Author Notes
I've been asked a few times by reviewers to do a Warhammer 40k story, but it's not a universe I wish to find myself stuck in for any length of time, so I used the Rogue Trader CYOA to come up with a setup that could lead to a ship and people from the 40k universe going to more sane dimensions thanks to a special Dark Age of Technology drive. This drive was created shortly before the AI rebellion and the Warp Storms screwed over the most advanced human civilization that the universe ever knew. It allows the captain of the ship to go anywhere he can envision using some psyker power and cool tech that messes with the Warp.
The SI has psykers powers that he doesn't know much about due to Inquisition's meddling, an IOM light cruiser which might as well be unstoppable in some science fiction universes, a Guard Regiment of veteran soldiers who will obey the SI's orders and a warrant telling him that he can pretty much do as he pleases outside of the IOM. No one in the IOM will try to stop him even if they could as long as he brings back nice stuff for the forge world that supports him and cooperates with his allies. He will have to return to the 40k universe for resupply and repair work, but that risk is manageable.
Due to his rank, he has a lot more leeway when it comes to dealing with aliens than most IOM humans so he doesn't need to kill all the non-humans as long as he isn't seen to get too friendly with them. He has a battle harem, but they don't have real personalities they are more like bodyguards who can also serve as eye candy. So he might as well recruit skilled females for his crew or clone them if he doesn't mind waiting. He'll also need a few wives to provide him with heirs.
Rogue Traders will often gather an entourage of hangers-on and companions, and this may contain alien warriors, mutants, and other undesirables who would normally be unacceptable in polite Imperial society, as such he has options for companions. He can fight in wars, go after space pirates, destroy entire hostile Xenos races, and save humans. He can plunder whole worlds just to make a profit. He just needs to keep his coffers full and bring back some shiny stuff.
Should he bring back enough to appease the forge-world and impress his allies I'll give the SI more fun toys taken from the CYOA and maybe even a more powerful starship.
Can't say that I'm happy with this first couple of chapters, but they do contain a lot of information that explains who and what Rogue Traders are, as what the Imperials will do, and the story will get more entertaining I promise.
Please share some ideas with me either here or on my patron where I am also Gothicjedi666. I post draft chapters on that site you might not have seen here and I don't have many supporters even though I have lots of people reading my stories. To those that do support my writing, I want to say a quick thank you.
Rogue Trader CYOA Story
Set-Up
Budget 100 TG
Standard Warrant - 10 TG
90 TG
Dauntless-Class Crusier (His Glorious Aspirations) - 20 TG
70 TG
Nine Weapons Slots
Three Forward Mounted
Light Marco Cannons
- 1 TG
Light Lance
- 2 TG
- 1 Power
Twin Torpedo Tubes
- 4 TG
Eight Torpedos
- 1 TG
62 TG
Three Port Mounted
Marco cannon battery
- 5 TG
Three Starboard Mounted
Marco cannon battery
- 5 TG
52 TG
Power 29
Naval Veterans - 5 TG
47 TG
Powered Hull Plates
- 1 TG
- 1 Power
46 TG
Power 28
Extra Point Defence
- 2 TG
- 1 Power
45 TG
27 Power
Heavy Void Shield
- 5 TG
- 4 Power
40 TG
22 Power
Warp Shield
- 5 TG
- 5 Power
35 TG
18 Power
High Power Auger
- 5 TG
- 1 Power
30 TG
17 Power
Fitted Crew Quarters
- 2 TG
28 TG
17 Power
Guard Regiment
- 1 TG
27 TG
17 Power
Palace Fortress
- 1 TG
26 TG
17 Power
Manufactorum
- 8 TG
18 TG
17 Power
Cloning Vats
- 5 TG
13 TG
17 Power
Ministorum Temple
- 5 TG
8 TG
17 Power
Luxury Yacht
- 1 TG
7 TG
17 Power
Juvenat Gland
- 5 TG
2 TG
17 Power
Gene Sculpting
- 1 TG
1 TG
17 Power
Battle Harem
01 Milla Jovovich
02 Angelina Jolie
03 Lucy Lawless
04 Sarah Michelle Gellar
05 Lucy Liu
06 Scarlett Johansson
07 Jeri Ryan
08 Amanda Tapping
09 Summer Glau
10 Natalie Portman
11 Lena Headey
12 Gillian Anderson
13 Claudia Black
14 Kristanna Loken
15 Emma Watson
16 Lexi Dogg
17 Claudia Christian
18 Daisy Ridley
19 Kate Beckinsale
20 Eliza Dushku
- 1 TG
0 TG
17 Power
Boon
Admech - Untested Warp Drive
Characters
Ship's Crew
Rogue Trader Lord-Captain Maximinus Thrax (SI)
Navigator Praxana Praxo
The Inquisition
Inquisitor Allectus Jacobus of the Ordo Malleus
Sister Brigicia of the Adepta Sororitas
Sancationed Psyker Suzan
The Imperial Guard
Lord-General Segean Holam
Major Gwynenya 'Gwen' Ionael
Adeptus Mechanicus
Archmagos Del Arx
Part 1
"For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the Master of Mankind by the will of the gods and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium, for whom a thousand souls die every day
To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. This is the tale of those times.
Forget the power of technology, science and common humanity. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for there is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter and the laughter of thirsting gods".
The Dauntless-Class Cruiser His Glorious Aspirations. Space Dock.
So here I am Lord-Captain Maximinus Thrax, a Rogue Trader, which is as I understand it, a combination of freelance explorer, conquistador and merchant. I've been given a warship, a skilled crew, a large contingent of Guardsmen and carte blanche to roam the worlds beyond Imperial control. Once I get out there my task will involve exploring and exploiting the uncharted regions of the galaxy.
Thanks to my knowledge of the lore of this setting and the information the teaching engines shoved into my head, I understood that a Rogue Trader such as myself might come across worlds harbouring long-forgotten human civilisations which will need to be incorporated into the Imperium. Other times they will find uninhabited or alien-dominated planets ripe for colonisation or exploitation. It rarely ends well for the aliens.
Another thing I knew was that all Rogue Traders needed to be highly exceptional individuals who are driven to prosper, even though these exceptional people often have extreme character quirks. It is not unheard of for A Rogue Trader to destroy entire worlds for the slightest reason, or to include alien warriors and mutants among their entourage. Some are highly pious while others are no more than legitimised pirates, and I had joined the ranks of these people who ranged from wanderers to warlords.
Whatever their origins, all Rogue Traders are first and foremost masters of their own fates, and upon their shoulders can rest the success or failure of not only of their endeavours and that of their bloodlines but also of countless future generations and sometimes even the fortunes of entire worlds. They are as so close to free as any human can be in this grim, dark future.
Since they operate in isolation from the central authority of the Imperium, the Rogue Trader must decide for themselves how to react to unknown alien cultures, other new discoveries, and uncovered threats. If they judge an intelligent Xenos race to be potentially dangerous, they may attempt to destroy it or to gather as much information as they can so that others may do so during a crusade. The less dangerous aliens and isolated human worlds might find their world being plundered for all it is worth.
The most valuable possession of a Rogue Trader is his or her Warrant of Trade; an important legal document that describes the accepted limits of the Rogue Trader's operations. These charters are hereditary thus creating a Rogue Trader dynasty, I would need to set up one of my own. These dynasties are granted a personal coat of arms identifying them amongst the Imperial elite. They were nobility who answered to no one, at least in theory, and could travel as they wished.
I'd joined their lofty ranks for something I didn't even remember doing. There are good sides and bad sides to having a chunk of your memory removed. On the good side, I can't remember facing the forces of Chaos which I approve of if only because I don't want to recall such horrors, even a minor exposer to the creatures of the warp can drive men man and I'd like to hold on to what little sanity I had left for as long as humanly possible.
The bad side is that I don't know how I got to the scary Warhammer 40k universe or why I'd been working a dead-end job on sector capitol world when it was invaded by the enemies of The Emperor. As such if I'd gone through the stages of emotions you'd expect when finding out that you are a huge nerd and science fiction fan who has been transported into one of his favourite fictional universes. Then when it had sunk in how screwed I could end up I'd spent some time freaking out.
Unlike most Star Wars fan or Star Trek fans, who would be overjoyed to find themselves in the Star Wars galaxy or the Trek one despite the dangers, you won't find many 40k fans who would even be willing to spend a day in that fictional setting because of how messed up and scary it is. As such, I'd cried, screamed and laughed while crying, all while hiding the covers of my new bed, which was part of a very nice bedroom and if you're going to have a panic attack you might as well have it somewhere nice.
Given that I'd turned the tide of a major battle for the IOM singlehandedly saving an Admech Fortress in the process I had to have some kind of superpower and that I was someone who actually mattered. I'd ruled out me being a lost Primarch or just a space marine hiding out with the mortals as the Admech had done some gene enhancing to my form so they would have noticed any odd DNA patterns and besides I hadn't even reached six feet tall until after they'd enhanced me.
One of my theories was that I could be a high-level psyker, but if that was the case the Inquisition would have killed or recruited me regardless of what anyone else had to say on the matter because it would be too dangerous to do otherwise. I might be an Imperial Saint, as in someone who was directly empowered by The Emperor, but I only paid lip service to Big E because I knew he wouldn't want me to worship him. I'd even considered it possible that I had a shard of The Emperor within me, a bit of his great soul mixed with mine, which could explain the Saint like powers without me having any of the faith.
If Big E had given me some of his power then at least I didn't have to worry much about Chaos corruption as the golden guy could be considered to be anti-chaos and worrying overly much about corruption would just make things worse. Besides a lot of people in the Imperium don't even know that the Ruinous Powers even exist outside of stories they may have heard which means Chaos should be possible to avoid even for a few centuries.
It would also explain why people of all sorts were bending over backwards to help me. Even now members of the Ad-Mech were installing some sort of super rare Dark Age of Technology Warp Drive that should be way better than the normal kind and while their reasoning had to do with my new ship having way more power than it needed, and therefore extra juice for this drive. The fact that it was being entrusted to me meant that there must be more behind my ascension than me saving some relic while some fighting Chaos warriors who were trying to destroy some Ad-Mech factory-shrine. Assuming that was what actually happened and I had in fact turned the tide of a battle that altered the course of a whole war.
As for my ship, the Dauntless-Class Cruiser His Glorious Aspirations, it was an Imperial Dauntless-class Light Cruiser, a cruiser meant for scouting that could also serve as an escort vessel if needs be. This class of cruiser has always been a mainstay of the Imperial Navy's fleets throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. An ideal light cruiser such as mine carries enough firepower to drive off opposing escorts along with enough fuel and supplies to remain away from Imperial fleet bases for solar months of subjective time.
The teaching engines told me that the Dauntless-class is a popular model of a light cruiser, because it is as fast and manoeuvrable as a frigate but with more ferociously powerful armament than expected for its size. The Dauntless-class is a vessel more commonly seen operating on its own or in squadrons in either deep space or planetary systems. It is a very reliable star ship and the class has a long history of being a dependable and formidable frigate in times of war.
Which made it a great kind of ship for a Rogue Trader. Sure my vessel had far less firepower than most Imperial Navy battleships due to having some of its guns and other features removed, but that just meant more energy for other systems, and I'd been able to arrange for a proper warship's crew to be placed on board thanks to the insane amount of money I'd been gifted as part of my reward. I even had an entire Guard Regiment in my service, or at least as close allies, all of whom were willing to go off and fight for me. More proof that Big E, or maybe another great power, was somehow looking after me.
I had mortals watching my back as well. One of the services they offered on the forge-world my ship currently orbited involved using some more dark age of technology stuff to produce gene-sculpted superhuman warriors. Alas, they were not on the scale of space marines, they didn't have power armour or any of those extra organs, but each of the twenty women I'd paid handsomely for had been enhanced for combat with the intent that they would serve as my personal guard and perform any other duties as required.
The machine involved in creating the battle harem as they were called, somehow saw my memories and then created the battle harem using women from my memories that I found pleasing to look at as a template for each of the twenty women whose looks were based on famous actresses even if they had no personalities of their own due having been programmed and created quite recently. The importance of them being 20 superhuman warriors at my command who were created using Dark Age tech was not lost on me.
I could not produce new members for my battle harem due to the rareness and high demand for such technology, which was fine as with my cloning facilities I could replace anyone I lost given enough time. With the cloning vats, I could also replace lost crew in a matter of years rather than have to wait for children to grow and take their parent's place, or pay for replacements of equal skill. Accidents often happened on a ship this big because they were more flying cities with lots of guns than anything else. People on my ship could live out entire lifetimes and never venture beyond the lower decks and since their lives would be shorter than mine I would need to replace them.
It wouldn't just be the crew who would make their own replacements if given enough time. The guard regiment on board, who were mostly Cadian even if none of them had seen that world since they were children, were made up from a few different single-sex regiments who had been merged and since this wasn't a military vessel it had more relaxed standards of behaviour so I could end up requiring a nursery and school onboard before long. This would take some of the female guards out of action for a time, but I could supplement the guard with navy armsmen if needs be.
Lucky for me this ship was a city in space so we weren't exactly lacking for the extra room even with so much of the ships eternal space being used for some purpose or other, as I'd made sure while paying for the upgrades that there would be enough room for the crew to be reasonably comfortable even if our numbers grew by a few more thousand. Perhaps this ship was more of a colony in space than a city as its people would be able to survive for months without making port as we had much in the way of supplies and the ability to manufacture replacement parts and equipment. Assuming that we could harvest the needed raw materials.
My own quarters made me feel as if I was living in a fortress/palace within a city, a citadel of sorts, as not only was it the height of opulence, it was also very secure, and as I'd already mentioned I had several elite bodyguards to keep me safe who were programmed for total loyalty. Combine that with the checkpoints you needed to get past to reach this part of the ship then I was the safest person onboard.
The sheer amount of luxury around me bordered on the silly and perhaps went a little past it. My private quarters, which was where I was right now, had a grand dining room, a ballroom, in case I wanted to entertain important guests with a party, my own swimming pool, training centre and a bedroom that had a carpet that was softer than any bed I'd ever slept on and the bed seemed as if it wanted to swallow me with comfort. I even had what I suspected was a sex dungeon of some kind, but I'd ordered that room locked up in case someone used it and drew the eye of the Prince of Dark Delights.
In the lower parts of my private quarters, I found a wine cellar full of something that came in bottles that weren't actually wine. These were bottles of Amasec, which I knew to be a popular alcoholic drink distilled from wine. It can range from lesser brews barely fit for use as firebombs to well-aged and flavourful brands suitable for only the finest of the Emperor's servants.
Also, I had bottles of Dammassine - An alcoholic beverage that has a sweet herbal taste with a hint of almond if my taste buds could be trusted. Something called Estufagemi Wine, a name I wasn't even going to try to pronounce out loud. Then there was some Raenka which I somehow knew to be a highly prized brandy made from fermented Ploin juice and crafted through careful distillation in used Amasec barrels.
On several Feudal Worlds, it is the main export and secures a great percentage of yearly revenues. It is prized for its rich, dark yellow hue and subtle bouquet, Raenka connoisseurs eagerly watch for news each season on the stages of ageing and which areas are releasing their vintages. Many traders make a small but tidy profit carrying barrels by special request from fermentation yards to impatient buyers willing to circumvent the normal flow of the liqueur.
I even found a bottle of Rahzvod, which is a very strong vodka-like alcoholic beverage hailing from Vostroya, distributed as a common ration amongst the Imperial Guard regiments of the Vostroyan Firstborn. Why the last captain of this proud vessel desired to collect all of this I didn't know and I cared far more about how I knew all of these details. Had to be psyker bullshit of some kind.
Aside from all that I had a personal armoury, filled with the weapons of this ship's last captain, a study, a vault for my most treasured possessions and a slightly less secure room for less personal treasures, such as gifts that I might be given. There were other such spaces on this ship for the storage of tribute that I could collect and looted valuables.
Of course, people were working behind the scenes a lot of support staff, all of which had been chosen for their loyalty towards the ship and its captains, such as servents, chefs and others. They would be watched by my battle-harem for any signs that their service to me remained at a high standard.
"Lord-Captain Thrax," said a voice over the vox "Please come to the bridge".
That message had been sent to me over the vox unit which was built into a floating servoskull, they were little robot things that flew around the ship performing errands and use to be part of a person who had donated their body to the Ad-Mech after death. I know that plenty of people back home were organ donors who would have their organs given to others after they died, but to donate your skull, that took a special devotion to mankind.
"I'll be there soon," I told the floating skull.
Before leaving the secure part of the ship I made sure that I looked the part of dashing Rogue Trader, at least as much as I was able to manage. I wore a set of light carapace armour as well as expensive clothing since I wasn't foolish enough to go without armour in such a dangerous universe. Despite the cost, my clothing was plain black meant more for protection than style as the material was tougher than it looked.
Aside from my belt which had a silver skull buckle and the rings I wore, one on each hand, as well as an Imperial Aquilla as an amulet, I did little to display wealth. This was good as I didn't have much left after spending so much on the ship's refit.
As for weapons I carried a hellpistol, a more powerful version of the standard laspistol that many Imperial Guard and Navy officers would use. This along with a power sabre had belonged to the last captain of this ship, who had served as part of the Imperial Navy before dying as his ship limped back to port. Once His Glorious Aspirations, had arrived at the Forge-World the work had begun to refurbish it as a Rogue Trader vessel. I made sure to have a dagger strapped to one of my buckled boots.
Once fully dressed I headed to the bridge, which required riding on a huge monorail train, as while I had what I'd think of as a ready room near the bridge the ship was just so big that needed many lifts and a whole monorail system just so that the crew could get around.
(Line Break)
The Dauntless-Class Crusier His Glorious Aspirations. Space Dock.
Now I was sitting on my command throne within the massive bridge of His Glorious Aspirations, a bridge so big that I had to yell for the crew at the edges of the room so that they could hear me. As I looked around I saw many of the techs adapts who were finishing the upgrades to my ship, all of which I'd paid for one way or the other. When it was all done I would be able to fly my ship to anywhere I wished by communing with the Machine Spirt of the Warp Drive rather than relying on a Navigator, or at least this was how it was explained to me, and again this had to be proof that I had my own psyker powers as only as psyker could hope to navigate The Warp.
I looked over the stain-glass windows which showed images of The Emperor and Imperial heroes, I knew that these windows didn't look into space as that would be stupid. As I looked a the images of The Emperor, in all his golden glory, I wondered if this dark age drive would get me out of this universe. After all, I'd read about crazier ideas online and this had all been set up for my benefits so why not try to will myself somewhere else. If it didn't work then I'd die horribly sooner rather die horribly just a bit later, even if that later could be decades from now. For some reason, I just seemed to think it would happen.
While sitting on my command throne, which served as a captain's chair as well as a way to interface with the ship's systems (or the machine spirits that controlled those systems depending on how you looked at it) I began to plan out where I would go and what I would do while knowing that if the drive did work the way I suspected that it did then I should be able to return to a forge-world for resupply and repair work. I'd need materials to trade for the work and to gain the protection of the forge-world, rare bits of tech, massive amounts of manpower, and raw materials, and even then I would need to be prepared for the attention of the Inquisition and other parties so it would be good to have plenty to bargain with.
Perhaps The Emperor really was guiding me because I felt a strange level of confidence in this plan and with my ability to deal with the IOM factions. Only time would tell if I was right to feel this way.
"Lord-Captain soon it will be time for you to met those who will serve under you and advise you should you wish it" I was told "I have prepared a report on some of the more important roles that your loyal officers have taken up, for your inspection".
The man who had just spoken was my First Officer, who I was going to call Number One. Every shipmaster needed a good first officer because while a Lord-Captain's power is absolute here on his ship, his time and energy are alas rather finite. Someone must stand at his right hand, acting as his voice and serving as an instrument of his will when he can't be there to do this for himself.
As such the First Officer speaks and acts with the full authority of his Lord-Captain, and must ever be prepared to assume the mantle of leadership should his superior become somehow indisposed. The First Officer could not take over my job fully as the Warrant was in my name, but should I die he would be acting captain long enough to get this back to a friendly port.
Assuming that he didn't lead a mutiny and turn pirate. I didn't worry too much about that happening as aside from having twenty super-human warriors whose loyalty could not be questioned guarding me day and night, although not all at the same time, the men and women of the IOM had to drill into them to respect the authority of those above them because this is the Emperor's Will. So as long everyone got paid, I didn't place them in needless danger, and we remained well-supplied things should be okay.
Before long my first officer passed me over what thought of as a datapad I began to read about the different positions that the important people on this ship filled. I didn't bother with the names instead I focused on the ranks since I would address everyone by their rank as that was polite. My First Officer had written the report to explain the roles to someone who'd never served on a ship before. Something I felt glad about since I was still new to all of this.
"A good report" I praised.
It gave me a good idea of who did what before I met anyone of them. This way I was less likely to make a fool of myself. It had been a bit of info dump, but vital to understanding who made the ship work and understanding their spheres of influence.
"Shall I invite them to dine with you this evening?" asked my First Officer "A new captain will traditionally do that so he can answer questions and any concerns can be discussed in a more relaxed setting. It is also tradition to invite the ranking Tech Adapt even he will refuse due to not needing to eat".
That seemed wise as I would need to learn more about how a ship like this ran before we left port. I'd been given some sort of hypnotic indoctrination teaching so that I could actually captain a ship but there's no replacement for real-life experience and I could learn a lot from what passed for my senior officers on this starship. Besides people tended to work harder when they felt that their efforts actually mattered so I would need to give the senior officers that impression.
"Do so" I ordered.
Until then, I'd be going over more reports while trying to get a good sense of how this ship functioned before it left space dock. Thankfully no one around here seemed to be in a rush to get us out into space and this was good because I really wasn't ready for that. I needed to spend more time getting used to being the Lord-Captain before we went anywhere.
Author Note
If you're interested in the report you can read it here.
Enginseer Prime
In the eyes of the Cult Mechanicus, an Imperial void-ship is a living shrine to the machine god. Its many Tech-Adepts and servitors work endlessly as they carry out the ritual of maintenance and repair. They are entrusted with the care of the shrines and prayer-work stations. Constant labour is necessary to sustain the vessel's great machine spirit and to please The Omnissiah.
While considered somewhat odd by some parts of the crew the servants of the machine god are hard workers who keep to themselves and rarely bother the captain with any requests. The Enginseer Prime directs this holy toil, and his solemn pledge to the Lord-Captain holds him responsible for the maintenance of the void ships strength, resilience, and tech secrets.
Master-At-Arms
An Imperial void-ship can muster numerous small armies, although these are more like the security companies that nobles hire rather than true soilders, if needs be I could gather boarding parties or groups to fight off other people's boarding parties. While more common crewmen would be armed with rusty blades and stub-guns, I currently had a barracked regiment of Imperial Guard, who were most steadfast troops as well as proper navy veterans as such boarding my ship would be a foolish action, at least for pirates and other raiders.
The Master-at-Arms would ensure that these fighting men had the arms and armour they needed. If not for the fact that I'd paid for a crew of proper navy people he'd have a lot of people to train. Since I had forked out the money for them then he should have an easier time of it than his counterparts on some other vessels.
Master Helmsman
The Master Helmsman is responsible for safely piloting the vast vessel through the myriad threats that can be found in the void of space. A helmsman who has risen to be master of his profession must have a sixth sense for the dangers that can confound auspex and lead void-ships to ruin, and they know how best to make use of his helm crew. The Master Helmsman must pilot not just the voids, but also work with the enginarium, auspex, and bridge crew to ensure that every manoeuvre of the ship is carried out to the Lord-Captain's will.
The Master of Ordnance
This member of the crew pledges to keep the void ships weapons and the crew who work with the guns, in the finest condition, and during battle, he or she will direct them to destroy foes upon the Lord-Captain's order. He or she is responsible for the quality of gun-deck crews, the workings of the armoured munitions vaults deep within the vessel, and the operation of weapons in void-battle. If the vessel boasts torpedoes, which mind did, fighter squadrons, or other more esoteric ordnance, then these crews and systems also fall under the Master's purview.
Master of Etherics
He or she, the IOM navy doesn't care much for gender, is responsible for the operation of the void ships auspex and vox systems, scanners and communications. Without working auspex a vessel is blind, and without vox, it is deaf and mute. Easy prey for the predators out in space such as pirates, alien warships, and things I might not want to spend time thinking about
Chief Chirurgeon
The Chief Chirurgeon is master of the void ships medicae wards and their staff which is made up of doctors of physiks, medicae, alchemists, and a horde of apprentices. Accidents, maladies, and agues of a thousand varieties afflict common voidfarers, and a crew unattended by medicae and physiks will soon enough lapse into illness, putting the safety of the vessel at risk. The Chief Chirurgeon pledges his talents to maintain the crew's stalwart willingness to toil, and further to make of his wards and supply vaults a scourge upon disease, injury, and sicknesses of the mind.
Master of Whispers
Men and women are willful creatures, given to secrets, deceit, disloyalty, and subterfuge. The Master of Whispers inhabits this realm; he seeks out and purges any disloyalty from the Rogue Trader's crew and the Master will have agents placed on worlds the Rogue Trader comes in contact with. Spies pledged to the Master of Whispers roam far beyond the void-ship's bulkheads in search of precious knowledge, untended resources, and hidden weaknesses that can benefit the Lord-Captain's mission
Choir-Master Telepathica
The etheric voices of Astropaths resound throughout the Immaterium. When these voices are united by a single will, they combine into a psychic harmony capable of touching minds half a galaxy away. The Choir-master directs this harmony, and in turn directs the choir as a whole. This ensures that the ship has long-distance communications.
Warp Guide
Also sometimes known as the Navigator Primaris, the Warp Guide is wholly responsible for steering the vessel through the treacherous tides of the Empyrean, both the safer routes within Imperial borders, and the terrible, dark voids beyond. In theory, I would be guiding this ship, but if something went wrong the Navigators would be the only hope this ship had of not being consumed by the warp.
Ship's Confessor
The Ship's Confessor is the uppermost hierarch of shrines and Clerics aboard the vessel, responsible for their scriptural purity and by extension the spiritual well-being of all aboard. The God-Emperor protects the righteous who abide by the holy laws of Ministorum and Imperium, and it is His will that keeps the warp at bay and guides weapons to strike true against foul Xenos. The Ship's Confessor pledges to uphold the faith and courage of the crew against all adversities, and so make the void-ship a true cathedral of the Imperial Creed, echoing with the prayers of the holy and blessed in the God-Emperor's sight.
Since I'd ordered the creation of a large temple on board my ship's confessor wasn't the highest member of the clergy on board. The honour belonged to a bishop Brenner, someone high enough in church to understand that a Rogue Trader vessel won't be as orderly as a navy warship and that the Emperor would forgive a Rogue Trader of sins that doom the soul of a lesser man. Regular donations to the onboard temple would help with that I felt very sure.
Drivesmaster
A void ship's enginearium is a sprawling complex filling many decks. Within this sepulchral facility, countless ranks of enginseers work the rites that appease the machine spirits of the vessels roaring heart. Some among their number are schooled in special rituals that inspire the drive to greater efforts. The Drivesmaster is in charge of monitoring and maintaining the roaring plasma drives that form the heart of the ship. Though subservient to the Enginseer Prime, the Drivesmaster often maintains the plasma drives as his own fiefdom, where none but the Mechanicus and their servants are welcome.
Omnissianic Congregator
The machine spirit of a starship is a slow but fickle intelligence, demanding the veneration and respect of hundreds if it is to function properly. The Omnissianic Congregator guides the tech-priests and other crew versed in technoarcane ritual, in the maintenance rites and algorithmic prayers that appease the spirit of the ship, conferring the blessings of the Omnissiah upon its operation.
I assumed that this meant handling the software that ran the ship's system rather than dealing with the hardware which was enginners were for.
Chief Bosun
Voidfarers are often trained from birth in the tasks they will be expected to perform aboard a ship, and this training does not end when a position is secured. To keep skills sharp, all crew are expected to participate in regular drills and practice sessions. A steady regimen of drills makes for an efficient crew. The Chief Bosun also serves as the enforcer of discipline aboard a vessel.
Infernus Master
No shipboard danger is more devastating or frightening than fire, burning uncontrolled through a voidship's corridors and decks. Even the smallest blaze can send a seasoned crew into a panic, trampling each other in the frenzy to escape through narrow corridors before the bulkhead is sealed in a vain attempt to keep the fire from spreading. During a conflagration, the Infernus Master is charged with keeping order and minimizing the damage caused to equipment, personnel, and morale. The Infernus Master organizes bucket chains, directs evacuations, and commands damage control crews brave enough to combat even the deadliest plasma flares.
Twistcatcher
Those who dwell within the enclosed environment of a void ship's hull risk constant exposure to radiation, both from the vessel's mighty engines and the void itself. These harsh conditions mean an increased risk of mutation. It is a lamentable fact that even the most well-maintained vessels play host to sizeable mutant populations, hordes of the deformed unfortunates lurking in unused holds and seldom-serviced bilge decks. It is the duty of the Twistcatcher to keep his ship's mutant population in check, and in times of dire need press these malformed wastrels into service for the good of the human crew. A job few would envy, but the mutation situation should be quite managable after the refit and I'd ensure that my crew was made of proper navy personal rather than gang pressed criminal scum.
Master of the Vox
In the course of daily operations, an endless stream of vox traffic passes through a voidship's command deck. These lines of communication are vital to the operation of a vessel and a Rogue Trader's fleet, and it is the responsibility of the Master of The Vox to keep all channels of communication clear, and all vox-casters functioning at peak efficiency.
Purser
The operation of a Rogue Trader's vessel and the execution of endeavours require uncountable amounts of wealth to be shuffled between investments and expenses daily, and the risk of loss is great. Financial officers must be prepared to balance enough books to fill a librarium many times over. In an economic climate where the single stroke of an auto quill can mean the difference between tragic loss and phenomenal gain, the purser must be tireless and ever vigilant. However, the purser also has a second duty, to ration payment and rewards to the crew serving aboard his ship. This often means the purser is loved and hated in turn, based on how forthcoming a crew's pay is.
Carto-Artifex
The void and the warp contain dangers that often mean death for those who venture forth unprepared. The best way to survive such dangers is to avoid them entirely. To this end, a wise Lord-Captain consults his Carto-artifex before any voyage. This master of charts and hololithic maps is charged with finding safe routes and circumventing danger. The secrets of the void and the warp are laid bare before his vast knowledge of the tides and current of the immaterial.
Ship's Steward
The vast stocks of food, water, and air upon which a crew depends must be carefully monitored and rationed, lest wanton consumption and theft lead to a crippling shortage. Someone must take charge of these resources, to see that they are used properly. To do less invites starvation, dehydration, and suffocation on a catastrophic scale. You can't be sure that you'll find any sort of pit stop when you're out on the frontier of known space.