Falco"I'll send over a cargo shuttle, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. I never saw you, you never saw us. And the rats can keep scampering all over your decks, since you like the little beasts. I don't care."
end of branch
Entry point 2 of 3
Falco"Ehhh, I don't think so, Your von Valanciusness. My boss would rip my head off for that kind of stunt. And I like my head — it makes it easier to knock back the amasec."
YOU"What can your boss offer me?"
Falco"Shereen, are you serious?"
Falco"The best weapons? Supplies of rare artefacts? Trading sites across the Expanse? Gratitude? Take your pick."
YOU"What can your boss offer me?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Threaten my retinue and you threaten me."
Falco"So... the answer's no, then? Ah, that's probably for the best, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. I make a bad negotiator, but a damn fine pirate." Before the vox-transmission cuts off, you hear a rasping shout: "Falco says hello, Jae Heydari! And screw you!"
end of branch
YOU"Why not? I shall give you Jae."
FalcoJae switches to a private vox-channel. "Shereen, what are you saying? Are we not partners? Hand me over to these ashmags and you'll be shooting yourself in the foot! No one in the Expanse can offer you the lucrative deals I can. I'm begging you... Please reconsider!" Jae's voice trembles traitorously, as if she is fighting to suppress true terror.
YOU"It appears I have just found myself a new partner. Goodbye, Jae."
Falco"You'll regret this, [Name]! Even if I go to my ancestors, the Exalted One be a witness to my curse — I will get back even from beyond the veil!"
Falco"Oh yes, Your von Valanciusness, now that's how a Rogue Trader does business! I see the shuttle with Heydari on it is already speeding its way toward our coordinates. Good." Toto the Vulture smacks his lips in satisfaction. "My boss sends his deepest thanks, Your Holiness. And he promises to back up his thanks with expensive gifts every Terran year."
end of branch
YOU"You may have a point. Very well, you may stay."
Falco"Y-yes, shereen. I will prove my usefulness yet."
YOU"What can your boss offer me?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Threaten my retinue and you threaten me."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why not? I shall give you Jae."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Let's do it this way: I will give you whatever I have in my hold, and you will leave and never inflict your presence on me again."
YOU"That's it? How terribly dull. Toliman, alert all stations: prepare to engage."
Falco"So... the answer's no, then? Ah, that's probably for the best, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. I make a bad negotiator, but a damn fine pirate." Before the vox-transmission cuts off, you hear a rasping shout: "Falco says hello, Jae Heydari! And screw you!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"In the name of the Emperor, you and your boss will pay for your insolence!"
Falco"So... the answer's no, then? Ah, that's probably for the best, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. I make a bad negotiator, but a damn fine pirate." Before the vox-transmission cuts off, you hear a rasping shout: "Falco says hello, Jae Heydari! And screw you!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have made my decision. Enforcers! Take her away."
Falco"You'll regret this, [Name]! Even if I go to my ancestors, the Exalted One be a witness to my curse — I will get back even from beyond the veil!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Let's do it this way: I will give you whatever I have in my hold, and you will leave and never inflict your presence on me again."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That's it? How terribly dull. Toliman, alert all stations: prepare to engage."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"In the name of the Emperor, you and your boss will pay for your insolence!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Threaten my retinue and you threaten me."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why not? I shall give you Jae."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Let's do it this way: I will give you whatever I have in my hold, and you will leave and never inflict your presence on me again."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That's it? How terribly dull. Toliman, alert all stations: prepare to engage."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"In the name of the Emperor, you and your boss will pay for your insolence!"continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 3 of 3
Falco"Lord Captain, emergency report! The augurs have detected several voidships slowly encircling us. Our requests for this pursuit to cease have been completely ignored, but an unmanned vessel has been dispatched in our direction, broadcasting only two words: 'Gift' and 'Heydari.'"
Falco(sequence)
Falco"Exalted One incinerate these void jackals! What does it mean?" Jae's agitated voice comes on the vox-channel. "Shereen, this whole thing stinks worse than a dead grox... and it's also eerily similar to how Kasballican agents operate. With your permission, I would like to see what kind of 'gift' those tight-lipped ashmags have sent me."
end of branch
FalcoThe Vox Master patiently awaits your instructions, flipping switches and occasionally emitting crackling static from her integrated vox-system.
YOU"What ships are they?"
Falco"A frigate and four raiders, Lord Captain. No identifying marks, so they're probably pirates. Although, the Augur Master reports that they are well coordinated, more so than your typical void rabble."
YOU"What ships are they?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to contact the pursuers' flagship."
Falco"Apologies, Lord Captain. Our attempted calls to the unknown pursuers' ships are being automatically relayed to the beacon on the pilotless vessel."
YOU"What ships are they?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to contact the pursuers' flagship."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Order the voidborn to bring the package aboard."
Falco"It will be done, Lord Captain. A shuttle carrying a retrieval team and bomb disposal specialists is already en route."
FalcoSeveral tense hours go by. All the while, Jae Heydari paces back and forth across the captain's bridge, but at the first shriek of the sirens announcing the shuttle's return, she rushes down to the lower decks.
Falco"Kor! No!" Jae's outburst blares from the comm-bead, momentarily deafening you and a third of the officers on the bridge listening on the vox-channel. "No, no, no! Why would the Exalted One doom so kind-hearted a person to such a fate? What void beast has done this to you?" The vox-caster picks up a quiet sob, the whining screech of an augment on the bulkhead panels, the crunching of metal fingers... and Jae cuts the vox-connection.
Falco"Ahem. Lord Captain, the returning voidborn report that the package for Jae Heydari was the head of a young man..." Vigdis types swiftly at the cogitator keys. "According to our archives, he was a member of her 'trade network' on Footfall. The deceased is... Trickster Kor, one of the Trickster Twins who engage in suspect commercial activity on the station's asteroids with Mistress Heydari."
FalcoStatic comes over the line, the siren blares again, and the Vox Master turns to you: "We have finally been alerted to an incoming vox-transmission! My officers are standing by to connect you to the unidentified parties."
YOU"Let us see who would display such impudence to a Rogue Trader."
Falco"It will be done, Lord Captain."
FalcoA minute later, the vox-line crackles with static, followed by a rough, drunken voice: "Well, I'll be. It's His Lordliness/Her Ladyness Rogue Trader von — Throne-damned — Valancius! I humbly tug m'forelock to you, m'lud/m'lady. We mean no offence — our convoy is but a mark of respect for your holy self. You wouldn't have stopped to talk to us, would you, if we hadn't given your officers a good scare, eh?"
Falco"Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself — Toto the Vulture, at your most noble service."
YOU"That's a rather pathetic moniker. Couldn't come up with anything better?"
FalcoHe grunts in outrage. "Now see here, Your Lordliness/Ladyness! That's the name my mother gave me, and I'll carry it my whole life long! And they call me the Vulture because— ack, to the void with that! I'm here with a special mission for you!"
Falco"A little bird told my boss that you've got rats on your ship. Well, we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership. And we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."
Falco"You're no vulture, Toto, you're the worst kind of ashmag!" A voice just as rough as Toto the Vulture's bursts onto the vox-channel. "Tell me, you son of a grox and a void jackal, who sent you?"
Falco"And the critter runs right into the trap." The Vulture chuckles hoarsely. "I'm afraid I can't reveal his name."
YOU"What can your boss offer me?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Threaten my retinue and you threaten me."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why not? I shall give you Jae."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Let's do it this way: I will give you whatever I have in my hold, and you will leave and never inflict your presence on me again."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That's it? How terribly dull. Toliman, alert all stations: prepare to engage."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"In the name of the Emperor, you and your boss will pay for your insolence!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your 'gift' — what do you mean by it?"
Falco"Oh, that..." Toto the Vulture laughs, and it sounds like the giggling of an innocent little boy. A little boy with a frog in his throat. "Just a little joke to raise a smile, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. And a warning for one slippery little rat."
Falco"You see, a little bird told my boss that the rat I'm after is on your ship. And we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership! So we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."
Falco"You're no vulture, Toto, you're the worst kind of ashmag!" A voice just as rough as Toto the Vulture's bursts onto the vox-channel. "Tell me, you son of a grox and a void jackal, who sent you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"In the Emperor's name, state your business or get off my vox-channel!"
Falco"Yes, yes, the Emperor protects, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. I won't keep you long. The thing is, I got a special mission for you!"
Falco"A little bird told my boss that you've got rats on your ship. Well, we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership. And we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Who you are makes no difference to me. Why were you pursuing my vessel?"
Falco"Escorting, Your von Valanciusness, we were escorting you! I'm an envoy, you see! I come to you with a special mission!"
Falco"A little bird told my boss that you've got rats on your ship. Well, we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership. And we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Get to the point, filth. You are only alive because you briefly alleviated my boredom."
Falco"Right enough, I am a scoundrel, Your Lordliness/Ladyness. But I'm also an envoy! I've come to you with a special mission, so I wouldn't kill me if I was you."
Falco"A little bird told my boss that you've got rats on your ship. Well, we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership. And we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So you admit you were threatening a Rogue Trader, and yet you're not the least bit afraid?"
Falco"Throne take me, could a lowly commoner like me pose any threat to Your Rogue Traderness? Not in a million years. I'm a cowardly lad, I swear on my mother's life. It's just my boss is a pretty important man in the Expanse, and I'm his... his envoy, if you like! And they say that honest folk don't go around killing envoys."
Falco"A little bird told my boss that you've got rats on your ship. Well, we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership. And we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That's enough of your bilge, void mutt. Speak plainly and get to the point."
Falco"Bit of a hothead, are we, Your Lordliness/Ladyness? Calm those nerves of yours and you'll live longer." The Vulture spits on the floor with relish, not bothering to mute his vox. "I'm an envoy. Of an important man in the Expanse, among other places."
Falco"A little bird told my boss that you've got rats on your ship. Well, we're the best ratcatchers this side of the Maw, Your Tradership. And we're ready to take that problem right off your hands. All you have to do is put Jae Heydari on a pod and send her straight to the coordinates we'll give you. My boss has been after her a while, and he's generous to those who help him."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Void dogs snapping at the Rogue Trader? Accept the vox-transmission. This should be interesting."
Falco"It will be done, Lord Captain."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Load the artillery and allow the ships to draw closer. Then connect me."
Falco"It will be done, Lord Captain."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A few warning shots should help this meeting along. Fire!"
Falco"Fire!" The Vox Master relays the order over the vox-system to the artillery compartment, and several minutes later reports: "The unidentified vessels have halted their approach, but they are continuing to trail us at a distance. The lead ship is again requesting permission for a vox-transmission."
YOU"Now let's hear what they want from us."
Falco"It will be done, Lord Captain."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Ignore them. And if they approach again, fire first."
Falco"It seems the unidentified parties are not the patient kind, Lord Captain. The vox-signal has stopped. Prepare for battle."
end of branch
YOU"We do not parley with aggressors. Load the artillery — we attack first!"
Falco"Yes, Lord Captain! Load the artillery!"
end of branch
YOU"I sense a trap. I am not prepared to risk any lives."
Falco(sequence)
Falco"The not knowing is tearing me apart, shereen, but I do respect your decision. I would think twice — and think again — in your shoes before I sent my own guys off to only the Exalted One knows where."
end of branch
FalcoStatic comes over the line, the siren blares again, and the Vox Master turns to you: "We have finally been alerted to an incoming vox-transmission! My officers are standing by to connect you to the unidentified parties."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Order the voidborn to bring the package aboard."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I sense a trap. I am not prepared to risk any lives."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to contact the pursuers' flagship."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Order the voidborn to bring the package aboard."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I sense a trap. I am not prepared to risk any lives."continues where this line first appears above