Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/09/822 AS
The crew aboard the Nergal's Flame is making haste. The Word is out, the head Inquisitor of the Crimson Cross is about to board the ship, with her entourage, in order to discuss things in private with the Reaver. Not knowing what's it about, everyone is speculating on what may happen. Without any trace of either the Overlord or the Reaver, the crew is growing restless, with Senior Raiders overseeing the preparations.
The CIC room is being prepared for the meeting that is to take place. In the middle of the room, a round table, with 24 seats, and in the middle of the table, a holoprojector, directly linked with the ship's AI. In the room, a single person is seen tirelessly working on the AI components.
Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
The sun rises over Malta. With the preparations completed, the waiting game starts. The Reaver, along with his closest few are standing at the ships enterance, awaiting the arrival of the Inquisitor.
Inquisition Command Vessel, MNS Mgarr, hangar deck A
Airspace above Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
A shimmering green light began to shine over the horizon. Alpha, sun of the Maltese Homeworld peaked through the mountains to the east, radiating warmth to everything beneath it as a subtle breeze brushed through the Maltese countryside. The sky was for the most part clear, a few orange tinted clouds, made all the more colorful by the sunrise, drifted lazily over the peaks and valleys of the rocky terrain below.
And from the clouds, came a shape, small at first but rapidly growing-- but not even growing; multiplying.
Tactical Command Destroyer Mgarr descended into the world, flanked nearby by a number of Tridente Escorts, all adorned in white and red and with their forward hulls still glowing from the heat of re-entry. The ships fell rapidly-- almost too rapidly towards the peaks below-- eventually righting themselves just a couple of kilometers above the nearest rocky spire, flaring engines accelerating the flotilla rapidly north.
The blazing sun illuminated the side of the Mgarr's hull as it's side began to part; the east-facing hangar flooding with the green hue of the Maltese star. Just within the holographic shield around the hangar entrance, a pair of figures stood, watching the dazzling display of clashing colors before them as the Destroyer raced through the skies.
Espinosa paced quietly back and forth along the length of the hangar door, the sound of her boots clanging on the flight deck overshadowed by the voice of a second figure-- a young girl still in her teens standing off to the side was reading aloud some of the Crusade's initiation rites as Erika patiently listened. The Inquisitor paused in her pacing and spun on her heel, walking back to the girl and taking the datapad from her hand. She looked it over, her eyes darting from place to place on the screen before she handed it back, whereupon the child started again in a low tone.
"E dalle ceneri di un ordine di caduta , una nuova luce rifulse . I veri araldi della Luce nudo l'onere di damnation-- dell'umanità per caso di mancato , l'umanità cesserà.-- Better that time?" The young one asked.
The Inquisitor pondered for a moment, staring off in the direction of the sunrise for a moment before turning back.
Slightly-- you didn't stutter this time but you need to speak louder. I'm standing 10 meters away from you in a dead-silent shielded hangar and I can barely hear you. Try it ag--
Her order was cut short as her gauntlet chirped to life-- a light indicator on the back of her hand flashing. Espinosa brought her wrist up level with her shoulders, tapping away at a few of the buttons before speaking again.
" Inquisitor to bridge, whats our status?"
Static for a moment.
" We've leveled out, all Escorts have assumed formation and we're about twenty minutes out from Tarxien. We've already laid out a course and flashed IFF; they know we're coming. "
"And the Nergal?"
" It's just like they said m'am. Sitting 4.3 kilometers outside of the Vale. Ambassador 2 is prepped and ready for launch, you and Inquisitor Mendes are cleared for launch at your convenience. "
"Good. Lock down at the spaceport and get in touch with operations Chief Victoria and get my ship scrubbed and ready to fly again. We'll be back before too long."
Espinosa closed the channel, keeping her arm raised but looking over to the child.
"Head on back to your quarters, we're only going to be planetside for a few hours so if you need anything from the loft, grab it when the ship touches down."
The girl made a mocking salute with a smirk and spun around, racing towards the door that led to the crew quarters. The Inquisitor rolled her eyes and typed in a quick name on the holographic display before her.
"Mendes, we're waiting on you down in hangar bay A. Let's get a move on."
She paused, awaiting a response, observing the Dromedary at the rear of the hangar as it's lights began to flicker on, the pilot giving a thumbs-up through the viewport. A number of her personal guard began to file in the hangar's back hatch, heading for the shuttle and boarding as she awaited a response from her fellow Inquisitor.
[ sci·am·ach ]
/sīˈamək/
A simple, angry man casually working his way through life on a personal quest to acquire copious amounts of street cred.
Inquisition Command Vessel MNS Mgarr, personnel deck B
Airspace above Ghawdex Mountains
Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
The newly minted inquisitor adjusted the cuffs on his robes for what must have been the hundredth time as he watched the fields of Malta speed past. New station, new wardrobe, and so far it was anything but pleasant; he'd have preferred his hoodie.
The trip out here had been very uneventful and more than a little awkward. It had been four months since Mendes had set foot on any Crimson Cross base or vessel, and while he had been away on official council business things were still very strange to him.
The ship slowed - an indicator that they were approaching the launch point for their freighter.
Ah. His gauntlet chirped at him, and Espinosa's voice, for once seeming to be more or less free of snark, filtered through the speaker on the back. "Mendes, we're waiting on you down in hangar bay A. Let's get a move on."
He didn't waste any time leaving the room and grabbing a lift. The sooner this was over the better. Soon he emerged into the hangar bay, and quickly approached the end of the shuttle. "Shall we go then, Inquisitor?"
Inquisition Shuttle, interior,
Airspace above Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
Espinosa was there, tying her hair back in a bun as Mendes approached, and began walking with him to the hatch of the freighter.
"Just about. Very curious the "Commune". They've been eager to work with us several times before and now it seems like they're chomping at the bit to talk here. Let's hope this is worth a trip."
With that, she grabbed the handrail of the gangway to the shuttle and vaulted herself up the stairs.
Once Tomas had boarded, the hatch closed, and the shuttle began to maneuver itself into a launching position. The Dromedary hovered for a moment just inside the lip of the hangar as the Mgarr decelerated, coming to a near-stop as the bleached freighter flung itself from the Destroyer, and gunned engines for a clearing in the ridges ahead.
The Inquisitor sat for a moment, playing with her gauntlet-- her face changing from a scowl, to a more neutral expression, to a un-contained smile of pride, and back to a scowl again, her attention drawn towards the cockpit. She stood behind the pilot, one hand on the chair and the other on the ceiling's rail as the Dromedary approached a vessel perched on a relatively flat mountainside, the name "Nergal's Flame" emblazoned along the hull.
The pilot spoke in a gruff voice, placing a hand on one of his headphones--
" Nergal's Flame this is the Inquisition Vessel Ambassador two, requesting permission to dock."
[ sci·am·ach ]
/sīˈamək/
A simple, angry man casually working his way through life on a personal quest to acquire copious amounts of street cred.
Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
"Permission granted Ambassador two, we have been expecting you. Docking bay four has been cleared for your arrival. Apex Reaver has been expecting you", the ship's AI spoke.
Being notified of the arrival of the Inquisitor, Andre scrambled the crew aboard the Nergal and moved them all to docking bay four. Four hundred and thirty three crew members have been lined up in a formation in the bay, awaiting her arrival.
The docking bay doors open. A crimson red dromedary enters the bay with elegance and precision, like the ship was made out of feathers.
"Attention! The Inquisitor has arrived! Act according to the information I just gave you. Do not make me regret this decision!"
As he turns around, the doors of the dromedary are open, and two figures are seen standing in the darkness of the ships interior. They have arrived. Andre turns around, and starts walking towards the ship, eager to meet her. As he was to approach, the figures step out. An unknown man, bearing the Crimson insignia, and Inquisitor Espinosa. As she spots them, he takes two steps back, and bows before her.
"Miss Espinosa. Your arrival has been long expected. Welcome to our headquarters, the Nergal's Flame. We have a lot to talk about."
Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
A still silence hung over the flight deck as the engines of the shuttle began to die down. Espinosa stood just inside the frame of the Ambassador, clad in dress-reds, with the Tarxien insignia emblazoned proudly over her heart as she looked down upon those assembled before the shuttle while her personal guards descended and flanked the walkway. She waited a moment before speaking, stepping down the gangway as she talked. "So I've been told. "
No one else spoke. Espinosa waited on the Nergal's main deck as Mendes descended behind her, another pair of guards in tow.
"Quite the assembly for a brief visit, don't you think? " She broke the silence again, extending a hand to Andre while the other adjusted the strap across her chest that held a scabbard on her back. "I take it you've had the... 'pleasure' of meeting my newly promoted Inquisitor, Signore Tomas Mendes?" She asked, motioning to the similarly dressed Crusader behind her.
[ sci·am·ach ]
/sīˈamək/
A simple, angry man casually working his way through life on a personal quest to acquire copious amounts of street cred.
Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
"I sure have. Senor Mendes is an excellent choice for the promotion. He deserved it well, as far as I know."
The humming of the crewmen and the Acolytes aboard slowly dies down as the Inquisitor walks towards the second hangar, which leads towards the CIC room, where the meeting is taking place.
"The CIC room has been prepared for your arrival, and our small presentation. We hope it's going to suit your needs well, though, I have one small favor to ask you for."
He comes closer, just to be stopped by the Crimson guards. An unexpected move from one of the guardsmen triggered the Acolytes aboard, who drew their weapons.
"My, my. No need for hostilities. We're all friends here, didn't you know that? Lower your weapons, I wish to talk to Miss Espinosa in private. There's enough guards to provide a safe environment for the meeting to go uninterrupted. And we're on Malta, next to the biggest fortress, which is able to take down huge fleets, so we have no reason to do anything stupid."
Saying that, both the Crimson and Commune folk holster their weapons, and Andre is allowed to come closer to Erika. He leans forward, just to whisper a couple of words in private.
"Like I've said. This is going to be a private meeting, between the two of us, since Overlord Nomak is unavailable for the time being. Inquisitor Mendes can wait in front, since I think we'll win you over very fast."
Leaning back, he fixes his jackets collar, and shows her the way forward.
Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
She looks at Rise quizzically for a moment, an eyebrow raised before waving off her guards to remain behind. "Mendes stays with me. I don't make a habit of bringing my head Crusaders along without making sure they can at least chime in and voice a fellow opinion. Don't worry, he doesn't bite-- often. "
Espinosa continued down Rise's indicated path-- keeping one hand in the other behind her back on her waistband as the trio continued towards the CIC.
[ sci·am·ach ]
/sīˈamək/
A simple, angry man casually working his way through life on a personal quest to acquire copious amounts of street cred.
Nergal's Flame, Commune Headquarters
Northern Ghawdex Mountains, Malta, Planet Malta
12/10/822 AS
"Grazie, Apex Reaver? I trust I am not mistaken with the ranking system." He dipped a short bow, and then fell quiet at Espinosa's side. At her comment about him biting too much, he merely smiled uncomfortably but offered no further comment as they advanced down the corridor.