The Great Price (Game Thread)

[BlueSlime]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Mallia's mind raced. Another acolyte team with a Soritas escort had gone dark? Presumed dead? Their prospects were grim, and somewhere beyond the gate in her mind, something was laughing at her. Her sanctioned powers were not blossomed yet, and she did not fully understand why she had been selected to go on this mission, except perhaps to be given the opportunity to die for her Emperor.

She was mildly surprised by the Arbitrator troop inquiring after the whereabouts of Inquisitor Solaria. Had she ever asked a question so off-topic and unnecessary in the Sanctioning offices on Holy Terra, she would have had her right hand placed in a nerve-induction box until she had blacked out from the pain. Such punishment had happened a lot in the first year of her Sanctioning trials.

She decided to put the mission briefing back on track, cutting through the inconsequential details and getting straight to the point, as it were.

"So our mission is solely to enter the spaceport of Hive Taron and locate the missing priest, or discover his fate and that of the previous acolytes and Adepta Soritas? Do we have any secondary mission objectives? Or are we expected to call for evacuation once our immediate task is done?"

Her tone was solemn, quiet, but her words were clear and crisp. She kept her head bowed as she spoke, not meeting either the Judge or the Inquisitors' eyes. She was a tool of the Inquisition, unproven and suspect. To look at them as if she were an equal would be to invite their immediate scorn and judgement. Still, it was important to get the details of their mission set, as every moment that stood here discussing things, the priest's trail would get colder and colder.

 

[lurker]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Standing at attention through the mission briefing, Seraph mulled it over in her head. Acolyte teams going dark was never anything new- during some of her other escorts, she heard of teams suffering terrible deaths as they ran into threats too big for them to handle, but she never had been sent to try and clean up after them however... Still, with the threat of an entire squad of Soritas getting lost, things were clearly more complicated then even the Inquisitors had expected...

The situation itself could be a hard one to guess too. Riots were nothing new, especially if the Ecclesiarchy members had little to no political experience and ran the planet poorly, but the focus points of the riot were something to take note. If they were targeting facilities like such, it definitely seemed like a cause for concern. And the dropsite situation was further cause for alarm for her, a gnawing in her gut coming to her at the thought of what may have happened to the team before them.

"My lords..." she asked quietly, once some of the other questions had been asked, and proceeding it with another quiet bow. "Would it be safe to assume that we may be facing elements of the Ruinous Powers during this operation? I really don't like how this is all adding up on a first glance."

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Quintos was the one who answered. "Inquisitor Solaria was injured while fighting one of the riots that was seemingly lead by a hive-gang. However, that was on the far side of the Hive from where you're going in. Good for you four, in a way... She can be a bit... abrasive."

"As for your mission, locate what information you can about what happened. If the priest is still alive, find him and do what you can to bring him back alive. Should you happen to find any information, remains, or effects of the missing Sororitas, I'm sure they'd appreciate the return of those. I'll arrange for means of transport to be made available if you do."

"And as for the question about what you could potentially face down there... I sincerely hope that all you'll find is just disgruntled scum and hivers. But we don't know for certain."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

The psyker shook her head slowly when the Battle Sister asked her question. There was nothing safe in assuming anything about the unspeakable. To merely acknowledge their existence was a danger to one's own soul. Mallia knew more than enough about that. A daemon had forced itself upon her mind at a young age, and only by the will and guidance of the Emperor's immortal and indomitable spirit had she cast her unholy agitator back into the Empyrean. Fourteen years on and she still felt the after effects of her brush with the unknowable malice from beyond. She had little desire to face such creatures, but at least if she did, she more than most would know what it was to stare into the eyes of the abyss.

"You say the riots are contained. We will be operating then in a cleared area? Will we have an escort like the previous acolyte cell?"

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

It was Venris who first responded to Mallia's question. "To the best of our ability, we've tried to get the area cleared. There may be a few hiver scum that have slipped in, although you shouldn't have to deal with any serious threats."

A servo-skull, marked with an Inquisition insignia similar to Klightus', entered suddenly, delivering a scroll. Klightus had gotten up and was reading something on the scroll, likely an update report, off to one side while Venris was speaking. He spoke up suddenly. "I'm afraid that you'll be on your own, without escort. At least, right at first. Seems there's been another push made towards the factories. Also, one of my cells just reported some kind of rising activity at the PDF base."

 

[lurker]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Seraph gave a quick incline of her head, though her face held it's grim pallor. She had dealt with the warp-spawn and corruption before, though the uncertainty didn't help matters as the venture was gathered together.

As Klightus suddenly relayed more info, she turned her head to him and gave a prolonged sigh. "If things are escalating this fast, we need to move quickly if we have any hopes of catching the priest or checking for survivors. If the PDF base is under attack, we'll have one less resource to rely on the more we delay."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Mallia thought it odd to give consideration to 'survivors.' Though the Sister did have a point about moving fast.

"Do you have a picture of the priest and a name that we might recognize him by? Any suggested methods of tracking him?"

 

[ShadowWolfSBI]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Quintos answered, "Uriah Praetus. There will be a data-slate with some more information about him on-board the Lander. As for tracking him... You may need to rely on Enforcer Markus' training in those matters, I'm afraid. We have almost no solid information just yet as to what happened to cause the team to vanish like that."

He gives the four assembled a level look, then adds, "If there are no further questions, return to the landing bay you arrived in. There will be an Aquila Lander there to take you to the surface."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

"Yes sir." With another salute, I've moved to make my way back to the landing bay as ordered. The rest of the cell asked pretty much most of the questions I've wanted to ask anyway. The situation looked very grim indeed, though with a little luck we'd manage to avoid getting tossed into a warzone. However, I've had little doubt we'd be forced to contend with whatever massacred the squad sent earlier, something I was not looking forward to. Sure, duty demanded that I deliver Imperial Justice if I encountered those elements, and I would not hesitate to do so. But I knew that those couldn't be simple rioters. People could sometimes do insane things when desperate, but taking out an entire acolyte cell with Sororitas backup? That took more than just a rag-tag bunch of gang members. Whoever did that had to be well prepared. Something dark was lurking on the surface of the planet, and I was going there to meet it.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Shaking her head, the sanctionite turned with her newly formed cell and strode from the meeting room with the rest of the acolytes. If there was no way to track Uriah, then it was of the utmost importance to locate the place where the other team had gone silent and pick up the trail from there. They could only hope that when they arrived, some clue as to the priest's whereabouts remained. The spaceport of a hive city was a large place indeed to hide one man, and if he got out into the riot zones... they would lose him completely.

On the way back, she decided it was a time for introductions.

"Mallia," she said, loud enough for the others to hear. "'Psyker' will also do in a pinch."

She glanced over to the Arbitrator. "You must be Markus?" The others right now were only known to her as The Sister and The Techpriest.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

The sudden introduction, one that came out of nowhere, interrupted my musings. It seems that our psyker decided to introduce herself. I've glanced at her, wondering briefly what brought that abrupt greeting on. As far as I could tell, she was probably trying to create a working rapport with the rest of us, something I could approve. Teamwork would be absolutely necessary on this mission. "Correct." I've replied to her question. "Markus Argent." My gaze swept over the other two members of our cell. "And you are?" I've asked more out of curiosity than anything, but I've figured it'd be weird not to know their names.

 

[lurker]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Seraph would give one more quiet bow as the briefing concluded. "It shall be done in the name of the Emperor," Seraph stated, even if the meaning to her was more of a half-truth.

---

As they moved on, Mallia's introduction surprised her a little. She had a habit of losing familiarity with people, and considering the area they were dropping into it was a uncertainty even as they moved on. Still, she too would add her classification to the group. "Sister Seraph Soulstorm, previously of the Order of the Pandemic Rose," she stated quickly with a small incline of her head. "I'll do my best to keep you all alive if you do the same for me..."

 

[Caulder]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Drake keeps his head low through the proceedings, keeping his thoughts to himself, and turning as soon as they were told to return to the landing pad, walking along as fast as his legs could carry him, his vox-speaker piping up. "The Mechanicus have designated me Mech-Wright Drake." it crackles out, his mouth remaining still. "Should you disrespect or anger the Omnissiah in my presence, be prepared to also face the consequences." the speaker says, the Mechanicus turning his head slightly to regard his companions as he walks.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

"Do what you will, Drake." I've replied to the threat the mechanicus made. "I strongly suggest you keep the Emperor's Law in mind when you do, though." I've heard the Mechanicus could get quite unpleasant when one disrespected the machines they've revered so much. It was a sentiment I've personally found weird, but somewhat understandable. However, I had to make sure that the Mech-Wright did not overstep his boundaries. The job of the Mechanicus was to tend to the machine - when it came to punishing the guilty, that's when the Arbites came in. "Damaging Imperial property is certainly a crime. But the Emperor's will comes first, and his laws are a reflection of it. So don't do anything too rash." Still, I've began to wonder whether the guy had some issues. He certainly seemed quick to speak threats, that was for sure.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

"Excellent," Mallia said, grasping her psy focus staff in both hands and leaning forward on it conspiratorially as the Aquila-class transport's cargo hatch door hissed open behind her to allow them inside.

"The concord is made, the contract dotted in our souls' blood. We four may well die in each others' presence, in service to the God Emperor. Let us pray it is not this day. Let us pray that just as He watches over us all, we shall watch over one another."

She looked from Seraph, to Markus, and then to Drake, then hung her head solemnly and made the sign of the aquila.

"Emperor guide my thoughts. Protect your righteous acolytes. Expose your enemies and by your Will, show us the way to destroy them."

Her prayer made, she turned and entered the lander, taking her seat. She worried that perhaps she had been too pretentious, and that she should have let Sister Seraph lead the party in prayer, but she felt compelled to do so by the gravity of the situation, and let her fervor get in the way of her better judgement. She must better herself and ask pardon from the Sororitas in a quiet moment.

 

[Caulder]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Drake's respiration unit hisses rather loudly after hearing the Arbites speak, his vox-speaker crackling to life once more. "And what would an Arbitrator know of the will of the Omnissiah?" he says, his face contorting into a scowl as the speaker carries his voice for him. When the Psyker spoke up, however, his facial expression softensd, as he simply hobbles up the ramp and onto the ship to claim a seat, before reciting his own mantra in binary cant. <Oh Omnissiah, watch over this ship and the humble servants of your will, that we might serve it properly and without delay, and help me to show the uninitiated your glory.> emits from his vox speaker in binary cant, though to those who do not know it, it is merely a low, modulating buzz, an errant spark darting up his Potentia coil to the thick metal sphere attached to the top of it.

 

[lurker]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

Quietly, Seraph also boarded the lander, bowing her head and adding a simple 'Praise thee, O Emperor" to the end of the Psyker's prayer. In her head though Seraph was praising the Emperor for someone more faithful then her to cut the slack a little in the litany department. Not that she couldn't recite them, but she had to admit they always seemed... lifeless when she had to recite them.

After finding her seat, she took a second to draw her Bolter from her back, laying it onto her lap so she could lean back into the hardened seating bench. "Yet another mission... So... anyone else got any theories?" she asked quietly, eying her latest companions.

 

[cross_grave]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

I didn't respond to the Mechanicus, opting to simply keep moving towards the bay. When the psyker started to recite the prayer, I had to admit I was a little suprised. I expected something like this out of the Sororita more. Still, she seemed to approve, and I approved as well. It seemed that our sanctionite had strong faith in the Emperor - most commendable. I quietly joined the prayer, ending mine with "The Emperor protects". I suspected that even the Mech-Wright joined in, even though I couldn't understand his machine-speak at all. He was probably praying to Omnissiah, like every other techpriest.

Once I got into the lander, I've prepared myself for what I hoped to be a fairly boring ride. Not that I like being bored - it's just that a planetfall on a world like this would be either boring or potentially deadly, and we'd get enough hurdles to deal with afterwards. No need for more issues. My musings on the topic were interrupted by the battle sister, who asked a somewhat interesting question. "A cult, or something similiar." I've replied. "Events so far suggest that an organized force is behind this, and as far as I know regular criminal organizations do not target the Ecclesiarchy or cause uproar on such a scale. Too risky, and not enough payout. We're looking for someone who stands to profit from throwing the entire planet into anarchy, and only an enemy of the Imperium would stoop to something like this."

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

"The enemies of the Imperium are numerous," Mallia said once she was seated on the transport lander. "From without by the Xenos, from within by the Heretic, and from the Warp by the Daemon. Thus it is said in the Imperial Creed. It would benefit any agent of these three dangers to send an otherwise productive hive world plunging into anarchy. That it has already come to this point is bad enough. This priest, Uriah, is important somehow, otherwise the Inquisitors would not have us prioritizing him, and obviously, whatever enemy we face was willing to take on a cell of acolytes and a Sororitas escort to prevent him from being brought in. Considering this, we must assume that our Enemy has confidence in its strength. Making our presence obvious after we touch down may be ill-advised, at least until we have a deeper understanding of what is going on. Also, we must not assume that the riots and the ones responsible for the loss of our brothers and sisters in the Ordos may not be connected. It could be that the Enemy is merely taking advantage of the riots, using it as a mask to enact their own darker plans."

 

[cross_grave]

Re: The Great Price (Game Thread)

"It is possible." I've nodded at the psyker and her assessment. "However, it's not likely that the riots would develop to such a stage without someone or something fanning the flames. Even if the elements that took out the previous cell aren't the instigators that started the whole thing, I wouldn't be suprised if they were fanning the flames and influencing the masses somehow. Remember, the attacks seemed to be focused on the holdings of Ecclesiarchy. Mere criminals would rather avoid hitting such spots, and regular mobs would be less discriminate when it came to picking targets. And it's likely they've been recruiting fighters from the planet's population. It's much easier than smuggling in a force from space."