Bleeding Thorn and the mercenary outfit the Dogs of War.
> You visit the Tau Empire
Your shuttle slowly docks with the Tau ship, named the Blah Blah Blah Blah Nonsense Bullshit Weird Alien Language, or something like that. The Staine Siblings, Captain Hayes and Fay are with you.

"So, you're sure you don't what to tell me what to expect here?" you ask Kyros' surviving lieutenants.

"Kyros kept his dealings with these Xenos hidden from us," Durge says, staring at you. "He didn't tell any of us, and I doubt he told Rebecca. He kept his information to the Magos and the Taj."

You look at Hayes, who raises an eyebrow.

"Shit, seriously? Is that why you made me come to this?" Hayes asks. "Karth, I don't know what fucking deal you made with the the mutant hermit guy, let alone the deal Kyros made with the Tau. Shit, I'm not even sure what the deal is between you and me. Are you paying me? Do I get a share in the ship's profit, or some bullshit like that? Fuck if I know."

You sigh, as the shuttle doors open. A dozen tall, slender blue-skinned Tau stand there, wearing red robes. They all smile as they see you, with the one in the middle stepping forward.

"Hello, Karth of the Uwais Tribe of Rama! I am Flo'O Vior'La Vin Dorn Varoh. Please, call me Varoh for short. I recognize all your esteemed lieutenants and companions. The powerful warrior Fay of the Azajaja Tribe of Rama, Ex-Captain Jon Hayes of the 22nd Regiment, Elizabeth Staine of the One-Eyed Crows, Durge Staine the Ever-Rotting of the Black Rats and Elios the Perverted of the Shrieking Harpies."

"Terrific. Now that the names are out of the way, shall we get to business?" you ask.

"If that is what you wish, Karth," Varoh says. "Before we begin, we have gifts for you."

The other Tau negotiators step forward. One offers you a large copper and bronze staff topped with a human skull that seems to have been forged into the staff.

"For Master Karth, we have a gift of the Staff of Acetabularii," he, or she, it's not exactly easy to say. "It is an ancient bronze and copper staff millennia old excavated on a recently colonized world that ancient Shamans used with their magic."

You take the staff, and channel a burst of psychic energy through it. From the top of the head bursts a jet of flames as purple flames dance around the skull itself. Perhaps a useful artifact and a tool for less trained psykers, but for you, it seems unnecessary. The negotiators look extremely shocked and surprised at this, to which you frown.

"Sorry?" you say.

"Uh, no, not at all! We're glad you like it!" Varoh says. "It's just fascinating you can do that."

You wonder what he means, as this was far from a psychic achievement, before remembering Primus' briefing you on how the Tau aren't a psychic species, and have no psykers.

"Ah, OK," you reply.

You look at all your lieutenants as they receive a gift from the Tau Empire. Fay gets a flamethrower-type weapon from some Xenos species, Hayes gets a set of dark green and golden Carapace Armor, Elizabeth gets a large tome with a bestial skull seemingly built into the cover, Elios gets a strange device with a long of needles, and Durge receives a rotting skull covered in fireflies in a glass, clear box, which the negotiator handles very carefully.

"Thanks," you say. "Can we go?"

"Of course," Varoh replies, as he and his negotiators lead your crew down the hallways to the meeting room.

You all sit around the table, with you facing Varoh at the head of the table.

"Can I smoke in here?" Hayes asks, already lighting the cigarette between his lips.

"Of course," Varoh says. "So Karth, I assume you're here to renew the deal we made with Kyros, yes? We offer you the same terms."

 "Yeah, about that. We're not exactly sure what deal you actually had with Kyros," you say.

"Oh," Varoh says. "Did he not tell any of you? One would think he would trust his lieutenants."

"Yeah, whatever. So tell me, what was this deal you had?"

"Military assets are hard to find in this area. Kyros was a prominent war-band that raided the sector, so we made a deal with him. Kyros had a habit of raiding worlds, so we made a payment to him in order for him to make several promises. For our continued payment, he avoided raiding any Tau assets or engaging any of our assets, and he would take our advice in which worlds to hit. If a trade convoy was bringing weapons to the front to fight off our advances, Kyros would target it for us. Additionally, he'd also place us as his prime client for mercenary work and would sell us what he raided."

"How much would that deal earn us?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Twenty million Thrones," Varoh says, as you grin.

"Ah, that sounds... acceptable," you say.

"What if we refuse?" Elios asks.

"We have other offers," Varoh says. "If that's too much, we simply want a non-aggression pact, and to have a small group of a half dozen Tau on your vessel to make the voice of the Tau Empire known. You avoid attacking our assets, and we pay you ten million Thrones."

"Is that all the offers?"

"Well... we had offered Kyros a better offer, but he refused."

"What was the offer?"

"For thirty million Thrones, we become allies. We'll offer you our support when needed, and we expect you to offer yours. The terms are similar to the twenty million Thrones offer, except except instead of our advice, you will assist us when we demand. Please know, we will must definitely not be unreasonable. If you find we are taking advantage of you, we are more than happy to rearrange the deal. We'll even give you a small portion of Tau forces to assist you in your mission."

Hmmm... the deal they're offering is an interesting one. There seems to be dangers with the thirty million offer, but that money could be essential. The ten million offer most definitely will be accepted if the others aren't, as harming the Tau wasn't really on your list anyway, and you could use the funds.
> You become full allies with the Tau Empire
You extend your hand, smiling.

"Alright. We'll become your full allies for a payment of thirty million Thrones."

The Tau negotiator grins, shaking your hand.

"Please, it's not a "payment". Consider it a gift. Consider us funding you as proud allies of the Greater Good, so you can do what's necessary."

"Terrific," you reply. "Well, I suppose that's all we have to discuss. We're ready to go."

"The Tau forces to join you will join you in a few minutes," Varoh says.

You nod, say your goodbyes and head back towards your shuttle. You arrive, finding a small squad of Tau Fire Warriors waiting for you. One works forward, saluting.

"Sir! I am Shas'Ui T'au Kais Ranar. The rest of the Tau auxiliary forces to be placed under your command are taking shuttles to your ship."

"Perfect," you say. "I'll have Primus sort you out with your beds and all that."

"Understood Sir, thank you sir," Shas'Ui Ranar says.

"Just head to whatever shuttle you have, and get aboard the ship," you say, turning and walking off.


Well then, you have the psychic-heavy Children of Apep, the large and advanced Tau Empire, the Dark Eldar raiders the Kabal of the Bleeding Thorn and the mercenary outfit the Dogs of War.
> You visit the Kabal of the Bleeding Thorn
"Uh... Karth?" your pilot asks nervously through the speaker, as the shuttle docks into the ship. "Do... do I get one of your bodyguards? Best to keep an escape route open, right?"

"Yeah, I'll do that," you respond, nodding to the massive, gas-mask wearing Tribal Opie and a gladiator holding a pair of plasma pistols.

"Got it, boss," the gladiator says, as you look around at the rest of your group.

Seeing as the Dark Eldar are almost certainly the most likely group to betray you of any in the Galaxy, you've stocked up on guards. The best of your forces surround you, ready to die for you. You've left your lieutenants on the ship so if it does go to shit, you'll have the majority of your leaders intact to continue your work. Only Fay has come with you, as your attempts to get her to stay led to her threatening to

"Knock out your teeth without needing to put her hand in your mouth". You didn't ask whether she'd punch out the back of your head, or go a... darker route.

The shuttle doors open, as your group raises their weapons. Three Dark Eldar stand there, there outfits adorned with blades and spikes. They're tall, dark figures, with a sense of misery reeking off them.

"Good evening," the only unhelmeted one says, its lips twisting upwards in a sick mockery of a smile."

"You must be Archon Merideza"

"Absolutely. I assume it's a pleasure," the Archon grins.

"You were allies to my predecessor, yes? Kyros?" you ask.

"Ah, yes. Kyros. Such an unfortunate man. I remember when he first came to me having such delusions of grandeur. Ending slavery, crushing Terra, becoming Emperor of Man! What a dreaded fool!" the Archon says, her grin looking more and more predatory with every minute. "I'll assume you're not as idiotic, are you?"

"I'll be optimistic and assume I'm not. I'm here to negotiate a non-aggression pact and an allian..."

"Yes, yes, this was expected. Well, we'll be clear. I assume you know of us and our past. I won't try to deceive you with lies, seeing as it'll be obvious. We're raiders. We raid the weak. You, however, are not weak, and not worth raiding. Stay strong, and that'll act as a non-aggression pact. Now, in terms of an alliance... if you're asking us to come to your aid when you're in trouble, we won't. We don't expect that of you."

"So, is that it, then?" you ask.

"No. We'd like to extend the offer we had with Kyros. When we're raiding, you can join us for raids on more high value, heavily defended targets, and we split the reward."

"We'll keep it in mind," you say guardedly.

"Terrific!" Merideza smiles.

"So... we need to talk specifics. What forces do you control, and what raider groups have pledged themselves to you?"

The Archon's "smile" droops, revealing a sneer that looks to be her face's natural position.

"We'll tell you about a job that needs assistance with, you'll tell us if you're willing and able to help us on it. That's it. Understood?"

You glare at the Archon, before nodding slowly.

"Surely if this was all you were willing to say, we could've done this through comms without me needing to come all the way out here."

Merideza smiles once more.

"I wanted to look you in the eyes," she says.

You stare at Merideza, before getting back into the shuttle.


Well then, you have the psychic-heavy Children of Apep, the large and advanced Tau Empire, the Dark Eldar raiders the Kabal of the Bleeding Thorn and the mercenary outfit the Dogs of War.
> You visit the Dogs of War
Your shuttle docks with the Hound of Iron. You rap your knuckles against the shuttle's doors, which open as your more military minded lieutenants, Fay, Olive and Hayes, stand up from their seats.

The inside of the station is like a market. Men negotiate in front of displays of weapons and monitors showing forces fighting. Immediately, a large, bulky woman wearing robes walks over, grinning.

"Greetings, sir! How may I help you? Are you looking to hire a force of Dogs of War, or would you instead like to offer your services to the company? Or is there something else I could do for you?"

"My name is Karth. We..."

"I have a Karth of the Bleeding Warthogs, a Captain Karth of the Joyous Hymn and a Karth of the Roar of the Vortex," she says, interrupting you as she scrolls through a datapad.

"The last," you reply, as the woman nods.

"Perfect," she says. "I'll take you to Christian."

You nod, and begin following her along the hallways, staring at the clients and mercenaries being hired from the station. A badly mutated human with six eyes is examining a squad of bestial-looking men, a rich patron talks to a heavily cybernetically modified Kroot alien who's presenting his sniper rifle, a grizzled soldier discusses plasma weaponry with a grinning woman.

Soon, you pass through the section devoted to sales, and enter the guts of the ship. You enter a large elevator alongside a trio of massive Ogryn, who seem nervous from the tight space. After a short ride in the elevator, you arrive in what you assume is the main... "office", for lack of a better word, of the Dogs of War's leader. A massive space marine, out of his armor but still easily noticeable for his stature and appearance, sits in a large chair, looking at some reports. He looks up, expectantly.

"Thank you, Ms Lin. I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. And you are?"

"Karth," you reply.

"I'm very sorry, but we do a lot of business. Are you the leader of the Bleeding Wart..."

"For fuck's sake," you groan. "I'm the psyker that killed Kyros. I mean like, I'm named for a tribal god on a tiny planet. How common can that name be?"

"My apologies. My name is Chapter Master Christian Firenza of the Dogs of War."

"You had an alliance with Kyros," you say. "Please, tell me about it."

"Kyros had a long-standing agreement with us. Earlier in his career, he'd lend his forces to us for the more important mercenary contracts. Later on, we promised to support his assault into imperial space."

"You're not looking for reven..."

"Revenge? Oh of course not. We're mercenaries. You've taken over Kyros funds. What reason would you have to fight? Out in this space, the only thing worth fighting for is money. So, was there more? If you need military forces, we would happily provide them for a fee. We're also more than definitely willing to hire you out as a mercenary force to make you some profits."

"Nothing at the moment, although we might take you up on the military offer soon enough."

"Perfect. Well, feel free to browse," the Chapter Master smiles.

You spend an hour or two looking into the various mercenary groups working for the Dogs of War. They certainly have a large force, but none of their forces are loyal to them. They're loyal to their thrones. Still, perhaps you should consider hiring yourself out to them. You could make a fair amount of money through this, admittedly. None the less, you soon return to your shuttle and head back to the ship.


You grab a tree with your mind, lifting it through the air, as gunfire erupts from your companions. Even the powerful bolter fails to break through its thick, rock-like exterior. You swing the tree with incredible strength, smashing into the creature and sending splinters around the place. The creature doesn’t even step back, instead charging ahead towards you. You float to the side, as Hayes quickly arrives, raising his rifle and firing. As expected, the las beam has no effect.

“Ha! It’s good to be killing again!” Castus yells.

“Fuck, we’re not getting through this. Maybe we up the armament?” Fay says.

“Go for the eyes and the inside of the mouth!" Hayes yells, firing his gun.

Well, that didn't work. Time for something else.
> You spew forth a whirlwind of flames
Your body is surrounded by a whirlwind of flames, which quickly begin to blast the howling Behemoth. You fire a jet of flames down the maw of the beast, which begins to burn the the pale gray flesh inside a dark black. The beast lets out a dry gasp, toppling forward as its internal organs cook.


You hurry through the forests, levitating over streams and fallen trees. With your speed, it’s less than a minute before you arrive, seeing the beast.

It stands twice the height of even a space marine, and easily six times as wide, on four clawed legs. It’s skin is grey, seemingly covered in scales that remind you more of the stones themselves rather than the hide of a beast. Its head is like that of a spider’s, hissing at you as it raises its massive, stony clawed arms to swipe at you. You hover back, feeling electricity coarse through you as you prepare for a fight.
> You fire a burst of flames
You fire a burst of psychic flames, which immediately begins scorching the beast. The Behemoth lets out a howl, as its skin begins to char and burn under the heat, its stony armor cracking under as the flames burn it. The Behemoth howls.

“Ha! It’s good to be killing again!” Castus yells.

“Flames are its weakness! Grab whatever you can and burn this fucker to the ground!” Hayes yells.


You hurry through the forests, levitating over streams and fallen trees. With your speed, it’s less than a minute before you arrive, seeing the beast.

It stands twice the height of even a space marine, and easily six times as wide, on four clawed legs. It’s skin is grey, seemingly covered in scales that remind you more of the stones themselves rather than the hide of a beast. Its head is like that of a spider’s, hissing at you as it raises its massive, stony clawed arms to swipe at you. You hover back, feeling electricity coarse through you as you prepare for a fight.
> You fire some psychic bolts
You fire dozens of bolts of psychic energy, which smash into the beast's stony exterior as it fails to even damage it. The creature seems indifferent to your attacks, instead charging forward and swatting at you. You float to the side, as Hayes quickly arrives, raising his rifle and firing. As expected, the las beam has no effect.

“Ha! It’s good to be killing again!” Castus yells.

“Fuck, we’re not getting through this. Maybe we up the armament?” Fay says.

“Go for the eyes and the inside of the mouth!" Hayes yells, firing his gun.

Well, that didn't work. Time for something else.


"I'll go with Castus," you say.

"Kickass," Castus says.

You quickly towards the river. You walk along the banks, while Castus happily wades up to his knees. He dunks his head under water, slicking back his wet hair.

"Uh, that feels good!" Castus laughs, before diving into the river.

"We're supposed to be hunting!" you exclaim, hovering into the air, staring for any signs of the creature.

"What the fuck would I care?" Castus cries. Come on, motherfucker. Get in the water."

You hover over Castus, the soles of your boots just touching the water. Castus rolls his eyes, grabbing you by the boot and in one swift movement pulling you in. The water's cold, but in the hot weather of today, quite refreshing. You float in the water, drifting along the river slowly.

"Fuck hunting, this is all I want," Castus says.
> You urge Castus to continue with the hunt
"We need to hunt," you say.

"Fuck off," Castus says.

"Castus, for fuck's sake. The behemoth could be anywhere! We need to find it!"

The comm bursts to life.

"Got a sight on it! Fuck, it's a big one!" Olive says over the comms.

"Found it," Castus says. "Well, let's roll, then."

Castus climbs out of the water, quickly hurrying along towards Olive's path.


"I'll hunt with you guys," you say.

"Terrific," Fay says.

"I'll get you a gun," Olive says.

You set a tree alight with a flick of your wrist, as the Warpfire quickly runs up, multicolored flames licking the sky as the tree is quickly burnt down to ash.

"Do you think I need one?" you ask.

"Fair point," Olive says.

"Let's get going!" Castus says, twirling his sword. "I wanna stab something!"

Elizabeth transfers over a short amount of data onto Olive's datapad about the Behemoths. Then, the group moves forward through the wilderness, as Olive begins to flick through the information.

"So Hayes, you were a Guardsman, then?" Olive asks. "From what I heard, they give you a flashlight and a t-shirt and send you to fight serious foes."

Hayes sucks on his cigarette, thinking.

"Yeah, all command gave us was jack and shit. I remember my first deployment. We were in the jungle, and I mean a serious fucking jungle. Seemed like the whole jungle was sentient and wanted to fucking kill us. Snare vines strangled every single one of us. The ground would just give way. You'd be on patrol, and the mud would suck up an entire tank. You'd blink and it'd be gone. Then there was the greenskins. You'd give 'em a few sticks with the bayonet, and they'd laugh and call you a grot."

"Greenskins. They used to be the biggest threats back home. When I was a kid, they took out my tribe. I remember being surrounded by a green tide, roaring, screaming and terrifying me. By the moon, I think I ended up pissing myself," Fay says.

"How the hell did it kill your tribe? Who are the Tribals, then?" Castus says.

"I ended up getting rescued by the Uwais tribe. They adopted me."

"Really? Was it the tribe that saved your ass and blew up a bunch of heads?" you say.

"Fine, Karth saved me with his weird Shaman powers," Fay says.

"So, I'll just come out and ask. Olive, there's a rumor going around that you and your brother are fucking."

"Holy shit!" Olive says, as Castus breaks into laughter. "No! No! Just no!"

"You fight Orks, gladiators?" you say, quickly changing to a less incest-related topic.

"Occasionally they got Orks in, but it was rare," Olive says. "Usually we fought each other, or mutants."

"Mutants were easy. You just had to kill them," Castus says. "Other gladiators were hard. You had to hit them in just the right place. It needed to be bloody, but you couldn't kill a fellow gladiator, you know? Sometimes in the heat of battle, you took a bad swing, slashed open a throat, did something else. Those were the bad days."

Castus goes quiet, seemingly deep in thought.

"Yeah," Olive says, finally. "We fought Orks sometimes."

You walk on in silence, before Fay stops, dropping low. Massive footprints cut directly across the trail. Fay traces the footprint with her pinky, pressing her hand against the mud.

"It's relatively fresh. Tracks break away in undergrowth. Could've gone along the river. Could've gone straight along the underbrush, or twisted off through the trees."

"I'll go along the river," Castus says.

"I'll take the underbrush, then," Fay says.

"Trees," Olive says, simply.

Captain Hayes looks at you, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll give you first pick, Karth," he says.
> You take the undergrowth path with Fay
"I'll go with Fay," you say.

"Perfect, let's go," Fay says.

"Yeah, let's," you reply.

"It'll be just like old times. Except you'll be there," Fay smiles. "Alright, let's go."

You quickly head along the undergrowth path alongside your old friend, as she raises her bolter, pretending to fire at the alien birds flying overhead..

"Bang! Bang!" she says. "Fuck, my trigger finger's getting itchy."

You hover into the air, staring for any signs of the creature.

"So, either this creature is eerily good at not disturbing foliage, or he didn't come this way?" you say.

"What would you know about disturbed foliage?" Fay asks.

You flick your wrists, as Fay hops into the air, grabbing a branch as you telekinetically knock her legs away. She holds herself up by the tree branch, before dropping back down.

"Didn't get m...!" she begins to say, before you flick your wrists again and send her tumbling onto her stomach. "Dickhead."

You laugh, hovering over to her, before dropping onto her as she rolls over, pressing your forehead against hers.

"It's nice being out," you say.

"You know, we are on a hunt," Fay smiles.

"It's not my fault. You're distracting me."

"You're the one who chose to come with me here," Fay laughs, kissing you warmly on the lips.

"Do you regret that choice?" you say, running your hand up Fay's thigh, as you...

The comm bursts to life.

"Got a sight on it! Fuck, it's a big one!" Olive says over the comms.

"Fuck!" you say. "Do we really need to help?"

"I'm not letting the gladiators beat me out! Fuck them!"

"Let's go!" Fay says, as you levitate off her.

"Fine," you groan.

"Come on!" she says, hefting her bolter up and sprinting towards the trees.


"I'll hunt with you guys," you say.

"Terrific," Fay says.

"I'll get you a gun," Olive says.

You set a tree alight with a flick of your wrist, as the Warpfire quickly runs up, multicolored flames licking the sky as the tree is quickly burnt down to ash.

"Do you think I need one?" you ask.

"Fair point," Olive says.

"Let's get going!" Castus says, twirling his sword. "I wanna stab something!"

Elizabeth transfers over a short amount of data onto Olive's datapad about the Behemoths. Then, the group moves forward through the wilderness, as Olive begins to flick through the information.

"So Hayes, you were a Guardsman, then?" Olive asks. "From what I heard, they give you a flashlight and a t-shirt and send you to fight serious foes."

Hayes sucks on his cigarette, thinking.

"Yeah, all command gave us was jack and shit. I remember my first deployment. We were in the jungle, and I mean a serious fucking jungle. Seemed like the whole jungle was sentient and wanted to fucking kill us. Snare vines strangled every single one of us. The ground would just give way. You'd be on patrol, and the mud would suck up an entire tank. You'd blink and it'd be gone. Then there was the greenskins. You'd give 'em a few sticks with the bayonet, and they'd laugh and call you a grot."

"Greenskins. They used to be the biggest threats back home. When I was a kid, they took out my tribe. I remember being surrounded by a green tide, roaring, screaming and terrifying me. By the moon, I think I ended up pissing myself," Fay says.

"How the hell did it kill your tribe? Who are the Tribals, then?" Castus says.

"I ended up getting rescued by the Uwais tribe. They adopted me."

"Really? Was it the tribe that saved your ass and blew up a bunch of heads?" you say.

"Fine, Karth saved me with his weird Shaman powers," Fay says.

"So, I'll just come out and ask. Olive, there's a rumor going around that you and your brother are fucking."

"Holy shit!" Olive says, as Castus breaks into laughter. "No! No! Just no!"

"You fight Orks, gladiators?" you say, quickly changing to a less incest-related topic.

"Occasionally they got Orks in, but it was rare," Olive says. "Usually we fought each other, or mutants."

"Mutants were easy. You just had to kill them," Castus says. "Other gladiators were hard. You had to hit them in just the right place. It needed to be bloody, but you couldn't kill a fellow gladiator, you know? Sometimes in the heat of battle, you took a bad swing, slashed open a throat, did something else. Those were the bad days."

Castus goes quiet, seemingly deep in thought.

"Yeah," Olive says, finally. "We fought Orks sometimes."

You walk on in silence, before Fay stops, dropping low. Massive footprints cut directly across the trail. Fay traces the footprint with her pinky, pressing her hand against the mud.

"It's relatively fresh. Tracks break away in undergrowth. Could've gone along the river. Could've gone straight along the underbrush, or twisted off through the trees."

"I'll go along the river," Castus says.

"I'll take the underbrush, then," Fay says.

"Trees," Olive says, simply.

Captain Hayes looks at you, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll give you first pick, Karth," he says.
> You take the tree path with Olive
“I’ll go with Olive, then,” you say.

“I got the psyker genius, then. Terrific,” Olive smiles, twirling her rifle around in her hands.

“Let’s go,” you say, heading down towards the twisting path of trees.

You head down the path for a few minutes, before something occurs to you.

“Why would a big monster go down this path? The trees would give it like zero mobility.”

“I don’t know,” Olive says with a shrug. “It could’ve been scratching itself off the trees. Is that something predators do?”

“Maybe, you shrug, wlaking along th epath.

“So, you see any tracks?” Olive asks.

“How would I know? I’m not a hunter.”

“You’re a feral… I mean, tribal. Whatever the fuck you guys like being called. Surely you learned how to track and hunt?”

“Have you seen my skinny arms? I couldn’t throw a spear, let alone kill something with it. No one taught me to hunt. I was a shaman. You’re a warrior? Surely you were taught to hunt?”

“I’m a gladiator. I know how to fight duels, and I’ve learnt over time how to apply that to larger fights. I sure as hell don’t know how to hunt.”

“Didn’t you hunt as a kid?”

“No,” Olive says. “I was born a slave.”

“Oh,” you say. “Sorry to hear that.”

“That’s life,” Olive says. “You can fly, maybe try levitate up above the trees, see if you can see anything.”

You nod, floating into the air. The shackles of gravity attempt to pull you downward, but with a pulse of psychic energy you escape them and float to the tree tops, staring around. Surrounding you is a seemingly endless green of leaves and moss. You must admit, it’s quite a beautiful sight.

Suddenly, you hear the rumble of the ground. From the bursts of the earth, a massive creature covered in thick, stone-like grey skin bursts forward. Its red, spider-like eyes peer at you, perhaps confused by the addition of you to its environment, before turning to focus on Olive, who’s babbling into her radio.

"Got a sight on it! Fuck, it's a big one!" Olive says into the comms, as you drop down to face the beast, now seeing it clearly.

It stands twice the height of even a space marine, and easily six times as wide, on four clawed legs. It’s skin is grey, seemingly covered in scales that remind you more of the stones themselves rather than the hide of a beast. Its head is like that of a spider’s, hissing at you as it raises its massive, stony clawed arms to swipe at you. You hover back, feeling electricity coarse through you as you prepare for a fight.


As the shuttle touches down on the planet, you sigh a breath of relief. You walk out of the shuttle, into the clearing you've landed in, staring at the dozens of black trees that surround you. All your lieutenants are with you, excluding Durge and Meliodas, both of who are happier to stay on the ship.

Although the planet, whose name you can't even remember, is for the most part two extremes of frozen, forever dark wastelands, and burning, forever insanely bright wastelands. So wastelands, mainly. Still, a strip exists around the equator in a sweet zone, which act as bountiful, fertile zones. It's this zone that you'll be taking advantage of on your little planet side excursion. You watch as dozens of shuttles land and hordes of mutants break free of the shuttle to gather resources. Hell, this'll probably raise morale for the mutants, seeing as this'll be the first time they've seen natural sunlight.

"So, do we have any tasks for today?" you ask Elizabeth.

"No, we've nothing to do but relax. I've put few loyal men in charge, as well as John the Hermit. They'll do what's expected of them."

"Perfect, so we have free time," Fay says. "Anything on this planet worth hunting?"

"There's a species known as Behemoths, incredibly hardy creatures that can survive in either extreme environment, occasionally raiding the fertile zone to feast," Elizabeth says.

"Are they sentient?" Fay asks.

"No."

"Are they near extinction?" Fay asks.

"Again, no," Elizabeth says.

"Alright, perfect. I'll grab a few of my Tribals and go on the hunt," FAY says.

"Yeah, I'll come," Castus says.

"I'll go as well," Fay says.

"Smells funny here. I'm going to sleep," Cain says, walking over to a tree and slumping against it as he closes his eyes.

"You want to come hunt, Elios?" Fay asks.

"Please, do I seem like the type to go hunting? I'm going to bathe by the river," Elios says, sauntering off.

"Elizabeth?" Olive asks."Are you coming hunting?"

"This is a peaceful, relaxing environment. I want to practice on my psychic abilities," Elizabeth says again.

"Hayes? You coming?" Fay asks.

"Yeah, I'll come," Hayes says, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

Well then, you've a few choices on what to spend your day doing.
> You go bathe with Elios
"I'll go bathe with Elios," you say.

"Perfect, darling," Elios grins. "Let's go."

"Cool, let's go hunt," Fay says, leading her group off into the woods.

Elios looks at you, smiling.

"Come on, Karth, let's go."

You follow Elios, who quickly leads you to the side of the river. Elios leans against a tree, staring at you as he smiles.

"Well then, honey. Go on. Undress," he says.

You stare at him nervously, before unclasping your robes and letting them fall to the ground.

"Ooh, darling. I like what I see," Elios says, as he loosens the straps of his leather armor, pulling it away and tossing it to the ground, revealing Elios' long, muscled legs, and a certain surprisingly big organ. Elios dives into the pool, surfacing and lying partially submerged along the shores.

"Well, come on," Elios commands.

You dive into the water. You gently swim to the shore, and lie partially in the water, basking in the sun.

"You look tense, darling," Elios says. "It must be a stressful life for you. So many responsibilities. So many daemons scratching at the inside of your skull. Such awful, awful stress. You need a back rub, darling."
> You accept Elios' offer
"Um... fuck it, fine," you say.

Elios slides over, placing his hands on your back. He begins to massage your muscles with some skill, causing you to groan in ecstasy as he expertly relieves all your stressed out muscles. You do notice his hands beginning to wander towards your ass and genitals. You feel like you should be stopping him, but fuck, it's a good stress reliever.

"You know," Elios purrs. "I could help you relax in a more... sensual way. Trust me, the joys of Slaanesh are endless. And lust... trust me, that is a joy that knows no bounds."
> You accept once more
You stare at Elios for a moment, wondering if this is the best course of action, before nodding.

“Alirght, let’s see how this goes then,” you say nervously.

Elios slides over, smiling at you.

“Trust me, baby. I don’t bi… well, that’s not a hundred percent true. I won’t hurt you… unless that’s what you’re into. Just… trust me,” Elios whispers, as his warm mouth presses into your neck, kissing you softly.
> You later...
Over the next… however long, Elios does show you certain temptations of the flesh that make it obvious how he’s amassed such a following for a god that clearly couldn’t give a flying fuck about their lives. Slaanesh seems to have bestowed her followers with, among other things, endurance, flexibility and the enlargement of certain body parts. By the time the sun is setting, you’re lying on the shore of the river, panting, and feeling exhausted, ecstatic and to ve frank, worn out. Elios seems disappointed that you’re out of breath and attempts to coax you back into love making, but you’re spent, in multiple ways. In your mind, over the grumbling of the others you can hear Fucky cheering.

“Yes! Yes! YES! Another round, boy! We’re hardly finished, are we? I though this was the foreplay! Cursed, let me take over! Just for a few minutes, lessen your mental restraints! Trust me, you’ll enjoy it!”

"Break! Shatter! Fuck! Kill! I'll tear that dishonorable whore in two!" Smiley roars.

“For once, Bloody one, I agree. Come Karth, let’s… split Elios in two,” Fucky laughs.

“So, you’re finished already?” Elios asks.

“Yeah, I am,” you reply.

"Shame,” Elios says, grabbing his trousers and fishing out a packet of cigarettes from them. He pulls two out, putting one to his lips and holding the other out to you.

“Well go on, honey,” Elios says.

You take the cigarette, putting it between your lips, before looking expectantly at you.

“Come on, my daemonic little cherub. You’re my light.”

You flick your fingers, as your hand sets alight, as do the tips of both of the cigarettes. You press it to your lips, sucking in.

“Unless Kyros’ little experiments moved your lungs to the back of your throat, which I highly doubt seeing as I would’ve punctured them during that little exercise, you’re not inhaling.”

You nod, taking a deep inhale, before immediately releasing your breath and spluttering out the smoke as your vision goes hazy.

“There, there. Smoke ‘em up, little psyker,” Elios says. “We best leave soon, and Elizabeth does nothing but complain if we smoke on the dropship. Still seems to be fine with Hayes doing it, though.”

“I thought we were supposed to be here for several hours,” you say, confused.

“How long do you think we spent… encoiled?” Elios asks.

“An hour? Two,” you ask.

Elios smiles slyly, gesturing towards the stars as they appear in the faint sky.

“It’s been more than a few hours, little one. Let’s head out, then,” Elios grins.

You inhale once more, before tossing it over your robes and shifting them until you gain the appearance of someone who isn’t moments after being fucked for more than a few hours. Then, you begin to saunter off towards the dropship.


"Um... fuck it, fine," you say.

Elios slides over, placing his hands on your back. He begins to massage your muscles with some skill, causing you to groan in ecstasy as he expertly relieves all your stressed out muscles. You do notice his hands beginning to wander towards your ass and genitals. You feel like you should be stopping him, but fuck, it's a good stress reliever.

"You know," Elios purrs. "I could help you relax in a more... sensual way. Trust me, the joys of Slaanesh are endless. And lust... trust me, that is a joy that knows no bounds."
> You decline
"No, no thanks. I'm fine. That's enough," you say, as Elios whimpers.

"Oh, pity," he says. "Not even a little?"

"No, Elios," you assert.

"Shame," Elios says.

The rest of the bathing experience is fairly peaceful. You wash, relax and just take your mind off the world. Soon, you notice the sun is setting.
> You finish bathing
"Sun's setting," Elios says. "We better go."

“I thought we were supposed to be here for several hours,” you say, confused.

“How long do you think we bathing?” Elios asks.

“An hour? Two?” you ask.

Elios smiles slyly, gesturing towards the stars as they appear in the faint sky.

“It’s been more than a few hours, little one. Let’s head out, then,” Elios grins.

You inhale once more, before tossing it over your robes and shifting them until you're dressed normally. Then, you begin to saunter off towards the dropship.


As the shuttle touches down on the planet, you sigh a breath of relief. You walk out of the shuttle, into the clearing you've landed in, staring at the dozens of black trees that surround you. All your lieutenants are with you, excluding Durge and Meliodas, both of who are happier to stay on the ship.

Although the planet, whose name you can't even remember, is for the most part two extremes of frozen, forever dark wastelands, and burning, forever insanely bright wastelands. So wastelands, mainly. Still, a strip exists around the equator in a sweet zone, which act as bountiful, fertile zones. It's this zone that you'll be taking advantage of on your little planet side excursion. You watch as dozens of shuttles land and hordes of mutants break free of the shuttle to gather resources. Hell, this'll probably raise morale for the mutants, seeing as this'll be the first time they've seen natural sunlight.

"So, do we have any tasks for today?" you ask Elizabeth.

"No, we've nothing to do but relax. I've put few loyal men in charge, as well as John the Hermit. They'll do what's expected of them."

"Perfect, so we have free time," Fay says. "Anything on this planet worth hunting?"

"There's a species known as Behemoths, incredibly hardy creatures that can survive in either extreme environment, occasionally raiding the fertile zone to feast," Elizabeth says.

"Are they sentient?" Fay asks.

"No."

"Are they near extinction?" Fay asks.

"Again, no," Elizabeth says.

"Alright, perfect. I'll grab a few of my Tribals and go on the hunt," FAY says.

"Yeah, I'll come," Castus says.

"I'll go as well," Fay says.

"Smells funny here. I'm going to sleep," Cain says, walking over to a tree and slumping against it as he closes his eyes.

"You want to come hunt, Elios?" Fay asks.

"Please, do I seem like the type to go hunting? I'm going to bathe by the river," Elios says, sauntering off.

"Elizabeth?" Olive asks."Are you coming hunting?"

"This is a peaceful, relaxing environment. I want to practice on my psychic abilities," Elizabeth says again.

"Hayes? You coming?" Fay asks.

"Yeah, I'll come," Hayes says, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

Well then, you've a few choices on what to spend your day doing.
> You meditate with Elizabeth
"I'll go with Elizabeth. Could use a chance to meditate and relax," you say.

"Oh, OK," Elizabeth say. "Let's go"

You bid your companions farewell, before walking down the path alongside Elizabeth.

"Yes... she'll open your mind. Let the psychic powers of the Warp flood through you," Question Mark says.

"Uh, she's a Tzeentch follower. Always using pawns who could betray you, or being another's pawn. No loyalty. No unity. No peace," Rotgut groans.

You both stop in a small glade in the forest, as Elizabeth looks around.

"Yes, this'll do," she says, pulling her satchel off her shoulder and lying it on the ground. She begins digging through it, pulling out several things.

"Is there a particular smell or scent you have that comforts you?" Elizabeth asks.

You stop for a moment, wondering.

"What do you have, exactly?"

"Promethium oils, cut grass, Cornyl powder, Grox Heart Spice and Rotting flesh."

"Rotting flesh?" you ask.

"Oh, the best kind!" Rotgut says.

"Some psykers are weird," Elizabeth shrugs.

"I'll go with Promethium, then," you say, as Elizabeth nods.

Elizabeth takes out a small golden pot of black oil, setting it on fire. A light smoke rises from the pot as you take a whiff of the scent.

"Sit like this," Elizabeth says, as she crosses her legs and arches her back.

You do the same, and take a deep breath.

"Through your nose," Elizabeth says, as you comply.

You close your eyes, and slowly breath. You hear Elizabeth stand, as she walks over, putting her hand on your chest.

"In, out. In, out," she says, as you slowly breath in and out. "I'm going to gently prod at your mental defenses. Try not to kill me, OK?"

"Got it," you say.

You feel an outside present close around your mind. It pokes and prods and for a moment you feel nervous, before you realize just how much more psychic energy you have inside you compared to Elizabeth. Finally, Elizabeth stops, and you open your eyes.

"Finished?" you ask.

"You're a lot more powerful than I thought you were," Elizabeth says, a hint of nerves in her voice.

You nod, smiling.

"Damn right," you nod.

"So, did Kyros ever teach you about seeing the future?"

"No," you say. "Go on."

Elizabeth takes out a stack of runes and a mirror. She places the mirror beneath you, before handing you the runes.

"Flood your psychic energy into the runes, then scatter them on the mirror, and gaze into it. Try picture a swirling whirlpool, understood? You're powerful, so you should excel at this."

"Yes... embrace the psychic powers... search for answers..." Question Mark says.

You take the runes, and slowly flood them with energy, which they easily absorb, with etchings on them glowing purple.

"Remember, the future is chaotic and uncertain. Anything you see will be possible and likely, but not certain. Understand that. Don't forget, there are agents in the Warp who would love to confuse you. Whilst the things you see will be potential futures that could likely happen, they could easily be misleading."

"Got it," you say.

"Most psykers only see a few faded images in the reflection, if that. You? You're seriously powerful. Who knows where it'll go for you?"
> You toss the runes and gaze into the mirror
"Let's do it," you say, casting the runes onto the mirror. The area around the runes begins to shimmer and swirl as the entire mirror begins to shimmer and morph into a picture. Suddenly, vivid sensations begin to run through your mind as you begin feeling sick.

You watch as your Tribals are shot in the back in some muddy field by a squad of space marines clad in white, as a deep, booming voice howls "Betrayal!" Another, darker voice in the distance laughs, with a shrill, higher pitched laugh from within the first voice.

A space marine without a helmet, wearing ornate golden robes over his power armor, holding a bolt pistol golden staff topped with a snake, with two Sapphires as the eyes, stands in front of you in a black void. He realizes you can see him and lets out a curse, as darkness covers him and he disappears from your view.

A pair of young girls, seemingly around sixteen, one in a black robe wearing a white, featureless mask, the other wearing a white robe with a black, featureless mask, stare at you, the White Mask laughing as the other just stares blankly. Standing between the two children is a man with completely black eyes, covered from head to toe in tattoos detailing howling daemons that seem to be tearing into the man's flesh, who just stares blankly ahead, a look of pain and hatred in his eyes, although it's not focused on you. Behind them is an endless black void, one that slowly pushes forward as a liquid wave of all-encompassing, all-destroying darkness.

You sit in a tiny, blank room, screaming as the walls seem to scream back. There's nothing, just unending nothing, as you feel pure shock at your predicament.

A thousand voices scream in your mind as the psychic energy floods into you, all screaming for freedom as you feel ascension take over.

You pull back, taking a deep breath as you gaze down as the mirror.

"See anything interesting?" Elizabeth asks.

"Yeah. It was interesting," you say.

"You didn't see anything about me poisoning tea or anything, did you?" Elizabeth asks in a dead pan voice.

"No," you say, quizzically.

"Good," Elizabeth says, taking out a flask from her satchel, offering it to you. "Have some tea?"

You laugh, as Elizabeth begins drinking the tea.

"I never pictured you as the comedic type," you say, having a sip of the tea.

"I tell a joke every once in a full moon," Elizabeth says. "So, if we're going to be training in our psychic abilities, we best focus on the classic mental safety techniques to avoid your mind being taken over by daemons. Tell me, has another daemon stepped into your head to replace Meliodas?"

"Four," you say.

"Ah. I'd assume one for each Chaos God, yes?"

You nod.

"Yeah, that's right."

"Look, just relax again. We'll run through some excercises."
> You hours Later...
Over the next few hours, you do various other exercises to relax and calm down. After a few hours of work involving breathing techniques, trance-like states and practicing with other types of psychic powers that you don't really specialize in, you notice the sun setting.

"We need to get back to the dropship," you say.

"Yeah," Elizabeth says. "This was good. Good practice."

"Let's get out of here," you say, standing.


"I'll go with Elizabeth. Could use a chance to meditate and relax," you say.

"Oh, OK," Elizabeth say. "Let's go"

You bid your companions farewell, before walking down the path alongside Elizabeth.

"Yes... she'll open your mind. Let the psychic powers of the Warp flood through you," Question Mark says.

"Uh, she's a Tzeentch follower. Always using pawns who could betray you, or being another's pawn. No loyalty. No unity. No peace," Rotgut groans.

You both stop in a small glade in the forest, as Elizabeth looks around.

"Yes, this'll do," she says, pulling her satchel off her shoulder and lying it on the ground. She begins digging through it, pulling out several things.

"Is there a particular smell or scent you have that comforts you?" Elizabeth asks.

You stop for a moment, wondering.

"What do you have, exactly?"

"Promethium oils, cut grass, Cornyl powder, Grox Heart Spice and Rotting flesh."

"Rotting flesh?" you ask.

"Oh, the best kind!" Rotgut says.

"Some psykers are weird," Elizabeth shrugs.

"I'll go with Promethium, then," you say, as Elizabeth nods.

Elizabeth takes out a small golden pot of black oil, setting it on fire. A light smoke rises from the pot as you take a whiff of the scent.

"Sit like this," Elizabeth says, as she crosses her legs and arches her back.

You do the same, and take a deep breath.

"Through your nose," Elizabeth says, as you comply.

You close your eyes, and slowly breath. You hear Elizabeth stand, as she walks over, putting her hand on your chest.

"In, out. In, out," she says, as you slowly breath in and out. "I'm going to gently prod at your mental defenses. Try not to kill me, OK?"

"Got it," you say.

You feel an outside present close around your mind. It pokes and prods and for a moment you feel nervous, before you realize just how much more psychic energy you have inside you compared to Elizabeth. Finally, Elizabeth stops, and you open your eyes.

"Finished?" you ask.

"You're a lot more powerful than I thought you were," Elizabeth says, a hint of nerves in her voice.

You nod, smiling.

"Damn right," you nod.

"So, did Kyros ever teach you about seeing the future?"

"No," you say. "Go on."

Elizabeth takes out a stack of runes and a mirror. She places the mirror beneath you, before handing you the runes.

"Flood your psychic energy into the runes, then scatter them on the mirror, and gaze into it. Try picture a swirling whirlpool, understood? You're powerful, so you should excel at this."

"Yes... embrace the psychic powers... search for answers..." Question Mark says.

You take the runes, and slowly flood them with energy, which they easily absorb, with etchings on them glowing purple.

"Remember, the future is chaotic and uncertain. Anything you see will be possible and likely, but not certain. Understand that. Don't forget, there are agents in the Warp who would love to confuse you. Whilst the things you see will be potential futures that could likely happen, they could easily be misleading."

"Got it," you say.

"Most psykers only see a few faded images in the reflection, if that. You? You're seriously powerful. Who knows where it'll go for you?"
> You change your mind
"No, I'm fine, actually. There are some things man's not meant to know."

"Oh. Knowledge is power, Karth. If you weren't willing to take power, you probably should've found a planet and lived out a peaceful life."

You shrug, as Elizabeth looks around awkwardly.

"There's... really not much else to be done, then. If I were you, I'd go see if I can catch up with the hunters."

"Alright then," you say. "Um... thanks."

Elizabeth nods, and you turn, levitating off.


Well, on to the next group of recreational drugs. Whilst alcohol technically falls under this category, it’s not usually what people refer to. No, the main ones, as you see when Elizabeth puts them on the table, are less traditional

Elizabeth puts a large, brown cigar, a glass vial containing blue liquid, a small patch of green tablets and quite a few other drugs

“These are known collectively as the Eyes, due to all of them having a fairly noticeably effect on your eyes. It’s really a catch all term commonly used on the ship, and in the sector. They’re… for lack of a better word, light drugs. From the smokeable Sun Scales designed to get you in a trance or give you some hallucinations, the Blood Root that has the effect of making the user feel happier and more mellow, the Slug juice, absorbed through the skin, that helps relieve pain and puts the user into a deep, peaceful sleep, the Bright Gas that improves the user’s mood, the Castins that when smoked increase confidence… I can go on forever. These drugs have some negative effects, but realistically, no serious ones when taking into account their expected lifespans and the sheer amount of risks they’re already facing. Anything the drugs do is neglible. The only possible risk is that their productivity worsens because they’re as high as a kite.”

“So, do we ban or allow?” you ask.

“Well, those aren’t necessarily the only options, in this instance. Due to the nature of these drugs, we have five options. The first two, as you’ll know, involve either blanket banning or fully allowing these and letting the winds of free market spread them out among the crew. The third involves allowing them, but to a limited degree. Everyone has a limited amount they’re allowed to buy, only the least dangerous are brought in, that kind of thing.”

“Go on,” you say.

“The fourth possibility is that we become proactive with our usage of the drugs. We’re forcing our men to face horrors beyond comprehension and risk their lives. We could, for a small amount, begin purchasing and producing these drugs on-ship, rationing them out to raise the morale of the crew. Plus, this would give us the ability to actually begin selling drugs on the open market if we find a better group of cooks and a supplier. Lastly, we could just go all out. Buy a huge quantity of the drugs and start manufacturing them on ship, and just start pumping them out to the crew. Pump the gaseous drugs into the air, put all the soluble drugs into the water supply and crush up everything else to put in the food. This would amplify morale tenfold, although could lead to a serious drop in productivity, seeing as you literally couldn’t breath without getting insanely high.”
> You ban
You ban the drugs, which does admittedly lead to a fall in the general morale levels among the ship. It's a shame they're incapable of understanding why this is a good thing.

Still, in banning the drugs, you stop the medical issues that most likely would've spread through the ship with allowing these drugs to spread through the ship.


Well, on to the next group of recreational drugs. Whilst alcohol technically falls under this category, it’s not usually what people refer to. No, the main ones, as you see when Elizabeth puts them on the table, are less traditional

Elizabeth puts a large, brown cigar, a glass vial containing blue liquid, a small patch of green tablets and quite a few other drugs

“These are known collectively as the Eyes, due to all of them having a fairly noticeably effect on your eyes. It’s really a catch all term commonly used on the ship, and in the sector. They’re… for lack of a better word, light drugs. From the smokeable Sun Scales designed to get you in a trance or give you some hallucinations, the Blood Root that has the effect of making the user feel happier and more mellow, the Slug juice, absorbed through the skin, that helps relieve pain and puts the user into a deep, peaceful sleep, the Bright Gas that improves the user’s mood, the Castins that when smoked increase confidence… I can go on forever. These drugs have some negative effects, but realistically, no serious ones when taking into account their expected lifespans and the sheer amount of risks they’re already facing. Anything the drugs do is neglible. The only possible risk is that their productivity worsens because they’re as high as a kite.”

“So, do we ban or allow?” you ask.

“Well, those aren’t necessarily the only options, in this instance. Due to the nature of these drugs, we have five options. The first two, as you’ll know, involve either blanket banning or fully allowing these and letting the winds of free market spread them out among the crew. The third involves allowing them, but to a limited degree. Everyone has a limited amount they’re allowed to buy, only the least dangerous are brought in, that kind of thing.”

“Go on,” you say.

“The fourth possibility is that we become proactive with our usage of the drugs. We’re forcing our men to face horrors beyond comprehension and risk their lives. We could, for a small amount, begin purchasing and producing these drugs on-ship, rationing them out to raise the morale of the crew. Plus, this would give us the ability to actually begin selling drugs on the open market if we find a better group of cooks and a supplier. Lastly, we could just go all out. Buy a huge quantity of the drugs and start manufacturing them on ship, and just start pumping them out to the crew. Pump the gaseous drugs into the air, put all the soluble drugs into the water supply and crush up everything else to put in the food. This would amplify morale tenfold, although could lead to a serious drop in productivity, seeing as you literally couldn’t breath without getting insanely high.”
> You allow and include in rations
You allow the drugs, as well as adding them to the rations, giving each resident coupons to report to their nearby medical agent for whatever precious, delightful drug fuels them. Unfortunately, the program ends up end costing you a solid five million Thrones, as well as doing some damage to your men's efficiency.

Despite that, morale increases substantially. It seems when men are off their heads, they're more than happy to risk their lives.

The success of this policy, or at least the success in that you're capable of manufacturing drugs aboard the vessel, does give you an idea. You could easily set up a chem manufacturing industry aboard the ship to increase the funds you have to work with. You'd need to find a new group of cooks as well as a supplier, but it could prove to be a profitable venture.
> You attempt to break into the drug industry
It takes some explaining and effort to get the lieutenants to agree. While as soon as Elios hears about it he's on board and the other Staine Siblings agree, Fay and Olive don't seem to be fans of idea. Castus agrees whole heartedly, and Primus, Cain, Hayes and Meliodas are indifferent and just agree, placing the majority. You quickly find the most knowledgeable about drug manufacturing of your lieutenants, Primus, Elios and Elizabeth, and gather them in the war room.

"Why is Elizabeth here?" Elios asks. "She's never touched a chem in her life."

"Do you know about Methoxetamine, Elios? About it's use on the brain?" Elizabeth asks.

"Oh, you wanted a nerd," Elios says. "Understood, darling."

"Our crew's not good enough to manufacture chems for market," you say. "We need to f ind someone better. Primus, anything showing up in your archives?"

"Pirate chatter tells me that the best... "product" coming through is from either the Hiveworld of Outice-81 or the Xenos species Jatkiri. Both sell a good product, so we could easily hire them."
> You attempt to hire the chem manufacturers of Outice-81
You stare down at the hiveworld from the bridge of your ship, looking at the planet. To your surprise, the Imperials hold barely any hold on this world. The Governor is basically in charge of everything, the Planetary Defense Force is bolstered by Imperial Guard deserters and Xenos Mercenaries, and they seem indifferent in regards to everything else.

After a short time in a shuttle, you find yourself descending into Hive Beta, to meet with the leader of Outice-81's thriving drug industry. You sit alongside a half dozen Tribals, including Opie, the gas-masked giant you saw fight, as well as Fay, Elizabeth and Elios.

The doors open, and a solid scent wave of shit hits you, causing you to retch. You walk outside, looking at the dozens of ultra-poor workers hurrying about their day. Two men wearing red leather dusters stand by the landing area, holding shotguns, wearing sunglasses and black balaclavas. The men stroll towards you, staring blankly ahead.

"Howdy," one says, staring at you. "You must be Mister Karth. And these are...?"

Your lieutenants state their names, as the man nods.

"The name's Cheq. I'll be taking you to meet the boss."

You nod, following the guard as he strolls through the streets. It takes about five minutes of walking through peasant markets, shit-filled alleys and endless scenes of the vile life of the area. Soon, you find your guard pulling open a large metal door to enter a large, bunker-like area. You walk inside, finding yourself in the bunker, which is particularly cleaner than the slums outside the bunker. You soon find yourself faced with a massive man with heavily burned skin wearing the same outfit as the guards.

"Karth, yes?" he asks. "Good to meet you. I'm Skinrik. From what your number two says, you want to purchase some cooks' contract from me."

"Number two?" you ask.

"The dude with the voice synthesizer. Primus."

"Ah, yes," you say. "Yes, he's correct. What do you have for me?"

Skinrik smiles, before walking along the hall. You follow and soon find yourself in a massive chem lab. A half dozen workers slave away at various pieces of equipment, pouring vats of chemicals into vibrating vats and other strange things.

"Zero!" Skinrik yells.

A young woman wearing a boiler suit and a gas mask turns from mixing a vat of burning liquid and jogs over to you.

"Yes, sir?" she asks.

"This is the finest cook in the sector," Skinrik says. "And the most recent of my fiances."

Zero nods nervously, looking at you.

"This... this is the... the psychic guy?" she asks.

You nod, and she takes a deep breath, looking terrified.

"Are you alright?" you ask. "We don't bite."

"He doesn't speak for me," Elios says, as you frown as the Slaaneshi leader.

"Play nice," you say, before turning to Skinrik once more.

"Zero had some issue with psykers. She was the main cook for the Green Snakes gang, who were wiped out by the psyker gang the Mind Men. Only reason she and her cooks are alive is because I took them in."

"Uh... yeah," Zero says, a flash of annoyance appearing on her face before she goes back to her nervous look.

"They're the ones you're willing to sell me?" you ask. "You do realize that I'll need them full time, permanently, right?"

"Of course," Skinrik nods.

"So you won't see your fiance... ever?" you say.

"I can deal with it. I got six wives. Don't need another."

"Alright then," you shrug. "How much are we talking?"

"Zero's the best cook in the sector. You want her, you'll have to fork over a cool two and a half million. You want her cooks, that'll be five million. The equipment will set you back two more. I'll have the men repair and refuel your vessel to make it a solid ten million thrones. We have a deal?"
> You agree
"Fine," you say, grabbing your comms. "Primus, ten million into Skinrik's account."

It takes about five minutes before the credits are transferred over, and Skinrik smiles.

"Good. Norwich, have the men transfer the equipment and have the cooks pack up. Transfer everything to the shuttles. Send up some fuel ships and repair vessels to fix up and fuel up the ship."
> Three Days Later...
You walk into the chem lab, watching the cooks working to manufacture their second batch. Zero spots you, walking over as she pulls off her gas mask.

"Sir," she says. "The second batch is almost finished. What can I do for you?"

"How are you all adapting to life on the vessel?" you ask.

"It's alright. Conditions are better and the cooks are happier, so that's a plus."

"You're not sad to have lost your fiance?" you ask.

"Fuck him," Zero says. "That dude was a prick. He only wanted to add me to a tally of sex slaves he'd put a ring on. I didn't have a choice in it."

"Well then, glad you're not stuck with them anymore, Zero," you say.

"Yeah. Also, my name's not really Zero. It's Gail."

"Gail?" you ask. "What's with Zero?"

"It's a gang name. Zero felonies, zero kills, zero chems ingested. I'm cut from a pretty plain cloth, sir."

"Alright. I'll call you Gail if you stop calling me sir."

"Got it, Karth," she smiles. "I need to get back to work. I'm the only one who knows h..."

"Say no more," you say, holding up your hands. "We're working on finding you a supplier. We'll begin turning a profit soon."

"Terrific," she says, slipping her gas mask back on.
> You find a supplier
You head back to the war room, where Elios and Elizabeth are arguing.

"He's a genius!" Elios yells.

"He's a drug-addled moron!" Elizabeth replies. "We need a businessman!"

"Oh, fuck off! You...!"

"Hey!" you shout.

The two Staine siblings turn to look at you.

"What are you arguing about?" you ask.

"We have two different candidates for a supplier," Elizabeth says. "I want to use the Rogue Trader Lord Baridas Flynn. He's a respectable businessman who has access to a massive market, including the entirety of the Imperium, which Morrow can't access. He's already known for creating a massive drug empire, but his supply is low. We could fill that supply."

"He's got the Imperium's dick so far up his ass he's licking the tip!" Elios says. "He'll sell us out in a second! We need Jack Morrow, leader of the Ecstasy Freaks, a Slaaneshi war-band. The dude's psycho and is a bit prone to testing his products, but he's a genius, and I have old ties with him. We served alongside the Emperor's children together, and us non-Space marines really had to stick together to survive there. Trust me, you want him."

Fuck, a respectable businessman who might be an Imperial rat, or an insane, drug-addled fiend. Hard choice.
> You meet with Baridas Flynn
You find yourself aboard the Tip of the Spear, walking alongside your tribal bodyguards as well as Fay, Elizabeth and Elios. You walk into a massive chamber, where Flynn waits. He wears golden chains wrapped around fur, smiling happily at you.

"Ah, Karth, is it? It's good to see you!" Flynn says.

"Ah, Lord Baridas Flynn, yes? It's good to see you. Shall we discuss business?"

"Yes," the lord nods. "Where are your other sibling? Durge the Plage Lord?"

"He's not involved with this deal. So..."

Suddenly, a massive, see-through wall rises up from the floor as Flynn steps back, seperating him from you.

"I can't tell you how surprised I was to receive your message. Three Chaos Lords wanting to deal with me. I'll be honest. I'm corrupt. I'll happily use Xenos if it bets the Imperium, I'll sell illegal tech or chems but I won't consort with heretics. You actually have a fairly high bounty. Two Chaos Lords and an Alpha-Plus Psyker? Perfect. Burn in hell, heretics."

Suddenly, the room goes dark, as you hear shouts as men rush in. The wall separating you and the Rogue trader is incredibly strong and anti-Psychic tech has infused it, but if you focus, you might be able to take out the Rogue Trader. Alternatively, you can prepare to defend against whoever Flynn has sent to take you out.
> You kill Baridas Flynn
You focus your energy, before telekinetically grabbing Flynn by the head and smashing it repeatedly againts the wall. His head is crushed and smeared against the glass, before collapsing onto the ground. You turn, before feeling a painful, dark presence fill your soul. You grunt as you see a pale man who feels like... pain, weakening all of your psychic powers before he fires his bolt pistol, killing you instantly.


You find yourself aboard the Tip of the Spear, walking alongside your tribal bodyguards as well as Fay, Elizabeth and Elios. You walk into a massive chamber, where Flynn waits. He wears golden chains wrapped around fur, smiling happily at you.

"Ah, Karth, is it? It's good to see you!" Flynn says.

"Ah, Lord Baridas Flynn, yes? It's good to see you. Shall we discuss business?"

"Yes," the lord nods. "Where are your other sibling? Durge the Plage Lord?"

"He's not involved with this deal. So..."

Suddenly, a massive, see-through wall rises up from the floor as Flynn steps back, seperating him from you.

"I can't tell you how surprised I was to receive your message. Three Chaos Lords wanting to deal with me. I'll be honest. I'm corrupt. I'll happily use Xenos if it bets the Imperium, I'll sell illegal tech or chems but I won't consort with heretics. You actually have a fairly high bounty. Two Chaos Lords and an Alpha-Plus Psyker? Perfect. Burn in hell, heretics."

Suddenly, the room goes dark, as you hear shouts as men rush in. The wall separating you and the Rogue trader is incredibly strong and anti-Psychic tech has infused it, but if you focus, you might be able to take out the Rogue Trader. Alternatively, you can prepare to defend against whoever Flynn has sent to take you out.
> You defend yourself
You hear men flooding in, before turning as one heads immediately towards you. You raise your hands to fire a bolt of psychic energy, but the man, a pale, gaunt person with dark eyes, stares at you, his bolt pistol raised. You feel weak, sickly and miserable looking at him, as the energy floods out of you.

"Never faced a Blank, huh, Psyker?" Flynn laughs.

You try to fight, but the Blank simply pulls the trigger, blowing out the back of your skull.


You head back to the war room, where Elios and Elizabeth are arguing.

"He's a genius!" Elios yells.

"He's a drug-addled moron!" Elizabeth replies. "We need a businessman!"

"Oh, fuck off! You...!"

"Hey!" you shout.

The two Staine siblings turn to look at you.

"What are you arguing about?" you ask.

"We have two different candidates for a supplier," Elizabeth says. "I want to use the Rogue Trader Lord Baridas Flynn. He's a respectable businessman who has access to a massive market, including the entirety of the Imperium, which Morrow can't access. He's already known for creating a massive drug empire, but his supply is low. We could fill that supply."

"He's got the Imperium's dick so far up his ass he's licking the tip!" Elios says. "He'll sell us out in a second! We need Jack Morrow, leader of the Ecstasy Freaks, a Slaaneshi war-band. The dude's psycho and is a bit prone to testing his products, but he's a genius, and I have old ties with him. We served alongside the Emperor's children together, and us non-Space marines really had to stick together to survive there. Trust me, you want him."

Fuck, a respectable businessman who might be an Imperial rat, or an insane, drug-addled fiend. Hard choice.
> You meet with Jack Morrow
Your shuttle docks into the Sword Thrust, as you slip a gas mask on over your mouth, as Elizabeth and the Tribals do the same.

"Your body won't be accustomed to the level of chems flooded into the air," Elios says. "These guys really know how to party! Keep the masks on!"

The shuttle doors open, revealing... no one. Huh.

"Where's Morrow, Elios?" Elizabeth asks.

"Must be somewhere," he says, shrugging.

You walk through the ship, cringing at the scenes on display. A cultist walks out of a room, holding a long knife, covered in long cuts on his heavily scarred forearms. He looks at all of you, before collapsing. You pass a pair of cultists just screwing each other in the hallway, not even reacting to your presence. You nervously step over them, continuing on. Soon, you find Morrow.

Jack Morrow stands in a large room, in front of a mountain of bright crimson powder. He's completely naked, holding a machete and screaming at the roof.

"I thought you said he'd be unprofessional," Fay chuckles.

"I'm in love..." Fucky sighs.

"Come on! Come on! Let's fucking do it!" Morrow screams.

Jack shoves his face into the pile of crimson, and begins to snort it directly up his nose. He snorts for what seems like a solid minute, before swinging his machete around. He notices you all, grinning.

"Elios! Elios, you fucking scumfuck!" he says, running over.

You expect the two to embrace, but... it doesn't go that way. Jack pushes Elios against a wall and begins kissing him, before grabbing Elios hand and cutting it open, and licking the blood. Then, he pushes your lieutenant away, grinning.

"Come! Do Blood Dust with me! It's good shit!" he yells.

"Please, try it..." Fucky yells.

"RAGE!" Smiley roars.

"I'm on business," Elios says. "We have an offer to make."

"Shoot," Morrow says, snorting more Blood Dust off his machete. "Do your friends want some?"

"I'll pass," you say, as your companions nod.

"The men with me want to become your business partners. We'll sell you chems, you distribute them. You still have clients?"

"Yeah, man!" Morrow grins. "I have a dozen Slaaneshi war-bands calling for me, I'm hooked up with the pirates and raiders and shit in the sector, and I'll take whatever's left! YEAH!"

Morrow smacks himself in the face with the flat of his machete, laughing. He turns, grabbing a female cultist and pushing her onto the table. The cultist begins undressing, as the two begin making love... no, it's just fucking, fucking in front of you. You watch nervously as the act goes on for about a minute, before Morrow pulls out, snorts another line of Blood Dust, and walks back over to you, his member standing prominently in the air.

"Go on.. embrace it!" Fucky says.

"Holy shit," Elizabeth says, stepping back.

"What's wrong, baby?" Morrow asks. "You want some? Trust me, I have another few goes in me. Bend over and pull up your robes."

"Fuck off," Elizabeth says, electricity running along her hands.

"Whatever. So, you had a deal for me?"

"Yeah. Elios said he talked to you about the exact numbers, right?"

Morrow pauses, before nodding.

"Shit, yeah! Let me think, let me think! Given current market prices, net worth over a long term deal amounts to... what... Fuck, what currency do you use?" Morrow says, shaking his head as he does more Blood Dust.

"Thrones," you say.

"That's about fifty million Thrones profit in the foreseeable future, take five for contact's ten percent finder fees and all that, another five to pay off the Imperials so we have access to the outlaw planets which will make up about twenty to thirty percent of our market, and... did I ask you if you wanted to fuck?" he says, looking at Fay.

"I'll pass," Fay says, staring at the man as he nods vigorously.

"OK, OK! That's about forty million Thrones, wage levels cheap due to use of slaves, split two ways... this deal should net you around twenty million Thrones."

"I told you he was a genius. Did all that in his head," Elios smirks, as Elizabeth frowns.

"Do we really trust this guy, Karth?" Elizabeth says.

"Fuck! You should probably not, bitch!" Morrow screams as Elizabeth. "I'll fuck you at first opportunity! Praise Slaanesh, I just want to push you against the wall and finger-fuck you! WHOA!"

Morrow slams his head against the wall, before stumbling backwards and collapsing onto the pile of Blood Dust.

"Shit... I need sleep. Do we have a deal, Elios?"

"We need a bargain of f..." Elios begins to say, before Morrow interrupts.

"I'll pay your half up front. Bargain of faith. If I do that, you promise to only supply me. We can make a new deal after the fifty million profit mark is hit. Deal?"

"Sure," you say.

"I'll have one of the tech priests transfer it over," Morrow says. "Now, I need to sleep. I haven't slept in a few... weeks."

Morrow closes his eyes, lying against the floor.

"That man is a maniac," Fay says.

"Yeah. Let's get off this ship," you say.
> You continue
True to his word, Morrow does transfer over twenty million Thrones to your account. You ensure that he gets every shipment of chems you create, and ensure you have a solid business contact for this. The man's insane, but he's proven trustworthy for the time being.


You stare down at the hiveworld from the bridge of your ship, looking at the planet. To your surprise, the Imperials hold barely any hold on this world. The Governor is basically in charge of everything, the Planetary Defense Force is bolstered by Imperial Guard deserters and Xenos Mercenaries, and they seem indifferent in regards to everything else.

After a short time in a shuttle, you find yourself descending into Hive Beta, to meet with the leader of Outice-81's thriving drug industry. You sit alongside a half dozen Tribals, including Opie, the gas-masked giant you saw fight, as well as Fay, Elizabeth and Elios.

The doors open, and a solid scent wave of shit hits you, causing you to retch. You walk outside, looking at the dozens of ultra-poor workers hurrying about their day. Two men wearing red leather dusters stand by the landing area, holding shotguns, wearing sunglasses and black balaclavas. The men stroll towards you, staring blankly ahead.

"Howdy," one says, staring at you. "You must be Mister Karth. And these are...?"

Your lieutenants state their names, as the man nods.

"The name's Cheq. I'll be taking you to meet the boss."

You nod, following the guard as he strolls through the streets. It takes about five minutes of walking through peasant markets, shit-filled alleys and endless scenes of the vile life of the area. Soon, you find your guard pulling open a large metal door to enter a large, bunker-like area. You walk inside, finding yourself in the bunker, which is particularly cleaner than the slums outside the bunker. You soon find yourself faced with a massive man with heavily burned skin wearing the same outfit as the guards.

"Karth, yes?" he asks. "Good to meet you. I'm Skinrik. From what your number two says, you want to purchase some cooks' contract from me."

"Number two?" you ask.

"The dude with the voice synthesizer. Primus."

"Ah, yes," you say. "Yes, he's correct. What do you have for me?"

Skinrik smiles, before walking along the hall. You follow and soon find yourself in a massive chem lab. A half dozen workers slave away at various pieces of equipment, pouring vats of chemicals into vibrating vats and other strange things.

"Zero!" Skinrik yells.

A young woman wearing a boiler suit and a gas mask turns from mixing a vat of burning liquid and jogs over to you.

"Yes, sir?" she asks.

"This is the finest cook in the sector," Skinrik says. "And the most recent of my fiances."

Zero nods nervously, looking at you.

"This... this is the... the psychic guy?" she asks.

You nod, and she takes a deep breath, looking terrified.

"Are you alright?" you ask. "We don't bite."

"He doesn't speak for me," Elios says, as you frown as the Slaaneshi leader.

"Play nice," you say, before turning to Skinrik once more.

"Zero had some issue with psykers. She was the main cook for the Green Snakes gang, who were wiped out by the psyker gang the Mind Men. Only reason she and her cooks are alive is because I took them in."

"Uh... yeah," Zero says, a flash of annoyance appearing on her face before she goes back to her nervous look.

"They're the ones you're willing to sell me?" you ask. "You do realize that I'll need them full time, permanently, right?"

"Of course," Skinrik nods.

"So you won't see your fiance... ever?" you say.

"I can deal with it. I got six wives. Don't need another."

"Alright then," you shrug. "How much are we talking?"

"Zero's the best cook in the sector. You want her, you'll have to fork over a cool two and a half million. You want her cooks, that'll be five million. The equipment will set you back two more. I'll have the men repair and refuel your vessel to make it a solid ten million thrones. We have a deal?"
> You decline
"That's too much," you say.

"We're not lowering the price," Skinrik frowns.

"Then I suppose we don't have a deal," you say.

Skinrik spits on the ground, before nodding at his guards.

"Take them back to their shuttle."

An hour later, you're back on your shuttle, heading back to the ship. You've had enough of this.


Although telepathy isn't your strength, you send a message to your lieutenants and guards.

"Strike," you command subconsciously.

You look at Skinrik, sizing him up. You almost certainly need to kill him first.
> You strike him down with a bolt of psychic energy
You blast a bolt of psychic energy forward, striking Skinrik in the chest and killing him instantly. Zero immediately draws the shotgun, raising it to your head.
> You kill her
You fire a bolt of psychic energy, killing her instantly as she collapses to the ground.

"Alright, let's bounce! This area's fucked!"

A group of gang members charge in, wielding autoguns and a few lasguns, blocking your exit.

"Kill them, get to the shuttle," you say.
> You fire a firebolt
You send a bolt of pure, infernal fire towards the enemies as they flood into the room. The fireball explodes, incinerating all of the men. Unfortunately, you're in a chem lab full of flammable liquids. The fire quickly ignites a vat, and you watch as it quickly sets aflame. You don't even have time to put up your shield before it explodes, killing you instantly.


You fire a bolt of psychic energy, killing her instantly as she collapses to the ground.

"Alright, let's bounce! This area's fucked!"

A group of gang members charge in, wielding autoguns and a few lasguns, blocking your exit.

"Kill them, get to the shuttle," you say.
> You overwhelm the enemy with bolts of psychic energy
You keep firing bolts of psychic energy, filling the air with psychic energy that wipes out scores of the enemy. Your Tribals and lieutenants push forward as many of the cooks are killed in the crossfire, but without Zero you don't have a head cook, so the plan's fucked anyway. The guards are untrained, badly armed and unarmored. Your men are infinitely better, so you easily manage to carve a path back towards the shuttle. It takes about an hour of slow fighting and you lose two Tribals to the gang members, but you soon find yourself at the shuttle. Your pilot is fending off gang members with the shuttle's autoguns, all whilst swearing.

"Shit! Fuck! Balls! S...! Oh, Karth! Holy fucking Grox shit, you're alive! I mean, sorry, Karth, glad to see you," Hawkins says. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

The shuttle lifts up from the planet, as bullets clang into the heavily armored cockpit.

"I was half-convinced you'd have left us," you say.

"No, sir," the pilot answers. "Let's get out of here."
> You get out of here
You sit in the shuttle with your other lieutenants, leaning against the wall.

"Uh, that went badly," Elizabeth complains.

"Screw it," you complain. "Fuck the drug industry. It's not working for us. Let's just get out of here, get back to work."

"Done," Fay says. "Let's head out.


You blast a bolt of psychic energy forward, striking Skinrik in the chest and killing him instantly. Zero immediately draws the shotgun, raising it to your head.
> You knock the gun from her hands
You psychically knock the gun from her hands, grabbing her by the throat.

"You're coming with me. I'm planning on taking you and your cooks back to my vessel to cook drugs for me," you say.

"You realize if you try to force my men or I into shitty conditions or anything like that we'll just be able to poison the chems and have everyone of your customers after your head? We can end your entire career."

"I understand, I understand," you say. "I'm not trying to fuck you over."

"Fuck!" Zero says. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"Do I look so retarded you don't think I understand how easily you'd fuck me over.

"Fine," Zero says, biting her lip nervously before looking at her cooks. "Green Snakes, follow the psyker. What's the exit plan, then, psyker?"

A group of gang members charge in, wielding autoguns and a few lasguns, blocking your exit.

"Kill them, get to the shuttle," you say.


You blast a bolt of psychic energy forward, striking Skinrik in the chest and killing him instantly. Zero immediately draws the shotgun, raising it to your head.
> You do nothing
You do nothing, as Zero presses the shotgun to your head.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, strolling in here and killing Skinrik?"

"He was an idiot," you reply.

"What are you even planning?" she asks.

"I'm planning on taking you and your cooks back to my vessel to cook drugs for me," you say simply. "Surely that was obvious?"

"You realize if you try to force my men or I into shitty conditions or anything like that we'll just be able to poison the chems and have everyone of your customers after your head? We can end your entire career."

"I understand, I understand," you say. "I'm not trying to fuck you over."

"Fuck!" Zero says, before looking at her cooks. "Green Snakes, follow the psyker. What's the exit plan, then, psyker?"

A group of gang members charge in, wielding autoguns and a few lasguns, blocking your exit.

"Kill them, get to the shuttle," you say.