A House Divided
Act 1 - The Gates of the Abyss
Chapter 2 - The Exile
Aboard the Khyber, rested and cleansed of any possible taint, the team had assembled in their briefing hall. Marius Oba awaited them, his stern face implacable as he debriefed them on certain details of their mission aboard the abandoned Imperial surveillance station. His questions were sharp and concise, but if he judged them harshly for their choices he did not make his opinion known. He regretted that more bodies from the original team could not be recovered, but thanked them for recovering what they could within the constraints of time and risk they were exposed to. Satisfied with their answers he informed them that Roa Mahaka had decided that, in light of their success under such conditions, they would be the permanent field team assigned to the Saturnine Gypsy. Marius made no effort to hide his disagreement with this decision, as he believed the team still too new and unfamiliar with each other to maximize their potential. Regardless, the decision was not his to make. Furthermore, Mahaka had decided that the team deserved to know more of the long-term operations they would be conducting on her behalf, a journey into the largely unexplored region of the galaxy known as the Koronus Expanse.
Of all those present, only Aurora knew of the Expanse. Delightedly she explained that it was a pocket of space surrounded by violent stellar phenomena and Warp storms in the Calixis sector of the Segmentum Obscurus, and it had been considered impossible to traverse or explore for millennia. Within the last few hundred years, however, a stable tunnel through to the Expanse had been discovered, finally allowing the Imperium of Man to claim it in the name of the God-Emperor. It was a lawless and largely unexplored region with vast untapped riches of archeo-tech from lost colonies of the Dark Age of Technology and natural resources. Wu-10 was immediately intrigued at the prospect of reclaiming the Omnissiah's gifts, though the significance of the expedition did not profoundly impact the others. Oba tersely explained that to ensure that operations in the Expanse were successful Mahaka desired more detailed star charts and navigable routes in and around the region. Rogue Traders jealously guarded such information, as it gave them an advantage over their competitors and ensured their continued prosperity in any given region of space. There was a place, and (more precisely) a man, who possessed such knowledge. And the team was being deployed to find him and retrieve it.
Bringing up a holo-projection of a system in the Calixis sector near the entry to the Koronus Expanse, Oba adjusted the view to focus on a singular system labeled KB8-ALPHA-664. It was a red dwarf, surrounded by a swarm of asteroid fields, whose only orbiting body was a small unnamed planet bearing only the standard Imperial warning marker of a death world. Marius explained that, unknown to all but a trusted few amongst the Rogue Trader houses which traveled into the Expanse, a legendary figure resided there. Kaenen Kel, one of the most successful Rogue Traders to ever ply his craft within the area. At some point Kel had run afoul of powerful figures within the Imperium, and he had been censured by the High Lords. The terms of his Warrant of Trade had been restricted to operations only within a small region of the Calixis secotr, and he had all but disappeared afterwards. Mahaka, at great expense, ahd found out that the death world in this system was where Kel had secluded himself. Somewhere on that desolate planet was a trading post known as Freeport, which Kel apparently ran as a trading post and safe haven for Rogue Traders and merchants who wished to avoid the exposure of the more common, and visible, ports of the region. If Kel was to be found, Freeport was where the search would have to start. The team would translate into the system aboard the Khyber and then begin their work.
At Merrick and Cassius' insistence, Marius agreed to send on the the Cobras along with them. It would pull back further into the asteroid fields and provide them auspex data with its more advanced sensor suite. Tracking ships in and out of Freeport may give them an advantage, they argued; and Marius agreed. Meanwhile, they would translate into the system the day after the Cobra in the Gypsy, approach to a safe distance to launch Cassius' lander, and then proceed to the dock at Freeport. They did not wish to expose the Gypsy to undue scrutiny, given the ship's unique nature. With an initial plan in place, the team spent several hours seeing to their equipment and supplies. Sufficiently prepared, they boarded their ship and set out into the void. In short order they followed the Cobra into the Immaterium, bracing themselves for days of travel in that hellish realm where man was never meant to go.
Their travel through the Warp was uneventful, praise to the God-Emperor, and they translated inside the asteroid fields surrounding the planet where Freeport was to be found. It was a harsh world, beset by cataclysmic storms and unfathomable geological activity. Volcanoes the size of hive cities and magma fields as big as oceans roiled and burned across its surface. A broader scan of the system, pulling encrypted data from the Cobra nearby, finally showed them their first sign of habitation. A cluster of ships, Kel's dormant fleet, were in fixed orbit near a small station which connected to the planet by a segmented space elevator. Further scanning on approach showed that the elevator didn't just run TO the surface, it ran INTO it. Freeport was well hidden because Freeport was underneath one of the few stable islands of solid rock to be found on the death world's surface. As they came within range a signal pinged their comms array, simply containing an approach vector and landing time at the elevator. It seemed strange that no challenge was made, or ID verification requested, unit they realized that no one would even be in orbit this damned place unless they knew what they were looking for in the first place.
As they closed upon the coordinates provided to them, the party was astonished to see a fleet of dozens of ships of various makes seemingly dry docked together. Only a few smaller ships manned picket routes, the rest seemed idle. This was Kel's fleet, but in no apparent state of readiness for deployment. Shortly, a vox chime indicated that it as their time to approach the elevator. As they settled upon the landing pad a magnetic clamp secured the lander and an iris slowly slid into place over them. No sooner had it locked than the elevator began to descend with a nauseating lurch, accelerating down towards the surface at high speed. As they neared the base, Cassius laughed aloud as his auspex finally detected a faint signal, the sudden realization of how Kel had been able to maintain such a high degree of secrecy concerning Freeport in years past was plain. The trading post wasn't on the planet, it was IN the planet. The elevator plummeted down and finally slowed to a stop more than a kilometer beneath the surface of the planet. Kel had taken a specially outfitted Mechanicus bulk hauler meant for close range scanning of star systems, controlled its descent to the planet, and submerged it beneath one of the islands of solidified magma!
On arrival at the ship's hangar bay, they were route slowly through a series of modified cargo storage areas and into the main hangar itself. It was over ten stories tall, a kilometer in width, and three kilometers in length with a ring of lander platforms at the highest level. As they drifted over the cavernous space they could see a riot of color and activity below. Freeport itself was a massive bazaar which spread across the entire floor of the bay. Makeshift shops and booths, piles of crates, and a sea of humanity milling about like ants searching for the choicest prize to carry home. At the far end of the bazaar was an opulent, even gaudy, manor constructed in such an ostentatious manner that it clashed jarringly with the spartan sprawl around it. Wide balconies occupied the next three levels, each with cargo containers converted to shops, bars, brothels. The entire thing taken on the appearance of some massive theater, or at the least a mockery of one. Automated docking controls slowly steered the Queen onto her designated pad, and as the crew stepped off onto the catwalks they were assaulted by the din, and smell, of business below. A red-robed dockmaster, flanked by two bored naval security men with loosely slung rifles, hurried towards them.
Negotiating their fee with the dockmaster, declaring to him the goods they had been provided as a cover by Marius Oba, they inquired as to the best way by which the reclusive Kel could be contacted. The administrator, scoffing, told them they would be better served in appealing for an audience the God-Emperor than expecting for Kel to meet them. Pressing him for more details, the administrator (no doubt used to such inquiries) told the party that their best hope lay in speaking with KEl's second-in-command, the Baroness Claudet Monet, before bustling back down the catwalk away from them. They decided that they would proceed together to the market, assess the situation, and decide on their next course of action. Taking a freight elevator to the ground floor, they arrived in the maelstrom of the bazaar itself. It was a cacophony of sight and sound, with no apparent sensible approach taken to its layout. Narrow paths weaved in and out of makeshift stands and stacks of cargo containers containing everything from weapons and armor to strange fruits and herbs. Merchants hawked their wares loudly as armed guards scanned the milling throng for threats or thieves. A gunshot rang out somewhere down the cavernous bay, but no one seemed to take note of it.
Merrick, having been associated with such sights from his time in the lower-levels of an Imperial Hive, stood to the side and spent several long moments observing the flow. He knew that, for all the chaos, there is always a pattern to the madness. Soon, he began to take note of certain details, particularly the presence of the guards wearing blue bands around their upper arms lounging casually around perimeter of the bazaar. They seemed disinterested in providing any real sense of security, their presence a formality more than a necessity. He approached a pair of them and, leveraging his skill in underworld trade and negotiation, swiftly came to a deal. Handing over a well-maintained naval sub-gun they had acquired, he was informed that the best place to get information on the lay of the bazaar was to speak with a fruit merchant named Faruq, whose real trade was in information. The party began to press forward through the bazaar, intent on finding Faruq, when Vadik (equally experienced to Merrick in the goings-on of the criminals as an Arbites) noticed they were being shadowed. A slight man in mechanic's overalls, a red bandanna, and a hungry look in his eyes was following them.
Watching him with a trained eye, Vadik pounced when he caught the man slipping his hand into Cassius' pocket while the noble feigned interest in a display. The man struggled briefly, but relented almost immediately when Vadik locked his arm behind his back and the group closed around him. He apologized profusely, claiming that food and water were in short supply for the former crews of the ships anchored above. He had only attempted to steal from them in order to stave off the hunger for one more day. His emaciated appearance and desperate look convinced them that he told the truth, but they insisted that he give him information on the market and Kel in exchange for letting him go. He explained, reluctantly, that the Baroness Monet had made Freeport her own fiefdom in Kel's absence, as he had gone into seclusion in a bunker hidden somewhere else on the world. Those who played into her sudden ambition were rewarded with ample food and compensation, those who resisted were starved and outcast to the fringes of the small trading post. If they were not jailed or killed. Few people knew of Kel's location, but he did know of one. He told them to go to a bar on the lower of the three balconies above them, and ask the bartender to talk to Skinner. He gave them his red bandanna after they released him, claiming that it would help them get the answers they sought.
The party discussed continuing to Faruq's, but decided to investigate Skinner's bar instead. Faruq wasn't likely going anywhere, and this seemed like a more accessible source of information. When they arrived, they found the bar to be a massive cargo container with "Skinner's" roughly painted over the canopied entrance. It was dimly lit with flickering sodium lamps, the orange light casting long shadows over the faces of the patrons who looked up at the party's appearance with guarded eyes. Almost all of them appeared to be in poor health, and wore red bandannas like the one they had been given tied around their heads or around their arms. As they a hefty woman with an augmetic eye that seemed to twitch randomly set her hands on the overturned ammo boxes that served as the bar top and demanded that they buy something or get out. Cassius, winking at her slyly, laid out several Imperial gold aquila coins (a common currency on Terra) and said the house could have a round on him. The barkeep seemed less than impressed, but proceeded to spend several moments delivering drinks and jerking a thumb towards the smirking noble in response to raised eyebrows. When she returned, Vadik slid the bandanna across to her and said that they were hoping she could help them find Skinner.
She inspected the bandanna closely and, satisfied at its authenticity, she tucked it into her belt and asked Cassius why they wanted to talk to him. Doing his best to convince her that they had good intentions, he explained that they were in possession of cargo they were charged by their employer to sell only to Kel personally, and that the man who had provided them the bandanna had said that Skinner was the best source for information on where to find him. She nodded, but told the pilot that there was a problem. And if they wanted to see Skinner it was a problem that they would have to solve. She was reluctant to provide them details until they agreed, but Cassius won her over through careful application of the wit and charm he had learned carefully in the courts of Terra. She admitted to him that there was a schism in Freeport between Skinner and Monet. Those members of Kel's crew who wished to return to the trading routes of deep space had donned red to symbolize the blood they had shed among the stars, while Monet had organized many of the ship's officers behind her and begun to exploit her position as Freeport's administrator to cast herself as a governor of noble lineage with a golden aquila on a field of blue as her personal symbol. In an effort to stifle dissent to her new rule she had imprisoned Skinner, and if the party wanted to talk to him they would have to liberate him from the port's brig. She needed strangers to do the task so her people would have deniability and avoid punishment by Monet, and there simply was no other way to talk to him. After a short discussion on the risks, the group agreed. The barkeep told them to return to their ship and wait for one of her people to contact them, warning that they should prepare what they could as it would not be a long wait. They left the bar and headed back to the Queen of Diamonds, discussing their options as they went.
-Agents of the Baroness were waiting at the ship, extending an invitation to a ball at her manor to the party. They decide to split forces, with half assisting with Skinner's rescue while the other half attend the ball.
-At the ball, the group finally encounters Baroness Monet. She is an arrogant and manipulative woman who plays at being noble, but is smart enough to be dangerous. She offers to help the party meet Kaenen if they will assist her in creating formal trade ties with other stations in the system so she can further her position of wealth and status.
-Down in the depths of the ship the other half of the party is led through a convoluted maze of access tunnels until they get to the brig. They incapacitate multiple guards, avoided outright bloodshed, and liberated Skinner. He claims he knows how to find the Rogue Trader because he was the pilot who dropped him off at his secluded bunker. After agreeing to help guide them to Kaenen, he was left with his agents and the party rejoined at Cassius' ship.
-A decision had to be made. Trust Skinner, or trust Monet. Both said they would help the party find Kaenen, but in the end Monet's duplicitous mannerisms set the party against her. They messaged Skinner and arranged to have him guide them to Kaenen's base. He arrived shortly, and the group left Freeport via the gravity lift after telling Monet they were enroute to arrange trade negotiations.
-The party flew across the surface of the volcanic planet following Skinner's flightpath. It brought them to an isolated island in the sea of lava which had a concealed docking port. An elevator brought them into a hangar bay where automated defenses targeted their ship. Skinner spoke on their behalf, and after several long minutes an access door opened.
-The party followed a series of corridors until they found Kaenen Kel, wallowing drunk in his miserable luck in the company of multiple servitors programmed for...unconventional services. He demanded to know why they disturbed him, and only reluctantly agreed to review their coded message after Skinner plead on the party's behalf.
-Kaenen read the data-slate and, jumping with joy that revealed far too much of the Rogue Trader's abundant personage from his parted robe, told the party that he accepted unconditionally. When pressed on what the deal he had been offered was, he told them that it was reinstatement of his Warrant of Trade by the High Lords of Terra, on the condition that he provide his old navigation records of the Koronus Expanse to them and swear to never venture into the sector again. Shouting orders he had a crate of data-slates loaded onto the party's ship by servitors as he conversed with Skinner about standing his fleet back up for the voyage away from Freeport.
-With their prize in hand, the party left the bunker in their dropship. As they were climbing through the atmosphere their auspex showed signs that several gunships were headed towards Kaenen's bunker from another site on the planet. They were armed and on an attack vector. Monet, apparently, had no intentions of returning to life among the stars from her cozy seat of power. The party contemplated returning to assist the Rogue Trader, but opted instead to send him a brief warning and hit the accelerator towards space.
-After rendezvous with the Gypsy and their escort ship they made a short Warp jump from Freeport to the last formal Imperial outpost at the gates of the Koronus Expanse: Port Wander. There they docked with the Khyber and reported to Marius. He was impressed with their actions, and reported that Mahaka was as well. They had done so well that she had decided to retain them all as the agents permanently assigned to the Gypsy. They would need their luck, and that ship. Now that they had star charts of routes in and around the Expanse they needed contacts inside the sparsely populated area to keep the fleet maintained and supplied. And it was going to be the party's job to help make that happen...
Of all those present, only Aurora knew of the Expanse. Delightedly she explained that it was a pocket of space surrounded by violent stellar phenomena and Warp storms in the Calixis sector of the Segmentum Obscurus, and it had been considered impossible to traverse or explore for millennia. Within the last few hundred years, however, a stable tunnel through to the Expanse had been discovered, finally allowing the Imperium of Man to claim it in the name of the God-Emperor. It was a lawless and largely unexplored region with vast untapped riches of archeo-tech from lost colonies of the Dark Age of Technology and natural resources. Wu-10 was immediately intrigued at the prospect of reclaiming the Omnissiah's gifts, though the significance of the expedition did not profoundly impact the others. Oba tersely explained that to ensure that operations in the Expanse were successful Mahaka desired more detailed star charts and navigable routes in and around the region. Rogue Traders jealously guarded such information, as it gave them an advantage over their competitors and ensured their continued prosperity in any given region of space. There was a place, and (more precisely) a man, who possessed such knowledge. And the team was being deployed to find him and retrieve it.
Bringing up a holo-projection of a system in the Calixis sector near the entry to the Koronus Expanse, Oba adjusted the view to focus on a singular system labeled KB8-ALPHA-664. It was a red dwarf, surrounded by a swarm of asteroid fields, whose only orbiting body was a small unnamed planet bearing only the standard Imperial warning marker of a death world. Marius explained that, unknown to all but a trusted few amongst the Rogue Trader houses which traveled into the Expanse, a legendary figure resided there. Kaenen Kel, one of the most successful Rogue Traders to ever ply his craft within the area. At some point Kel had run afoul of powerful figures within the Imperium, and he had been censured by the High Lords. The terms of his Warrant of Trade had been restricted to operations only within a small region of the Calixis secotr, and he had all but disappeared afterwards. Mahaka, at great expense, ahd found out that the death world in this system was where Kel had secluded himself. Somewhere on that desolate planet was a trading post known as Freeport, which Kel apparently ran as a trading post and safe haven for Rogue Traders and merchants who wished to avoid the exposure of the more common, and visible, ports of the region. If Kel was to be found, Freeport was where the search would have to start. The team would translate into the system aboard the Khyber and then begin their work.
At Merrick and Cassius' insistence, Marius agreed to send on the the Cobras along with them. It would pull back further into the asteroid fields and provide them auspex data with its more advanced sensor suite. Tracking ships in and out of Freeport may give them an advantage, they argued; and Marius agreed. Meanwhile, they would translate into the system the day after the Cobra in the Gypsy, approach to a safe distance to launch Cassius' lander, and then proceed to the dock at Freeport. They did not wish to expose the Gypsy to undue scrutiny, given the ship's unique nature. With an initial plan in place, the team spent several hours seeing to their equipment and supplies. Sufficiently prepared, they boarded their ship and set out into the void. In short order they followed the Cobra into the Immaterium, bracing themselves for days of travel in that hellish realm where man was never meant to go.
Their travel through the Warp was uneventful, praise to the God-Emperor, and they translated inside the asteroid fields surrounding the planet where Freeport was to be found. It was a harsh world, beset by cataclysmic storms and unfathomable geological activity. Volcanoes the size of hive cities and magma fields as big as oceans roiled and burned across its surface. A broader scan of the system, pulling encrypted data from the Cobra nearby, finally showed them their first sign of habitation. A cluster of ships, Kel's dormant fleet, were in fixed orbit near a small station which connected to the planet by a segmented space elevator. Further scanning on approach showed that the elevator didn't just run TO the surface, it ran INTO it. Freeport was well hidden because Freeport was underneath one of the few stable islands of solid rock to be found on the death world's surface. As they came within range a signal pinged their comms array, simply containing an approach vector and landing time at the elevator. It seemed strange that no challenge was made, or ID verification requested, unit they realized that no one would even be in orbit this damned place unless they knew what they were looking for in the first place.
As they closed upon the coordinates provided to them, the party was astonished to see a fleet of dozens of ships of various makes seemingly dry docked together. Only a few smaller ships manned picket routes, the rest seemed idle. This was Kel's fleet, but in no apparent state of readiness for deployment. Shortly, a vox chime indicated that it as their time to approach the elevator. As they settled upon the landing pad a magnetic clamp secured the lander and an iris slowly slid into place over them. No sooner had it locked than the elevator began to descend with a nauseating lurch, accelerating down towards the surface at high speed. As they neared the base, Cassius laughed aloud as his auspex finally detected a faint signal, the sudden realization of how Kel had been able to maintain such a high degree of secrecy concerning Freeport in years past was plain. The trading post wasn't on the planet, it was IN the planet. The elevator plummeted down and finally slowed to a stop more than a kilometer beneath the surface of the planet. Kel had taken a specially outfitted Mechanicus bulk hauler meant for close range scanning of star systems, controlled its descent to the planet, and submerged it beneath one of the islands of solidified magma!
On arrival at the ship's hangar bay, they were route slowly through a series of modified cargo storage areas and into the main hangar itself. It was over ten stories tall, a kilometer in width, and three kilometers in length with a ring of lander platforms at the highest level. As they drifted over the cavernous space they could see a riot of color and activity below. Freeport itself was a massive bazaar which spread across the entire floor of the bay. Makeshift shops and booths, piles of crates, and a sea of humanity milling about like ants searching for the choicest prize to carry home. At the far end of the bazaar was an opulent, even gaudy, manor constructed in such an ostentatious manner that it clashed jarringly with the spartan sprawl around it. Wide balconies occupied the next three levels, each with cargo containers converted to shops, bars, brothels. The entire thing taken on the appearance of some massive theater, or at the least a mockery of one. Automated docking controls slowly steered the Queen onto her designated pad, and as the crew stepped off onto the catwalks they were assaulted by the din, and smell, of business below. A red-robed dockmaster, flanked by two bored naval security men with loosely slung rifles, hurried towards them.
Negotiating their fee with the dockmaster, declaring to him the goods they had been provided as a cover by Marius Oba, they inquired as to the best way by which the reclusive Kel could be contacted. The administrator, scoffing, told them they would be better served in appealing for an audience the God-Emperor than expecting for Kel to meet them. Pressing him for more details, the administrator (no doubt used to such inquiries) told the party that their best hope lay in speaking with KEl's second-in-command, the Baroness Claudet Monet, before bustling back down the catwalk away from them. They decided that they would proceed together to the market, assess the situation, and decide on their next course of action. Taking a freight elevator to the ground floor, they arrived in the maelstrom of the bazaar itself. It was a cacophony of sight and sound, with no apparent sensible approach taken to its layout. Narrow paths weaved in and out of makeshift stands and stacks of cargo containers containing everything from weapons and armor to strange fruits and herbs. Merchants hawked their wares loudly as armed guards scanned the milling throng for threats or thieves. A gunshot rang out somewhere down the cavernous bay, but no one seemed to take note of it.
Merrick, having been associated with such sights from his time in the lower-levels of an Imperial Hive, stood to the side and spent several long moments observing the flow. He knew that, for all the chaos, there is always a pattern to the madness. Soon, he began to take note of certain details, particularly the presence of the guards wearing blue bands around their upper arms lounging casually around perimeter of the bazaar. They seemed disinterested in providing any real sense of security, their presence a formality more than a necessity. He approached a pair of them and, leveraging his skill in underworld trade and negotiation, swiftly came to a deal. Handing over a well-maintained naval sub-gun they had acquired, he was informed that the best place to get information on the lay of the bazaar was to speak with a fruit merchant named Faruq, whose real trade was in information. The party began to press forward through the bazaar, intent on finding Faruq, when Vadik (equally experienced to Merrick in the goings-on of the criminals as an Arbites) noticed they were being shadowed. A slight man in mechanic's overalls, a red bandanna, and a hungry look in his eyes was following them.
Watching him with a trained eye, Vadik pounced when he caught the man slipping his hand into Cassius' pocket while the noble feigned interest in a display. The man struggled briefly, but relented almost immediately when Vadik locked his arm behind his back and the group closed around him. He apologized profusely, claiming that food and water were in short supply for the former crews of the ships anchored above. He had only attempted to steal from them in order to stave off the hunger for one more day. His emaciated appearance and desperate look convinced them that he told the truth, but they insisted that he give him information on the market and Kel in exchange for letting him go. He explained, reluctantly, that the Baroness Monet had made Freeport her own fiefdom in Kel's absence, as he had gone into seclusion in a bunker hidden somewhere else on the world. Those who played into her sudden ambition were rewarded with ample food and compensation, those who resisted were starved and outcast to the fringes of the small trading post. If they were not jailed or killed. Few people knew of Kel's location, but he did know of one. He told them to go to a bar on the lower of the three balconies above them, and ask the bartender to talk to Skinner. He gave them his red bandanna after they released him, claiming that it would help them get the answers they sought.
The party discussed continuing to Faruq's, but decided to investigate Skinner's bar instead. Faruq wasn't likely going anywhere, and this seemed like a more accessible source of information. When they arrived, they found the bar to be a massive cargo container with "Skinner's" roughly painted over the canopied entrance. It was dimly lit with flickering sodium lamps, the orange light casting long shadows over the faces of the patrons who looked up at the party's appearance with guarded eyes. Almost all of them appeared to be in poor health, and wore red bandannas like the one they had been given tied around their heads or around their arms. As they a hefty woman with an augmetic eye that seemed to twitch randomly set her hands on the overturned ammo boxes that served as the bar top and demanded that they buy something or get out. Cassius, winking at her slyly, laid out several Imperial gold aquila coins (a common currency on Terra) and said the house could have a round on him. The barkeep seemed less than impressed, but proceeded to spend several moments delivering drinks and jerking a thumb towards the smirking noble in response to raised eyebrows. When she returned, Vadik slid the bandanna across to her and said that they were hoping she could help them find Skinner.
She inspected the bandanna closely and, satisfied at its authenticity, she tucked it into her belt and asked Cassius why they wanted to talk to him. Doing his best to convince her that they had good intentions, he explained that they were in possession of cargo they were charged by their employer to sell only to Kel personally, and that the man who had provided them the bandanna had said that Skinner was the best source for information on where to find him. She nodded, but told the pilot that there was a problem. And if they wanted to see Skinner it was a problem that they would have to solve. She was reluctant to provide them details until they agreed, but Cassius won her over through careful application of the wit and charm he had learned carefully in the courts of Terra. She admitted to him that there was a schism in Freeport between Skinner and Monet. Those members of Kel's crew who wished to return to the trading routes of deep space had donned red to symbolize the blood they had shed among the stars, while Monet had organized many of the ship's officers behind her and begun to exploit her position as Freeport's administrator to cast herself as a governor of noble lineage with a golden aquila on a field of blue as her personal symbol. In an effort to stifle dissent to her new rule she had imprisoned Skinner, and if the party wanted to talk to him they would have to liberate him from the port's brig. She needed strangers to do the task so her people would have deniability and avoid punishment by Monet, and there simply was no other way to talk to him. After a short discussion on the risks, the group agreed. The barkeep told them to return to their ship and wait for one of her people to contact them, warning that they should prepare what they could as it would not be a long wait. They left the bar and headed back to the Queen of Diamonds, discussing their options as they went.
-Agents of the Baroness were waiting at the ship, extending an invitation to a ball at her manor to the party. They decide to split forces, with half assisting with Skinner's rescue while the other half attend the ball.
-At the ball, the group finally encounters Baroness Monet. She is an arrogant and manipulative woman who plays at being noble, but is smart enough to be dangerous. She offers to help the party meet Kaenen if they will assist her in creating formal trade ties with other stations in the system so she can further her position of wealth and status.
-Down in the depths of the ship the other half of the party is led through a convoluted maze of access tunnels until they get to the brig. They incapacitate multiple guards, avoided outright bloodshed, and liberated Skinner. He claims he knows how to find the Rogue Trader because he was the pilot who dropped him off at his secluded bunker. After agreeing to help guide them to Kaenen, he was left with his agents and the party rejoined at Cassius' ship.
-A decision had to be made. Trust Skinner, or trust Monet. Both said they would help the party find Kaenen, but in the end Monet's duplicitous mannerisms set the party against her. They messaged Skinner and arranged to have him guide them to Kaenen's base. He arrived shortly, and the group left Freeport via the gravity lift after telling Monet they were enroute to arrange trade negotiations.
-The party flew across the surface of the volcanic planet following Skinner's flightpath. It brought them to an isolated island in the sea of lava which had a concealed docking port. An elevator brought them into a hangar bay where automated defenses targeted their ship. Skinner spoke on their behalf, and after several long minutes an access door opened.
-The party followed a series of corridors until they found Kaenen Kel, wallowing drunk in his miserable luck in the company of multiple servitors programmed for...unconventional services. He demanded to know why they disturbed him, and only reluctantly agreed to review their coded message after Skinner plead on the party's behalf.
-Kaenen read the data-slate and, jumping with joy that revealed far too much of the Rogue Trader's abundant personage from his parted robe, told the party that he accepted unconditionally. When pressed on what the deal he had been offered was, he told them that it was reinstatement of his Warrant of Trade by the High Lords of Terra, on the condition that he provide his old navigation records of the Koronus Expanse to them and swear to never venture into the sector again. Shouting orders he had a crate of data-slates loaded onto the party's ship by servitors as he conversed with Skinner about standing his fleet back up for the voyage away from Freeport.
-With their prize in hand, the party left the bunker in their dropship. As they were climbing through the atmosphere their auspex showed signs that several gunships were headed towards Kaenen's bunker from another site on the planet. They were armed and on an attack vector. Monet, apparently, had no intentions of returning to life among the stars from her cozy seat of power. The party contemplated returning to assist the Rogue Trader, but opted instead to send him a brief warning and hit the accelerator towards space.
-After rendezvous with the Gypsy and their escort ship they made a short Warp jump from Freeport to the last formal Imperial outpost at the gates of the Koronus Expanse: Port Wander. There they docked with the Khyber and reported to Marius. He was impressed with their actions, and reported that Mahaka was as well. They had done so well that she had decided to retain them all as the agents permanently assigned to the Gypsy. They would need their luck, and that ship. Now that they had star charts of routes in and around the Expanse they needed contacts inside the sparsely populated area to keep the fleet maintained and supplied. And it was going to be the party's job to help make that happen...