The Emperor's Lament [DH] Chapter I: Shattered Hope

[Charlo]

Luther had seen the error in his address to Nicodemus but awaited the brute to finish talking before he replied.

 

"Apologies, First Captain. My cogitator's sing with thanks for the additional information."

 

Luther had to hold in a scoff at being "not ready for combat." He was more than ready, just not with a weapon suitable for use on the downtrodden masses of the wider Imperium he was sure to find in this hell-hole.

 

Luckily, logic had won the day and the request for more equipment had sanctioned. Good. While Luther was armed, his weapon was a holy relic of the Mechanicus - an Arc Pistol. Usually employed by those in a position of leadership in the Skitarii legions as a way to bring down enemy affronts to the machine gods will. How Luther came to posess such a piece of Arcana is a curious tale indeed, but not one he had time to recall now. All he knew is that with it's powerful but limited charge it would only be used in dire circumstances or to bring down enemy machinery as part of his Agent Prefecture Magisterium duties.

 

As the lockers opened he spied many a weapon, he scanned them for any tell tale signs of power, durability, rate of fire and other such useful data so that he could claim a weapon fitting for an Adept of the Martian Throng.

 

INT tests to see what the firearms are

 

He was also interested in the small device among the second set of weapons... He inquired about it's nature, pointing to it and addressing the First Captain once more. Probably not the wisest move, but Luther was not one for anything but ruthless efficiency.

 

"Inquiriy: First Captain, if I may - what is this device's primary function?"

[Dosjetka]

Boolean:

Her eyes narrow and she tilts her head by 16.5° to the side.

"Has it perhaps occurred to you that these documents were left within sight while you are in this room for a reason? Has it occurred to you that you are being observed, tested, measured, analysed since you first set foot on this station and even before that? Has it occurred to you that by picking up that dataslate you must now deal with consequences greater than you imagined? Answer these questions and perhaps then will I let you return to your companions."

Her voice is low and has a derisive edge to it; you have clearly annoyed her and fallen below her expectations, whatever they may be.

---

Grim:

You take the time to look at the array of pistols laid out before you. Lacking the experience in wielding las pistols, your short observation of the three examples laid out before you reveals nothing more.  You concentrate instead on the solid projectile pistols that you are more familiar with.
You recognise the first pistol as being an Ius Automatic, a weapon that is ubiquitous among the enforcers back home on Caloris. Known for its utter reliability, it is a solid and unspectacular firearm that is often used as a backup weapon. Designed to be foolproof and sustain damage that would make other pistols unuseable, many Ius' are decades or even centuries old. According to Krell, this one belonged to the Adeptus Arbites which seems to almost enrage the man.
The second in line is a .54 Tranter Hand Cannon which is technically a pistol but which often requires two hands to use, such is its bulk, weight, and recoil. You remember that the scummers in Alveri Hive once mentioning how powerful but horribly undeniable the .54 Tranter is. This does nothing to diminish the appeal for such a weapon: a hugely menacing pistol that can take the head of a man clean off is the wet dream of most criminals as far as you know.
Next is yet another common sight among enforcers and mercenaries: the Hax-Orthlack Service Pistol (often referred to more simply as "Hax"). A bulky and intimidating high-capacity stub pistol, you seem to remember it being a copy of another firearm used in the Imperial Navy. Most are manufactured with the sigil of the contracted buyer stamped into their grips but this particular example has no such ident-marker.
The fourth pistol is... you seem to remember it being called a Sulymann. It is a popular weapon among "second liners" (plainclothes enforcers, hauler rig crews, etc) as it is no larger than the average compact stubber. While it sacrifices stopping power for a reduction in size and increased clip capacity, it is known to pack a helluva lot of firepower into a relatively small frame.
For the last firearm you recognise instantly because you used to have on for a time. The Talon Mark III Autopistol is a medium calibre, fully-automatic caseless pistol and originates among the gunsmith forges in Gunmetal City on Scintilla. Sturdy, practical, and easily maintained, it is capable of laying down a hail of fire and is handy enough to be used in confined spaces, making it extremely popular among enforcers and scum alike.

---

Talon:

Aside from the wrist chronos and the magnoculars, you are unable to ascertain what the rest of the items are. You will need to extract further details from your peers or your mentors.

---

Luther:

Having lead a relatively sheltered life among the furnaces of a Forge World and having worked mostly on Titan-class weaponry, you have difficulty identifying the various pistols. However the laspistols are more familiar to you and consequently you manage to glean a bit more information from your implanted data-banks. The first is a custom-made derived from the venerable Kantrael 'Defender' pattern from Cadia. Your analysis shows you that despite the shortcomings of having a non-standard power cell slot, the elongated and higher-quality barrel make firing far more precise. The second pistol hails from the famous Forge World of Accatran and is used by a number of military units across the Imperium. The last is a standard Kantrael 'Defender' laspistol, known for its reliability and found in the hands of countless millions of Imperial servants.

As you go over the solid projectile pistols, you recognise the third as being a variant of the Scipio Naval service pistol and the last as the Talon Mk III Autopistol. Both are reliable and common enough to make sourcing ammunition less of a challenge. You also note that the former is a semi-automatic firearm while the latter is fully-automatic.

 

In response to your question, Nicodemus simply says:

 

"It is a compact auspex. I assume that you are familiar with such devices, Tech-priest."

---

All characters:

The First Captain moves quicker than expected, the end of his aquiline nose now just inches away from Krell's face. As he speaks in a low voice, his eyes do not waver from their steely gaze directed straight at the enforcer.

 

"I was expecting someone with your background to understand proper protocol and to be able to show respect to his superiors."

 

Raising his voice, he turns and addresses the whole group.

 

"I realise that you are not used to life outside of whatever previous occupation you had and that you may not yet understand that the Inquisition's authority is second only to the Emperor's, but this is your last warning, Cell Prasinon. Twice already mistakes have been made by two seperate members of this unit. If you fail to show respect to either myself, the Lady or the ekadaros again, you will suffer the unpleasant consequences that will await you."

 

Despite what you may individually think of the First Captain, you all realise that he is dead serious and will not hesitate to carry out whatever punishment he needs to keep you in line.

[Commissar Molotov]

The First Captain was an interesting fellow, brute violence concealed beneath the thinnest veneer of cordiality. Talon closed his eyes momentarily, a calming mantra propelled to the front of his brain as though it had always been there. His whole life had been a stringent series of tests, but the unsubtlety of the threats levelled at them was tiresome indeed. It seemed better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. 

 

Deciding that none of the items seemed suitable, the Assassin turns and prepares to leave.

[Olis]

Boolean steepled his fingers, listening to the Lady chew him out.

 

"Honestly, m'lady? Only to the last question can I confess that I had not evaluated the full ramifications. Again, the statistical likelihood of those data fragments being... for want of a better word... a trap, was not high. I have revised my estimate."

 

The Tech-Priest looked at Lady Orlean expectantly, his face all but impassive. 

[*Furyou Miko]

Caral sighed to herself and withdrew, inclining her head respectfully to the First Captain before going to the table of equipment. She looked across the various items, before lifting the knobbly screen and examining it. Looking towards the First Captain, she asked politely; "Sir, this is... an auspex of some variety, yes? I apologise for not recognising the model precisely."

 

She sought, above answers, to defuse the tense situation by providing a different target for the man to focus upon. Even if the device proved to be a handheld picter of some sort, revealing herself for the country fool she was, rather than the useful device she had surmised that would have some effect.

 

Better, after all, to be thought ignorant than to be thought a troublemaker.

[Morovir]

Krell made the sign of the aquila on his chest and bowed his head in supplication.

 

"I apologise, First Captain, for my overzealous comments, but nobody is above the law. Not criminals...murderers...or mutants. I will not act so rashly again, I assure you. Only a clear violation of the Lex Imperialis will be acted upon."

[Conn Eremon]

Got distracted, forgot to post. Here's something quick before bed so I'm not holding anyone up.

 

Grim perused the array of equipment on display, though he felt his eyes drawn inexorably to the Talon Mk III. It was not quite the same as his old duty pistol, the Parabellum he had once named it as a much younger man, like some anachronistic warrior naming his blade of choice. The tan plating stood out, and he had made some slight modifications this standard-issue lacked. The weapon was the property of the Havelock family however, and so he had lost it at the same time he had lost his right to be a Havelock. The thought of feeling its comfortable weight in his hands and at his hip brought a slight smile to his face. He was not oblivious to the rest of the people in the room or the fact that it was clear that none of his colleagues could quite keep themselves from disappointing or angering the pair any better than Grim could. Caral's attempt to calm both the enforcer and the first captain was of particular note, but it was something that the enforcer had said that gave him pause.

 

"Mr. Krell, like you I see before me a weapon I happen to be intimately familiar with. Considering where we are and with whom we are with, I do not doubt that this was not deliberate. As those 'slates proved, they are themselves intimately familiar with each of us. We should use this opportunity to more properly arm ourselves."

 

Grim turned to the First Captain. "Sir, you offer us an extensive choice of firepower, and I do understand the restriction you place upon its use. However, there are those of us lacking in more proper protective gear, and so I feel I must at least ask. While flak would be preferable if available, even heavy leather, padded armor would go a long way to better ensure mission success."

[Charlo]

"Affirmative First Captain, I am indeed familiar with Auspex Technology. I am appreciative of your confirmation."

 

Luther then addressed the lady of their group.

 

"I am however surprised someone of your descent is familiar with such technology, Caral. Perhaps our given data on you is... Insufficient."

 

Though to most this phrase was probably an insult, but Luther meant no intentional harm - he was just stating a logical conclusion, as Tech Priests had been known to do. While not obvious, it almost would seem that behind his rebreather a smile were appearing, a fraction of emotion left in his cyborg form. 

 

Having finished his conversation with the two of them, Luther turned his softly pulsating visor to the weaponry on the table. Many firearms were laid out in front of him, most of which his cogitators were understandably lacking in data summaries for, though after some visual inspection one in particular became the obvious choice. Only one of these pistols was suitable for an Adept of the Mechanicus, with it's fine craftsmanship and reliability evident from but a glance.

 

Luthor Turned to address his current superiors as well as Brother Boolean.

 

"First Captain, Ekadaros... I would request the use of the Kantrael 'Defender' pattern Las-Weapon presented to us. I believe it's superior accuracy will be beneficial to my talents and perspective function within our unit. Brother Boolean, you too have no doubt noticed that this weapon's powercell is of a less-common variant - I feel it would be beneficial if you could perhaps examine the weapon first and see if it was possible to adapt the weapon for a standard power cell in case measures are to be taken during our mission."