Note - Part V is the most recent one, but currently lacks a thread. To get this moving, though, I'll see about a write-up for the currently missing part IV. Free of Charge;
Ahead of us, ominous in it's sheer scope and mysterious origin stretched the
Battlefield. Graveyard of countless ships of uncertain origin and nature, with the Emperor's Bounty concealed within. Having saved almost a week of time in our Journey through the excellence of our Navigator's work, we took our time to pinpoint the location of our prize and the source of the rescue beacon.
This process took us a few days, but saved us many more in fruitlessly searching the densely packed rubble-field. Our destination firmly plotted, we set out from the
Old Lie, which would have had to cut it's way through over weeks and months, due to the density of the asto-trash, aboard the 'Wild Wind' gun-cutter and two of the unarmed transports. This journey would also take several days but with the exception of a few close calls, the time passed largely uneventfully.
Eventually, the Emperor's Bounty came into view. It was battered and firmly abandoned looking and would likely take some time to make ready to travel again. However, despite it's state there were signs of minimul power sources being active and there was an atmosphere of sorts. Our readings showed it was breathable, but I advised (in my position of Master of Arms and the relevant authority reguarding boarding actions) that no chances were to be taken and breathing aparatus was to be worn at all times.
Inside, there seemed to be no trace of any surviving crew. Many bodies were found, however. The cadavers showed little sign of external trauma but were degraded enough to make proper diagnosis difficult. Leading theories were that either they were suffocated, poisoned somehow through the air, or simply were commanded to stop breathing by some powerful psychic abomination. The ship also showed some sign of having suffered impact damage since having materialised in the Rubble-Field, with a number of regions locked-down by the automatic systems, with ruptured piping or airless void behind. The ship hummed faintly, unmistakably it's void-sheilds were still powered up.
We made our way with the Captain in the lead, to the Bridge. It was strewn with bodies, and the command-throne was occupied by the corpse of the Navigator, a strange mechanical worm attatched like a horn to his third eye. Almost immediately the doors shut and the form on the throne stirred. Without waiting for the trap to be sprung, we opened fire but our heaviest weapons as well as the full range of powers the Astropath was able to bring to bear all had no impact on the energy sheild the wormlike aperatus generated. Neither did the captain's attempt to order it off the bridge provoke any reaction. It did retaliate though with strange, lightning-like energies and by apparently commanding the dead crew members to rise up and attempt to kill us, as much by weight of numbers as anything.
All options exhausted, we moved back to the sealed doors to cover the Explorator, who managed to cut our way out. Infuriated by the apparently impenitrable shield, the Master of Arms and the Astropath ordered the Wildwind Gun-Cutter to take up position above the bridge and to vapourise everything and everyone within...
Also in this session -
Andy failed, repeatedly to guess which of the Caimen sisters used to be called Reg, repeatedly guessing Sissy, the Brash and Boisterous Youngest of the three quite incorrectly. Despite having been sent a message implicitely spelling it out.
And whatever else you might hear Captain Spakk Jarrow Did not, despite sneaking suspicions, secretly make it to the ship and the bridge first by clinging to the outside of the gun-cutter with a rebreather and a load of old rope.
"Ahoy mehearties and welcome to Captain Spakk Jarrow's fine and newly aquired by imperial writ ship, the Emperor's Bounty. Now if you could just be a dear and do something about the wiggly metal death-worm on the old crusty fellow's forehead I'd be mighty grateful" Exaunt stage left, pursued by a Husk.
