The Allanean ship was named Herodotus. From its body, several vessels detached, and began to descend towards several coordinates that were selected jointly with the Imperial expedition. The vessels were Arvus lighters, or at least looked enough like them that they could be confused for the Imperial vessel without close inspection. They were painted a strange shade of light green, however, that would make observers more likely to ignore them, chosen specifically for this by the experts who planned the mission.
Each of the lighters carried ten men with their weapons, and several servo-skulls – or at least devices that looked enough like servo-skulls. They would split up – some deploying at ruins or landmarks Allaneans found to be suspicious, others at locations pointed out by Inquisitor Tsagos or Captain Enkara. They would fan out, their weapons held ready, their helmet cameras relaying what they saw, the servo-skulls maintaining a perimeter around them.
On the field with the lead squad was Sabrina Tomes, clad like them in light powered armor. Over the armor she wore a long cape, and leaning on the staff which was a mark of her office as much as a weapon. Her helmet had incorporated a feature most men did not need – an aetherometer, a device that displayed to her the ebbs and flows of the fields around her. It was, at this point, of little use – so strong were the emanations of the warp around her. She ended up adjusting it constantly to make up for the interference. Those who listened to her vox feed could hear frequent oaths – blasted thing – as the mage adjusted her equipment.
Each of the lighters carried ten men with their weapons, and several servo-skulls – or at least devices that looked enough like servo-skulls. They would split up – some deploying at ruins or landmarks Allaneans found to be suspicious, others at locations pointed out by Inquisitor Tsagos or Captain Enkara. They would fan out, their weapons held ready, their helmet cameras relaying what they saw, the servo-skulls maintaining a perimeter around them.
On the field with the lead squad was Sabrina Tomes, clad like them in light powered armor. Over the armor she wore a long cape, and leaning on the staff which was a mark of her office as much as a weapon. Her helmet had incorporated a feature most men did not need – an aetherometer, a device that displayed to her the ebbs and flows of the fields around her. It was, at this point, of little use – so strong were the emanations of the warp around her. She ended up adjusting it constantly to make up for the interference. Those who listened to her vox feed could hear frequent oaths – blasted thing – as the mage adjusted her equipment.
* * *
Aboard the Herodotus, the Allaneans set up an office for the representatives the three groups. It contained a long table, seats for each of the officials and their assistants - for Strelkina, it would be an officer of the drop troops and a man from the Navy, as well as one of her own 'acolytes', and of course Inquisitor Tsagos would have his own men. The center of the table was a screen with a tactical map on it, and on the sides one could see various refreshments as fit for a military staff meeting. Soft drinks in cans, fruit stacked on plates, wafers and scones were all available, and a machine that produced coffee, tea, or hot chocolate on command was placed in the corner of the room.
