Dark Heresy: Cell Achates

Status
Not open for further replies.
Elleantra nods as she checks her various packs, ensuring she has spare tanks of prometheum at hand. "Agreed. I will investigate the churches. Despite the public hatred for mutants, there are surely some faithful among their ranks. And as the closest thing to an Ecclesiarchal Representative in this trip, I can speak to their faithful." She opens her eyes as she sits forward, a slight frown forming upon her lips. "And if there are no faithful among the mutants, surely a few more zealous members of the faith have wandered into the mutant communities. Not to mention that there might be a pious and pure speaker somewhere in the city, though that might be a far stretch." She gives a quick affermative nod, as if affirming her own statement, before rising to her feet.
 
"I suppose I should check with the locald PDF officers then. Check where they've been called out to, and where they havent." Merrez suggested as he zipped up his vest over his armor. "Since you're all planning to speak to those of your ranks here, I might as well do the same." He swung his feet out over the edge of the bed, and dropped the butt oh his stick into the cup he used for an ashtray, readying himself to go.
 
"No, may I repeat myself. I believe you are... making things too complicated. We just have to follow the lead that Fantz will provide us, and go from there. I don't believe we have to interrogate denizens, plus... the Underhive'll without a doubt rip us apart the moment they find out we were sent by the Inquisition. Heretics live down there like rats, but they fight like demons to defend their homes. I doubt even your flames'll purge all of them, Elleantra. And, for you, Merrez. I'd recommend we all stuck together. They may not like the full package, but it's better to stick together. They'd scrap me for parts if they found me wandering around, for example, and I doubt the Arbites in the planet would appreciate Mutants wandering about on their own." Larl sighed as he finished his sentence and straightened his back. "Well. Your call, people. You can of course plan as you wish, but we should not... plan too much."
 
"Our comrade Larl has a point - we must not stifle our improvisational abilities by planning too strictly. Lantz should be our priority, and after that, if need be, we may each consult with the different sectors we know best."

So saying, the blank put away his marble and, already clad in his tunic, began putting on his armor, and placing the sawed-off shotgun into the forearm mount on his right arm. Ever diligent, Canto would hum to the weapon's Machine Spirit - best placate it now for good fortune when the time to use it came.
 
Elleantra raises an eyebrow at this. "While that may be, it is a folly not to make backup plans. The phrase "Our greatest Enemy is complacency" is in many a holy text for very good reasons. I am not saying we enact upon these plans immediately, the information from Frantz takes precedent, of course. But these are actions we must be prepared to take, if our primary plan falls through." She sifts her weight from one foot to the other, somewhat anxious to begin the mission, her limbs coursing with energy, as if the Emperor himself granted his blessing to her for the mission.
With the clarification out of the way, she would clasp her hands together before looking to her comerades. "Those of you who wish, my join me in prayer." She then lowers her head as she begins one of the greater prayers of the Adepta Sororitas.
A spiritu dominatus,
Domine, libra nos.
From the lightning and the tempest,
Our Emperor, deliver us.
From plague, temptation, and war,
Our Emperor deliver us.
From the scourge of the Kraken,
Our Emperor deliver us.
From the blasphemyof the Fallen,
Our Emperor deliver us.
From the curse of the mutant,
Our Emperor deliver us.
A morte perpetua,
Domine, libra nos.
That thou wouldst bring them only death,
That thou shouldst spare none,
That thou shouldst pardon none.
We beseech thee, destroy them.
 
Wilhelm looked at the tech-head. "You may repeat yourself cogboy, and you're wrong. We don't just have to follow the lead that Fantz will provide us, if it was that easy then we wouldn't be sent at all. If you think that we're not going to have to do any investigation I suggest you ask the Astropath if you can contact the Inquisitor and seek a different line of work because that is EXACTLY what we have been sent for," He remarked plainly, "as for the idea of sticking together, that is rank idiocy unless we know for certain we're going into combat, in the places I would have to go to find out what the mutant underclass knows about all of this YOU or Elleantra would be certainly unwelcome and your very presence would slam the very doors shut in our faces we need to open."

Wilhelm sat up and stared at the cogboy seeing the myriad ways he could tear him apart thanks to his warp-given curse. "It is all well and good to operate together, but only as appropriate. You can bet you last cog that the local Arbites aren't going to investigate anybody going to speak to the mutants if they're not already doing so at them going missing. We don't need to split up and go our own separate ways, but we do need to assemble the most appropriate people for each piece of the pie."

He snorted loudly. "Or do you really think your precious Mechanicum would appreciate all of us filing into the Mechanicum Enclave? Or your Administratum," he nodded to Phillipe, "Bluntly, we shouldn't even think of advertising ourselves as Inquisition until the excrement has hit the rotary cooling device."
.
 
Larl found himself dumbfounded when he came across Wilhelm's sudden act of hostility against him. 'Cogboy' was what he was calling him, and by the sound of it he surely was going to rabble on about something. He shook his head quickly when he found just how arrogant Wilhelm was being- atleast in his eyes- to suddenly go out of his way to call him these things. "You may call me Larl. Mind you that I am the person that's going to sew you back together in case you ever were to be banged up to the point where you lacked an arm or your spine. You might want to reconsider your hostility against your comrades. In some circumstances, it'd be better if we were to divide the work. That much, I will agree on. So I will say what I specialize in here: Technology and it's applications, Security, both making it and thwarting it, Medicae, Piloting Aeronauticas, and logical thinking. Tell me, what will you do, Wilhelm. And where should we start looking then, since you don't want to base it upon what Fantz will say." Larl folded his arms as he looked Wilhelm over, his mechadendrites folding back so that they're pressed up against his back. He could tell by his eyes that he was a mutant, and yet he felt unsure how to approach him. Either way, he didn't feel like backing down from someone that was clearly over stepping their boundaries. He approached a nearby seat, and settled himself down. Larl leaned forward in order to make room for his mechadendrites on his back and continued: "I mean, we only have the Scavaeola System to search for the reason of these mutations, and we start off in the capital, Monument. But do enlighten me."
 
"Then it seems you didn't actually read the briefing. We are not here to look into the reason of mutations. We are being sent to investigate the disappearance of mutants, an investigation nobody planetside is investigating except this Fantz possibly." He said pointing out plainly, "The natural source to investigate, as I have already said is for I, Canto and Tessera to speak to the mutants directly, if THEY don't have some ideas, rumours or even ghost stories then something just short of a full daemonic invasion must be happening if nobody, including the mutants, is interested in their disappearance."

He then cocked his head. "And Phillipe there suggested that everyone else at that time pokes their noses politely, and I would think, subtle manner the authorities themselves and find out why they're not looking into it. Mutants disappearing should have the Arbites crawling all over the slums or whatever this world has looking for hidden nests of revolutionary mutants, yet according to the intel we have, they haven't so much as lifted the paperwork involved to start," He leaned back in his bunk, "The catch is, you seem intent on this source of information we have been pointed at, if it was that easy this would already be an open-shut case and the Inquisition would never have needed to send us."

He studied the cogboy more. "But, I suppose I cannot blame you. You are Adeptus Mechanicus. You look for solutions in science and machines and biology, it never occurs to you that the solutions to problems can be found in people, and when people begin disappearing, when a specific TYPE of people begin disappearing, the first step should be contacting those very people. Hell, I, Canto and Tessera ARE mutants if this is something as sinister as a mutant uprising, there is every chance that we three, all clearly physically capable in a fight, will be approached and be able to find out even more internally."
 
"You make it seem like the Mutants are some how a huge network in which every mutant in the capital's working together. You believe the mutants will take in others, just based upon the fact you have pretty eyes? The Inquisition called upon us. Not the actual fully-loaded Inquisition, but the small Cell Achates We're replaceable, unlike Inquisitors, and this is their way of testing us out. Nothing better, nothing smaller. Now you can act as if they'll roll out red carpets for us when they see you lot approach, but I highly doubt it. Remember, they are the ones getting kidnapped, and they won't know by who. Why would they randomly trust a bunch of new mutants in the area wandering about? What's even harder trying to have a civil discussion with you is how you rely upon name-calling more than anything else. So I will take my leave until the mission starts. I'll be in the Cabin." With that, Larl raised himself upwards from the chair, and walked towards the door that lead to the Cabin, his right hand tightened into a fist.
 
Merrez watched the argument for a bit, and considered trying to shout some cooperation into them, but decided against it. It was better to let the arguments get out there, rather than let them build up enough to explode. Especially as such things tended to boil over at the worst possible time. So instead, he waited for Elleantra finish her prayers, before suggesting a better form of waiting. "Hey, Ellea, you wanna go get some recaff instead of waiting in this cramped can? I'd say 'and get some fresh air', except that's pretty much impossible up here." He hopped down from his bunk with a thud. "Or do you have more prayers you need to get through?"
 
Elleantra, during the somewhat heated argument between the mutant and the Chirugueon, would maintain the volume of her prayer, though the faith behind it prevented it from being drowned out. Once she finishes, the Sister Novitiate, somewhat disappointed that nobody else joined her in prayer, would lower her arms to her sides. She turns her gaze towards the guardsman, offering a stern gaze. "I appreciate the offer, but I must refrain from partaking in such substances, especially during this time of preparation."
 
Merrez stared at her for a moment. "Not even recaff?" He chuckled slightly. "Makes me all the more happy to be in the Guard. Wanna tag along just for the company then?" He asked, before looking to the others in the little room. "Anyone else? It's not as shitty as you'd expect." Recaff was mostly good, but it was usually the company that made it worth getting. That, and getting out of the small box of a room for a little while.
 
Wilhelm laughed out loud. "I do not make it seem like the Mutants are somehow a huge network. I state it as a fact, Mutants stick together this is absolute fact, no we don't all like each other. But we DO look out for one another and take a keen interest when we start going missing." His gaze showed him many things.
 
Carefully getting down, Canto would stop humming and nod at the Guardsman. Getting out of the room should do him some good, and he figured he could ask along the way about the time remaining 'till plantefall. The whole mutant talk wasn't something he knew much about, but it didn't seem like it would evolve between random bickering...

"I tag along, comrade Merrez. I haven't had recaf in some time now."
 
The sister initiate considers the offer for a brief few moments, before nodding. "I will accompany you. A brief walk will do me well, though I will not partake in recaf. I am highly suspect of the quality of the substance in this vessel, as well as the fact that Sisters of Battle are not allowed the substance." She offers a few moments of silence as she makes a final check of her belongings, before stepping into the small walkspace inbetween the bunks. "Besides, I have nothing better to do now that I have completed all of my Rites of Preparation. If there is one thing a Sister is not dwarfed in when compared to an Astartes, it is faith."
 
Iudex watched the arguing group with a placid smile as he finished another lho-stick. These people had begun to amuse him greatly. He had always thought of himself as a bit of a hard-ass, but between the Sister and the constantly pissed of mutant he was beginning to look downright relaxed. When the offer of recaf came up, Iudex got stood from his bunk. "I could do with something to drink. A decent cup of recaf and an lho-stick is just about the best form of preparation for an investigation anyway."
 
"A guardsman, A sister Initiate, and two Arbitrers walks into a mess hall..." Merrez chuckled, as he started shuffling out of the room. "Alright, good. The more the merrier." He lead the way out of the room, and started to walk down the hall, towards the nearest place they could get a drink. "And nobody are gonna force you to drink anything, Ellean. Heck, I'm not sure any one of us would be able to. Besides, the stuff of the ships at least tends to have clean water. I've had recaff that was brown even before we added anything." He said with a small shudder. "When you're in a really cold place, and the actual food is a bit scarce, recaff tends to help us get through that."
 
A few hours later, a crewman came by their cabin letting them know that the ship was in position to disembark passengers. He also mentioned that their cargo pod was being shipped separately and that it was probably already down there. "The Port Authority will hang on to it until you pick it up."

The shuttle ride down was noisy and rough, and hardly comfortable. The Acolytes had been packed in with almost 200 other passengers, mostly pilgrims, but a small party of techpriests could be seen in a corner of the craft, cradling their servo-skulls and other belongings protectively. Most of the pilgrims occupied their time in loud hymns that could consistently be heard over the engines. When the craft touched down and the engines spun down, the pilgrims whooped ecstatically, praising the Emperor loudly.

When the shuttle bay doors opened, the Acolytes were assailed by the profuse, muggy scent of burning promethium. As they filed out of the shuttle, they could hear chatter of port laborers and the bellowing, augmented commands of overseers. As they exited the shuttle, they saw the exit was blocked by a number of guards, likely the planetary law enforcement, wearing light flak armor and rebreathers, and accompanied by a smaller number of scribes. As the pilgrims filed towards the exit ahead of the Acolytes, a crew headed towards the ship, lugging a fueling line and lead by a techpriest waving a brazier of incense, chanting in their bizzare techno-babble language. Some of the techpriest passengers babbled along respectfully as they disembarked, suggesting it was a prayer of some sort.

The guards and scribes began questioning the passengers, before letting them pass. The pilgrims were let through rather quickly, though the techpriests took some time to get through. About 15 minutes later, one of the guards waved the Acolytes over, asking,"You all together? Good, we'll get you sorted together. Go talk to those two." They were guided to a scribe and guard pair. The guard asked, "Names?" in a tone that conveyed that he had asked this question for the umpteenth time that day.

Landing Pad
The landing pad is a hexagonal depression, about eight meters deep and 100 meters across. The main entrance/exit is about 3 meters wide and 2.5 meters tall. Going by the lack of industrial equipment such as cranes, this landing pad is intended for passengers rather than cargo. The exit leads into a large building that makes up the rest of the spaceport. Skyscrapers can be seen over the lip of the pad in all directions.

Guards and Scribe
There are at least 20 guards manning the entrance, each wearing beige fatigues, light gray flak armor and rebreathers mounted onto their helmets. They mostly seem to be armed with truncheons and laspistols, but a few can be seen sporting lascarbines and one seems to be holding a riot shield and a stun baton.

The scribes are either working in pairs, checking dataslates and recording information on parchment to be later archived, or are multitasking to the same effect. The guards are asking the questions and the scribes are simply there to record information. Most of them are wearing rebreathers, though a different model from the guards.
 
The smell of promethium was something Canto knew well, but realizing that nearly every person present was wearing a rebreather was something he did not expect. The taste of recaf still on his tongue, Canto filed behind the other Acolytes, his large frame visible even from the back. While he could be... forceful if need be, he was not particularly good at handling new people due to his... status. As such he found it better to keep his distance from the clearly bored/annoyed guard, preferring to only call out his name curtly when the time for such came.
 
Elleantra would be the first of the Acolytes to disembark from the voidship. She had her rebreather on by this time, so most of the smell was whisked away by the machinery in the device on her face, though she was not unfamiliar with the scent, and in fact welcomed it. When she approached the guard, she simply stated her name, saving her other titles for when they were asked of her. "Elleantra Teresa." She answered curtly, wondering if the man could see the Adepta Sororitas iconography on her armour under her cloak.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back