[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (RPG IC)

[Mazer Rackham]

Restal:

 

As your Throne clinks and skirts a swirling glitter in the wooden bowl, the rancid beggar woman looks up, her dirty, tear-stained face and lank hair matted in clumps towards her scalp.

 

"Bless you too, guv'nor." Her grin widens. "Bless you too."

 

She pockets the money quickly, and once more the bowl looks piteously empty as she resumes her supplicatory position.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

As Tracer backed away, Reynard stood still. He didn't recognise the specific pattern, but the overall design of the gun was self-explanatory. Following down that narrow corridor wasn't going to be an option.

 

Maybe there was another way to pursue him? Reynard moved towards the entrance of the cafe… only to see Falk, Nicios and Restal approaching from across the square! If they hurried, perhaps between them they could still catch the thief? Immediately he turned again, rushing back to look through the porthole window, but Tracer was gone.

 

Our timing is impeccable. Again.

 

But maybe it was more important right now to take stock and find out what the other group of acolytes had uncovered? He pulled a few more chairs into place around the table where Bardas sat, then sat down himself. With a sour smile, he picked up his cup from earlier.

 

Besides, I didn't finish my kaf.

[A.T.]

Falk

 

"Trouble?" Falk asked as they approached Reynard. It seems whatever situation that had broken through on comms earlier had been resolved but it was clear all was not well, and unlikely to get better with the news they had brought.

 

He motioned to Rostek, "a courier from this place caught up in another attack, I don't think he knows much but I chanced that whoever tasked him might still be lurking about there." Sitting the courier down facing away from the table he continued, "we should find a secure place to compare notes."

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

Kerr Restal satisfied that his colleagues were somewhat safe, proceeded to take a chair at Reynard's table. Everyone chatted over their Kaff.

 

"So, then Von Graen. Karthago said that you won the contest earlier, Five Hundred Thrones a tidy sum! Any chance of a slice of that pie? said Kerr Restal.

 

"You and Scourge are the talk of the town, vid-stars!"

 

"Oh, I do like your new scarf. Blue is the new Black."

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Machine God
Edited due to Falc's post.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard nodded affably as the others entered and sat.

 

"It's keeping my face warm at least," he replied to Restal first. "As you've undoubtedly seen, my beard became… conspicuous. As to the cash…," he grinned, "...why, did you want to visit the Wrack again? How about I buy you dinner some time, instead?"

 

Turning to Falk, he continued.

 

"More than I'd like. But we've uncovered a few interesting things. You?"

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Cafe:

 

Seb sits quietly, watching each of you, eyes glancing from face to face. He looks a little crestfallen.

[A.T.]

Falk

 

"Riddles and names, and concerns that are movements are being tracked too well to speak of them so openly as here"

 

 

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

Kerr Restal's senses as an assassin are drawn to sorrow. In the hubbub of conversation, he sees the look on Seb's face.

 

Perhaps the voice of death could be the voice of reason, he's never had feelings for marks.

 

"So, you're the Slicer then Seb? Don't worry we are just inputting our data, the parts of the whole coming together again to make the program. We'll sort something out to get your Pa!"

[Trokair]

 The behaviours of the Servo Skulls was unusual, they where clearly searching for something, and he suspected that the behaviour started with the recent strange audio modulation. However as it was not them that the skulls appeared to be looking for Bardas decided to see if he could make one of them reveal something about who had tasked them and their quarry. Spying one lagging a little behind the flock he formulated a coded request .

 

~Servo Skull Command: Status Report Update ~

~Servo Skull Command: Strike last two commands from internal memory ~

Spoiler

Tech-Use

Int: 34

D100: 100! *sigh*

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Bardas:

 

Please roll 1D10 for Scatter.

Spoiler

Anything but an eight...

 

Restal:

 

Seb nods, sniffs and leans back. He stares up at the retreating servo-skulls one of which seems to be suffering a sudden fit of sparks from the silvered cogitator plates protecting the slaved biomechanics within.

 

The gravitic motors of the small attendant seem to be fluctuating, as it fights to remain in the air, whilst firing off blurts of panicked Binharic Cant.

Edited November 23, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

Spoiler

D10: Drumm roll: 1

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Cafe:

 

The malfunctioning servo-skull begins to spark and sputter more, as it hurtles off the Party's left, trailing smoke and bleeping hurried warnings.

It slams into a random pedestrian.

Location: 100 = 001, Head.

Bardas, please roll 1D10 + (1D5 for distance travelled)

[Trokair]

Spoiler

20 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

Bardas, please roll 1D10 + (1D5 for distance travelled)

D10: 8

D5: 5

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Cafe:

 

The hapless Imperial Citizen drops like he's poleaxed, with a resounding crunch that makes even the Regulators wince and suck air through their teeth. A Corporal hurries over to the man.

 

"Looks like he copped a right packet, Sarge." He kicks the servo-skull. "Bloody thing must have broken down."

 

"Emperor's numb arse-cheeks, I've had enough of this bloody dump. Pick him up, we'll take him with us. Maybe the sawbones can help him, then swear him in."

 

After releasing the captive hivers, the Regulators put the man into a carry-harness and take the casualty away with an odd gentleness, before fading down a corridor.

 

The other servo-skulls pay no heed, and the defective mechanical cranium sits dead and lifeless on the hive deck.

Edited November 24, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

Bardas

 

Once he was sure that the Navy contingent had truly departed Bards quietly got up and strolled over to the downed skull and scooped it up. Not what he had intended, still the skull may yet be of use. He hoped that the unfortunate civilian would recover unharmed, and while a life in the Navy might come as a shock to him it was likely to be longer then the Hive the way things were going.

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

While the others were briefing each other about their various activities, Nicios opened the scroll that Lady Gwynne had dropped. In all the commotion of the past few hours, the scroll had seemed less important. Now however, he had the time to open it and read its contents without possible psychic interruptions, press-ganging, or explosions. So he hoped...

[Mazer Rackham]

Bardas:

 

The skull is damaged beyond repair to full function; however, the brain stem and cogitator matrix are still intact. It should not be difficult to reactivate these centres with a power source.

 

Nicios:

 

As you unfurl the scroll, on first appearances it is blank, but tilting it in the light you can discern that the surface of the parchment is vexed, tiny bumps punched into the vellum by some kind of tool. A crude, yet silent form of communication, a way to store words to those without sight, and yet the gentle resonances on the scroll suggest that a different sense beyond touch will reveal what you seek.

 

It is of course, Braille. If you or nay Player have any skill that allows hand-sign, then you can glean some of it with nothing further. Otherwise a different sight will be required.

[A.T.]

Falk

 

It seemed then that this would be as good a place as any for the news, good or bad being somewhat relative given the stakes. "I leave it to Nicios to give you the words of the seer, but on our return we bumped into more of the men following us and a name, Lucian Greyson, Brimlock Grenadiers." He paused to see if the name elicited any reaction, "a one time associate of Hef Kestis and by description a close match for the one that joined Stitches in the aircar at the station, seeminly now tied to Lady Emilia of Hive Tertius".

 

"He was looking for Dreyfuss - yesterday - and perhaps house Canthus with him."

Which raised the question as to the purpose of the would be assassins. At least one had been taken into custody.

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

Nicios ran his hand over the scroll. He couldn't read the bumpy words, but those who wrote it used more than their physical senses to navigate the world.

 

Spoiler

Psyniscience Test

Target- 53

Roll- 39

Result= Pass, with 1 DoS

 

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Looking down at the compact autogun clipped to his belt, Reynard thought about the disparate facts that the team had been able to gather. It had taken some time for the acolytes to lay out everything that had happened since they split up, but now he at least felt like he had all the information.

 

Not that it adds up to a great deal more than we had.

 

Still, some was better than nothing. Now they just had to put it together and figure out where the hell to go next!

 

So…

 

The big thug who had chased them was almost certainly this 'Lucian Greyson'. Arrogant ing scum. Based on what Falk and Stitches had seen, Greyson worked for Fabian Canthus. That made sense. Trading House Canthus was known here on Damocles for its weapons manufacturing and mercenary companies.

 

Fabian Canthus was therefore looking for Magos Dreyfuss. That still fitted with Reynard's theory that their black-clad pursuers might not have anything to do with the shadowy Mechanicus enemy that was threatening to destroy the three Hives in their supposed hunt for Inquisitor Locke. Maybe Canthus was just an unhappy customer looking for a refund?

 

Or maybe not. The Magisters - a strange tale that, one which Reynard had been happy to miss being part of - had apparently said that the 'Third Daughter' held the key to whatever the Mechanicus was trying to open. Before leaving, Stitches had said that Canthus had described his companion, the Lady Emilia, as 'the last daughter of Hive Tertius'. So, if the witches were correct, perhaps Canthus was involved after all… whether he realised it or not?

 

Either way, as far as Reynard could see, the facts made Canthus the next logical thread to unravel. Find out why he wanted Dreyfuss, perhaps talk to this Lady too?

 

Falk seemed to have noticed the same things. Reynard nodded in agreement as the Arbitrator spoke, then added his opinion.

 

"House Canthus won't be an easy target… but everything seems to be pointing us that way?"

 

Plus… he turned to address Seb. He'd noticed the kid's miserable expression.

 

"I think Greyson will have had your da taken back there too. Likely got him patched up - remember, they need him alive. So maybe we can get him out?"

 

He looked around, noticing Bardas working on the fallen servoskull and Nicios focused on a piece of unrolled parchment.

 

"Unless anyone has any better ideas?"

 

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

+++ So, it's back to Von Graen or other Noble Alias together with Bodyguard or Retinue again, is it? +++ stated Kerr Restal.

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Nicios ONLY (See OOC for details on Players reading):

Spoiler

Your fingers trace the tiny dimples, feel the coarse weft of the vellum, the smoothness of the punched dots. You can sense the old smudges of what came before, then the powerful, almost electric shock of tear stains, thrumming with the woe of what prompted them. You connect the dots into emotions, memory. The spatter of blood droplets onto the floor of a surgery. Crimson dots poisoned with hidden danger.

 

Dreyfuss. It feels like he speaks from a great distance to me.

 

His desperation is like pepper, poured into my blind eyes, hot and acrid were I to feel it. He is alone, against a swathe of darkness. I envy and resent his courage at the same time. He can come to no-one, as he trusts no-one, so uses outcasts like us. The Emperor provides, for it is a common goal. He searches, a needle in his pocket as he takes the blood, good and bad, tracking the kanker of it through the old bones and meat of the hive. He promises much, but the words are hollow, for his duty is beyond the lives he steals. He pleads for help. Divine wards are agreed, paid for in texts and blood taken from the children results in coin for the school. I do not allow him to take the little ones away.

 

For I know what he seeks.

 

A miracle.

 

He finds the traces of a powerful salve to the hunger, the rot. He seeks to undo a curse of flesh, and crisis of faith by bending science to it. He takes those closer to the source, finding the hidden truths. He dissolves the recreants of her coven into ruddy gruel for his remedy. The unblinking eye drives him ever onward, as he feverishly works in his sanctum, to the silent screams of his prisoners. The Dark Sister is outraged, her wrathful keening permeating the solid walls, shaking the very threads of power that blind her to us.

 

Ironic.

 

I hope that he succeeds. The pendulum swings, and lowers with each day, and soon the shearing point will come.

 

The scroll's essence fades, and you return to the present.

[A.T.]

Falk

 

"Stitches was given a medical pass, though now they know many of our faces." Falk considered the many gaps in their knowledge, "it is possible the assassin from the station is still in captivity, noble or not there are protocols. And Voyager may know more now that Canthus is implicated."

 

He sat back, as a Reynard observed many threads led up hive but little to Dreyfuss who seemed to stand at the centre of things, "There was trouble in the upper hive earlier, the timing seems unlikely coincidence but the vid feeds were sanitised... as were those of the sanctum."

 

 

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard lent forward.

 

"Good point. The damned vid-feeds, and the damned Planetary Governor herself! Why is she so determined to hunt us down? Is it just that she's been fed doctored footage… or did she have the doctoring done?"

 

He grinned.

 

"Screw it. Maybe if we're moving our aim higher, we should just go right to the top?"

 

[Trokair]

Bardas

 

+One of us that have avoided public fame so far should be the face of any new identity of we go uphive.+

 

He also held up the Skull.

 

+I would like to examine this, and the data stack more carefully. Sep do you know of any other place where I might acquire some tools to assist, as even if your workshop survived we cannot go back there for now?+

Edited November 25, 2022 by Trokair