Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope that you like the story so far. Games Workshop (GW) and Fantasy Flight games own the settings and designs.
Harken yawned and stretched as he climbed from his bunk, careful not to wake the woman still sleeping there. Perhaps five years younger than Harken and also of the slave-class she was of medium height and a little too skinny, though Harken was sure that with some food she would fill out nicely. As she had been one of those near the end of the procedure her head had been shaved, though she assured him that it would be black as the void when it grew back.
Her name was Alia, one of the prisoners from the Sanctuary. Like him she had been born in one of the slave camps, but unlike him she had been assigned to work in household of one of the Guild magnates. Despite her low birth she possessed a quick wit and ambitions above her station. She had started small, stealing small but valuable items from the house. She had gradually brought other slaves into her scheme and, over time, had built up a network of thieves and contacts within the extensive underworld of Zarda. She had then branched out into the gathering and selling of secrets. Unfortunately for her she had been found out and sentenced to be converted to a servitor as punishment. Their time together had been pleasant and a distraction from another woman and a decision which had to be made.
The woman in question was the tech-priest that he had rescued. Well, to be completely accurate, the former tech-priest, she claimed that she had severed all ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus. In truth thought, it sounded to Harken as though they had severed all ties with her. That did not; however, change the fact that she had been a tech-priest and still looked like one; too much so in fact for those who had been within a hair's breath from becoming mindless servitors. Many of his new crew had nearly rioted when the word of her presence had spread among them. He had managed, barely to prevent said riot and had then sequestered her in a part of the ship that few were likely to visit: the old officers' quarters. While these were the largest and most comfortable on the ship, none were taken. There was still some residual fear of going there, a feeling that they did not belong there and were trespassing, pervaded most who went there and so it was avoided. The other reason was that the area included the Captain's quarters and few wanted to be so close to Cleitus. Once Harken had dressed, he left his quarters and made his way there.
The corridors were more crowded than they had ever been before; even with the casualties that they had sustained more people had made their escape than he had at first realized. Indeed, so many had done so that there had not been room on the haulers for all of them. Harken told himself that those who they had not had room for had made good their escape into the mountains, though in truth he doubted it. He had split the newcomers into groups and assigned them to original members of the crew and told them to learn the functions of the ship, though there were some exceptions, one of which joined Harken as he walked along, Kristofer Giancaspro, the man Harken had seen using the sniper rifle during the raid and who had sought him out afterwards. Kristofer was of medium height and build, though it was clear that it was all muscle and had dirty blond hair shaved close to his scalp.
Unlike many aboard, Kristofer had been born a free man. He had told Harken that he had been a member of the world's PDF, Planetary Defense Force and that his skills had been learned when he had been a member of a counter-insurgency unit. Harken had heard of such units. The Enforcers were little more than thugs so if anything really went wrong the PDF was called in and units like those that Kristofer had been a part of were favored due to the fact that small, elite units did less damage to infrastructure and thus profits dealing with whatever it was that they had been called in to deal with. While Harken believed Kristofer, there was something that he had to know.
"If you were part of such an elite and valued unit," he had asked; "How…" he had trailed off awkwardly.
"How did I end up where you found me?" Kristofer had asked, not a trace of anger or shame in his voice. Harken had nodded and Kristofer had shrugged.
"Carelessness on my part I suppose." He had smiled in a self-deprecating manner.
"I got caught." At Harken's look he had continued.
"Being in those units one receives prestige, but little in the way of pay.
"I soon learned that I could supplement my income by doing…shall we say off the books work for various individuals. No one seemed to care as long it was for members of the Guild, but I got a little greedy and worked for some less than savory individuals, individuals who at times cut into Guild profits. That seemed to upset some people and they sent me to where you found me." Kristofer had appointed himself Harken's bodyguard and while it did make Harken feel safer having the man watching his back, it also made him uneasy.
The man had admitted that he had a very mercenary outlook on life and was motivated by money. He was with Harken only because he had no choice and the reason that he had no choice was that he had betrayed his former masters for gain. Harken was sure that the man would stay with him and remain loyal as long as Harken was successful and brought in loot and ensured that Kristofer got a generous cut of that loot, but what if Harken was not successful? What would Kristofer do then? Harken did not know, but in his experience gratitude only went so far and that was not very far truth to tell. He had seized control through force, would Kristofer do the same? If so, then his insistence on being Harken's bodyguard took on a new and sinister aspect.
Harken supposed that the same was true for everyone else on the ship. He had saved them, but if he wanted to remain in charge he was going to have to be constantly successful or the gratitude would not last and might actually run out before the food did, which would not take very long due to all the extra mouths that he had brought onboard. Though he did not like it and would certainly not admit it, he really needed this former tech-priest to be telling the truth about knowing people who could help them. With such thoughts he made his way to the officers' quarters. Coming up to the door of the quarters that he had given to her he rapped on the door.
"Enter." She called from within as the door opened.
Doing so Harken found her near the door. She had recovered a red robe of Mechanicus priesthood, though she appeared to have removed all symbols of her former order from it. It covered all of her prosthetics and so made it easier to talk to her. Harken was pleased that he stood taller than her, it made him feel like he had an edge, though he was sure that he did not. She gestured for him to come and sit down. Harken had decided to get straight to business.
"Now, tech-priest." He began. He knew that she was no longer one, but he did not know what else to call her and he felt that it too gave him an edge, something to constantly needle her about to remind her who was in charge. Before he could continue; however, she had up her hand.
"As I said before, Captain, I am no longer a priest of the Mechanicus."
"Alright then, what should I call you?"
"You may call me Athena." He gave her a look.
"A rather odd name." She smiled.
"It is not the name that I was born with, true. That name belongs to the one who was indoctrinated with the false beliefs of the Machine Cult. I forsook the name when I left. In an ancient Terran myth Athena was the goddess of wisdom, it seemed appropriate."
"Very well, Athena," Harken said, not really carry about old myths or religious disputes; "You said that you knew people who could help us. Who?"
"Tell me Captain. Are you familiar with the systems surrounding this one?"
"Somewhat."
"Do you know of the Capree System?"
"I know of it. There is nothing there."
"Not entirely correct. There is the asteroid belt.
"For several millennia there was extensive mining operations. Then thirty years ago the mines appeared to be worked clean and the operation was abandoned. The asteroids are now the home of the Rovian Raiders." At the name Harken raised and eyebrow. He knew that name.
The Rovian Raiders were a pirate band, no one knew how many there were, which had been plaguing the Zaphir System, as well as the systems around it, for nearly twenty years or so. Harken had heard the officers talk of them more than once. One of the reasons for the wealth of the Zaphir System was its relative isolation. This meant that it was far from the eyes of the Administratum and as a consequence could hide wealth from the tithe assessors with relative ease. However; the downside to this was the fact that the Imperial Navy was present in any great force, meaning that pirates where a constant potential problem. Harken fixed his eyes on Athena.
"What is your connections to the Raiders?"
"I belong to a group of former tech-priests who realized that the Cult Mechanicus is an impediment to knowledge. As we are, to say the least, unwelcome in places where the Mechanicus holds sway we must seek allies such as Holleck Rovian, founder and leader of the Rovian Raiders. That to answer your earlier question, is our connection to him.
"It is a simple business arrangement. We build him ships and maintain the ones he has. In exchange for this he provides us protection and his raiders supply us with materials that we require for our research." Harken nodded.
"So how does this help us?'
"Rovian is an ambitious man, he seeks to expand his operation. While this ship is far from ideal for raiding, your actions show that you possess skill and daring. With my endorsement, I confident that he will accept you and your crew." Harken sat back and thought about it.
She was correct, the Prosperity was no warship and they would not last long on their own. As part of a larger band they would stand a much greater chance of not only surviving, but in accruing the booty which he would need in order to continue to maintain the loyalty of the crew. On the other hand, there was risk in joining as well; risks which had to be taken into account and considered.
The Raiders were being spoken of more and more often on Zarda; surely that meant that the wider Imperium must take notice sooner or later. The preachers had always taught that the might of the Imperium was all-encompassing and even if that were not as true as they claimed surely the interference in the profits of the world had eventually to draw the attention of the Imperial Navy; attention that Harken did not want any part of. There was another factor to be considered as well. For all he knew this Rovian fellow was every bit the tyrant that the Captain had been, Harken doubted that one became leader of a pirate fleet by being particularly amiable. He had just escaped one cruel master and he was not eager to put himself under the power of another. Somehow, he doubted that Rovian would be as easy to get rid of. Still, the benefits seemed to outweigh the risks and, in truth, he was in over his head. He had no idea how one went about being a pirate and it would be good to have someone giving the orders again, to an extent. He turned his attention back to Athena.
"Very well. Let us meet this Rovian."
"Good." She said.
"I am sure that the Admiral will be pleased." Harken gave her a look.
"Admiral?" She gave a wry smile.
"Oh yes, I suppose that you should know that Rovian likes to be addressed by that rank. He claims that he was an Admiral in the Imperial Navy before turning to piracy." She gave an ironic snort.
"While he was in the Navy I believe that he achieved the illustrious rank of lieutenant. Though I suppose that one should not mention that in his hearing. I believe that he is rather sensitive on the subject." Harken snorted as well, he was beginning to form a picture of his potential new boss.
The voyage there was uneventful, for which he was grateful. For many it was their first time going through the Warp and, as was to be expected, some took it badly. There were numerous fights, two murders and three suicides and many of the veteran voidsmen considered that getting off lightly. Of greater concern was Cleitus. As pysker it was thought that he would attract things…better left unattracted. Some close to the officers' quarters heard howls and screams echoing throughout the corridors and many feared what would happen; yet nothing did happen and when food was placed there after they left the Warp it was eaten and so they assumed that he was still alive. That taken care of Harken turned his attention back to the impending meeting with the Admiral. Harken had taken to calling Rovian the Admiral in his mind to remind himself to address him by that title.
The Capree System was as empty as to be expected, though Athena assured him that it was far from it. They made their way towards the asteroid field which made up a great deal of the system. Looking at it Harken could not understand how such a vast field could have been mined out. Then something occurred which drove all such thoughts from his mind. Man operating the auger station called out, his voice tinged with panic.
"CAPTAIN! FOUR SHIPS ARE COMING OUT OF THE ASTEROID FIELD AND ARE HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARDS US!" His pronouncement caused a great deal of consternation among all those on the bridge. They knew who they were, pirates and though they sought to join them, the sight of them still instilled fear in them all.
Harken was just as nervous as the rest of the crew; indeed, it had been eating at him since the decision had been made to cast his lot in with this pirate admiral. The sight of the pirate ships was quite unnerving to him as well, but he needed to maintain control and show that he was not frightened of them. So, he took a moment to compose himself and when he had done this, he rose from his throne to address the vox operator. When he spoke there was no sign of the nervousness that he felt.
"Hail the ships." He then turned to Athena, who had been on the bridge since they had entered the system. She nodded at his unspoken command and moved to stand at the vox station. Just as she reached it the vox crackled to life.
"Merchant vessel," a raspy voice filled the bridge; "Cut your engines and prepared to be boarded. Resist or try to run and we'll turn your sorry carcasses to space dust and scatter them across the system." Athena took the place of the shaken vox operator and began to speak into it.
"Captain Var'nos. This is Athena of the Acknowledgers of Truth. Identification: Delt, Beta, Theta, Theta, Capa Twelve. Acknowledge." Several tense seconds there was only silence; a period of time long enough for Harken to begin to think that her message would be ignored and the pirates would fire on them regardless. Then the voice of Var'nos returned.
"Identification acknowledged Athena, welcome back." He paused and then spoke again.
"Nice ship." He said, mockery clear in his voice.
"Who are your new friends?"
"Glory of Prosperity, whose crew is interested in joining us. Their captain wishes to see the Admiral." Var'nos snorted.
"They do they? Well, don't know if he wants to see them, especially with scrap-hauler like that." There followed another pause.
"But, I will pass on the message, no skin off my nose if he says no. Maintain your position." With that final command the vox went dead.
"Now what?" Someone asked.
"We await the Admiral's rely." Athena answered; someone else looked as if they were going to object, but Athena waved him to silence. She indicated the four ships which had taken up position some distance away, but close enough Harken was sure to tear them to pieces if they chose to.
"Those are Iconoclast-class destroyers. If we so much as twitch in a manner they see as a threat or an attempt to run they will be on us and rip us to shreds." That quieted down any further dissent and they waited in silence for some time. At last the auger operator spoke again.
"Captain, more ships are exiting the field and are coming towards us." Harken walked over and looked.
There were indeed more ships moving towards them, he saw a dozen or so. They appeared to all be clustered around one ship in the middle. The majority of them appeared to be either also Iconoclasts, or roughly similar size, though not the one in the middle. Harken noticed, a slight twinge of unease that the ship in the middle was larger than his own. With a noticeable twinge of unease, he saw that the ship was significantly better armed than his. It was clearly no freighter; it was a proper warship. Athena seemed to have sensed his unease as she turned towards him.
"It seems that the Admiral has come to give you an audience. That ship in the center of the formation is his flagship, the Plunderer, an Endeavour-class light cruiser and Rovian's flagship."
"You are sure that he is aboard?" Harken asked. She nodded.
"Quite certain. He is inclined to paranoia on certain matters and that includes his flagship. He would never trust his flagship to any of his lieutenants. No, if the Plunderer has left its berth, then the Admiral is aboard." There was no time for further conversation, as at that moment a message came in over the vox.
"Attention Glory of Prosperity. This is the Plunderer. Admiral Holleck Rovian has graciously agreed to grant you an audience. A lighter is coming over for you. Follow the instructions of those aboard." With that the transmission ended. Harken looked around the bridge, took a deep breath in an effort to calm his nerves and headed to the landing bay, Kristofer and Athena in tow. Harken wondered if the negotiations went poorly whether Kristofer would simply slit his throat and resume negotiations in his place.
They did not have to wait long; less than five minutes after the arrived the lighter landed. It was painted jet black, save for the front which had a set of bloody jaws painted on it, the overall effect should have been comical, but somehow it was not. The ramp came down and five men came out. They were a mixture of contradictions. They all wore flack armor and carried lasguns, just like a military unit. The way that four of them formed a perimeter and took a knee to present smaller targets also spoke of military training. On the other hand, there were other aspects about them which were decidedly not military.
One man sported a long, thick beard and burning skull painted on his flack armor. Another had a shaved head and had removed the sleeves of his shirt to display his muscular and heavily tattooed arms. The third man's hair was long and woven into elaborate plaits which were dyed in multiple colors. The fourth man was the most bizarre of all. He was much larger than the others and had an extra set of mechanical arms below his organic ones. Instead of hands the mechanical arms ended in melee weapons. By contrast, the fifth man looked normal.
He was of medium height and build, though his face seemed rather chubby and lacked the other outlandish appearance. He wore an officer's coat of deep burgundy and sported and abundance of gold threadwork. A laspistol and cutlass hung on his belt, though unlike the others he had not drawn them. He did; however, have one thing in common with his men, the look of amused contempt he directed at the Prosperity and its crew. After a moment he seemed to notice Harken and the others. He offered a slight bow to Athena, pointedly ignoring Harken.
"Lady Athena," he said in an aristocratic accented voice; "I must say, it is good to see you returned safely." He finally appeared to acknowledge Harken, though he did not bow.
"I am Louis Santon Haveron DeVamart. Captain of the Plunderer and First Councilor to Admiral Holleck Rovian. You are…" He let his voice trail off. Even Harken could see the intended insult. The man was letting him know that he was so unimportant that he did not know his name. Resisting the urge to hit the man, which he doubted would end well, he drew himself up to his full height, pleased see that he was taller than DeVamart and replied.
"I am Captain Harken of the Glory of Prosperity." Not having a long name or fancy-sounding titles he had decided to go for brevity. If this made a good impression or not he did not know, the man merely nodded and indicated for them to follow him aboard the lighter.
The flight was not long and was made in silence; with DeVamart studiously ignoring Harken and Kristofer and the DeVamart's guards silently sizing each other up. At last they settled down in the landing bay of the Plunderer. There were a number of other craft and the area seemed to be a hive of frantic activity. Harken and the others did not; however, have time to see much as they were quickly hurried along the corridors. These too were quite busy, with men and women going back and forth constantly. What Harken noticed most about them was that all of them were armed and gave every impression that they knew how to use them. More disturbing was the fact that several of them sported small, but noticeable, mutations. Raised to fear and hate such things it was a shock to Harken to see the creatures walking about in the open. It was yet another reminder of the differences of the world he was now entering. Then they came to what were clearly the Admiral's quarters and Harken was shocked once again. They entered through guarded doors and into a palace.
The floors were covered with rugs and carpets, all of fine make and expensive materials. The rooms were studded with pillars, many of which were gilded and some of these were studded with precious gems. On the walls were a number of paintings, though Harken knew nothing of art he supposed that they were good and most certainly expensive. On plinths sat busts and statues. The most impressive feature of all; however, was the table near the back of one of the rooms. It was a table, large enough to sit twenty people. It was made of wood, black as the void with trace gilding running through it. Natural wood was a rarity on Zarda Prime, where all the trees had been felled long ago. With all the wealth on display it took him a moment to notice the man to whom it all belonged to at first.
Admiral Holleck Rovian was a short man, fat and with a vaguely effeminate face and large watery green eyes. Like DeVamart he wore a Navy officer's coat, though his was a deep blue and had even more gold thread and was encrusted with enough ribbons and medals to almost serve as a layer of armor. He wore a wig of curled white hair which fell down to cover his shoulders. He sat at the head of the table, a formal tea set on the table before him. Flanking him were four more men who were clearly there to ensure his safety. He snapped the fingers of his hand and a nervous young woman wearing a frilly dress which was a bit too small for her, ran up and poured more tea. As she did so Harken got a closer look at the set.
They were of a variety of different colors and must, therefore, have come from different sets that the Admiral had plundered. That fact made Harken think of the other objects which he had seen as they had passed through the Admiral's quarters. The paintings variety pointed them having been stolen from various places. Some of the carpets and rugs had been worn and ripped and some had been stained. All in all it gave the impression of a man trying desperately to make himself appear important by a gaudy display of wealth. In that at least the Admiral was no different than many higher-ranking members of the Guild. At last, the Admiral grew tired of pretending not to see Harken and turned his attention to him.
"So," he said in a voice which sounded hostile and slightly petulant voice; "You want to join my fleet.
"But tell me; why should I let you join?" His response took Harken by surprise and for a moment he could not think of anything to say as the Admiral continued.
"I am veritably besieged by outcasts, renegades and all other manner of riffraff eager to attach their fortunes to mine. Thus, I can afford to be discriminate in those whom I chose to employ. So, again, why should I choose you?
"You come here in ramshackle ship that is quite incapable of catching any ship that cannot fight you off and equally incapable fending off even the smallest and weakest of the Navy's ships?" Harken tried to speak, but was cut off by the Admiral as he continued speaking.
"Furthermore, would I be correct in assuming that your crew are hardly what one would call veteran fighters? Slave scum no doubt who would be more hinderance than help in a fight." Harken tried to find a way to argue, but the man's assessment was fairly accurate. He thought back to the raid on the Sanctuary, but he was not sure how to make a good story of it; or even if the Admiral would believe him. Before he could say anything; however, the Admiral abruptly changed his tone, becoming somewhat accepting.
"Well, I suppose I can find something for you to do." He took on a thoughtful expression as he steepled his fingers and looked up at the ceiling.
"Yes, yes. I think we can give you a chance to prove yourself." He turned his attention fully on Harken again.
"Are you carrying any cargo?" He asked in a voice which was firm and commanding. The changes in conversation had thrown Harken slightly and at the direct question, spoken in a tone that he was used to obeying caused him to blurt out a truthful answer without thinking.
"Yes Sir. We have a full cargo of ore." The Admiral smiled in a contented manner.
"Good, I will take half as your entrance fee." He took a sip of tea and smiled indulgently at Harken.
"Welcome to the Rovian Raiders, Captain."
Author's Notes: Hello everyone, I hope that you enjoyed it. Till next time stay face and may Jesus bless you.