//------------------------------//
// 9 - Snow World 
// Story: My Little Rogue Trader 
// by Tyrannosaurus_Tux 
//------------------------------//

I smelled... fresh air? 

I seized the belts which held me to the shuttle seat. I looked around and heard the wind across the exit of the craft. I sat for a second, noting the stillness of my surroundings. I breathed, feeling the bitingly cold air enter my mouth and nose. I shivered, filled with... whatever it was in the stimm that Polarscale injected me with. Speaking of which... I saw the dragon just outside, standing sentry with a few others, the human Pilot Kingsley, and a Guard, who stood with a laser weapon with a backpack, and a helmet which concealed his face. 

I reached down and unclicked the seatbelt, a sound that caused all three to turn towards me. I finally notice Polarscale's own weapons. One was some sort of energy weapon with blue coils, mounted on a mechanical arm, and a cog-axe with a long pole with that icon of his. A dragon skull, half of it cybernetic. The three of them bowed. I stepped out of the shuttle unsteadily and onto the snow. I ignored the three of them and just took a moment to look out at the vistas.

Dunes of white spread in every direction, as far as the eye can see. Dark, jagged, thorn-like rocks sprouted from the tops of some snow hills. The wind picked up white particles and carried them over the surface in currents and flurries. Makes me wish I brought a scarf. I rested a hand on the hilt of my sword and the other on my hip. My legs twitched... I needed to run. I looked down to see my left foot twitch, tapping the snow underfoot. 

First things first. I turned to Polarscale, still standing over me, with a scanner next to my head. "Apologies, Lord Captain," he said. "This dragon unit might've gone... overboard."

I hopped from foot to foot, shaking my hands. "Too much energy," I said with a jittering voice. I turned around, and saw the shipwreck. "Need to run." 

So I did. The frigid air pumped through my nose and mouth. My legs almost seemed to thank me, as a big grin spread across my face. I got a better look at the crash site as I rounded the shuttle and got an unobstructed view. 

It was as though I was looking at a fallen god. A mountain of a machine, once regal and proud, lies broken in the icy valley. The spires that still gleam now do so at an awkward angle, obviously straining the structure. Huge turrets, still menacing, now lie scattered. I had an urge to look further at the red-painted hull of the Word Bearer Astartes ship, but I just kept running. It felt too good not to. Soon, however, I saw someone at my side. Polarscale had taken flight, using his powerful wings to easily keep pace with me. His look was one of wide-eyed surprise as he saw my grinning face. I picked up the pace, lengthening my stride... almost bounding over the snow now. 

Something about this place made me feel as if I could fly. I could move much more easily here than back on the ship, as if... I didn't weigh as much. Of course! I didn't weigh as much because there's less gravity here than on the ship! I laughed, then tested my theory with a leap. I covered ten meters! Snow went flying as my boots dug in at the landing. I hollered. As I did, a new question came into my head. 

Where were the Princesses? I looked to see Polarscale land next to me, his axe coming to a rest in the snow with a soft crunch. He bowed and reported, "We are beginning the search, Lord Captain. Only time will tell if we find anything but corpses and... stains."

I looked at the fallen, stricken ship. The scattered steel and blackened ground surrounding the ship were more akin to gore than I would've liked to admit. Thick black smoke still rose from the ship. How long had it been here? 

As I looked, I did see small shapes flying to and fro between the spires and the debris. I had a pretty good idea, now. My little Princesses were helping the search, using their talents as alicorns to the fullest. 

And here I was, watching from the sidelines. 

I turned to Polarscale, and asked, "What can I do to help?"

He tilted his head inside his hood. He had no answers for me, so I turned back to the ship. It would be a nightmare to search through... but something tells me that enough eyes were being sent here that it would only be a matter of days. Another thing that I might have to consider is... all the stuff that has to still lie on the ship. Foodstuffs, fuel, machine parts, weapons, and ammunition... so much has been invested into this ship, and not just in terms of lives or the alloys of the hull.  

Losing it would just be a shame, really. I smirked as I realized that reclaiming whatever was leftover from this wreck was an act of greed as much as it was an act of reclamation. Even so, I hoped primarily to rescue... whoever was left. They would be hiding in the lower levels, barricading any entrances, hoarding whatever supplies they had, and working to make their shelters survivable. 

I sighed and thought with my eyes closed. The sound of the wind carried with it the promise of a slow end by freezing. The sound carried much faster than the wind itself. I opened my eyes with a realization. Sound. That's it! 

I turned to my Magos and asked, "Can we use the ship's comms system?"

He looked towards the wreckage, not really sure himself. Then, he looked at me, and said, "Let's find out." 

Before I could say or do anything else, Polarscale had handed his axe to a waiting bionic tentacle... mechadendrite and took to flight with me in his arms. I froze, not wanting him to drop me as I got a better view of the wreck. A dragon's eye view, one might even say. I was fully appreciative of the level of destruction from the ground but from the air? It took my breath away.

Or maybe it was the fact that Polarscale had decided to take me flying. His arms held me close, and my arms were over his... with my hat, of course. Even with magic, it would not have stayed fixed on my head this time. we flew to the peak of the ship, near the rear. 

It had to have been the bridge. The windows were smashed, just like everything else seemed to be on this ship. I grit my teeth to see how eerily similar the bridge of this ship, "The Lamb's Embrace", was to my own. It seemed to me that it could've just as easily been my own ship that lay here, not the Lamb's Embrace. I shivered, but not from the cold. 

We flew in through the front window, and over the Captain's Throne. The throne was capped by an icon of an Aquila and a book containing a flame. It was scarred from a wickedly sharp blade... like the one left behind, embedded into the backrest. We set down, and Polarscale let go of me, leaving me to look around. I walked back up the blood-stained steps to the throne. Only when I rounded it did I see the alien weapon in all its... glory. 

Even looking at it seemed to stab me. The handle was elegant onyx, but that seemed about the safest part of the blade. It had a similarly dark body, with green decorations that did who knows what running down the length. It even integrates into the bladed handguard, which terminated in a spike. It itched my brain to look at, as if I'd spent my fair share of time trying not to get stabbed by its kind. 

I grasped the handle and pulled. Slowly, it retracted, until I got the hooked end entirely out. My hand started to hurt and I dropped the sword. I pulled my glove off only to see that my right hand was turning bright red. Before I could inspect the sword any further, Polarscale grabbed it and placed it in a bag. He then grabbed my wrist and sprayed disinfectant on my stinging, beet-red hand... I hissed. 

"Drukhari equipment is designed to inflict pain," Polarscale stated as he rubbed the hand I foolishly touched the alien weapon with. "Especially to those who aren't of their kind."

I looked from what Polarscale was doing to look over the bridge, to see if there was anything else of note. There were the corpses, of course... though there were a few strange ones. Armored giants. My brain itched intensely. Armored giants with large pauldrons. Those had to be space marines. After Polarscale treated my hand, I put my glove back on and walked up to one. I knelt down beside him to take a better look. 

His armor was gray with gold highlights, bearing the letters "IX" on one pauldron, and the symbol of his legion on the other. A book, containing a fire. His knightly beaked helmet bore a gold laurel wreath. I also noticed the dark crimson robes that partially covered his power armor. 

A great silver sword lay at his side, as well as a giant pistol with a large bore. My brain itched. It was a bolter pistol. There was something else to the shape of this square-ish pistol that caused my brain to itch, but nothing was forthcoming. The armor looked remarkably intact, so I didn't immediately see any wounds or breaches in the armor that could've caused this giant to die. I stared into the eyes of the knightly helm, almost expecting to see eyes staring back.

I stood up and watched as Polarscale tinkered with a console on the bridge, restoring its power with whispers to its... spirit. The green screen of the console scrolled with numbers and letters, words and phrases too fast for me to really track with my eyes. I looked to see more corpses, more fallen giants as well as humans... and ponies. For some reason, that disturbed me the most. I walked over to one, again in the same fashion of robes that the first giant was wearing. Her deep peach fur was stained with dark blood, and her closed eyes were almost peaceful in her fallen state. I knelt down, and placed a hand on her head, sighing. I heard a sound behind me. I turned around and froze. 

The giant had stood up, weapons in his hands. Thankfully, Polarscale had noticed too, though he seemed merely surprised, not tensing up for a fight. The Space Marine looked between me and Polarscale, then sheathed his gargantuan sword, holstered his pistol, and lowered into a kneeling position, the weight borne by the deck plating. He placed his hands on his torso, his hands displayed in what I recognized as the sign of the Aquila. I heard him speak, voice amplified through a synthetic speaker in the helmet. 

"Thank the Master. I prayed... but did not dare hope. The Emperor sends us deliverance in the form of the Rogue Trader Edo von Hassia, Tuteor of Aurelian."

What? A low, intense itch like a buzz started in my head. It was almost as if someone was screaming something important to me, but it was utterly incomprehensible. I rose to my feet. Without knowing what proper protocol to follow, I settled on a simple bow. 

I cleared my throat, and spoke, in as confident a voice as I could muster. "Rise, and report. Start with your name."

"Yes, Rogue Trader," said the giant as he rose to his feet, causing my neck no small amount of pain. "I am Captain Shem of the Word Bearers Legion, Ninth Company. I... was the Shipmaster of this vessel, but a xenos ambush drove us to crash here."

I nodded. "We took care of that," I said. "Who else has survived?"

Bitterly, Shem reported, "We're still getting a headcount, but the losses were high. No doubt, many of my family are already in the Dark City."

That caused the itching to become worse, but now was not the time to crawl into a ball and cry. 

I turned to the other living occupant in the room. "Polarscale," I called out. "How's the vox network looking?"

The dragon turned back to the console, and hissed, saying, "The Machine Spirit objects, but obeys. What is your will?"

He already knew, but... thanks for asking. I turned back to the Captain, and instructed, "Let the ship hear your voice, Captain. Inform your crew that the Rogue Trader will welcome them aboard his ship."

Shem bowed and walked over to the console. He tapped a few keys and leaned over. "This is Captain Shem," he announced. I could hear the sound carried in the lower corridors. "The Rogue Trader Edo Von Hassia has found us. If you can hear this, proceed outside the Lamb's Embrace. Shuttles will be waiting outside to take us to his ship." After a moment, he added, "The Emperor Protects."

I rub my hand, still itching from the treatment. I walk up to the vox. I probably should offer a few words, as well. "This is Rogue Trader Edo von Hassia. The aliens who shot down your ship are dead. If you feel like trying to settle down on this snowball of a planet beneath the xenos gateway, then be my guest. If you want to leave, here's your chance. I hereby invite you all to my ship, where we'll depart for Imperial space." 

Softly, I asked Polarscale, "How's that?"

Trying not to make a face, Polarscale simply said, "Adequate. We'll still sweep the ship as best we can. Let us return."

I nodded as I saw the Princesses fly into the bridge through the windows.





It had been some days since we finally arrived at the snowball planet. I hadn't been down again since I visited the wreck of the Lamb's Embrace. We were still in the system, carrying out mining of the warp gate, as well as salvaging what we could of the Lamb's Embrace and the Drukhari ships we obliterated. Hopefully, now that all the excitement is over, I can finally slow down again and make sense of everything. Heaven knows I need to still reorient myself in this new reality.

I sat on my Captain's Throne, idly stroking my hand on Twilight's back. She laid on my lap, all tuckered out from another expedition to the Lamb's Embrace. The last, she had said, before promptly collapsing on my lap, expecting pampering.

She's lucky I'm such a nice guy. Although... I thought as I scratched her neck. I was on a big chair, petting a pony in my lap. It did make me feel somewhat like a villain. Perhaps I was... for unlucky suckers. With my other hand, I made a finger gun at the point in space where I saw the last of the returning shuttles. I made a soft noise and recoiled my hand. I giggled to myself. Silly aliens, don't they know that they oppose Rogue Trader Edo von Hassia?

I heard a voice behind me. It was Shem. "Rogue Trader." 

I reached for the throne console and flicked a switch. It rattled around, coming to a halt where I could see the space marine Captain and many of his subordinates, also clad in giant armor. I blinked as I saw Shem's chiseled bronze features for the first time. His helmet was in his hands, as were  the helmets of the Astartes that assembled on the bridge. I could see war veterans, hair grayed by age. All of them had eyes that burned through me as though I were a memory of all the foes they defeated. Their burning gaze was full of reverence, however. Shem took the initiative and knelt before me, followed by the other giants.

"We thank thee for our deliverance from the hands of the enemy. Providence provided for us when we are fallen into doubt and darkness," said Captain Shem, almost as if in prayer. Twilight's ears twitched. 

He held up a little red book. I could barely see the golden words printed on it, though I could make out three. Pain shot through my skull, threatening to make me double over in my seat.

"We keep the faith you showed to our Gene-Father. The faith that you defied even the Emperor to keep."

I focused. I had to ask a few things before memory can have me. 

I spoke over the Captain, asking, "What was your mission here?"

Having been sufficiently interrupted, Shem and his marines rose. He said aloud, "The Emperor tasked us with scouting this alien artifact, to be sure of its location, and if possible, secure it and hold it."

I nodded. "I have ordered a minefield set around the alien gate. It may not stop any who happen upon it, but it will stop any who attempt to enter this space through it."

Shem nodded. "It is well. Our mission is done, but we remain, defeated. Will you take us into your ship, your family, your army?"

I blinked. I can do that? I leaned back on the throne. My privileges as a Rogue Trader do seem to be many. As I thought about it, it does seem rather silly that I wouldn't have considered taking on a few loyal giants into my service. Perhaps Old Edo did not like Astartes, for whatever reason. Until I can remember why that might be, it... probably can't hurt to have giant men with giant guns between me, my princesses, and whatever terrors lurk out there.

"We'll see," I decided. "I don't know what designs the Emperor or your... Gene-Father had for you after this mission. Dismissed."

An acceptable answer for Shem, as he nodded. He turned around and left with his marines, and even a few ponies that I saw that wore the legion's garb. 

I let out a sigh as the thundering march of the marines finally left my bridge, and I was left to rotate the throne back around. I allowed myself to surrender to the cushions as I rubbed my temples with a thumb. The bridge began its normal functions, the crew exchanging reports and orders, far beneath my pay grade. If I was being honest, even if I did try to take an interest in what my junior officers and general staff were doing, talking about fuel plumbing can get... numbing. 

I roused Twilight with a few rubs of her shoulder. She looked at me sleepily, a little smile on her face. That expression turned to narrow-eyed, agape shock when I asked her, "Twilight... what's the Book of Mormon?"