@LordNymphys I did one more update added 5,000 Prometheum, 10,000 gold and 10,000 Iridium I will try not to mess with anymore but with the added goods I felt like it need to be updated.
A 40k Rogue Trader in the Multiverse
- Thread starter LordNymphys
- Start date
- Crossover Art Quest Mature Sci-Fi
Voting is closed.
40k, Rogue Trader, Narrative
Hans, staring from the hangar bay's command balcony at the infinite procession of people and goods down below, thought he knew how Noah was feeling when he was packing the Ark, with the two main differences that the whole Noah's 300 cubits-long Ark would have comfortably fit in the hangar (would have actually been three times smaller than the Necromundan Heavy Lifters ferrying stuff to the Vaduz), and that, while Noah's was a voyage to redemption, Hans wasn't sure if their voyage was, especially after seeing the long parade of the damned, disgorged by the ferry ships, to be swallowed in the bellow of the gargantuan voidship: while the troopers seemed weary man and (few) women, but at least proud and strong, many of them uplifted from a life of patrols in the dark alleys of the hives, to the promised starry paradise of adventurous, exciting life and wealth, and while the menials, that could pass for dirty beggars in his original timeline, seemed mostly genuinely excited, the Joy girls were a sad procession of young woman, that advanced out of the ferry ships like a flock of confused and scared lambs, most of them seemed to be between 15 and 20 years old, wearing gray plastic rags emblazoned with the coat-of-arms of Necromunda's Guild of Slaves. While clean (the contract specified that the wares had to be delivered in good conditions and free of defects), the women were bearing the debilitating effects of staying in the slave pits for days, weeks, in some case months; Hans felt a pang of guilt, thinking he was profiting from them, but, after all, it wasn't like if they were going to live an happier life if they stayed in the slave pit, or if they would have been sold to some hive gang for the recreation of their members, were they? After all he was having all the crew quarters renewed, so that people could stay in bit more human conditions (in the last few days the crew quarters were teeming with plumbers, technicians and interior designers, bringing up furniture and stuff from the planet). His resolution of having done the right thing purchasing the joy girls faltered when he saw the small flock delivered by the Guild of Flesh: they walked out of the lone ferry ship that brought them in like ghosts, many if them with the gaze of a dead souls… those that could walk, given that they had all been surgically modified in what seemed to be the twisted idea of horny that the Necromundan high society seemed to have: some had extra limbs, bionic or organic, others had legs and arms surgically swapped and walked like animals, others had the wrong lips in the wrong part of their bodies. Looking at those tortured human beings, for the first time, Hans really felt those Imperial folks weren't humans, but monsters in human flesh and the former German engineer never felt so lone and so far from home.
At least all the technological marvels that were parading inside the Vaduz were providing a distraction from his situation: the Rock Grinders (ominous yet fascinating rotary machines that put to shame any excavators of his time) were fascinating, and the Aquila Landers, with their golden polished wings, were honey for his heart. He was feeling like he could have get himself lost in the technical specifications and engineering features for years; they were the wet dream of any aeronautic engineer, yet none of the Imperials seemed to really understand how they worked, not even Callidus, the enginseer the Prime Hermeticus assigned to his expedition, who, when interrogated about the heat dissipation of the Aquila's fusion reactor, started to mutter some nonsense about the Holy Breath of the Sacred Engine.
Hans was woken from his daydreaming by a beep at the periphery of his consciousness: his implants were warning him he just received an encrypted message via radio from the planetary surface. The machine spirits of the cybernetic implant notified him that the message had been scanned in a isolated environment and was devoid of malicious spirits (what a fancy way of defining antivirus scanning his email for viruses, he thought with a smile; then his smile died when he remembered the mechanicus explained him a corrupted machine spirit could do very nasty things to him, like induce his implants to electrocute him), he checked the sender and the sender seemed to be someone working for House Helmawr. Now intrigued, Hans decided to leave the Hangar and open the message from his private quarters.
Hopefully there he could find some privacy, given that, while he upgraded all the officer's quarters to a level of comfortability almost on pair with his own quarters, he decided to upgrade only a small portion of his private quarters, the audience room (that in this moment was being furnished with green polished marble and gilded six meters tall statues of jacked angels apparently called primarchs) and his main bedroom's en suite bathroom, that was being equipped with a fancy solid crystal big bathtub, some color-changing relaxing lights and a steam-room. Keeping reasonably small the upgrades to his quarters, while improving the officer's, he hoped to save some money and win the respect of his officers. He entered in his quarters and walked towards one of his six private offices. And read the message.
—————————————————
Will propose to vote on:
-dealing one specific event;
-Zimmerman's coat-of-arms;
-things we can do while we reach the systems Mandeville point;
-options for our next destination (includes other narrative universes)
At least all the technological marvels that were parading inside the Vaduz were providing a distraction from his situation: the Rock Grinders (ominous yet fascinating rotary machines that put to shame any excavators of his time) were fascinating, and the Aquila Landers, with their golden polished wings, were honey for his heart. He was feeling like he could have get himself lost in the technical specifications and engineering features for years; they were the wet dream of any aeronautic engineer, yet none of the Imperials seemed to really understand how they worked, not even Callidus, the enginseer the Prime Hermeticus assigned to his expedition, who, when interrogated about the heat dissipation of the Aquila's fusion reactor, started to mutter some nonsense about the Holy Breath of the Sacred Engine.
Hans was woken from his daydreaming by a beep at the periphery of his consciousness: his implants were warning him he just received an encrypted message via radio from the planetary surface. The machine spirits of the cybernetic implant notified him that the message had been scanned in a isolated environment and was devoid of malicious spirits (what a fancy way of defining antivirus scanning his email for viruses, he thought with a smile; then his smile died when he remembered the mechanicus explained him a corrupted machine spirit could do very nasty things to him, like induce his implants to electrocute him), he checked the sender and the sender seemed to be someone working for House Helmawr. Now intrigued, Hans decided to leave the Hangar and open the message from his private quarters.
Hopefully there he could find some privacy, given that, while he upgraded all the officer's quarters to a level of comfortability almost on pair with his own quarters, he decided to upgrade only a small portion of his private quarters, the audience room (that in this moment was being furnished with green polished marble and gilded six meters tall statues of jacked angels apparently called primarchs) and his main bedroom's en suite bathroom, that was being equipped with a fancy solid crystal big bathtub, some color-changing relaxing lights and a steam-room. Keeping reasonably small the upgrades to his quarters, while improving the officer's, he hoped to save some money and win the respect of his officers. He entered in his quarters and walked towards one of his six private offices. And read the message.
—————————————————
Will propose to vote on:
-dealing one specific event;
-Zimmerman's coat-of-arms;
-things we can do while we reach the systems Mandeville point;
-options for our next destination (includes other narrative universes)
Last edited:
Warhammer 40k , Middle Earth, Westeros
Hans, closed the door and sit on his comfortable armchair, in the small cozy studio, surrounded by bookshelves an oak working desk and a few sofas. He opened the message:
**Incoming Cybernetic Transmission**
**Source: Lord Camborlaer, First Lieutenant Commendator to the Sublime Lord Governor Gerontius Helmawr**
**To: Lord Captain Hans Zimmerman**
---
**Subject: Return of Astropath Caraa Kentobal**
Lord Captain Zimmerman,
It has come to the attention of the Sublime Lord Governor that the astropath Caraa Kentobal, who presently accompanies you, left Necromunda without formal leave. We respectfully propose her immediate return for questioning. In return, you may select any certified astropath in our service, along with 1 trillion Helmawarins—Hans quickly checked the exchange rate with his cybernetic implants*exchange rate checking...* Local necromundan script currency, 1 billion Helmawarins equals 1 Administratum Tithe Credit…*—should you find that transaction agreeable. Moreover, upon your next visit, we shall ensure your duty checks are facilitated without unnecessary delay. Of course, non-compliance could lead to less favorable outcomes.
Lord Camborlaer
First Lieutenant Commendator
In service of the Sublime Lord Governor Gerontius Helmawr
————————————————
The first vote entails how to deal with Caraa Kentobal's situation.
4 possible options:
[A] Deliver Caraa to Lord Camborlaer, but ask him to take care of it, by authorizing a small task force to enter the Vaduz.
Outcome, get the reward + other consequences.
Deliver Caraa to Lord Camborlaer, entrust your arch-militant to capture her.
Outcome, get the reward + other consequences.
[C] Refuse the request, make public the request, tell to your top officers none of them is for sale. End of the discussion. The matter is discussed no more.
Outcome, don't get the reward + other consequences.
[D] Refuse the request, keep it quiet, don't make it public. Summon Caraa to your private office, tell her about the offer you got from Lord Camborlaer, but reassure her she has your protection. Order her to tell her what's happening.
—————————————————
Second vote:
Hans Zimmerman has just been elevated to the rank of Rogue Trader, one of the highest ranks in the Imperial society.
We need a coat-of-arms and a motto.
[X] Zimmerman coat-of-arms and motto, open vote.
—————————————————
It's more than one week that we are in orbit of Necromunda, with the Vaduz, the procedure to embark goods and people is almost done. In 3 days we can start to ignite the propulsion of the Vaduz, starting the journey to the Mandeville point of the Necromunda system, where we can activate the unique warp drive of the Vaduz. The travel is 34.6 days long, in the meantime Hans can do up to 6 actions, choosing from the ones below:
[X] Dinner with all your top officers, get to know superficially your top officers in a non working contest, chance to acquire knowledge about their past;
[X] Private dinner with your void-master, get to know him personally, chance to develop a friendship, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Workshop with your void-master about ship systems, get to know better how he works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your arch-militant, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Training session with your arch-militant, get to know better how it works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your ship chaplain, get to know him personally, chance to develop a friendship, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Theology lessons with your ship chaplain, get to know better how he works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your astropath, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers; (Caraa or her replacement, depending on how the special situation was was handled)
[X] Discuss the warp with your astropath, get to know better how she works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your seneschal, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Discuss accounting and trade strategy with your seneschal, get to know better how she works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your engineseer, get to know him personally, chance to develop a friendship, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Workshop with your engineseer about ship systems, get to know better how he works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X]Handpick a new astropath (only if you accept Lord Camborlaer's offer);
[X] Get one rejuvenat treatment for yourself, effect, your biological age goes from 73 to 40, you consume one rejuvenate treatment, 99 remaining (takes 14 days);
[X] Visit the joygirls, have fun, consequences;
[X] Visit the joygirls, have fun, take {1 to 6, specify number}, as your personal slaves, consequences;
[X] Visit the joygirls, have fun, set {1 to 6, specify number} free, consequences;
[X] Visit the modified joygirls, have fun, consequences;
[X] Visit the modified joygirls, have fun, take {1 to 6, specify number}, as your personal slaves, consequences;
[X] Visit the modified joygirls, have fun, set {1 to 6, specify number} free, consequences;
[X] The Vaduz is bigger than a town, study the ship's planimetry, consequence, be able to navigate in your ship;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the argon-based propulsion of the Aquila-Lander, consequences;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the basis of artificial gravity (1/6, requires multiple actions), consequences;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the jet propulsion of the Argus Lander, consequences;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the fuselage and propulsion of the Necromunda Heavy Lifter, consequences;
[X] Study Imperial culture and history, basic knowledge of Imperial history;
[X] Train in the use of the lasgun, basic knowledge of lasguns;
[X] Learn to use the Imperial Tarot (possible only if Caraa Kentobal is still on board);
[X] Deviation to fuel production station (possible only if you had dinner with your void-master), you end up knowing that, with a two days detour you can visit a void ship fuel production station situated in the asteroid belt of the system, there you can buy Prometheum grade a and grade c with a 30% discount.
—————————————————
TIME FOR A BIG DECISION
As the Prime Hermeticum explained you, only you can interact with the unique DAoT Warp drive the Vaduz had been equipped with, thanks to the gene imprint the Chrono Machina (now locked away, due to Abominable Intelligence taint) had anointed you with. While how and why this happens is not clear to the Mechanicus, the scriptae are clear about the powers of the new drive: the pilot (you), can drive the Multiversal Warp Drive to any destination that the mind of the pilot perceives as a coherent universe, that he can Imagine in detail, as long as the destination has coherent physical laws and coherent causal laws; the more detailed the feeling the universe can solicit in the driver's soul, the easier will be to pilot the ship from the Ordinary Warp to the Mirror-Warp of the Intended target destination.
There is also an in-universe mode, so that the pilot can drive from one point to the other of the universe in which the ship is already situated. In that case is enough for the driver to have a general feeling and a general image of the target destination.
In case the destination were to be in a different universe, the more the driver's imagination and subconscious has been exposed to the imaginary destination, the more likely is for the Multiversal Warp Drive to navigate the infinite complexity of the mazed blue-cheese that the multiverse is.
Hans has made some speculations about how this may work and he is half convinced that the Multiversal Warp Drive is combining Warp Wizardry (perceiving the Warp echo about the driver's feeling when he thinks about the destination?), with some advanced Quantum Computing Technology and probably some advanced AI (better not to tell the Mechanicus), that is scanning (whatever the multiverse is made of) in search of a destination matching the target.
The the scriptae continues warning that if no destination is selected or if the destination is not clear enough the Multiversal Warp Drive will spit the ship in a random part of the universe if the travel was in-universe or in a random universe (potentially one whose physical laws are incompatible with human life).
For this reason, Hans is damn certain he wants to play safe, with some universes that had a deep echo in his unconscious and he has known for years or, potentially, to play even safer with a destination in-universe as maid voyage.
While universes like Star Trek, Star Wars or Dune have the deep resonance he is searching for, Hans also reasons that those are very high risk high rewards destinations, too bold as first destination, considering his relatively limited resources and considering his team had never worked together previously.
Hans has four possibilities in mind:
[X] IN-UNIVERSE DESTINATION, ARMAGEDDON
(This destination is possible only if Hans did the action "private dinner with the Arch-Militant"). If Hans has dinner with Caldan Fara, during the dinner, she will tell him stories of her original planet, that will remain deeply ingrained in his mind, he will also go as far as searching the archives for images and stories of the war-torn Hive World. Now Hans has a vivid image of Armageddon's ork-infested jungles, of the purulent, glowing wastelands, of the bustling industrial-powerhouse hives and of the huge battlefields.
While Armageddon may be a dangerous destination, travels in-universe have the highest probability to succeed, plus, he is sure that, given the huge industrial output of the planet and the immense needs of the Imperial Armies stationed there, there will be economic opportunities for the bold. Traveling instantaneously from one side of the Segmentum Solaris to the other in matter of weeks is also a way to prove the Administratum the usefulness of the new Drive, and, perhaps, obtain more resources for the next voyage.
[X] IN-UNIVERSE DESTINATION, EREMOS
(This destination is possible only if Hans did the action "private dinner with the Ship Chaplain"). If Hans has dinner with Gemmo Flickster, the priest will tell Hans about his native planet, Eremos. Eremos is an ancient human world in the Ultima Segmentum, not far from the border of an upstarter Xeno Empire called T'Au. Eremos is a warm planet, colonized by humans in a remote time, so remote that the native Eremosians started to slightly diverge from baseline humans, with their bronze/pink gold skin and pretty unique facial features, however, the divergence is not great enough for them to be considered abhumans and, Gemmo insists during the dinner as if it is an important point for him, the Imperial Ecchlesiarchy established once and for all in the 33rd millennium that Eremosians must be considered full-fledged humans. Eremos landmass consists of a super continent, called Gondwana and a small insular continent called Nova Irlanda, at the South Pole. Gondwana has an immense desert, that occupies 9/10 of the continent and a narrow tropical strip, separated from the desert by the steep Ravine Mountains; while Nova Irlanda is a rainy continent, with an oceanic cold climate and many sheep herds. Eremos is a civilized world, living in a technological state slightly more advanced that Hans own time. There are no real hives, but Athos, the planet's capital, a maze of gorges and mountain-sized huge stone pillars carved in multiple valleys and mountains of the Ravine Mountains, is a sprawling 100 million people metropolis. Hans has a vivid image of Gondowana's deserts and of the arabesques carved in the city of Athos, of the rainy Nova Irlanda, and of the systems twin suns, Apollo and Mitra.
Best of Gemmo's knowledge, the planet (that was brought into the imperial fold one thousand years after the great crusade) hasn't experienced invasions or any other major problems and is far from main Warp Routes, is also devoid of major environmental problems, thanks to strict population control laws, that had kept the population stable at 2 billions for the last ten thousand years.
Eremos doesn't seem like a dangerous destination and in-universe travel is the safest one. While economic opportunities are still to be validated, certainly traveling instantaneously from the Segmentum Solaris to the Segmentom Tempestuous in matter of weeks is also a way to prove the Administratum the usefulness of the new Drive, and, perhaps, obtain more resources for the next voyage.
[X] MULTIVERSE DESTINATION, ARDA
Thanks to Anna's (Hans wife) love for fantasy literature, Middle Earth is written with fire letters in Han's subconscious and imagination. If he closes his eyes he can really feel the earthy fragrance of the golden leaves of Lothlorian, he can see wrinkled tree-branches in the labyrinthine underbrush of the Old Forest, he can see the white splendor of Minas Tirith under the day-light (unsure if this comes from the books or the movies) and can feel the heat of the sulfuric plains of Mordor.
While, according to the Scriptae, Multiversal Destinations have less probability to succeed, Hans is quite confident that the image he has of Middle Earth is a clear as an image can get. Hans is certain that there are opportunities in Arda, for example Arda's magic can prove interesting to study for Imperial psychers (he guesses), Erebor has a lot of gold and mining Mithril in the ork-occupied Moria can prove extremely lucrative, given that he is going to have a monopoly on that, plus there is plenty of empty land for future colonization/ exploitation and the relationship with natives will be eased by his superior technology. However, there are some clear challenges: as a rogue trader he can do whatever he wants with Xenos out of the imperial territories, so he is not bound to exterminate elves or ents, but the relationship with them is destined to be problematic at best; the impact of imperial industry can ruin Middle Earth (maybe he can pivot more towards tourism industry and turn it into a paradise world) and, biggest worry, with all their technology: Sauron. He is not sure if the Administratum will deem finding a Feudal world as strategically relevant as fast traveling in the Imperial space (probably not), but, at least, Mithril and a new form of magic/warp power will be of some interest.
[X] MULTIVERSE DESTINATION, PLANETOS
Hans' memories of Anna and himself watching Game of Thrones show are crystal clear and he feels like he can walk Westeros and Essos at whim. However, even if the visual outlook of that world is pervasive for his mind (he can see the Red Keep, Missandei / Nathalie Emmanuel's smile, Jon Snow / Kit Harrington severe gaze, black cloak and sheared sword and he can see the towering Wall and the imposing Weird Woods) he thinks something is quite amiss in his deep connection with that world (maybe because he watched all the show but he read only one book, only once, in German translation, and the book just left him the vague impression of pearls, desert and purple silks), he is quite positive he can bring the Vaduz there, but he things it can be slightly more difficult than going to Arda.
Hans thinks that Planetos has less strategic importance than Arda, given that is basically just an human feudal world and Imperials already have hundreds of thousands of those. However, the population is bigger than Arda, as so he can trade more with locals and go in break-even. Basically the whole population is humans (except giants in the frozen north of Westeros and some pig-man in the jungles of Sothyros) and, while the White Walkers are deadly fellows, he thinks they are definitely easier to handle compared with Sauron or other weird stuff that may challenge him in Arda (Balrogs, Ungoliant, the Valar themselves?). Westeros seems more low risk low reward and maybe more fitted for the maiden voyage of the Vaduz.
—————————————————
This is an important decision, as it will influence the mid-long term direction of the events, discuss before propose voting and vote wisely.
**Incoming Cybernetic Transmission**
**Source: Lord Camborlaer, First Lieutenant Commendator to the Sublime Lord Governor Gerontius Helmawr**
**To: Lord Captain Hans Zimmerman**
---
**Subject: Return of Astropath Caraa Kentobal**
Lord Captain Zimmerman,
It has come to the attention of the Sublime Lord Governor that the astropath Caraa Kentobal, who presently accompanies you, left Necromunda without formal leave. We respectfully propose her immediate return for questioning. In return, you may select any certified astropath in our service, along with 1 trillion Helmawarins—Hans quickly checked the exchange rate with his cybernetic implants*exchange rate checking...* Local necromundan script currency, 1 billion Helmawarins equals 1 Administratum Tithe Credit…*—should you find that transaction agreeable. Moreover, upon your next visit, we shall ensure your duty checks are facilitated without unnecessary delay. Of course, non-compliance could lead to less favorable outcomes.
Lord Camborlaer
First Lieutenant Commendator
In service of the Sublime Lord Governor Gerontius Helmawr
————————————————
The first vote entails how to deal with Caraa Kentobal's situation.
4 possible options:
[A] Deliver Caraa to Lord Camborlaer, but ask him to take care of it, by authorizing a small task force to enter the Vaduz.
Outcome, get the reward + other consequences.
Deliver Caraa to Lord Camborlaer, entrust your arch-militant to capture her.
Outcome, get the reward + other consequences.
[C] Refuse the request, make public the request, tell to your top officers none of them is for sale. End of the discussion. The matter is discussed no more.
Outcome, don't get the reward + other consequences.
[D] Refuse the request, keep it quiet, don't make it public. Summon Caraa to your private office, tell her about the offer you got from Lord Camborlaer, but reassure her she has your protection. Order her to tell her what's happening.
—————————————————
Second vote:
Hans Zimmerman has just been elevated to the rank of Rogue Trader, one of the highest ranks in the Imperial society.
We need a coat-of-arms and a motto.
[X] Zimmerman coat-of-arms and motto, open vote.
—————————————————
It's more than one week that we are in orbit of Necromunda, with the Vaduz, the procedure to embark goods and people is almost done. In 3 days we can start to ignite the propulsion of the Vaduz, starting the journey to the Mandeville point of the Necromunda system, where we can activate the unique warp drive of the Vaduz. The travel is 34.6 days long, in the meantime Hans can do up to 6 actions, choosing from the ones below:
[X] Dinner with all your top officers, get to know superficially your top officers in a non working contest, chance to acquire knowledge about their past;
[X] Private dinner with your void-master, get to know him personally, chance to develop a friendship, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Workshop with your void-master about ship systems, get to know better how he works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your arch-militant, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Training session with your arch-militant, get to know better how it works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your ship chaplain, get to know him personally, chance to develop a friendship, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Theology lessons with your ship chaplain, get to know better how he works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your astropath, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers; (Caraa or her replacement, depending on how the special situation was was handled)
[X] Discuss the warp with your astropath, get to know better how she works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your seneschal, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Discuss accounting and trade strategy with your seneschal, get to know better how she works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X] Private dinner with your engineseer, get to know him personally, chance to develop a friendship, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Workshop with your engineseer about ship systems, get to know better how he works, chance to improve your teamwork;
[X]Handpick a new astropath (only if you accept Lord Camborlaer's offer);
[X] Get one rejuvenat treatment for yourself, effect, your biological age goes from 73 to 40, you consume one rejuvenate treatment, 99 remaining (takes 14 days);
[X] Visit the joygirls, have fun, consequences;
[X] Visit the joygirls, have fun, take {1 to 6, specify number}, as your personal slaves, consequences;
[X] Visit the joygirls, have fun, set {1 to 6, specify number} free, consequences;
[X] Visit the modified joygirls, have fun, consequences;
[X] Visit the modified joygirls, have fun, take {1 to 6, specify number}, as your personal slaves, consequences;
[X] Visit the modified joygirls, have fun, set {1 to 6, specify number} free, consequences;
[X] The Vaduz is bigger than a town, study the ship's planimetry, consequence, be able to navigate in your ship;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the argon-based propulsion of the Aquila-Lander, consequences;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the basis of artificial gravity (1/6, requires multiple actions), consequences;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the jet propulsion of the Argus Lander, consequences;
[X] As an aeronautic engineer, you want to know more, study the fuselage and propulsion of the Necromunda Heavy Lifter, consequences;
[X] Study Imperial culture and history, basic knowledge of Imperial history;
[X] Train in the use of the lasgun, basic knowledge of lasguns;
[X] Learn to use the Imperial Tarot (possible only if Caraa Kentobal is still on board);
[X] Deviation to fuel production station (possible only if you had dinner with your void-master), you end up knowing that, with a two days detour you can visit a void ship fuel production station situated in the asteroid belt of the system, there you can buy Prometheum grade a and grade c with a 30% discount.
—————————————————
TIME FOR A BIG DECISION
As the Prime Hermeticum explained you, only you can interact with the unique DAoT Warp drive the Vaduz had been equipped with, thanks to the gene imprint the Chrono Machina (now locked away, due to Abominable Intelligence taint) had anointed you with. While how and why this happens is not clear to the Mechanicus, the scriptae are clear about the powers of the new drive: the pilot (you), can drive the Multiversal Warp Drive to any destination that the mind of the pilot perceives as a coherent universe, that he can Imagine in detail, as long as the destination has coherent physical laws and coherent causal laws; the more detailed the feeling the universe can solicit in the driver's soul, the easier will be to pilot the ship from the Ordinary Warp to the Mirror-Warp of the Intended target destination.
There is also an in-universe mode, so that the pilot can drive from one point to the other of the universe in which the ship is already situated. In that case is enough for the driver to have a general feeling and a general image of the target destination.
In case the destination were to be in a different universe, the more the driver's imagination and subconscious has been exposed to the imaginary destination, the more likely is for the Multiversal Warp Drive to navigate the infinite complexity of the mazed blue-cheese that the multiverse is.
Hans has made some speculations about how this may work and he is half convinced that the Multiversal Warp Drive is combining Warp Wizardry (perceiving the Warp echo about the driver's feeling when he thinks about the destination?), with some advanced Quantum Computing Technology and probably some advanced AI (better not to tell the Mechanicus), that is scanning (whatever the multiverse is made of) in search of a destination matching the target.
The the scriptae continues warning that if no destination is selected or if the destination is not clear enough the Multiversal Warp Drive will spit the ship in a random part of the universe if the travel was in-universe or in a random universe (potentially one whose physical laws are incompatible with human life).
For this reason, Hans is damn certain he wants to play safe, with some universes that had a deep echo in his unconscious and he has known for years or, potentially, to play even safer with a destination in-universe as maid voyage.
While universes like Star Trek, Star Wars or Dune have the deep resonance he is searching for, Hans also reasons that those are very high risk high rewards destinations, too bold as first destination, considering his relatively limited resources and considering his team had never worked together previously.
Hans has four possibilities in mind:
[X] IN-UNIVERSE DESTINATION, ARMAGEDDON
(This destination is possible only if Hans did the action "private dinner with the Arch-Militant"). If Hans has dinner with Caldan Fara, during the dinner, she will tell him stories of her original planet, that will remain deeply ingrained in his mind, he will also go as far as searching the archives for images and stories of the war-torn Hive World. Now Hans has a vivid image of Armageddon's ork-infested jungles, of the purulent, glowing wastelands, of the bustling industrial-powerhouse hives and of the huge battlefields.
While Armageddon may be a dangerous destination, travels in-universe have the highest probability to succeed, plus, he is sure that, given the huge industrial output of the planet and the immense needs of the Imperial Armies stationed there, there will be economic opportunities for the bold. Traveling instantaneously from one side of the Segmentum Solaris to the other in matter of weeks is also a way to prove the Administratum the usefulness of the new Drive, and, perhaps, obtain more resources for the next voyage.
[X] IN-UNIVERSE DESTINATION, EREMOS
(This destination is possible only if Hans did the action "private dinner with the Ship Chaplain"). If Hans has dinner with Gemmo Flickster, the priest will tell Hans about his native planet, Eremos. Eremos is an ancient human world in the Ultima Segmentum, not far from the border of an upstarter Xeno Empire called T'Au. Eremos is a warm planet, colonized by humans in a remote time, so remote that the native Eremosians started to slightly diverge from baseline humans, with their bronze/pink gold skin and pretty unique facial features, however, the divergence is not great enough for them to be considered abhumans and, Gemmo insists during the dinner as if it is an important point for him, the Imperial Ecchlesiarchy established once and for all in the 33rd millennium that Eremosians must be considered full-fledged humans. Eremos landmass consists of a super continent, called Gondwana and a small insular continent called Nova Irlanda, at the South Pole. Gondwana has an immense desert, that occupies 9/10 of the continent and a narrow tropical strip, separated from the desert by the steep Ravine Mountains; while Nova Irlanda is a rainy continent, with an oceanic cold climate and many sheep herds. Eremos is a civilized world, living in a technological state slightly more advanced that Hans own time. There are no real hives, but Athos, the planet's capital, a maze of gorges and mountain-sized huge stone pillars carved in multiple valleys and mountains of the Ravine Mountains, is a sprawling 100 million people metropolis. Hans has a vivid image of Gondowana's deserts and of the arabesques carved in the city of Athos, of the rainy Nova Irlanda, and of the systems twin suns, Apollo and Mitra.
Best of Gemmo's knowledge, the planet (that was brought into the imperial fold one thousand years after the great crusade) hasn't experienced invasions or any other major problems and is far from main Warp Routes, is also devoid of major environmental problems, thanks to strict population control laws, that had kept the population stable at 2 billions for the last ten thousand years.
Eremos doesn't seem like a dangerous destination and in-universe travel is the safest one. While economic opportunities are still to be validated, certainly traveling instantaneously from the Segmentum Solaris to the Segmentom Tempestuous in matter of weeks is also a way to prove the Administratum the usefulness of the new Drive, and, perhaps, obtain more resources for the next voyage.
[X] MULTIVERSE DESTINATION, ARDA
Thanks to Anna's (Hans wife) love for fantasy literature, Middle Earth is written with fire letters in Han's subconscious and imagination. If he closes his eyes he can really feel the earthy fragrance of the golden leaves of Lothlorian, he can see wrinkled tree-branches in the labyrinthine underbrush of the Old Forest, he can see the white splendor of Minas Tirith under the day-light (unsure if this comes from the books or the movies) and can feel the heat of the sulfuric plains of Mordor.
While, according to the Scriptae, Multiversal Destinations have less probability to succeed, Hans is quite confident that the image he has of Middle Earth is a clear as an image can get. Hans is certain that there are opportunities in Arda, for example Arda's magic can prove interesting to study for Imperial psychers (he guesses), Erebor has a lot of gold and mining Mithril in the ork-occupied Moria can prove extremely lucrative, given that he is going to have a monopoly on that, plus there is plenty of empty land for future colonization/ exploitation and the relationship with natives will be eased by his superior technology. However, there are some clear challenges: as a rogue trader he can do whatever he wants with Xenos out of the imperial territories, so he is not bound to exterminate elves or ents, but the relationship with them is destined to be problematic at best; the impact of imperial industry can ruin Middle Earth (maybe he can pivot more towards tourism industry and turn it into a paradise world) and, biggest worry, with all their technology: Sauron. He is not sure if the Administratum will deem finding a Feudal world as strategically relevant as fast traveling in the Imperial space (probably not), but, at least, Mithril and a new form of magic/warp power will be of some interest.
[X] MULTIVERSE DESTINATION, PLANETOS
Hans' memories of Anna and himself watching Game of Thrones show are crystal clear and he feels like he can walk Westeros and Essos at whim. However, even if the visual outlook of that world is pervasive for his mind (he can see the Red Keep, Missandei / Nathalie Emmanuel's smile, Jon Snow / Kit Harrington severe gaze, black cloak and sheared sword and he can see the towering Wall and the imposing Weird Woods) he thinks something is quite amiss in his deep connection with that world (maybe because he watched all the show but he read only one book, only once, in German translation, and the book just left him the vague impression of pearls, desert and purple silks), he is quite positive he can bring the Vaduz there, but he things it can be slightly more difficult than going to Arda.
Hans thinks that Planetos has less strategic importance than Arda, given that is basically just an human feudal world and Imperials already have hundreds of thousands of those. However, the population is bigger than Arda, as so he can trade more with locals and go in break-even. Basically the whole population is humans (except giants in the frozen north of Westeros and some pig-man in the jungles of Sothyros) and, while the White Walkers are deadly fellows, he thinks they are definitely easier to handle compared with Sauron or other weird stuff that may challenge him in Arda (Balrogs, Ungoliant, the Valar themselves?). Westeros seems more low risk low reward and maybe more fitted for the maiden voyage of the Vaduz.
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This is an important decision, as it will influence the mid-long term direction of the events, discuss before propose voting and vote wisely.
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BobTheNinja
Sword of Possibility
- Location
- Multiverse Sector Texas
First Vote
[X] Refuse the request, keep it quiet, don't make it public. Summon Caraa to your private office, tell her about the offer you got from Lord Camborlaer, but reassure her she has your protection. Order her to tell her what's happening.
Second Vote
[X] Azure shield with a white fess bracketed by gold cottises above and below. Three six-point azure stars in a row emblazoned on the white fess. Motto is "Per Audacia Ad Astra"
Action Votes
[X] Dinner with all your top officers, get to know superficially your top officers in a non working contest, chance to acquire knowledge about their past
[X] Private dinner with your arch-militant, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Get one rejuvenat treatment for yourself, effect, your biological age goes from 73 to 40, you consume one rejuvenate treatment, 99 remaining (takes 14 days);
[X] The Vaduz is bigger than a town, study the ship's planimetry, consequence, be able to navigate in your ship;
[X] Study Imperial culture and history, basic knowledge of Imperial history;
[X] Train in the use of the lasgun, basic knowledge of lasguns;
Destination
[X] IN-UNIVERSE DESTINATION, ARMAGEDDON
Based on what I've read, not big on the idea of giving up Caraa, but I don't think we should make a big show about it either. As for the actions, I mostly picked the actions for the sake of being better prepared overall for dealing with 40k bullshit. Getting rejuvenat treatment, lasgun training, getting familiar with the ship layout, and understanding the Imperium's history should all help with that.
As for destinations, I have no desire to fuck up either Ardaor Eremos with the Imperium's presence, and I don't want to get involved in the mess that is Planetos either. I might have gone with Eramos for our destination, but I think I'd prefer to get to know our Arch-Militant better, plus Armageddon is a fairly major world that's likely to have good opportunities for trade and putting the ship and crew through their paces, so that's my pick.
EDIT: I accidentally skimmed over Eramos and missed the detail where they've been part of the Imperium for a long while now, my bad. But I think I still prefer Armageddon.
[X] Refuse the request, keep it quiet, don't make it public. Summon Caraa to your private office, tell her about the offer you got from Lord Camborlaer, but reassure her she has your protection. Order her to tell her what's happening.
Second Vote
[X] Azure shield with a white fess bracketed by gold cottises above and below. Three six-point azure stars in a row emblazoned on the white fess. Motto is "Per Audacia Ad Astra"
Action Votes
[X] Dinner with all your top officers, get to know superficially your top officers in a non working contest, chance to acquire knowledge about their past
[X] Private dinner with your arch-militant, get to know her personally, chance to develop a friendship, or even a romantic interest, chance of jealousy from other top officers;
[X] Get one rejuvenat treatment for yourself, effect, your biological age goes from 73 to 40, you consume one rejuvenate treatment, 99 remaining (takes 14 days);
[X] The Vaduz is bigger than a town, study the ship's planimetry, consequence, be able to navigate in your ship;
[X] Study Imperial culture and history, basic knowledge of Imperial history;
[X] Train in the use of the lasgun, basic knowledge of lasguns;
Destination
[X] IN-UNIVERSE DESTINATION, ARMAGEDDON
Based on what I've read, not big on the idea of giving up Caraa, but I don't think we should make a big show about it either. As for the actions, I mostly picked the actions for the sake of being better prepared overall for dealing with 40k bullshit. Getting rejuvenat treatment, lasgun training, getting familiar with the ship layout, and understanding the Imperium's history should all help with that.
As for destinations, I have no desire to fuck up either Arda
EDIT: I accidentally skimmed over Eramos and missed the detail where they've been part of the Imperium for a long while now, my bad. But I think I still prefer Armageddon.
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BobTheNinja
Sword of Possibility
- Location
- Multiverse Sector Texas
Gah, I just realized I screwed up my conditional choices, will fix that pronto.
EDIT: Alright, selected vote options fixed.
EDIT: Alright, selected vote options fixed.
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Yeah, to choose Armageddon as destination you need first to have dinner with Caldan Fara
- Location
- Africa
I regret to say that neither planatos nor lord of the rings are actually interesting settings for a rogue trader to visit in fact they are pretty boring curb stomps with no real pay off, they in the context of 40k are just another pair of primitive feudal worlds , there only meaningful profit would be in agricultural goods ,live stock and slaves maybe exotic animals and monsters but not much else , this is made worse by the fact that them being in another universe means you can't bring the planet into the imperium for a payday neither
how about going to fallout , nice and safe since its pretty hard to argue with a warship when you've nuked yourself into deindustrialization while having plenty of technology and scientific knowledge to plunder which might be worth enough to the admech to upgrade to a grand cruiser
how about going to fallout , nice and safe since its pretty hard to argue with a warship when you've nuked yourself into deindustrialization while having plenty of technology and scientific knowledge to plunder which might be worth enough to the admech to upgrade to a grand cruiser
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- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
TBF, there's potentially some merit in certain magic items in Arda…
Oh fuck.
Wasn't one of Sauron's major schticks that he was an excellent crafter of magical items?
We could trade tech for such items, and both of us would likely end up walking away happy.
Also, what Age of Middle-Earth is this?
Oh fuck.
Wasn't one of Sauron's major schticks that he was an excellent crafter of magical items?
We could trade tech for such items, and both of us would likely end up walking away happy.
Also, what Age of Middle-Earth is this?
- Location
- Africa
these magical items would be classified as warp artifacts by the imperium and while rogue traders get a lot of leeway and we can even swing some warp technology like eldar rune casters for our ship levels of freedom but blatantly magic items would be pushing it too far as its far too close for comfort to the kind of stuff the forces of chaos tend to carry around
Metagaming I pretty much agree, but Hans is thinking to basically beta-test his capabilities with something a bit easier to manage.
Plus, Hans is a German engineer born in 1952, I think there are little chances he played fallout in his 50s or 60s.
I mean he probably knows it exists …
You have no idea, depends if Hans read "The Hobbit" , "Silmarillion" or "Children of Hurin"
and, if yes, how much the struck his chords compared to LoTR.
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- Location
- Africa
just please don't tell us that picking an old person for our PC has locked us out of any settings we could visit, you just justify most settings by saying his grandkids got him into video games and movies as he got older and less physically active to help him keep mentally engaged and feel included
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Ahahah
Lol
Ok, ok, if there is a voting option that lots of folk want we can include it. I reserve the right to veto some options, for example if folks want "My Little Pony" or "Pokemon", because… his grandchildren.
- Location
- Africa
like pokemon (I personally don't like the show and never got into it) is a maybe , rogue traders do hunt and sell exotic animals the more dangerous, deadly and bizarre the better , cliants for this vary from nobles who want to have private zoos , magos biologies , nobles who want exotic xenobeast trophies ,the rogue trader himself if he is an avid big game hunter and lastly rouge traders owning whole agri worlds is not unusual so them importing strange xenobeasts for the potential as live stock is perfectly normal
Yeah, it would make sense strategically, there are two only limits:
-In universe; what Hans perceives to be a coherent universe and has enough affinity and sentimental attachment for the Multiversal Warp Drive to find it.
-Out universe; the narration.
Regarding the first point, as said, the more Hans is familiar with a setting the easier will be for the Multiversal Warp Drive to bring them to destination. There are challenge ratings and there will be dice rolls, on purpose, we just have a vague feeling of what is the perception that Hans has of the difficulty (see Westeros vs Arda, for example), because I don't want statistics and mini-maxing to be a factor in decision making.
Adding stuff Hans is less familiar with (for example Fallout -he may had played a few times it at his friend's Joe, who was a software engineer with a knack for videogames-) is possible, but will have higher chances of not working, which", as explained, could have dire consequences, potentially.
- Location
- Africa
I am assuming that once we manage to reach a universe it becomes easier to reach over and over again as Hans becomes more familiar with the multiversal warp route he took to reach it , plus if familiarity with setting effects how often we can go back and forth towards it then finding the world in question and adventuring across it for a few months doing rogue trader things he should become pretty familiar with said setting from first hand experience and all
speaking of rogue trader adventuring , do we get level ups ? like in the table top RPG ?, like at the end of each adventure during the down time period on the way back on and before the next adventure you tally the exp and profit factor gained , narratively it's the MC becoming more experienced ,skilled , learning lessons from his adventures ,using his power as a rogue trader to have the best instructors money could buy to help him improve (because its a matter of life and death for him) and spending the gains he made from his latest adventure for better gear ..ect
The information that we have, for now, is only what the Scripta said, so, that travels in-universe are easier. Yours is a reasonable assumption. No way to really know it until we have tried going to the same place twice, right?
As for level ups, kinda, yeah. I don't want to stay strict to rogue traders gameplay rules, because they are meant to balance the Rogue Trade game and they may not be 100% suitable when we are in another universe, for example if we are confronting Bene Gesserit in the Dune universe or the Hutt in Star Wars, right? So I'm tweaking it a bit.
As for profit points, I am pivoting more towards real role play / realistic trades, meaning that, if we go to Westeros, for example, we are trading in gold and negotiating real transactions. Let's say we are giving the Lannister some heavy mining equipment to lease for their mines (medieval mining technology makes exploitable gold mines with 30-40 ppm, with modern one we can go down to 1-2, so the gold mines of Lannisport are all but exhausted with our tech) and the necessary operators for 50% of their mines increase in output. I will calculate the gold tons extracted / period and we'll have that to trade once we get back to the Imperium, calculating the price of gold in ATC or in Throne Gelth, then we'll be able to buy stuff with that.
Believe me, we are incredibly poor and Ill-equipped for being rogue traders, if we want to survive in the grimdark Milky Way we really need to make money.
Knowing they exist abstractly is not enough, he need to be able to recall a distinctive and unique feeling about the setting, meaning that a. The setting was designed in a good enough way to be a realis universe; b. Hans need to have spent at least some time dreaming of fantasize about them.
Absolutely, Hans has deep understanding of Star Trek and Star Wars and I can roll a dice for Babylon5 or other less mainstream settings and that could work in terms of travel dynamics. (Hans could go there) The reason we don't have a "Star Trek" or "Star Wars" option yet is that Hans thinks may be a challenging endeavor as maiden voyage, not for his capability to imagine the destination, but because they have levels of technology comparably similar to 40k (consider he has one of the smallest crafts around), vs people who are still firing arrows. As for the in-universe destinations, they are all targets within the Imperium as so, Hans thinks, if things turn sour, he can can always call for help.
Ok, good to know.
I don't know that many old settings, but i would like for the ship to travel to an "intact Earth" on Babylon 5.
Also on the trade thing, how would Tech exchange work? i doubt that Warp travel would be interesting to any of those settings but the FTL of any of them would be invaluable to the imperium, since it would reduce the threat of daemonic incursions during travel
I don't know that many old settings, but i would like for the ship to travel to an "intact Earth" on Babylon 5.
Also on the trade thing, how would Tech exchange work? i doubt that Warp travel would be interesting to any of those settings but the FTL of any of them would be invaluable to the imperium, since it would reduce the threat of daemonic incursions during travel
- Location
- Africa
that is kind of a terrible deal by the way ,like the value of gold in the imperium is not enough to cover the cost of mining equipment on its own not unless we have enough fill an entire dedicated cargo huller ship's capacity which we don't have to make a minimum profit through sheer bulk , remember the imperium has whole dedicated mining worlds, plenty of asteroid mining efforts and most planets have their own local mines , in the imperium the value of gold is just as decoration and as a conductive material that gets alloyed with other substances
if you want to make a profit from resource extraction its needs to be the valuable or rare stuff like adamantine and rare chemicals or exotic matrerial like psi reactive material that can be used to create psyker gear ,psy titans ,warp drives and Galler fields ..ect