The Tale of Two Sisters.
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: MissMeep on 18-06-2010, 01:32:57</h2>
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				Title: <strong>The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>18-06-2010, 01:32:57</strong>
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				Between MissMeep &amp; Darkling<br><br><br><br>The work was routine, but necessary.&nbsp; The voyage, full of protocol.&nbsp; Sister Superior Neriah stood on the command deck of <em>The Eternal Vigil</em> watching as yet another shuttle load of potential pyskers was brought aboard.&nbsp; Vessels like this one had been doing such duties since before the Heresy.&nbsp; That they still did was one of the things normally played down.&nbsp; Rarely spoken of.<br><br>Neriah said not a word.&nbsp; Instead watching as she had done countless times before as the skilled ships crew took care of everything.&nbsp; The shuttle was displayed on large monitors, the Black Ships guns following its every move in case something was to go wrong.<br><br>Dressed in her full plate armor, her Eviscerator clutched to her chest she heard the command for the shuttle bay door to open.&nbsp; With this, she spoke over the Vox directly to her squad.&nbsp; "Arrival in five, deploy weapons team and prepare to escort the prisoners to holding sell GX-314".&nbsp; The reply came that the squad was already in postion and understood it's orders.&nbsp; She had to appreciate the her squad, always mindful of what needed to be done.&nbsp; <br><br>Hearing confirmation that the shuttle door had been closed, she thought her duty done.&nbsp; Making the sign of the Aquila, she turned to leave when a shrill noise began to emit from one of the consoles.<br><br>Another ship was appearing out of the Warp, an unexpected visitor.&nbsp; The lights on the bridge dimmed as the Captain bellowed orders for the ship to come about.&nbsp; &nbsp;Neriah had stopped in her tracks and was now staring intently at the view screen.&nbsp; "Captain, report!".&nbsp; The Captain, an olderman who had served as the commanding officer of <em>The Eternal Vigil</em> since she had come on board turned to face her.&nbsp; "Sister Superior, a ship has appeared from the Warp.&nbsp; Auspex scans show it to be, not that can't be.&nbsp; Run the scans again." <br><br>The man paced from one screen to the next, looking over the shoulder of each of his crew in turn.&nbsp; Refusing to believe anyones eyes but his own.&nbsp; "Sister Superior, auspex scans show it to be another Black Ship.&nbsp; We have had no word of another vessel patrolling this area.&nbsp; This is most irregular!".<br><br>Captain Adroven was a good captain, but years of monotony had clearly dulled a sharp mind. Faced with the unexpected, he struggled for a moment before making sense of the situation.<br><br>Walking slowly down the metal step's, the soles of her boots made a dull thudding sound as she moved.&nbsp; "Have they responded to any form of communication Captain?.&nbsp; The Sister had moved down, attempting to get a better look at the vessel.&nbsp; A junior rank called out "Target has been identified as the <em>Tranquility</em>".<br><br>After a rushed check of the ship board archives, the ship was indeed confirmed as the <em>Tranquility</em>. Though the ship appeared in Imperial records, it was reported lost around the time of the Horus Heresy.&nbsp; The last known report had been of it making a standard collection of pyskers before exiting system for it's next destination.&nbsp; To which it never arrived.<br><br>"Still nothing on comms, Sister.&nbsp; The hull seems to be intact and scans have shown no major damage" said that Captain.&nbsp; Standing, turning to face her.&nbsp; With a curt nod, she acknowledged the speed and proficiency at which the ship and her crew had handled the situation.<br><br>"Very well Captain, bring us in closer.&nbsp; My sister's and I will bored the ship and see if we can recover any information".<br><br>Barely a half hour had passed since the suprising arrival on the older Black ship.&nbsp; The Sororitas stood in full battle readiness on the The Eternal Vigil's embarkation deck.&nbsp; "Sisters! A ship long thought lost to the Imperium has appeared.&nbsp; A fellow black ship by the name of <em>Tranquility</em>!&nbsp; For such a ship to appear after so long warrants an investigation.&nbsp; Thus, our mission is simple.&nbsp; We are to board the derelict and secure what ever information we can and if at all possible asses the ships abilities".<br><br>The nine sisters stood silently, helm's in place and sealed.&nbsp; Each listening intently to the words being spoken by the Sister Superior.<br><br>"The Emperor's light shines brightest in the dark my Sisters!"&nbsp; Nariah called out, holding her Eviscerator vertically against her chest.<br><br>The Sisters began to march aboard the waiting Thunderhawk with the answering cry "The lack of faith is the mark of damnation, ave imperator!.<br><br>With the Sisters safely aboard the pilot, brought the Thunderhawk out and headed with speed toward the "<em>Tranquility</em>".
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>18-06-2010, 03:07:24</strong>
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				The Blackship Tranquillity of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica made its usual rounds through its designated range of Segmentum Obscurus, stopping at world after world to collect the psyker-tithes demanded by the Imperium. Collected, checked for obvious signs of corruption by a Magos Biologis and tossed into the psy-shielded holds untill the ship was full, then back to Holy Terra, where their fate would be decided, Sanctioned Psyker, Astropath... or most commonly, a Sacrifice for the Golden Throne, that the Emperor's beacon might shine in the Warp, the Astronomican, to guide ships through the chaotic maelstrom. Psy-shielded or not, the despair of the millions of psykers that the ship had transported in the many years of its service had seeped into the dark metal, turning the ship into a den of constant soul-numbing despair. Only the most stout of normal men and women could tolerate the atmosphere to work on the ship, the turnover rate was staggering, they went through astropaths like a ork through fuel, even the naturally arrogant Navigator was consumed by melancholy. Only three groups on the ship where immune to this. The Captain, a Pariah, whos anti-presence in the warp was so potent he could kill psykers by mere proximity, a hard eyed man whos faith in the God Emperor was unassailable, and had captained the Tranquillity for decades. The Sisters of Silence, who as 'blanks', possessed a warp anti-presence all their own, not nearly as powerful as that of a Pariah, was still enough to protect them from everything from psychic assault to the ship's despairing echos, as well as shut down any nearby psykers, which made it significantly easier to manage their often unwilling human cargo. The last was a Inquisitor who tagged along to flag worlds as 'needing investigation' and while a psyker himself, was protected by sheer force of will and devotion to his duty.<br><br>The Tranquillity had just completed a tense circuit of the worlds near a large Warp Storm, and was now travelling to relatively safer neighbouring regions of space. As such, there was a general relaxing of&nbsp; discipline, after moths of maintaining a tense state of hyper-readyness... it was needed. Unfortunately, this was when Chaos decided to strike. Just as the Blackship transitioned into the Warp, on the outskirts of the last system, a sudden explosion rocked the Tranquility, rattling its hull like a metal sheet flapping in the wind, the sound quickly followed by scratching at the outer hull and unnatural screams echoing through the dark halls. The Gellar Field had failed, and the Warp seeped into the ship, bringing with it madness, and Daemons. Fighting broke out instantly between the Psykers, may of whom where instantly possessed, and loyalist forces across the ship. That was when things started going down hell. <br><br>That was four hours ago, to Kellius's reckoning, one of the Sisters of Silence, Kellius Avorn, was a Assault Sister, she wore heavier armour and was armed for melee, a powerfist and a powersword, her crimson hair pulled back into a ponytail revealing the red Aquila tattooed on her forehead, and highlighting her sharp blue eyes. She had been praying in the shrine that herself and her sisters maintained for their own private use, the Golden alter at its center holding the weapon of the very first sister of silence to die in service of this ship, a relic combi bolter-flamer, along with the usual Imperial iconography. When the field failed, one of the initial daemonic incursions struck not far from the shrine, and Kelli had been forced back, cult off from the rest of the ship, she resolved herself to protect the shrine, or die trying. Fortunately, the shrine was located at the end of a long, narrow hallway, and being a Blank, the Daemons could not turn their powers against her. Picking up the golden relic weapon with apologetic reverence, she slammed home a magazine and fuel canister, and defended the shrine. All said, she had been lucky, dealing primarily with insane khornite Daemons intent on charging forward, and not any kind of tactics, from what she heard over the vox, there were other, more sane, or at leased tactically minded Daemons causing problems elsewhere, freeing the possessed psykers who had been unable to free themselves and handing them the means to strike back at the foolish mortals. Kell ground her teeth in outrage, but there was nothing she could do, the shrine was far away from the holds, the ship was lost... now it was just a matter of selling her life where she could do the most good, and that was protecting the sanctity of their shrine. With bolt and fire she cut down all who came before her, filling the corridor with charred warp residue and bits of bodies, but the small ammo store in the shrine was not bottomeless, and after two hours of constant battle she ran out of bolts, a hour after that, fuel. Letting the relic weapon dangle at her waist by its golden chain, she drew her blessed Powersword with her right hand, and activated the blessed Powerfist which enclosed her left, then stepped out into the corridor, the possessed Psykers and daemons roared at the sight of her, clad in golden armour, emblazoned with the starburst-eye on a imperial I symbol of the Telepathica on one shoulder, and spikes studding the other shoulder, cloth votive scroll dangling down her front, stitched with prayers and Imperial symbols, the front of her faceplate etched with a Aquila. They charged once again, finally able to close into melee, trusting their dark lords and sheer weight of numbers to bear her down. But with her sword reaping through their insubstantial forms, and her fist to end any who managed to get inside her guard, they quickly discovered that their faith was misplaced, especially when she started using her jumpjets as weapons, flash burning any coward who dared to try for her back.<br><br>All that said, she trained Hard, for her entire life, she was a specimen of physical perfection, wearing the very best power armour available to mere humans... but even she was tiring after hours of almost non-stop battle... it wont be long now.... but all of a sudden, the ship shuddered, and Kell recognized the transition to real space, the Daemons vanished, and the possessed psykers withdrew. Kell cautiously stepped out of the shrine, wary of ambush, but she beheld not a soul, turning, she headed towards the bridge.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>20-06-2010, 18:33:39</strong>
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				The pilot brought the Thunderhawk in slowly, scanning the ship as he approached. Over the vox he relayed what they found.&nbsp; Atmosphere, some life signs in various parts of the ship, signs of combat.<br><br>Each Sister said a prayer as the craft made it's final approach.&nbsp; As soon as the ship's landing geared found a surface, the Sister's were already stepping off the ramp at the rear.<br><br>"Sister's, auspex has shown various life signs and other.. unusual readings.&nbsp; We make for the bridge".&nbsp; Nariah's Eviscerator spun slowly in her hands as the squad made for the large bulk head door.<br><br>It took no time at all to witness the carnage that had taken place about the fellow Black Ship.&nbsp; Spent ammunition, discarded weapons and bodies littered the confines of this ship.&nbsp; The squad moved quickly.&nbsp; Only lingering over the body of various ship's crew.&nbsp; Checking of identification markers and relaying there findings back to The Eternal Vigil.<br><br>"Sister Superior, I am detecting movement up a head".&nbsp; Without a further word, weapons were activated and the group moved into a well disciplined formation.&nbsp; A lone man walked slowly through the ship, bleeding from a open wound stood there open mouthed as the Sister's approached.<br><br>Nariah advanced on the man as her squad fanned out around here.&nbsp; Scanning the darkness around them. "Who are you, what happened here!".&nbsp; The man just stood and started to laugh, his hands outstretched began to speak silently to himself.&nbsp; Within a heartbeat his head was severed from his shoulders without a further question asked.&nbsp; "Psyker! We make for the bridge with all haste".<br><br>As the Sister's approached the command deck, the scenes of carnage became ever more brutal.&nbsp; The evidence of the battle that took place, more surreal.&nbsp; "Sister Neriah, this marking here.. these wounds are not caused by regular weapons".&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Such was the faith of any Sister than even with such wanton destruction all around them, merely assessed the situation and pushed on.&nbsp; Upon reaching the bridge, the scene was strangely surreal.&nbsp; The dimensions of the ship seemed all wrong! What was once polished metal,rotted and oozed.&nbsp; The Tranquility was tainted.<br><br>"Captain Androven, we have reached the bridge".&nbsp; The hiss of static was the only reply.&nbsp; "Captain Androven, please acknowledge".&nbsp; Frustrated, the Sister Superior tried to raise the waiting Thunderhawk, and received a reply.<br><br>"This is Thunderha...even..being ..enga..".&nbsp; Thing's seemed to be spinning out of control quickly.&nbsp; Such a ship was a prize in itself but it was clear this shipped was cursed.&nbsp; &nbsp; Spinning around, she pointed to various squad members and issued her orders.<br><br>Although the decision to scuttle a fellow Black ship was a difficult one, the situation left no choice. As this Sister's rushed to secure the recent transmissions and ship's logs, Nariah made for the main console.<br><br>"Make haste my Sister's, this ship will soon burn bright and consume all within."<br><br>A metallic voice confirmed the self destruct initiation sequence.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>20-06-2010, 21:34:55</strong>
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				Kell was far less fortunate than the interlopers, it wasnt long at all before she was knee-deep in psykers again, a small group had formed around one of the remaining possessed, and she had been forced to fight her way through them. Their warp magics fizzled and died as she closed in, and her power sword reaped a hefty toll among them, but her target was the possessed one, his flesh warping and twisting, the human form inable to contain the beast which now rode it. Even without his powers, the daemonhost was a formidable foe, his warp-saturated body providing resistance even to the disintegrating energy field of her sword, and their was little doubt in her mind that his talons, which grew larger by the minute, would rend her armour if he could get a good strike in. Fortunately, Kell was highly trained in hand-to-hand, while the daemon was not. Eventually she managed to hack off one of its arms, her sword swept around, deflecting a strike from its remaining arm a hair-breadth from her head, its talons clipped the band that held her red hair up in a high ponytail, freeing it to fall naturally around her shoulders, partially obscuring the red aquila tattooed on her forehead, above her brow and below her hairline. Inside the Daemonhost's guard, her powerfist came around and up, crackling with energy, it slammed into the things twisted face, and the energy field discharged with a thunderclap of sound, splattering its skull over a kilometre of of corridor. The possessed psykers body remained upright, twitching as the daemon tried to hold the failing flesh to its semblance of life, but it failed, and the dead daemonhost toppled, Kell hacked it to pieces just to make sure, only the aura of her anti-presence prevented the daemon from healing the flesh, so she had to make sure there was no way it could repair its self once she was gone.<br><br>The rogue psykers had scattered on the fall of their daemonic leader, the largest group running up the corridor, in the direction of the bridge. Kell smiled grimly and set off after then, silently thanking the emperor for giving her the opportunity to kill more of them, while still going in the direction she was heading.<br><br><hr><br>A mob of several dozen psykers poured into the <em>Tranquillity</em>'s bridge just as the Sororitas completed their tasks. Not attacking, but fleeing, the mob ground to a halt at the sight of the Sisters of Battle, well outside the range of their flamers and shared confused looks, the Sisters of Silence didnt wear black armour. One of them shrieked and thrust his hands out, sending lightning crackling through the bridge. It wasnt aimed, but it did thoroughly ruin the consoles, making it impossible to stop the self destruct. The psyker shared a nasty look with his fellows, and they began to advance, their powers building to assault the Sisters. Suddenly the scream of jet engines roared through the massive bridge, a bloodsoaked, golden armoured figure soared through the air, and slammed down amidst the psykers crushing one underfoot, and flooring many more, her gleaming blade slew, and more were roasted by the backwash of her idling jump pack. They scattered, a great deal charging towards the Sororitas... but now they were powerless, panic caused proximity of their implacable pursuer, and her damping effect rendered them effectively harmless to the power armoured and heavily armed Sisters.<br><br>Once they were dispatched, Kell sheathed her sword, and ran her hand back through her hair, pushing it back to show the red eagle tattoo on her forehead, the Aquila was nearly identical to those that adorned the Sororitas armour. Her expression was happy, but quizzical, she started making handsigns, but quickly realized that the others couldnt understand her. Frowning, she switched to Imperial Battlesign, a simple and basic sign language used by basically every military order in the Imperium, including the Sororitas, but all of her gestures where just a alittle off, giving her a kind of yee olde 'accent'. Her hands flashed, “<em>Who? How? Unexpected Support. Thank you. Ave Imperator.</em>”. She looked around at the shattered bridge, her expression mournful, then her hands flashed again; “<em>Belay that. Position Insecure. Tactical Withdrawal?</em>”
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>20-06-2010, 22:13:13</strong>
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				The timer had been set, the data collected.&nbsp; It was time to depart this forsaken ship.&nbsp; Sister's shouldered weapons, check clips and prepared to move.&nbsp; "My Sister's, we return to the waiting Thunderhawk, all of the..".&nbsp; Suddenly the bridge was alive with moving bodies.&nbsp; A shriek sent the Sister's into a defensive stance.&nbsp; Diving for cover, each brought there weapons to bear.&nbsp; Willing the attackers to come closer.<br><br>What happened was next was a blur, a figure clad in golden armor descended on the attacking mob and tore them apart.&nbsp; The image caused more than one Sister to lower her head and mutter a small prayer.&nbsp; Such a sight!<br><br>Standing slowly, Nariah moved out of cover.&nbsp; No order was needed to lower weapons, the Sister's stood looking silently at the golden saviour.&nbsp; Each of her squad would have shared a look of profound confusion had there helms not been firmly in place.&nbsp; "Nariah, we cannot linger", Eva came forward and stood to her Superior's side.&nbsp; "What do you make of her?".<br><br>Frowning, she turned slowly to her fellow Sister and nodded.&nbsp; Eva shouldered her own weapon and received the prized Eviscerator.&nbsp; In a sign of good will Nariah's hands went to her own helm, clicking it to one side before removing it completely. Holding it in the crook of her arm, it took a moment or two to adjust to the new environment.<br><br>She watched as the woman tried one form of communication which was totally alien to her and shook her slowly, failing to understand.<br><br>Now the language changed to something almost everyone who served the Imperium understood.&nbsp; Inclining her head to one side slightly, smiled as each of her squad responded "Ave Imperator!".<br><br>Lifting her hand she silenced her squad and spoke quickly.&nbsp; "Stranger, I am Nariah.&nbsp; Sister Superior of this squad.&nbsp; We thank you for assistance".&nbsp; She paused for a moment wondering if the woman understood but remembered Eva's warning, time was against them.<br><br>"Let me cut to the chase.&nbsp; This ship is set to self destruct and those Psyker's have sealed the ships doom.&nbsp; The sequence cannot be undone.&nbsp; &nbsp;We must depart, now."&nbsp; No sooner had she spoke the words than the ship confirmed them.&nbsp; A siren sounded reminding all of the imminent end of the <em>Tranquility</em>.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>21-06-2010, 18:34:57</strong>
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				Kell nodded solemnly, stoically accepting the necessity to destroy her home, the psykers and warp taint had to be destroyed, and better the once proud Black Ship go with them, rather than become a tool of Chaos. She turned and gestured for the strange group to follow her as she made a hasty exit, they were fellow Imperials, that was for certain... but she had never heard of such a group, all female, like her own Order, and users of rare and valuable power armour, so they were no common troops, but they werent blanks, nor did they hold to the <em>Vow of Tranquillity</em> that bound her order to silence. As much as she travelled, surely she would have heard something.<br><br>A mystery, but one she would peruse when she wasn't standing in a ship about to explode.<br><br>The Sister of Silence lead the Sororitas through the ship, which while identical in layout to their own, probably had its own quirks that someone who had lived in the ship might know about. It wasnt long before she lead them off in a different direction from the way they had came in. A few turns later, they ended up in a storage room, a dead end, but there was something different, the floor was much lower than it should have been. Kell drew her powersword and pressed it into the floor, cutting a neat circle through the floor, which promptly fell through, opening a quick path to the deck below. If one of the sisters happened to take a good look at the edges of the hole, they would notice that the meter-thick armour plating that separated one deck from another for safety had been removed to add more storage space... the Mechanicus would have screamed bloody murder if they ever found out, modification was practically blasphemous as far as they were concerned. <br><br>From there she lead the group to a elevator shaft, which, like all the others, was not functioning, in this case, the Servitor had literally be ripped from its socket and partially eaten. On the way up, the sororitas had been forced to navigate a massive maze of ladders, stairs and ramps to get from the docking bay in the lower part of the ship, and the bridge at the very top, climbing up a elevator shaft in a hostile environment would have been idiotic, but descending one would save them alot of time now. Kell smashed the doors clean off their tracks with her powerfist, then reached in and grabbed one of the steel cables, she handed it to Nariah, before hopping off the edge, after a few seconds the sound of her jumppack screaming as it slowed her decent echoed up the shaft.<br><br>At the bottom, Kell gave Nariah a sour look and held up her powerfist, the power field that gave it its terrifying impact flickered and sputtered before dying, her hand flicked “<em>Overused. Slow Recharge. Power Cells Empty.</em>”. She gave the heavy metal doors that blocked their way out a look, then pointed to the Sister Superior's Eviscerator, the edges of a grin showing around her face-plate. “<em>Extraction Point Near.</em>”. They were now on the same level as the docking bay, and the Sororitas would certainly recognize the area, and the rest of the way to the docking bay.<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>23-06-2010, 20:45:18</strong>
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				With a slight shake of her head, she took a step back as two of her squad came forward.&nbsp; Placing a small group of melta bombs around the base of the door.&nbsp; Nariah began to move away from the door, her squad doing the same.&nbsp; "Friend, I suggest you take a step back".<br><br>Each Sister stood with her back to the door and kept her eyes shielded.&nbsp; Soon enough the dark corridor was filled with a bright light, a brief heat and the smell of molten metal.&nbsp; Satisfied, Nariah led her squad through the ruined doorway.<br><br>Distortion flowed through the Vox as the pilot of the waiting Thunderhawk tried desperately to get anyone to listen.&nbsp; "This is ..underhawk 9, requiring assi..ance.&nbsp; Unknown.. have stormed the landing deck, say again.."&nbsp; Nariah looked momentarily alarmed.&nbsp; That waiting craft was the only way off this doomed vessel.&nbsp; They could not allow it or it's pilot to perish.<br><br>Sister Eva took point, her flamer created a glow of light as the squad move with speed to the waiting ship.&nbsp; "Stranger, you need to tell me more about what happened here, what threat do we face?"&nbsp; No sooner was the question asked than the answer was given, stepping out from the darkness another crazed pysker ran at the band screaming about the horror.&nbsp; Soon his body was torch as Sister Eva covered him in fire.&nbsp; Still the man advanced, his words lost over the crackling of the fire.&nbsp; <br><br>"We don't have time for this!".&nbsp; Nariah stepped forward, her Eviscerator raised.&nbsp; Cleaving the body in two straight down the middle.&nbsp; Such as act didn't even warrant notice, the squad pressed on until at last reached Thunderhawk.."<br><br>"Holy Terra!".<br><br>The entire deck was littered with flesh and debris, but that was not what held the Nariah's attention.&nbsp; "Warp spawn, demon filth" spat Eva.&nbsp; Rushing to the aid of the struggling ship, the Sister's left forth an almighty scream as flamer's spat forth the Emperor's fury.<br><br>"Purge the unclean, ave Imperator!".
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>29-06-2010, 21:40:10</strong>
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				Kell did so, stepping away from the charges as the door was blasted open and the group spilled into the corridor. Running along side the Sister Superior, she tried to answer as best she could, but Battlemark was not meant for eloquent conversation, “<em>Ship. Lost In Transit. Cargo. Tainted. Archenemy Presence Sighted.</em>”. She hesitated, eyeing her companions for a moment, before adding “<em>Possible Contact. Daemonhost.</em>”, then gestured to herself, and made a sign that Nariah did not know, a frown crossing Kell's features as she realized that they did not know the sign for 'Sister of Silence'. Her expression troubled, she tried a different tact, gesturing to herself again, “<em>Blank.</em>”, then added; “<em>Psyker. Not Combat Effective. Short-Range. Stay Close.</em>”.<br><br>As the group charged into the flight deck, battlecries roaring, Kelly followed, silent as death. Staying towards the center, and eschewing the use of her jumppack in order to stay with the group, protecting them from the predations of the psykers. Wearing rags, and armed with little more than improvised shanks, now stripped of their powers, they were little threat, and Kelly lowered her shoulder as she charged, a half ton of armour slamming into the first psyker with enough force to cave in his chest, and knock him back into his fellows, her sword flickering free of its scabbard with a hum of energy as it bisected a row of psykers facing her.<br><br>While they were weak, they were many.. nearly all the surviving psykers had come seeking their one chance of escape, the large mob was between the group and the Thunderhawk, those in the fore were being held at bay by the ship's side mounted bolters, but since they were still in possession of their powers, this wasn't as effective suppressing fire as it might have been, and psychic power lashed the transport, burning away the devotional scrolls affixed to its side, scoring the paint, and buckling the hull, as the mob tried to force their way inside.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>09-07-2010, 19:16:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The pilot was using every inch of his skill to keep them away from the craft, but without aid he would surely fail.&nbsp; The noise of the Eviscerator increased from a purr to a growl as Nariah read the battle sign.&nbsp; Relaying the message across the Vox to the rest of her squad "Sister's, stick close to the stranger".<br><br>Two of her squad threw out smoke grenades to either side.&nbsp; Hoping to distract the mob and mask there advance toward the waiting Thunderhawk.&nbsp; As Kell advanced, the Psykers began to panic.&nbsp; The realization that the skills upon which the depended were made useless by her presence.&nbsp; Desperation ensued as they picked up whatever they could find and threw themselves at the advancing warriors of the Emperor.<br><br>No hesitation, no mercy.&nbsp; The first two fell to the ground in a smoking mass of melted flesh.&nbsp; A fellow Sister's flamer scorching away there impurity.&nbsp; The scene was horrific.&nbsp; Not only did the desperate masses attempt to attack the squad, but such was the need to abandon this derelict that they turned on one another!<br><br>All around them the scenes of battle could be scene.&nbsp; "Sister's, push forward.&nbsp; Move with haste!".&nbsp; Keeping the weapons pointed out they began to shoulder, hack and burn there way through any resistance.&nbsp; Then it started to go wrong.&nbsp; Sister Eva had tripped and fallen behind.&nbsp; Attempting to get back up, the psychic forces assaulted her.<br><br>Falling to her knee's,she started clawing desperately at her armor.&nbsp; As if trying to peel it off. The screams of horror and dispair were something Nariah would never forget.&nbsp; The squad paused, transfixed at the doomed ally.&nbsp; Eva's screams for release put Nariah on edge.&nbsp; <br><br>"Forgive me Sister, I do what I must".&nbsp; Eva's helm had been discarded.&nbsp; Her face, covered in bloodied scratches.&nbsp; "May the Emperor protect you my Sister, may you find peace".&nbsp; Each of the surviving squad mates could be heard muttering a prayer.&nbsp; Nodding in acknowledgement of what Nariah intended to do.<br><br>One shot was all it took.&nbsp; The click, flash and bang as the round left the bolt pistol was met with an unsettling silence as the corpse of Eva slumped to the side.&nbsp; Such a wretched end.<br><br>"We will not leave her here! Judith, Magdalene.&nbsp; Shoulder your weapons we must.."<br><br>The words were caught short, something was happening..
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>11-07-2010, 20:07:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kell's face twisted, looking as if she had seen something foul. Being a Sister of Silence, she was not used to her companions dying in such a manner, the Sisters of Silence being proof against psykers. A deadly glare came to her eyes and she turned around, to stay with the others as they moved to retrieve their fallen comrade. A cultist came at her with a chiv, apparently insane enough to go after the gold armoured Sister, she causally caught his wrist, crushing it in her deactivated powerfist, before cleaving him head to groin with her powersword. The distraction turned her attention away from the fallen ally... which let her perception spread out, enough to catch the same hint of wrongness that Nariah had sensed instinctively. To Kell though, it was a large psychic aberration, and one she had felt before...<br><br>Turning away from the shuttle, towards the fallen sister, and the entrance from which they came, she saw a massive figure duck in through the door, it was huge, but so thickly muscled as if to appear wide, wearing only a tattered pair of pants, mountain of muscle's skin was a deep crimson, and its horned head twisted into a cruel parody of human features, it carried a massive blood-soaked piece of support beam. A Daemon Host.<br><br>Kell stepped up beside Nariah, the fallen Sister was about half way between them and the Daemonhost, who was swatting the psykers aside like rag dolls in his haste to get at the ship, or maybe at the Sisters who might offer some proper battle. There were only two options, fight the monster and recover their fallen comrade, risking further death, and the well being of their escape route; or avoid sacrificing more lives on this fools errand by heading to the thunderhawk to run away... and abandoning the fallen. Kell stood at the Sister Superior's side, ready for her decision, whatever it was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>13-07-2010, 23:01:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The precious little time they had was fast running out.&nbsp; Her command suddenly weighed down on her.&nbsp; Each moment, every hesitation only made matters worse.&nbsp; &nbsp;Still, Nariah knew she had only one real option.<br><br>"Sister's we can not linger, make for the Thunderhawk with all speed!".&nbsp; Although she knew her Sister's would never doubt, never question her orders.&nbsp; The thought of leaving one of her longest serving squad mates behind crushed Nariah.<br><br>Weapons fired, grenades exploded and the screams were endless.&nbsp; Each squad mate shouted holy words at the Demon as they made there withdrawl.&nbsp; Oh to end such a creature! To rend it's head from it's shoulders and cast down that smug look.&nbsp; Sister Superior Nariah of the Ebon Chalice came close to cursing, such was the frustration at the situation.<br><br>Looking round she saw the silent stranger end the life of yet another pitiful Psyker.&nbsp; Turning to Kell, she looked at the woman.&nbsp; Thankful for the seclusion of her helm, a single tear ran down her cheek.&nbsp; "Silent Sister, we are leaving.&nbsp; Make for the Thunderhawk, now".<br><br>Boots clattered up the landing ramp as the twin engines screamed to life.&nbsp; One foot on the ramp, Nariah turned to face the advancing abomination.&nbsp; "We honour the fallen with the death of you are your kind foul kind, demon!".<br><br>Nariah had barely made it inside when the craft lurched into the air, spinning round.&nbsp; With a force that knocked her against a bulkhead. Shaking her head to clear it, she went forward to check on the pilot. No sooner had the Thunderhawk left the stricken Black Ship than the explosions started to rupture it's surface.&nbsp; Within seconds the <em>Tranquility</em> was nothing but a blinding white light.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>15-07-2010, 00:21:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kell followed the orders, retreating with the Sisters of Battle to the thunderhawk, her jetback whining down as she cut power to it, only to look around dejectedly as she realized her bulky armoured form could not fit into the harnesses, which had been adjusted for Sororitas-pattern power armour. Silently praying for the Emperors guidance, she activated the maglock on her boots, and slipped her bulky left hand through a rung on the ceiling, Nariah arriving moments later after telling off the daemonhost. As the craft lifted off the deck,&nbsp; it spun rapidly towards the exit, throwing the insecure Sister Superior around, Kell reached out with her right hand, catching the other woman around the waist and saving her from a embarrassing meeting of helm and bulkhead. Kell pulled her close and held her there, since both her hands were busy, she only shook her head if the Superior tried to disengage, after a long moment the shockwave from the breached warp-core of the doomed Blackship swept over them, rattling the small Thunderhawk around and sending it tumbling through space.&nbsp; Before long the pilot regained control and brought the ship back into level flight, towards the dark shape of the Sister's home.<br><br>The turbulence over, Kell released her grip on Nariah, and reached up with her now-free hand to&nbsp; remove her faceplate, which covered the lower part of her face, up to her cheeks and nose. She gave the commander a smile and a slight bow of respect, and watched as the woman trundled off to check on the pilot. Kell half turned and looked out the window mournfully at the fading glow of the explosion, the end of her home.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>15-07-2010, 00:52:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Being held by the stranger was oddly comforting.&nbsp; The embrace only lasted a couple of seconds but in that time Nariah felt slightly lighter than she had done in a while.&nbsp; Nodding her thanks, she removed herself from Kell's grip and moved toward the cockpit.<br><br>Nariah half heard the pilots tale.&nbsp; Shielding her eyes as for a brief moment, the bright light illuminated the Thunderhawk.&nbsp; It should not have been like that.&nbsp; She should have fought, slain the demon host and recovered the body of Sister Eva.<br><br>She stood watching as the <em>The Eternal Vigil</em> appeared out of the darkness.&nbsp; It's running lights guiding there battered craft home.&nbsp; Her feet braced in the cockpit's doorway.&nbsp; &nbsp;So they had returned with the same number as they had left.&nbsp; Just not the same faces.&nbsp; Various members of her squad sported various wounds, two would need attention of the medicae.<br><br>Her ship was suspicious.&nbsp; Captain Androven had the guns of the <em>The Eternal Vigil</em> tracking there approach.&nbsp; The pilot was doing his best to put the Captain at ease.&nbsp; Frustration grew and she could not help but interrupt "Captain Androven, you will allow us to board and I will explain everything to you fully.&nbsp; We have wounded aboard that, do NOT delay us".<br><br>The young pilot was mortified.&nbsp; Such a breach of etiquette went against Imperial Regulations.&nbsp; Still, it had paid off.&nbsp; The Thunderhawk received it's docking clearance.<br><br>Sirens blared as the craft touched down.&nbsp; As soon as the landing ramp was down members of the Hospitallar Order rushed about and bustled around the injured Sisters.&nbsp; They needed no order, nor direction.&nbsp; Within moment the wounded were being taken at speed to the ships medical bay.<br><br>An adjutant walked forward and cleared her throat.&nbsp; "Sister Superior Nariah, Captain Androven wishes to speak with you".&nbsp; Her weapon was held over one shoulder and clearly made the young woman nervous.&nbsp; Her eyes constantly darting from her face back to the silent weapon.<br><br>"Tell the good Captain I will be with him shortly, I wish to remove my battle armor and see to our guest".&nbsp; Nariah nodded in the direction of the silent sister.<br><br>Watching the woman depart, she spoke a few words to her squad before turning to leave.&nbsp; "Silent Sister, I think you should come with me.&nbsp; We.. we need to find a translator".
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>19-07-2010, 18:59:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kell followed the Sisters as they exited the small craft into the larger bay of the Blackship, where she stood slightly off to the side, unsure of what to do in this place that was both so strange and utterly familiar to her, most of the younger sisters Hospitaller avoided her, hands straying towards arms whenever they passed too close. The sole exception was a grizzled old woman who was in charge of the medical team, after having the others hustled off the infirmary she came over and looked Kell up and down before lifting up a medical auspex scanner, and glaring as if daring Kell to complain, when no protect was forth coming the woman stepped close and gave starting giving the Sister of Silence a very thorough once-over, looking for plagues, mutations, and god knows what else. When she was satisfied that Kell wasnt somehow tainted she smiled, nodded, and walked away, leaving no doubt to fill out some report of her own.<br><br>Kell sighed, unable to keep a note of relief from the sound, sure, she knew intellectually that blanks were immune to the perils of the warp... but after getting lost there she had begun to worry. When Nariah approached and directed her to follow, Kell did so with a nod, happy for the distraction. Though she too would appreciate the use of a translator, she wondered if there would be anyone around who knew Thoughtmark, it her own time it was a secret language, for some random scholar, even one who studied languages, to know it would be most perturbing, and she would have to ask them where they learned it. Of course, she was not yet aware of the magnitude of time that had past since she last stood in real-space, and the changes that time had wrought.<br><br>In the same vein, she could not help but wonder what was going on. This was a Blackship, of that she was sure, she had seen it from the outside, and even if she hadnt, the corridors were like coming home, so similar to her <em>Tranquility</em>... and yet... it was manned by this strange order of battle sisters, power armoured, and heavily armed, but they were not blanks, and yet they seemed to perform the same task her own order did. Which begged the question, why? Why was this ship not manned by the Sisters of Silence? <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MissMeep</strong> on <strong>27-07-2010, 18:20:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was days like this one that Nariah often lamenting the command she had.&nbsp; Things now seemed so much more simple when she was just a Sister of Battle.&nbsp; When she was told what she had to do, what she had to secure or who just had to burn.&nbsp; &nbsp; Over and over again, the last moments of Eva played inside her mind.&nbsp; Though she knew nothing could have been done to save her, she still carried the guilt.&nbsp; <br><br>Walking through the many corridors of this vast ship,&nbsp; she momentarily resented the new arrival.&nbsp; This bitterness lead to a much darker chain of thoughts. Would the Emperor truly find the soul of her fallen comrade? Would he really watch over her? She had certainly earned, she had never once wavered in her convictions.<br><br>Shaking her heads in attempt to clear the heretical thoughts, she turned to Kell. “Stranger, there is something you should know.&nbsp; Time has..” Nariah paused, thinking how ludicrous the words sounded.&nbsp; Time has moved on? It has been a thousand years or more since her ship was lost in the void? <br><br>Looking at Kell, she could only imagine the thoughts that must be going through her head.&nbsp; This ship, so similar and yet so different.&nbsp; Her Sisters, similar and yet remarkably different.&nbsp; Speaking, wearing power armour.<br><br>Nariah attempted to continue as they made there way through the ship.&nbsp; “well.. It has moved on Kell, you have been lost in the void for a centuries!”.&nbsp; Shaking her head again.<br><br>Entering the vast sanctum of the Order Dialogous, looking around slowly.&nbsp; Even though her command gave her unlimited access to the ship, such an area commanded respect, she would not dare tread casually through such place.&nbsp; Thankfully they didn't have to wait long.&nbsp; An older female approached, with a look of impatience of her face “Sister Superior, what do you need?”.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>A brief conversation followed in which Nariah explained the basic predicament. “Sister, you heard me.&nbsp; This woman will not speak, we need someone fluent in Thoughtmark”.&nbsp; Nariah knew what would come next and held up her hand to stop the woman getting in her well practiced words “Just find me someone that can translate it Sister, now!”.<br><br>The brief flare of emotion was unusual for Nariah, but the days events had really taken it's toll.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Tale of Two Sisters.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ChaoticSky</strong> on <strong>11-08-2010, 16:54:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The older sister did not return, in her place came a middle-aged sister in a robe, a set of spectacles on her nose and shelf of dataslates in a satchel under one arm, her head was shaved riddled with purity tattoos and brands, and her blue eyes bright. She nodded respectfully to Nariah, but could not take her eyes off Kell. Her voice was soft and sagely, sounding much older than her appearance would suggest, “Hello Sister Superior, my name is Helena, most of the sisters here specialize in a couple languages each, I am charged by the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition with learning xenos script and tongues.... to facilitate this I was infected with a Mem-Virus, which altered my memory pathways to create eidetic memory, perfect recall and so on. The downside is that I am addicted to learning new things, great or small. If not ill go insane.” she remarked with a smirk, “To feed my needs ive taken to the study of dead languages, among other things, Thoughmark is among them.” her gaze swung back to Kell, “You I assume are the reason, a Sister of Silence, i recognize the insignias and style, very well, sign and i shall translate... but you owe me some stories later” She told Kell, her eyes sparkling at the prospect of the information she might get out of the ancient Sister of Silence.<br><br>Kell nodded to the request and started flashing her hands dexterously through the complex gestures of Thoughtmark, the translator speaking a moment after each gesture had passed, “She says; My name is Kell, of the Sisters of Silence, based on the emperor's fortress on Luna, my squad was assigned to the Blackship <em>Tranquillity</em>, charged with enforcing the Emperor's edict against uncontrolled psykers, and collecting the pysker-tithe from those worlds the Great Crusade has brought to the Imperial fold. My.... sisters are dead. Our Gellar Field failed, and the ship went awry in the warp, lost, the mundane crew died swiftly... the psykers suffered a different fate, and my sisters were unprepared, but fought to the last... i survived by virtue of a strategic location, our chapel, and being armed and armoured, as is proper when performing ones devotions. I... gather that some time has passed... How long has it been? I should probably contact Luna as soon as possible, to report in. Does the Emperor still lead the Great Crusade? Or has he handed it off to Horus, as the rumours said he planned to?” a thought seemed to strike her, “Is the Crusade even still going on? Have we reclaimed the galaxy? Or do the Legions still burn across the stars? And on a similar thought... i do not know your order, who are you, Sister?” the translator finished verbalizing the signs, her only reaction to what was being said was to wince before saying Horus's name, she seemed content to let Nariah answer the questions, though from the look on her face... she did not envy the Sister Superior the task of breaking the news to Kell.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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