Could we list up the team. To refresh our memory of who's present?

TANCRED'S CADRE Haxtes Maxi Venus Azhmut GLOBUS' CADRE Jebediah Parsifal Trempan from Soldevan's team is alive and recovering, but he's been move to the Ignorance and will take no part in this assignment.

OOC to Haxtes: Do you want me to present the group with information from Soldevan (sans anything they are not cleared for)? Or did you want for this to be more of a team-building session?

OOC: Info from Soldevan you can present, then I`l do the team part after

Soldevan is not present - he has had a meeting with Haxtes prior to this. What was said there only the two of them knows. Here is Haxtes preliminary briefing: You are to proceed to the old hive world of SOLOMON. In this context 'old' means the world has been claimed and settled by the Imperium for much longer than the Calixis sector has been in existence. It is named after Solomon Haarlock, a scion of the House of Haarlock, an ancient - and now extinct - line of Rogue Traders. Solomon Haarlock was instrumental in exploring this region of space during M36 and was granted rights to settle and rule Solomon. Come the Angevin Crusade of M39 Solomon became one of two primary staging grounds (the other being Malfi) for further Imperial expansion into the Calyx Expanse (now Calixis Sector). In time Solomon would come under the purview of the Adeptus Terra - or more specifically - the Departmento Munitorum. Today only a single island is exempt from the rule of the paper-pushers of the Munitorum. The rest of the world is given over to industry and logistics - and the endless legal wrangling of the Chancellery Court (which is, in essence, the Supreme Court of the Calixis Sector - when it comes to Imperial Law). There are worlds that are older than Solomon in absolute terms of course - Scintilla for example, which has been settled since before the Great Crusade. But I digress... You are to travel to Solomon, under the guise of a Rogue Trade vessel stopping over to affect repairs and upgrades - and pick up a cargo bound for the Astartes fief of Phagir. The real reason for the visit is another one. You are to attend an auction in the HOUSE OF DUST AND ASH. Which is that one place not under Adeptus rule - an island where Rogue Trader laws applies, and where the rich and powerful come to be buried - and do business away from Imperial scrutiny. This time around its something special - an auction of the estate of the long-lost last scion of the Haarlock line, Erasmus Haarlock. He's been dead for centuries, but now the Chancellery Court has finally concluded what should be done with the remnants of his holdings and assets. Once on Solomon you are to meet up with INQUISITOR SILAS MARR. He will brief you further and make sure that you have the credentials or whatever required to gain access to the House of Dust and Ash and participate in the auction. The obvious unanswered question is: Why does the Inquisition want low-profile agents to attend and AUCTION? Maybe Haxtes know, but he's not telling.

"So lady and gents, there you have it. If you wonder or feel like asking why us - well, no need - I'll just come out and tell you plain: Soldevan needs someone expendable to go in where Imperial law takes second seat to trader law. And judging by the empty seats in this room have no fear, we are expendable. Xerza has seen fit to inform me that this Haarlock business is dangerous (looks at the empty seats and smiles a cold feral smile) and that from now on our lives may be in danger, no joke this - Xerza don't scare easy - take it to heart and be bloody careful." (Sips his amasec) "We will do this task like we do all task - follow it true until the end - ours or it. Our first task is to prepare our covers as rouge trader operatives, come up with a good story, if you don't feel up for that I'll help you. Second we need to get our gear, weapons, armor, coms in ship shape, that's Venus and Azhmut. The rest of you will work on internal security. I'd like a 100 troops for training divided in 3 shifts of 25 one shift works, one shift trains, last shift sleeps. The last 25 is to be the best, thats our drop/counter attack crew. I'll let you fine fighting men come up with a plan for that. Questions?"

Parsifal: "Not so much of a question as a comment - this line of Haarlock is the very same who brought the Light of the Emperor to Acreage. You may think of my homeworld as a primitive and dark place, but it was far worse during the Long Night. Remember that the Great Crusade never reached the Calyx Expanse - it was not until these Rogue Traders came that Acreage could step out of the shadows. From what I've read the Haarlocks surely profited...but so did my ancestors in that the Imperial Creed was brought to us."

Venus: "That does make sense - Solomon is not very far from Acregae, a few weeks real at most - even if the planet was in a primitive state and sending no transmissions it was bound to be rediscovered sooner or later. Rogue traders are good at that."

Azhmut: "I have managed to restore to working order the machine spirit of one of the ship's long-dormant minifactorums. I should be able to supply the team with items of clothing and other apparel befitting rogue trader representatives - much more easily than before." You've no clue what a 'minifactorum' might be.

Venus: "At best speed we should have nearly a week of perceived time to prepare before we arrive on Solomon."

"These 100 troops, will they be part of the R-T Jax Guiliman's own security ship crew or are they ]I[ own only?"

To Maxi: " The 75 basic securety troops will be Maiden's prime force the 25 elite troops I hope we )I( can use as suport troops in future" To Parcifal: " I have seen far darker and primitiv places than your lovely home world" To Azhmut: " Good news indeed, there is noting like a working minifactorum...." To Venus: " A week ?... have a look at my armour as soon as you can its taken a few blows latly."

Azhmut: "Venus and myself have determined that it is more efficient is all matters of structural engineering and power systems fall under my purview. My primary calling is still that of a Magos Ordinatus, but I am nevertheless more properly equipped to such tasks than she is." Venus: "That is correct. Thus we have concluded. I will concern myself primarily with logic engines and machine spirit maintenance, plus related fields."

"Ok, we'll get around 300 crew members. I'll try and keep the casualty below 1 percent and in about four week a third of those men should meet your parameters. The rest will be used as damage control crew , blockades and unarmed reserves. Do you want me to talk with the R-T?"

To Maxi: " No I'll inform him at dinner tonight, time is a factor here, we need to beef up our security, how the R-T sees it is not important now." To the tech adepts: " A most sound way to divide the work load I`m sure...and Venus I`m glad you stil remember the fields."

"Well. Jax was former chief sec aboard and probably the one who knows this vessel best. So I'll like some input from him. It would speed things up. I'll appreciate if you'll inform him that some input are wanted. But this are details we don't have to address at this moment.

Azhmut: " You armour...it has been most damaged. Fortunately it appears that elements of the xenos wargear can be utilized for repairs...there are considerable similarities...and without angering the machine spirits too much. It would need to be consecrated before you could use it - but it seems the Maiden lacks a proper preacher. I'll see what can be done. The power field should also be possible to restore to working order; I would suggest a solution where it runs of an external power pack that can be clipped to the back of your armour as needed. Just note that such a field is not exactly stealthy - conserve it for use when protection is more important than stealth. If anyone else have any requests, the Machine God would hear them."

Jebediah has one request (Thorsten is away for the weekend); would it be possible to mount the heavy stubber he's grown so fond of on some sort of suspensor-harness? Azhmut will look at it - but it is a weapon system more suited for battle than infiltrating the House of Dust and Ash, so it will be a second priority.

To Maxi: "I'll make a note of it and speak to our illustrious R-T about that Maxi." To Azhmut: "I have every confidence in your abilities, and I'm sure taht Brother Parsifal here can say a few wise words over the armour and fields." Haxtes does not care if the field is not stealty, its the none stealty firefights that drain blood out of his poor misused body. :)

Parsifal denies being an anointed priest - but his protests fall on deaf ears. He's as close are you're going to get. So Haxtes arranges for Jax to pronounce Parsifal, by the powers anointed in him by the High Lords of Terra, as the new ship's chaplain. So now he IS formally a priest...and he can't deny being an Emperor-Brother! He's even trained as a templar - even if his martial training was on the primitive (pun intended) side - it was certainly more than adequate when it came to the religious side of things. And templars are war-priests, aren't they? And you are definitely at war - all of humanity is!

You then go about your affairs - there is plenty to do during the next few days as the Maiden gets ready to leave for Solomon. Haxtes spends quite a bit of his time with Jax, Soldevan, the two Astartes officers, and other dignitaries. He has become somewhat removed from the rest of you now that the burden of command has been placed on his corded neck muscles. The Ordo Xenos (meaning the Marines) complete their assignment aboard and leave - but not before summarily executing about a score crewmen, including some of the veterans of the dark eldar attack. They also scour the place clean of xenos gear - barring whatever Azhmut and others have removed for safekeeping by the Ordo Hereticus. And exempting the xenos assault shuttle. It's still there, lodged through the main doors of the launch bay. You need to get it removed while in space-dock - so you'll just have to sit on it for now. If you want to quarrel with them - feel free - they just aren't very flexible when it comes to anything that smacks of alien contamination...

Several days later, just as the Maiden powers up her drives an makes ready to leave, Soldevan summons you all to the observation cupola. Behind him you can see the planet, crowned by the sun, the Navy and Astartes vessels clearly silhouetted. Quite the sight - and most definitely deliberate... "You have no doubt been briefed by the Explicator. And you have no doubt concluded that you are expendable. Indeed you are. We are all expendable... But there are other reasons as well. You have proven able... expandability AND ability...that is no mean combination! If you are to die, lit it be for a greater purpose...and knowing that your duty was done - not that you failed. You think I jest? Perhaps I do, but only a little. Good help is very hard to find, especially when it comes to our line of work. You've faced frightful and demoralizing things during your short careers, but you have endured - prevailed even. For that I salute you. Finally I do it because I prefer having you close, rather than having to keep looking for you...I know that both Tancred and Globus have an interest in things that have to do with the House of Haarlock. So now we get to kill several xenos with one bolt round. Go now, and may the God-Emperor watch over you and guide you true.

Maxi organize the troop trainings in four separate classes. First, Maidens old sec crew and those of the Brazen Sky. Second, Iochantos savages. Third, Lt. Rabalias platoon and some other combatants from Orlankan. Fourth other volunteers / press-ganged survivors. (You never know, who might be useful.) The idea is to quickly fill the first group with the best of the three other groups. And if someone fails in the first they fall back to the fourth group. The second and third groups is given separate training because of their different culture and technology understandings. (Ordinary this wouldn't be considered by Maxi but since speed is an essence he doesn't want to waste time because of cultural difference. (Maxi is used from A-A-Malfi to operate behind press-ganged mobs, vigile and security forces and knows how orders are handled differently.) Inputs are wanted (and needed from others) but Maxi has a fetish about using one of the top three groups in Ship inspections/razzia. (Nothing shows character like how one handles authority in Maxi's opinion.) The forth group are tested and trained as damage-control units those who excel are considered as sec-troops.

Too all agents: When dealing with outsiders on the maiden this includes crew. The following cover IS too be used: We are a team of hired guns, lead by the R_T`s younger brother Haxtes. We go as proxie for the R-T and are incharge of securety

To Haxtes:"Agreed." "But as stated earlier our reason to be at Solomon is repair and shifting cargo. Who will attend those missions? Should we risk crew vs native encounters unattended? And I'm not really familiar with R-T customs, will they accept security officers entrance to a high prize auction?

You missunderstand, I'm the brother of the R-T. I can go as him or as me as his proxy. This is to protect us, if nobody knows we are Big I they can't be made to tell that we are Big I.