Aeldari"Lord Cap'n, there is evidence of a recent scuffle straight ahead of us... Throne take me, this is not a frigate, this is just a gutted piece of metal!" The helmsman falls silent for a moment. "Blimey, the culprits are here too, it is the Aeldari freaks! I recognise their shiny asses even from this distance. Except... the xenos are acting suspiciously, they are hovering in place and not even trying to run. Should we approach or open fire from a distance?"
Aeldari(sequence)
Aeldari"Call off your people, elantach! Something is wrong. The Children of Asuryan are dismayed, but doing something like this to a mon-keigh vessel... No, we are not animals. I appeal to your prudence and the promise you made, do not destroy my kin for the deeds they did not commit."
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Aeldari"Lord Captain, we have received a report from the augur crew. The situation is... unusual. The xenos ship displays no biological or energetical signatures, even though it appears to be intact. According to the scanners... there is nobody on board."
Aeldari"However, survivors are believed to be hiding in one of the compartments of the damaged vessel of the Imperium. We have also spotted some drifting plating remains that belong to a third, unidentified vessel."
YOU"Send a shuttle with scouts to investigate the xenos ship."
AeldariAfter several hours of tedious waiting, Vigdis gets back on air. "Lord Captain, the scouts confirm our earlier report. The xenos ship is intact. Many valuable artefacts have been found inside, but neither the Aeldari nor their bodies were discovered."
YOU"Send a shuttle with scouts to investigate the xenos ship."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have the acolytes of the Machine Cult identify the remains of the third vessel."
AeldariThe Vox Master relays the order to the Tech-Priests and promptly receives a reply. "Lord Captain, I am reporting that the hull fragments belong to the Drukhari xenos race, but the presence of their ships in the system at this time has not been confirmed."
YOU"Send a shuttle with scouts to investigate the xenos ship."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have the acolytes of the Machine Cult identify the remains of the third vessel."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Dispatch a rescue team if there are any survivors at the frigate."
Aeldari"It will be done." Vigdis flips the switches on the vox-system's cogitator, and the transmission goes quiet for a while.
Aeldari"Lord Captain, the scouts managed to rescue several emaciated officers from the wrecked ship. Despite their wounds, they were able to tell us what had happened: during a patrol, the frigate discovered an Aeldari ship crossing the system and decided to immediately attack the enemies of Humanity. The xenos vessel proved too fast and skittish, but at one point its engines failed, giving the frigate a chance to attack."
Aeldari"When the guns were aimed, several Drukhari ships suddenly pounced from the darkness. At first they attacked from a distance, but soon boarded the frigate and wreaked a bloody massacre on the decks. It is only by sheer miracle that the surviving officers managed to escape, locking themselves up in a hidden technical compartment the xenos had no use for. The survivors claim that the xenos conspired and deliberately led the ship into a trap, where it met its doom."
YOU"Send a shuttle with scouts to investigate the xenos ship."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have the acolytes of the Machine Cult identify the remains of the third vessel."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Dispatch a rescue team if there are any survivors at the frigate."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"We have done everything we could. We are leaving."
Aeldari"As you command, Lord Captain."
end of branch
Aeldari"Kae-morag!" A strangled cry interrupts the broadcast on the captain's bridge. "I came with you hoping to find my surviving kinspeople, elantach. And all I found were corpses buried by human hatred. Even when you could have helped my people, you stubbornly followed the same path as the rest of the mon-keigh, breaching our treaty. Do not expect gratitude from me."
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Aeldari"Elantach, has..." The comm-bead in your ear delivers a stifled gasp. "Has my search come to a dead end? I ventured into the darkness of space with the mon-keigh, hoping to find my kin... But all I found were corpses buried by human hatred." Yrliet's voice trembles either with desperation or anger.
Aeldari"We may not have agreed on everything, but at least you tried to reach out to me. As a thank you, I will share the coordinates of my kinspeople's cache with you as I promised. You will be given a reward worthy of your efforts."
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Aeldari"Elantach, has..." The comm-bead in your ear delivers a stifled gasp. "Has my search come to a dead end? I ventured into the darkness of space with the mon-keigh, hoping to find my kin... But all I found were corpses buried by human hatred." Yrliet's voice trembles either with desperation or anger.
Aeldari"I know that you have tried your best to keep your promise, elantach. And there are not enough colours and undertones in your language to describe how much that means to my kind. How much it means to me..." For a brief moment, Yrliet's voice is drowned in silence. "I'm grateful. And I will fulfil my end of the bargain by sharing the coordinates of my kinspeople's cache. You will be given a reward worthy of your efforts, elantach."
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Aeldari(sequence)
Aeldari"The xenos joined forces to eliminate a vessel of the Imperium? Hmm. An alliance between the Aeldari and the Drukhari is an unusual sight, and yet such an outcome... is hardly surprising."
end of branch
Aeldari"Why, Master Interrogator, I was thinking exactly the same thing! At last, you and I can finally agree on something."
end of branch
Aeldari"Looks very much like a conspiracy between the charming xenos cousins, azhi condemn them thrice over. An uncommon occurrence for the Aeldari and the Drukhari... But far from impossible."
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Aeldari"How blind are the mon-keigh to the vices of their own kind. Humans attack a ship of the Children of Asuryan sailing peacefully by, but it is my kinspeople who are to blame?" Yrliet is beside herself with contempt and rage. "No, my kind would not willingly take part in a massacre orchestrated by the Dark Ones and then abandon their ship. Something else happened here, something I am afraid to even consider."
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Aeldari"How blind are the mon-keigh to the vices of their own kind. Humans attack a ship of the Children of Asuryan sailing peacefully by, but it is my kinspeople who are to blame for the tragedy that befell them for their deeds?" Yrliet is beside herself with contempt and rage. "No, my kind would not willingly take part in a massacre orchestrated by the Dark Ones and then abandon their ship. Something else happened here, something I am afraid to even consider."
end of branch
YOU"We have done everything we could. We are leaving."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Dispatch a rescue team if there are any survivors at the frigate."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"We have done everything we could. We are leaving."continues where this line first appears above
Aeldari(sequence)
Aeldari"We... are late again, elantach." Yrliet's voice sounds faint and almost listless.
end of branch
YOU"Have the acolytes of the Machine Cult identify the remains of the third vessel."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Dispatch a rescue team if there are any survivors at the frigate."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"We have done everything we could. We are leaving."continues where this line first appears above