A slightly smaller Mess

The squad Laurence called Lazarus exits the armoury, fully equipped in a shockingly short period of time. Their equipment appears exotic in the extreme, and they're weighed down with enough munitions to persecute a small planetary invasion solo. Their armour appears to be highly modified carapace plate, the helmet containing additional optics, and the plates themselves having applique packages applied. The surface of these plates have a hexagonal pattern, and a dark gray finish, which lyanna probably recognises as tau stealth composites. Each of them carries a tau pulse carbine, modified for the human physique, as well as various explosive ordinance, from frag grenades, to krak missile launchers.

They come to a halt in a line, at ease, waiting for Laurence to give the word. A symbol of a snake eating its tail, within a circle, printed in white is present on one shoulder, a number from one to five beneath it. a shield, split half white and black, teardrop of black within the white side, on the other shoulder.

Laurence: "I want you on the vox when shit hits the fan, despite our differences in opinion, you can still call where we'll have the most impact as reports come in."

Hera: "I very much do..." She closes her eyes and enjoys his work

"...one question. Why Tau guns?"

He continues for a while, letting her relax and loosen up

The soldier at the front, their shoulder pad marking them as 01, replies. "Superior range, damage potential, and shorter form factor compared to a hotshot lasgun." His voice is distorted by his helmet vox.

she just sits there, sighing in contentment.

"...there are other, better guns too you realise..." *she looks at laurence* "How is it that you of all people haven't figured out how to do inferno bolters yet?"

as he does so, he telekenetically pours her a glass of wine

Laurence: "The man said size factor, he meant it. And bolt ammunition isn't compact enough, that and it's loud as hell."

"Inappropriate use of psychic powers... thats a flogging boy." She smirks as she looks up at charles.

"...there are suppressors for those things. Seriously though, how have you NOT figured out inferno bolts yet?"

Charles: *grins* you're not on duty now, commissar

Laurence: "Because i have these?" He unholsters one of his auto pistols.

Hera: "I guess i'll let you off."

"Alright... follow up, why not galvanic rifles?"

Charles: Appreciated

Laurence: "Because its far easier to get tau guns than mechanicus ones?"

Hera: "for now."

Lyanna:...that is a blatant lie and you know it.

he chuckles

Laurence: "I could go steal them, yes, but its much easier to buy them off a passing rogue trader."

Hera: "Shush you."

"You can modify tau weapons...and not reverse engineer a single mechanicum rifle...."

Charles winks

"Tau weapons are very simple, and getting the designs is easy. Mechanicum tech is about as arcane as it gets."

Hera: "My mother was right."

"...the fucking thing is mostly wood...."

"She was?"

"But the mechanicum isn't handing out blueprints, and now, i'm done with this asinine argument." The door slides open behind him. "Cogitator, vox. Use both of them, Do your usual thing."

She smiles up at him "I shouldn't be dating an inquisitor. He's too good for me."

"Right right, on it"

Charles: you're one aswell, remember. *smiles back*

He turns around, and heads back up the stairs, followed by Sidonai, then the five members of Lazarus.

Tyren, for his part, is stood stock still and silent in the corner.

Hera: "Yeah... pretty sure you broke some regs on that one."

Lyanna looks over at him

Charles: is that so?

Tyren's eye lenses are out, and his head is slightly inclined towards the floor.

Hera: "I mean i'm no expert, but isn't there a process or something?"

she sighs

Charles: sort of. Kind of hard to regulate people with near limitless authority.

His eye lenses flicker on and his head jerks upwards, keying to lyanna's vox channel. +What did i miss?+

Hera: "Apart from the other people with the same authority? And people with the same authority but who are somehow higher up the pecking order?"

"Infiltrators."

Charles: like I said *chuckles* its hardly simple.

+Hmn... I hope that Djurah will join the fray soon.+

Hera: "Yeah..."

"Still holdin that grudge eh?"

Charles: Would you rather I hadn't?

laurence meanwhile, suddenly notices several figures in black hooded robes approaching

+It is branded on my wrist.+

Hera: "Its a lot of responsibility."

The first of the lazarus pushes past laurence, raising his pulse blaster, and putting himself between them.

+right, right+

Charles: I think you're more than capable of it.

the figures halt, and part, revealing the vanguard alpha who is in their midst.

+Are you alright? You sound... unsettled+

Hera puts a hand gently on charle's cheek. "So you keep telling me"

Laurence pushes down his man's gun, stepping forwards. Regardless, the squad fans out, weapons at ease, but ready to come up. Sidonai sticks to laurence's shoulder as usual, a pace behind and to the right.

Laurence: "So you got my message."

"I somewhat doubt we'll survive this"

Charles: am I wrong?

Skitarii: Affirmative. I am Alpha Dreyfus-B7. My mistress and I have been assigned to coordinate the skitarii forces with you, while my lords are mobilising our heavier forces.

+We have lived through far worse than this little war.+

Hera: "I don't know... I just try to take care of my own." She smiles, unsure.

Laurence: "Good." he nods, and turns to 0-1. "Abraham, give them our vox code."

Lyanna: you know that doesn't mean anything.

Charles walks around and sits opposite her

Dreyfus: If it would please you, my mistress wishes to accompany you personally.

+We won't die here. I won't let that happen.+

Hera looks up and smiles properly. "Talk for another day though, we're supposed to be relaxing."

Laurence: "If she so wishes."

she smiles a bit at that

Charles: that we are. *smiles and pauses* throne, you're beautiful.

dreyfus looks up to the wall above and behind laurence

+I love you, Lyanna.+

Hera: "Flattery will get you everywhere."

Laurence doesn't turn around.

+I love you too+

Charles: It's not flattery if its true *pours himself some wine*

the ruststalker alpha lowers herself, slowly and somewhat disturbingly, from the wall behind him, landing on the floor surprisingly quietly directly infront of him

+...I'm slightly lost for what to do now. I'm not usually awake for this part.+

Hera picks up the glass of wine he poured for her earlier. "Then you must be very lucky."

Laurence appears nonplussed. Sidonai raises an eyebrow and looks distinctly curious.
Laurence: "I didn't know the mechanicus had a theatrical side."

+To be honest, I'm lost too+

he smiles, sipping from his own drink

the ruststalker does not reply, simply looking at him with unfeeling, mechanical lenses

+Strategy and planning is your specialty, isnt it?+

Hera swirls her drink, looking down into it, thinking. "So..." She looks up. "I was going to say how was work... but, i don't really want to talk about work. We've done nothing but work for... feels like months on end now."

Laurence replies with his own masked stare. "I'm afraid I don't speak binary, Gothic will have to suffice."

+Yeah but...this is a bit unusual isn't it?+

Charles: then what do you want to talk about?

the skitarii finally speaks, her mechanical voice with a distinct female edge to it
"Very well"

+In many ways, yes. It is. We will have to adapt yet more.+

Hera: "... Tell me about a planet you've been to. Somewhere interesting."

Laurence: "Good. We need to move, i'll get you up to speed on the hoof."

+Adapting was never my strongest suit+

Charles: ...hmm... *sips his drink, clearly thinking through the many beautiful and interesting planets he's seen*

Ruststalker:...that appears to be xenotech, inquisitor.

+Neither was it mine. But adapt we must.+

Hera props her chin up on the back of her hand, resting her elbow on the table.

Laurence: "Will that be an issue?" There is a hint of threat in his tone

+So it seems...+

Charles: Have you heard of Silesia?

Ruststalker: May I see one?

+You as brilliant a tactician as has ever lived. I trust you.+

Hera: "I can't say i have."

Laurence gestures to Abraham, who hands his over, stock first, while the as yet unamed, 0-2, covers the ruststalker.

she doesn't reply to that

Charles: over in segmentum obscuris. I went there a few decades back, had to deal with a dark eldar raiding party. It was... unusual to say the least.

Ruststalker: *she takes it in her chordclaw and turns it over, examining it meticulously* Pulse blaster... modified for human use.... makers mark shows Vior'la sept... I was unaware we shared philosophies, inquisitor.

Tyren remains silent, positioning himself again, in front of the door, to keep a sort of watch.

Hera: "Oh yay, spikey rapists."

Laurence: "I very much doubt we do."

+Thanks+

Charles: the planet itself actually helped out against them, in a way. See, the planet itself is a frozen, desolate wasteland, but something about the planet's core means that it is scorching hot beneath the surface. Down there, there are vast reservoirs of liquid water that spews up through geysers all over the planet. But the cold above the surface is such that, the moment the water exits the geysers it freezes, becoming a spray of razor sharp ice shards flying at great speed upwards into the air, sometimes with enough force to escape the planet's gravity.

Ruststalker: *hands the weapon back* That xenos technology is not inherently heretical, and that we should study its uses and implement its benifits within our own?

+You have earned my trust a dozen times over.+

(Hello Enceladus.) "ooh, sounds fun. The planet makes its own flack."

Laurence: "There are no heretical means, just heretical ends."

+I know...still. Thanks+

(hey, means its physically possible :P)

Ruststalker: We are on the same page, my lord.

Charles: Exactly *sips and chuckles* Especially deadly against dark eldar skimmers.

+It's nothing.+

Hera: "An open topped vehicle, and a hail of ice."

Laurence: "Good."

+Still...thanks+

Charles: exactly

she does not reply, merely looking at him again