Cellaris V was nothing more then a desert planet before Cameron and Kari reactivated the Elementals old terraforming system. Once it was reactivated, Cameron immediately chose the planet as the base of operations for the newly founded Space Marine Chapter, the Grey Knights. The prospects of a large expanse of newly terraformed land and Space Marine protection caused many civilians to step forward and claim settling rights. It is these humans that have built the capital city, and it is this reason that the Imperial Alliance chose to construct a standing warp gate nearby. This warp gate connects the planet to the rest of the Alliance Transport System, which allows ships that do not have warp capabilities to travel through the warp in-between the standing gates.
The Cellaris V gate hangs just outside of the planets closest neighbor, Hellion, an uninhabitable gas planet. It consists of a large ring of titanium with emitters built into it, 4 large generators, and a few stations connected to it for maintenance.
These generators now kick on, and the emitters light up. There is a large bang, and a small shockwave of energy rolls out from around the ring. Then a crack of light opens up inside of the ring. This light widens, and soon opens up into a warp gate, which encompasses the entire ring. A large civilian passenger liner emerges from the swirling gate. It is surrounded by 20 drone ships, whose primary job is to keep warp shields raised around the larger ship until the end of its journey. Their purpose completed, the ships now turn around and re-enter the warp gate, heading back to the station they originated from. The warp gate then closes as the passenger ship fires its main engines and begins to cruise towards Cellaris V.
The civilian passenger liner Avalon is on the tail end of a 5 planet journey. It originated from Tarsonis. It then traveled to Cadia. After picking up passengers in Cadia, the vessel had re-entered the warp and headed for its next destination, Cellaris V. In the cockpit of the vessel, the two pilots glance at each other wearily. They are ready to drop off their passengers and head for Mars, the ships home base.
Damm. This has been a hell of a flight.
The co-pilot nods at the captains observations.
You said it, captain. I could use a cold one right about now.
The captain sets the auto-pilot controls to take the ship into Cellaris Vs orbit. The computer beeps, and a female voice informs them that it will be 15 minutes till they get around Hellion and into the orbit of Cellaris V. Right now, the behemoth gas planet Hellion has their view of Cellaris V completely blocked. The captain chuckles.
I remember the first time I flew in here. I thought that big ass mother was Cellaris V.
The co-pilot laughs.
That would be something, wouldnt it?
The two chuckle for a bit. The captain then looks down at his controls.
How many passengers do we have to drop of here?
The co-pilot flips through a few screens on his control boards monitor.
Hmmmm . Looks like about 60 or 70. One of thems a VIP, a ranking officer in that new Space Marine chapter.
The captain winces.
Christ good thing were on time. Wed catch hell if we werent.
The co-pilot nods again.
Damm right. I remember one time- what the hell?
The co-pilot had just noticed a blinking red light on his panel.
Captain, theres a secure transmission coming in over our military-only channel. Its flagged as urgent.
The captain scowls.
Great. Just what we needed. Put it on the speakers.
The co-pilot flips a switch, and a voice fills the cockpit.
Unidentified civilian craft please state your name, class, and purpose.
The captain clears his throat.
This is the heavy-class passenger vessel Avalon, out of the Mars sector. We have clearance to make a passenger drop at the Cellaris V Spaceport.
There is a moment of silence, and then the voice responds.
Avalon, this is the IAS Revenant. The Cellaris V sector is currently under lock down due to an attack on the planet. We would advise you to hold a stationary orbit around Hellion until the lockdown status is lifted. All craft entering the Cellaris V sector without permission are violating our safety precautions, and it will not be our responsibility if the offending craft is destroyed or damaged. Sorry for the inconvenience.[/i]
There is a click, and the link goes dead. The captain shakes his head.
Shit. I knew we were going to get delayed somehow. How much fuel do we have?
The co-pilot glances at the fuel gauge.
Enough to orbit for an hour and still make it back to Mars with fuel to spare. Any longer then that, and we risk running dry.
The captain nods and takes the ship out of autopilot, redirecting it into Hellions orbit.
Fine. We will hold orbit for an hour, and then turn back for Mars.
Neither the pilot or the co-pilot say anything as they maneuver the ship into the planets orbit. The captain makes the final adjustments, and resets the autopilot to keep them in a stationary orbit. He then stands up.
You take it from here. Ill go make the announcement.
On the first class deck, a Marine officer sits patiently, flipping through a magazine. She is in full dress uniform, and because of this, she has gained a small audience of children. Every once in a while, she looks up and waves at them, and they duck back behind chairs, but their curiosity soon gets the better of them, and they peep back around the corner for a while. Suddenly, there is a small chink as the announcement system clicks on.
Attention passengers. This is your captain speaking. Due to a military lockdown of the Cellaris V sector, we are being forced into a temporary holding pattern. Were sorry for the inconvenience.
Amid the groans of the passengers, the officer looks up quickly. Knowing that the Marines wouldnt put a sector in lockdown unless it was important, she sets the magazine aside and quickly rises from her seat. She stops for a moment and glances out of a port window. Although Cellaris V is still hidden from view, she concentrates and allows her mind to reach out. At first all she can feel is the emptiness of a recently severed bond, but then her powers come to her, and she feels the energies of the planet. She can sense a group of large power signatures. A few of them feel very familiar. But the most powerful signature does not. And as she focuses on it, she senses the corruption. The power signature is not human.
Breaking the link, Kalana quickly begins to make her way to the front of the ship.
The Cellaris V gate hangs just outside of the planets closest neighbor, Hellion, an uninhabitable gas planet. It consists of a large ring of titanium with emitters built into it, 4 large generators, and a few stations connected to it for maintenance.
These generators now kick on, and the emitters light up. There is a large bang, and a small shockwave of energy rolls out from around the ring. Then a crack of light opens up inside of the ring. This light widens, and soon opens up into a warp gate, which encompasses the entire ring. A large civilian passenger liner emerges from the swirling gate. It is surrounded by 20 drone ships, whose primary job is to keep warp shields raised around the larger ship until the end of its journey. Their purpose completed, the ships now turn around and re-enter the warp gate, heading back to the station they originated from. The warp gate then closes as the passenger ship fires its main engines and begins to cruise towards Cellaris V.
The civilian passenger liner Avalon is on the tail end of a 5 planet journey. It originated from Tarsonis. It then traveled to Cadia. After picking up passengers in Cadia, the vessel had re-entered the warp and headed for its next destination, Cellaris V. In the cockpit of the vessel, the two pilots glance at each other wearily. They are ready to drop off their passengers and head for Mars, the ships home base.
Damm. This has been a hell of a flight.
The co-pilot nods at the captains observations.
You said it, captain. I could use a cold one right about now.
The captain sets the auto-pilot controls to take the ship into Cellaris Vs orbit. The computer beeps, and a female voice informs them that it will be 15 minutes till they get around Hellion and into the orbit of Cellaris V. Right now, the behemoth gas planet Hellion has their view of Cellaris V completely blocked. The captain chuckles.
I remember the first time I flew in here. I thought that big ass mother was Cellaris V.
The co-pilot laughs.
That would be something, wouldnt it?
The two chuckle for a bit. The captain then looks down at his controls.
How many passengers do we have to drop of here?
The co-pilot flips through a few screens on his control boards monitor.
Hmmmm . Looks like about 60 or 70. One of thems a VIP, a ranking officer in that new Space Marine chapter.
The captain winces.
Christ good thing were on time. Wed catch hell if we werent.
The co-pilot nods again.
Damm right. I remember one time- what the hell?
The co-pilot had just noticed a blinking red light on his panel.
Captain, theres a secure transmission coming in over our military-only channel. Its flagged as urgent.
The captain scowls.
Great. Just what we needed. Put it on the speakers.
The co-pilot flips a switch, and a voice fills the cockpit.
Unidentified civilian craft please state your name, class, and purpose.
The captain clears his throat.
This is the heavy-class passenger vessel Avalon, out of the Mars sector. We have clearance to make a passenger drop at the Cellaris V Spaceport.
There is a moment of silence, and then the voice responds.
Avalon, this is the IAS Revenant. The Cellaris V sector is currently under lock down due to an attack on the planet. We would advise you to hold a stationary orbit around Hellion until the lockdown status is lifted. All craft entering the Cellaris V sector without permission are violating our safety precautions, and it will not be our responsibility if the offending craft is destroyed or damaged. Sorry for the inconvenience.[/i]
There is a click, and the link goes dead. The captain shakes his head.
Shit. I knew we were going to get delayed somehow. How much fuel do we have?
The co-pilot glances at the fuel gauge.
Enough to orbit for an hour and still make it back to Mars with fuel to spare. Any longer then that, and we risk running dry.
The captain nods and takes the ship out of autopilot, redirecting it into Hellions orbit.
Fine. We will hold orbit for an hour, and then turn back for Mars.
Neither the pilot or the co-pilot say anything as they maneuver the ship into the planets orbit. The captain makes the final adjustments, and resets the autopilot to keep them in a stationary orbit. He then stands up.
You take it from here. Ill go make the announcement.
On the first class deck, a Marine officer sits patiently, flipping through a magazine. She is in full dress uniform, and because of this, she has gained a small audience of children. Every once in a while, she looks up and waves at them, and they duck back behind chairs, but their curiosity soon gets the better of them, and they peep back around the corner for a while. Suddenly, there is a small chink as the announcement system clicks on.
Attention passengers. This is your captain speaking. Due to a military lockdown of the Cellaris V sector, we are being forced into a temporary holding pattern. Were sorry for the inconvenience.
Amid the groans of the passengers, the officer looks up quickly. Knowing that the Marines wouldnt put a sector in lockdown unless it was important, she sets the magazine aside and quickly rises from her seat. She stops for a moment and glances out of a port window. Although Cellaris V is still hidden from view, she concentrates and allows her mind to reach out. At first all she can feel is the emptiness of a recently severed bond, but then her powers come to her, and she feels the energies of the planet. She can sense a group of large power signatures. A few of them feel very familiar. But the most powerful signature does not. And as she focuses on it, she senses the corruption. The power signature is not human.
Breaking the link, Kalana quickly begins to make her way to the front of the ship.
