WARHAMMER 40,000: ROGUE TRADER: THE CITADEL OF SKULLS (Roleplaying on the Farthest Frontiers)

"We've been doing straight attacks so long, and while each has been working..." you sigh. "We're bleeding. Lets...try...just as an idea...sneaking in?" you ask.

The others nod.

"A small party, with the teleportarium primed to yank them back, and we can set down either in the main settlement or the Citadel-" Em starts.

"NOT THE CITDAEL," Phi says, immediately. "I HAVE DETECTED A TELEPORTARIUM SCRAMBLING DEVICE ACTIVE IN THE AREA - IT IS LIKELY TELEPORTING ANYWHERE WITHIN TEN KILOMETERS OF THE CITADEL WOULD LEAD TO YOUR MOST UNFORTUNATE DEATHS."

"Then a small party in the main settlement," Em says, tapping the pict of the map. "We can paint the armor to bein Vall colors and claim anything we damn well want. I don't think many people down there would argue with three people in power armor, not if they wanted to keep their heads. We secure intelligence, then see if we can't secure the Vault from the Inside. If we plant a teleportarium beacon, then you can pull us out through the scrambler?"

"YES. THE VAULT MAY ALSO BE MOVABLE AS WELL, DEPENDING UPON ITS SIZE, CONTENTS, AND IF YOU DISABLE THE SCRAMBLER." Phi says.

"Lots of ifs. Makes it fun!" Ryia says, grinning wolfishly.

As the ships are berthed and the preperations are made for mining the entrances in and out of this orbital area and Em begins to deliver thundering threatening proclamation to the colonies as the first half of the cover, you take some time to visit Junie and Zeph. Zeph first - they had worn the battle in the safest part of the ship, and was proud as pitch with how they had helped to throw their part in, including loading lasguns and tossing spent magazines into a furnace to recharge them quicker than finding a working plug-station. You had made sure they hadn't had any nightmares.

"Not after Mom Ryia made them go away a few weeks ago," they had said, pricking your memory of Ryia looking so exhausted upon arriving in this system. You put it into the back of your mind, and tucked Zeph away, then went to Junie.

She was curled up underneath her bedsheets, and when you stood in the door, you were almost thinking she was sleeping - until you heard her sniffling. "Junie?" you ask.

"M-Mom!?" She threw her sheets back and brought her glowglobe to life, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her oversized combat jacket at the same time. Her hair is bedraggled, and she is trying to look brave and chipper, but you can see she's been crying. You hurry to her, then immediately sweep her into a hug, drawing her close. "Mom!" This time, the tone is far more Junie-ish.

"Hey, it's okay," you say, grinning. "You can talk to your old Mom about this stuff."

"N-No, it's fine! It's dumb!" She blushes, then groans as you draw her even tighter into a hug.

"I'll promise, I will stop mothering you the instant you tell me, so, really, this is all on you..."

Junie sighs, then closes her eyes. She lays against you. "I..." she pauses, then whispers. "I...just...I-I'm a coward."

You blink. "J-Junie, honey...you were on the bridge of a ship being shot up by four monitors, then led a countercharge onto an enemy and took her in an hour. That's...not...cowards do not do that kind of thing." You say, as she curls up against you.

"T-Then why do I feel bad?"

You lay slowly back on the bed, so that you can cuddle her more. She buries her face into a pillow. "T-They say...suffer not a witch to life, to burn heretics, to kill Chaos worshipers. But...I don't feel good about...I...shot people, Mom. I...just...shot them dead."

"You fought the Rak'gol?" you ask.

"N-No, I just shot the seal-lock," she says, sheepishly, then sniffles. "I just...c-can't stop thinking about some...dumb pirate who was only as old as Dad, and he had this...piece of shit snubgun and no armor and I had carapace and a boltgun and twenty men at my back and I just...shot him in the chest and he exploded." She shook her head. "W-Who else would feel bad about that but a coward?"

You sigh, softly. "No, Junie. You're not a coward for not liking to kill." You close your eyes, leaning close to breath into her hair, gently. "It says in Book of Saints, that we are fated to live in the hundred thousand year siege. That we all wish we were born in better times, where our problems weren't so overwhelming and awful. That the...task wasn't so heavy. But...as it says: You do not choose what weights you are given, you only choose the way you carry them." You laid your head back, looking up at the ceiling. "And...sometimes, the best way to carry a weight is together. We're all born in the 41st millenium - we can't choose to be born during the Age of Rebirth, or...whenever the Emperor is healed and steps from the Throne, and the galaxy can at last know peace...but we can choose how we carry the weight ahead of us. And I choose to carry it with people I love, for people who cannot."

Junie is quiet for a long time, and you pet her head, slowly. She nods, slowly.

"Your...other mother believed much the same thing, I think," you whisper.

Junie lifts her eyes, and smiles sadly, then throws her arms tighter, squeezing you. THen she pushes you back, blushing. "Thanks, Mom." Then she's back under the blankets and you stand up, smiling.

When the door closes, she's sleeping.

"We're finalizing the details on power armor," Em says as you, Ryia and him walk down the corridor of the Revenge to the teleportarium. "By only sending us three, the recharge on the backcycle will be fast enough that we should be fairly safe."

"Cool," Ryia says.

"So, you two ready for a proper away mission?" Em asks, dryly.

You beam. "Very! In fact...I had a really good idea!"

The door opens, revealing...

---
...what's your really good idea?

[ ] The Power Armor has been refitted to appear, from the outside, to look like the armor worn by the Thousand Son Sorcerers. After all, most of you are psykers and, according to your knowledge of heretics, these are the most sneaky.
[ ] The Power Armor has been refitted to appear, from the outside, to look like the armor worn by the Alpha Legion, the most mysterious and treacherous of the Traitor Legions. These guys are expected to have shown up in the most unlikely places
[ ] The Power Armor has been refitted to appear, from the outside, to be bedecked in the symbols and designs of the uniforms worn by Karad Vall's flagship, the Optimius Nemisis. With your weapons and your armor they'll have to assume you're big wigs in the Wolfpack
[ ] Write In! Tine rolled a fucking 7 on her Forbidden Lore Heresy check, you can really come up with any sneaky plan you want!