Greaves Log: Rome 3

Campaign: Homestead Bound"When in Rome...": Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
=== March to Battle ===
After the midnight meeting with Caligula, we slept till morning. By sunrise the guards were making a loud clamor as they prepared for the invasion.
As I got my breakfast, I heard a crash in the yard. Looking outside, I spy a drop pod. Krios was inside of it, and Red Ded was off to the side. A new navigator was standing nearby. A guard tried to pick up something, but got his hand smacked by the broad side of Red Ded's axe. The man fell to the floor howling with pain.
Then, upon a golden throne, being carried by slaves, Caligula appeared in full battle armor that shined like the sun. He shot the downed guard with one of the treasures he showed us a couple days ago. The man perished, with several long needles protruding from his body. "None steal from my father." The Emperor declared.
After a short speech, Krios, Red Ded, Admiral Zachary, the navigator, and I climbed aboard hover chariots. We were led through the city alongside the marching soldiers, Caligula in tow.
People lined up the streets on both sides. They threw gems coins, and gold at all of us, cheering us forth. (Cheering a little TOO loudly.) As for us, all of my compatriots were clamoring to get a hold of the riches being dropped in the chariots.
In the corner of my eyes, I spotted an object flying towards me. Reacting quickly I grabbed it mid flight. It was a bar of silver. Pleased with my prize, I put it in my pocket.
As we neared the edge of the city, and the noise from the crowd started to die down, a psychic approached Caligula. I couldn't make out what was being said, but apparently the man was warning the Emperor about something. Caligula dismissed him casually.
Once we exited the city however, Caligula appeared to be physically unnerved. His eyes darted one side of the march to the other. He tried to maintain his regal composure, but was failing miserably. I offered to stand next to him to protect him, but he refused me.
For hours, the men walked into the wilderness outside the city. Soon, we made our way to a beach. Awaiting us there was a golden boat of enormous proportions. Exhausted, the men all but collapsed at seeing the vessel. It seems we arrived at the boat that would take us to Britain.
Caligula, looking pleased with himself, directed his next order at us. "Well, what are you waiting for? Start attacking!"
?????????(What?)???????????
=== Beach Combing ===
All Caligula got from us, was an extensive, collective and utter look of confusion. I looked around, but the only people around the vicinity was us and the ship.
Red Ded pointed at the boat. "Youz want us to raid the boat?" Caligula brushed him off. "NO no. Silly Ork, I mean attack the enemy!" (???????) I look at the Praetorian soldiers, they were as befuddled as we were about what Caligula was saying.
A little frustrated, Caligula said, "Oh must I be so specific? Take out your weapons, and destroy the beach! The British must not be able to invade us!" (????....Okay??...)
One by one, we took out our weapons and started stabbing at the beach, and shooting it. Red Ded took out his burner and started setting fire to the sand, or at least tried to. (. . . . . . . . This is what we've been reduced to doing; Mindlessly attacking a beach. *Sigh* Well, it's a lot better than actual combat I guess.)
I took my own Power Sword out, and went to a spot that seemed like a good place to start. I half-assedly, struck the ground. A puff of sand rose from the ground from the power field pushing it away. (Figured that would happen.) I raised my sword for a second strike, and the ground started to sink beneath me. (Wait? What!??)
Starting from the point where I struck the ground, the sand actually started to dip and collapse. Air was blowing past me from the ground, as I sunk deeper below the loose earth. I ran away from the sinking sand as fast as possible. When I felt the ground become stable beneath my feet, I looked back. A wide hole had materialized from where I was just a moment ago. Most of the people seemed to get away safely, but Red Ded was stuck at the bottom of the hole.
To make matters worse, the hole extended all the way to the ocean water, and was being filled rapidly. Already the ork was waist deep in seawater. He tried to climb up but couldn't get a grip on the loose sand.
After several minutes of watching the ork flounder about in the hole, the Praetorian guards brought out a long rope and threw one end at Red Ded. I joined them as they pulled the ork to safety.
=== Conspiracy ===
After an 'overwhelming victory'. We took off in the golden boat, to return to Rome. I managed to get Admiral Zachary's camera, and get pictures of all the beautiful women on the ship. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Looking around, I spy two Praetorian guards, shiftily move under deck. Curious, I follow them. I'm met by Krios, who joins me in shadowing the guards. The two of us manage to sneak behind them without being spotted. At the earliest opportunity, we hide behind a large grate as the guards met up with other soldiers.
Together, they spoke about how they were getting tired of Caligula's deranged conquests. They were obviously talking of committing a regicide, but were hesitant to do so.
Sensing opportunity, Krios leaped up from our hiding place, and made himself known to the guards. He assured them that us emissaries were actually plotting to kill Caligula, and set this realm right. Confused one of the men asked Krios if he was truly willing to kill the God Emperor's son.
Krios replied, "Well, I guess I shouldn't tell you this, but truth be told, the God Emperor hasn't had another kid for about, hum, 10,000 years, give or take a century. The men gasped in shock. One by one, they agreed to assist Krios in any way necessary.
That's when a man started scouring out from one of the corner's of the room, he didn't get far. The man was one of Caligula's henchmen, and was a known rat by the guards. Krios killed him, shooting him in the head.
From above deck, Caligula was shouting, demanding to know what the bang he heard was. Krios went up and spread a lie that he just killed a man he found plotting to kill his highness.
This sent Caligula on a mad pursuit on his betrayers. He closed himself off from everyone but his closest guards, and Red Ded for some reason.
When Krios came back down, I finally chose to reveal myself, and told him, "This had better work." He told me to relax. "It's all part of my plan, the more paranoid he becomes, the more bad decisions he'll make. The more bad decisions he makes, the easier it will be for people to come to us. Best part is, I already told him that I have a way to determine who the traitors are."
Once the ship reached Rome, Caligula took off with his Royal Guard towards the Senate. Krios, and I went off to the marketplace to obtain a jar. After obtaining a fine looking container, Krios filled it with dirt. We then made our way towards the Senate where Caligula was.
Caligula did not wait for us to arrive before murdering a pair of Senators. The marble around the corpses was burnt black. "AH EMISSARY!" He exclaimed as we appeared before him. His face a twisted mixture of fear and glee. "TELL ME!! QUICKLY!! WHO HERE DARES TO KILL ME!!!"
Krios calmly told the crazed emperor, "You may relax your highness. I bring Earth from Terra, the home planet of the God Emperor. By invoking his spirit in this soil, his will will be manifested in the earth, and it will point us to the culprits!"
Krios used his psychic will to lift the sand out of the jar. He then had the sand float towards the royal guard and rest on them.
Believing his own personal guardians had betrayed him, Caligula ordered us to kill them. Red Ded waisted no time in loping off two of the confused guards' heads off.
I bypassed the guards, and went straight to Caligula. "Sir, we need to get you out of here." Caligula nodded, but was still too dazed to think straight. (Assuming that he ever could think straight.)
Thinking of an opportunity, I told him, "I know the perfect place for you to hide. The one place they won't go looking for you. Take us to the Labyrinth. It doesn't have to be too deep in, we just need to be at the entrance." Seeing some form of reasoning within my words, Caligula obliged. We exited the Senate, as the battle raged on.
I'll be brief about the Labyrinth. It was nothing like I had expected. I imagined it was a maze built of stone walls, with numerous traps and beasts inside. The true nature of the Labyrinth was anything but. It was just three rooms that contained tortured, animalistic mutants. The creatures ran out as soon as we entered.
When my allies defeated the guards, we went back to join them.
=== The Emperor In Space ===
The next day, we left the planet. Emperor Caligula and the Praetorian Guards that were part of our scheme joined us on the transport ship back to the Homestead.
When we finally landed inside Homestead's hanger, Admiral Zachary set off to return to his quarters. Caligula and the guards stared in wonder of the ship, as the rest of us got off the transport.
As I stepped off the transport, I took off my disguise, an action that didn't escape Caligula's notice. "You were a dog this whole time!? Why hasn't anyone put him on a leash?
After Everyone had assured Caligula that I wasn't a threat, Krios told the Emperor that he had made plans for a big feast in the man's honor. As he led the Emperor down the hall, it became apparent to the rest of the crew that he was leading Caligula to an airlock.
As they were talking, I notice that Caligula still had his two guns at his side. (The Lightning shooter and the Needle gun, I don't know the specific term for them.) I spoke up, "Sir, we do not allow weapons at the table."
'Hm? OH! Yes! Of course! Here, put this someplace safe." He handed his weapons to a guard.
Krios insisted that Caligula enter the 'dinning hall' first. As the Emperor looked into the hall though, he realized something was off. "This looks like an airlock." He said.
Red Ded chimed in, "Ah, yeah, tat's cause it is!" The ork proceeded to stab Caligula in the back with a large knife. Stunned with shock, the madman said, "Et tu ork?" He proceeded to take out a pair of handguns. The Praetorian Guard ran off.
With the time for action at hand, I took out my Power Sword and struck Caligula in the face as he turned around. Howling in pain, he aimed his guns at us, and flames shot out. I managed to dodge the fire, but Red Ded took the brunt of the attack. Burned, but not dead, he took another swing at Caligula with his knife, in the confusion of battle though, I can't recall if he hit the Emperor.
I decided to do something different. I sheath my sword, and charge at Caligula. I manage to grab him by the arm, and throw him into the airlock. Krios quickly passed me and closed the door, trapping Caligula in the room.
He was furious. He shouted profusely at us, and tried to melt the doors down with his Inferno Pistols. Everyone else on the other side of the door, mocked him. Then someone pushed the button to send him into the open vacuum of space.
Surprisingly he somehow managed to stay alive in space. Krios contacted Admiral Zachary and made a bet that he couldn't shoot down the 'bogey'. Taking it personally, Zachary took on the ship's weaponry into his own hands, and killed the Emperor.
=== Aftermath ===
With Caligula gone, we needed to do what we could to mend the power vacuum that we had created in Rome. After denouncing Caligula's reputation, and claiming that he was acting heretical, we made small but important steps in guiding the populace towards the right path. (Or rather, the path most beneficial to us.)
Once things had settled down, we finally entered Rome's hidden ship. Most of the craft was outdated and rusted. We didn't really find anything of use to us. However, we did realize that the ship's security cameras were still active, and worse, were actively following our every move. When we checked the security room, the place was empty, save for the exception of a deep layer of dust. (Which the ork blew off, sending it EVERYWHERE. And of course the damn psyker used my tail wipe his face of dust. Rude bastard.)
Most unsettling, was that we discovered that the cameras were transmitting the footage to someplace far off world. And the most disturbing part of it all, was that we had no idea where that place was.
With our goals in Rome completed, we left the world for a new destination.
Category:Homestead Bound
Category:Log