(800)
(Julie, Kevin, Matt, Miguel, Tyson)

Personal Cipher Engaged

Subject: Loose Ends
Cipher-Lock: Sister Minerva de Liire – Ordo Famulous
Thought for the Day: “The Emperor Favors the Bold”

Today my cousin Roland, for the first time in recent memory, asked my advice and seemed genuinely interested in what it might be. That sentence may sound more bitter than was intended. I fully understand my cousin’s reticence to confide too deeply in a member of the de Liire family. I know he trusts me as his First Officer mostly because he knows my sacred vows will not permit me to inherit the Warrant. That said, it was good to be an active participant in his counsel rather than a passive recipient of his decisions. My task is often that of the guardian, who watches over the ship while my cousin and his senior retainers seek wealth and glory, and I am content with that task. Someone has to see to the dynasty’s continuity, someone has to watch over the gains made thus far while my cousin bravely goes forth to seek even greater wealth and power.

The request for advice came at the tail end of a spirited disagreement on forward direction. Cousin Roland and his senior retainers had spent two weeks taking care of a number of loose ends here on Port Echo. Roland worked with Lady-Captain Surma to disseminate news of Reynard’s execution. Reynard’s section of the station had been scoured by Aguirre serfs, and the mysterious Mr. Li was delivered to my cousin as a “gift of goodwill” from the Lord-Captain of the Starling Dynasty, who I had thought defunct. Apparently they have powerful new backers in the Amaranthine Syndicate, a group I will have to inquire of my contacts about. Mr. Li’s mind contained all manner of knowledge about the dark xenos that have hounded our dynasty, which my cousin and his people also worked to address. Battle-brother Jonathan was delivered to Commodore Tyrian, and I got to enjoy a delightful state dinner aboard the “Malignant” while cousin Roland made his report about the political entities of the Licenian subsector and the seeming fall of the Iron Templars. Lady Demetria Soteris delivered our guest from House Virth to his family and was rewarded with information about the battle at Starbourne’s World between Darius Starbourne and the military forces of the Regent, which Starbourne lost, as well as the location of Craftworld Aletheia. Cousin Roland sold the maps of the Wraith Worlds to the Flamel Dynasty, and the Sovereign of the Void was repaired and resupplied.

After these very busy weeks, the debate arose as to what we should do now. Uncle Svenya strongly backed the idea that we should seek to rapidly expand our profits by striking out for Neumos, a ruin-world made mention of in the old charts of Explorator Fleet Kappa Seven, and a world where one of Lord-Captain Finn’s ships disappeared. Cousin Roland was of the opinion that lurking at the periphery of the subsector was not the way of glory and true wealth, and that we should seek to grapple the mystery by the proverbial horns and seek to open lines of communication with both Regent and Consul. Arguments were had, and discussion was becoming heated when cousin Roland, apparently to break the deadlock, asked my opinion. I gave what I believe to be a fairly measured analysis of both suggested courses. Svenya’s was low-risk and decent potential reward, at least compared to Roland’s high risk suggestion which had the potential for truly astronomical reward. Furthermore, Svenya’s suggestion was short-term whereas Roland’s would take rather longer to come to fruition. Ultimately the Lord-Captain decided to go for the glory, but to mitigate the risks as best he could by attempting to circumvent the Regent’s military, and to rely upon the flag of diplomacy and truce.

Commodore Tyrian gave to us two Lieutenants delegated as ambassadors, one for each faction. Lord-Captain Roland had decided to take us back to the Hedge in hopes that these Eldar xenos and their ally the Consul will accept one such diplomat, and give us the knowledge necessary to deliver the second to his enemy the Regent. I will say that this plan is definitely not a direct route, but may prove to be safer for all that we’re dealing with untrustworthy xenos.

Cipher Lock Disengaged

Personal Cipher Engaged

Subject: Son of the Emperor
Cipher-Lock: Sister Minerva de Liire – Ordo Famulous
Thought for the Day: “The Emperor’s Eye Watches and Protects”

They have returned from the surface of the Hedge once more, and I must admit, I don’t know what to think about what little they have said about what they found beyond the Eldar’s portal.

They landed, spoke with this Seer Aleph, and returned to fetch the diplomat, Lieutenant Rickard. They went back down, apparently having been invited by this Consul himself beyond the Eldar Portal. They were gone for only a handful of hours.

They seem very hesitant to say anything with certainty, but it is clear that they were all shaken on some level by this Consul, who, Emperor protect me if I blaspheme, may be a Primarch.

Legends speak of the Primarchs, twenty great being, created by the Emperor Himself at the end of the Age of Strife, stolen by the forces of Chaos and reclaimed, one by one, by the Emperor’s Great Crusade. Two of the twenty, the Second and the Eleventh Primarchs, are mysteries, missing completely from Imperial records, although presumably Space Marine legions were created from their gene-seed. Is this Consul truly one of them? Or was there a Twenty-First, a babe, held in stasis all these long millenia only to awaken when the storms took Licenia? I daren’t speculate. I must remain firm in my faith, I must pray upon this matter. The Enemy works in many ways, subtle and cunning, to seduce the faithful into heresy, and I must be vigilant.

Cipher Lock Disengaged