The weeks fly past as Enginseer Primus Jace finished the repairs, Bosun Morrigan finished recruiting and training the crew, and Executive Officer Zheeves finished hashing out your first contracts, but you do not manage to finagle a live-fire weapons test before you are due to depart for the Altair system. Still, the day is here and everything is loaded and ready. You glance around the bridge from your command throne and grin. It’s time to launch. You touch the microbead in your ear and issue your first order as the Aegis' Captain, "Enginseering, perform a final pre-launch systems check."

"Aye Aye Sir!" Jace's voice echoes in your ear.

You lower your hand and glance around the bridge, running through what you know of and have learned about all of the new officers and crew since you finalized the roster.

Jace Echo, your Enginseer Primus. Born and raised on the forgeworld of Kannus, destined for the ranks of the Enginseers almost from birth. He chose the Explorator branch and Specialized in Shipwork after a falling-out over some obscure point of Adeptus Mechanicus Doctrine. Some of that disagreement must have followed him to the stars, because he'd been stuck as a mere Enginemaster despite being the best damned Enginseer you've ever seen. He had the Aegis back up and ready to launch inside of five months, beating out the yard-hands initial estimate of nine, and saving hundreds of thousands of Thrones in the process.

Zheeves, your Executive Officer and Treasurer, has served House Von Sebastion since before your birth, and no one could have organised all of the thousands of administrative details any better than he has. Oh, you still had your fair share of paperwork to sign off on, but the vast bulk was simply approving his suggestions.

Morrigan Ni Danann, your Bosun, has proven to be as thoroughly professional and hard bitten as you could have wished. She managed to scavenge her way off her homeworld of Dagda, a deathworld of hyper-aggressive fauna and thoroughly unpleasant flora right into the middle of the Eldarim Incident, where she fought with no small distinction. She had developed a new tic of rolling a Throne around in her newly-restored left hand since getting her new augmetic middle and ring fingers.

Yasha Saurlance, the Navigator, is the only one you have served with before, if only indirectly. Void Born aboard the Pilgrim-ship Shieldmaiden, and completing her schooling just in time for the Daemonic outbreak aboard one of the Shieldmaiden's sisterships known as the Kania Incursion. The fighting during that incident, and its effect on her brother Vir, have rendered her rather melancholic. But this had not diminished her skill in the slightest, as evidenced by her work in retrieving the Aegis from the edges of the warp-rift in that same system known as the Kania Maw.

Vir Saurlance has had a most interesting career indeed. Born to House Saurlance aboard the Shieldmaiden, but not expressing the Navigator Gene properly, he nevertheless studied alongside his sister. However he was not fully trained when the Kania Incursion broke out and was press-ganged into the local Astropathic Choir to push the distress signal out despite not being properly soul-bound to the emperor at the time. This was remedied in the aftermath of that incident, but its experiences still mark him.

Frank Hopkins, your Helmsman, was Void Born to a shuttle pilot aboard the Jester, a Gothic class Cruiser that was lost in the opening stages of the Eldarim incident. Still quite young, he managed to pilot a transport/cargo shuttle out of the void fight to the relative safety of the Dagda Defense Monitor. He’s still not quite all there in the head, but in the 'crazy like a fox' sort of way. But if even half of the stories Morrigan and Simo Soro, the Master of Ordinance, have told about his exploits are true, he is one blessed pilot.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Speaking of Simo Soro, you have yet to see a better shot (inside a simulation at least), and he claimed his first kills as a gunmaster on that same Dagda Defense Monitor swatting down Eldar strikecraft during the Eldarin Incident. Interestingly enough, he was assigned to that defense monitor as punishment duty, having been found wanting as a defense station gunner over Kannus, probably over backroom gambling if his card playing skills are any indication; He and Hopkins make for one infuriatingly strong Spades team. Your musings are interrupted by your microbead humming in your ear.

"Enginseering here, all systems green for launch. Power plant at 80% capacity and holding steady. Engines ready to answer Helm Commands."

"Very well. Communications, patch me through to Port Esailla Traffic Control."

"Affirmative" the communications Servitor responds, and patches the proper channel to your microbead.

"Captain Tristan Von Sebation, commanding the Aegis, requesting permission to launch," You request formally.

"Affirmative, Aegis. You are cleared for outbound lane Alpha-Sigma-Four-Nine. Good sailing, and may the Emperor light your path."

"Affirmative ETC. Outbound Vector Alpha-Sigma-Four-Nine. May He guard you as well. Aegis, clear." You cut the transmission and turn to your bridge crew. "Mr. Hopkins, we are cleared to launch. Proceed at will."

Frank never looks up from his controls except to check that the outbound lane is in fact clear of all shuttle and ship traffic. "Aye Aye Sir. Outbound lane Alpha-Sigma-Four-Nine confirmed clear. Proceeding at eighty percent thrust: 288 gravs of acceleration."

And with that absolutely routine announcement, the Aegis is underway under her own power for the first time since her back was shattered.

Several long hours later, the next major hurdle is upon the Aegis: the Warp transit. You turn first to Morrigan to begin issuing the needed commands, "Bosun, secure the ship for Warp transit."

"Aye Aye Sir, I'll do that thing," she turns to begin issuing her own orders.

"Navigator Saurlance, plot us a transit to the Altair system please. No particular hurry is required."

Yasha bows formally, "Affirmative, Captain." She then turns and enters the Navigators Vestibule at the rear of the Bridge, the hexagramicaly-warded doors sealing behind her. Heavy bulwarks descend over the Bridge's viewports and a faint offness thrums across your skin as the sensors report the activation of the Gellar field and the Aegis' transition out of reality and into the warp. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Morrigan give a twitch like a wet dog shaking. You cock an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

"Never get used to transitions, Sir. With your permission, I'll see to that Transit Detail." And with that, she turns and hurries from the bridge.

You shrug it off for the moment and follow her, throwing the order for Zheeves to take command over your shoulder while you head for your cabin to catch up on some paperwork.

One Day Later...

You are woken from a nap by the semi-familiar offness skittering up your spine that indicates the return to realspace. Your microbead promptly starts to buzz on your bedside table, so you pick it up and put it in. "Captain speaking."

It is Frank, "Officer of the Watch here Sir. Were have returned to realspace and are approaching Altia orbit."

"Very well. I'll be on the bridge shortly." It has only been a day subjectively, in a trip that usually takes four or five. Either the Emperor was with you indeed, or more likely you have one blessed Navigator aboard. A few minutes later you are entering the bridge as Zheeves finishes talking to Altia Trafic Control. He turns to address you.

"Well Sir, we've arrived quite a bit earlier than expected, but Traffic Control has a parking orbit for us." His microbead dings, and he tilts his head to listen, "and just as well Sir, there seems to be a problem with our return shipment of munitions for the Planetary Defense Forces on Viking. According to our local Factor, a corrupt official has managed to lose about a third of the shipment to a local criminal gang."

You scratch your chin in thought for a moment. Aside from blacklisting the official, what else can you do about making up the lost part of the shipment?