[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (RPG IC)

[Mazer Rackham]

The Machine Shop Corridor:

 

The facsimile drunk gets to his feet steadily. "Your toaster in there has one of my keys. Don't open the door it unlocks. I did, and now they're after me."

 

A servo skull floats down the t-junction at the end of the corridor on quietly humming gravitic motors. It doesn't even look in your direction, nor does it pause, but Tracer clamps up, pulls closer to the wall, hunching over to obscure his face. As he places his hand on the passageway buttress, you briefly see the reflection of a subdermal, covert, electoo. He waits several heartbeats. "They see everything, don't you understand? Nowhere, no-one, is safe. Your Franek Steiner pal could be one of them. Watch him close."

 

He rummages in his smocking robes, produces a data crystal which will work with standard interface retrieval units. "A record, of sorts. It will explain much. Keep it secret, keep it safe!"

 

Tracer pushes off from the wall. "I'm going yer honner, I'm going! I can tell you got no reason for an old man! Shame on ye all, I say!"

 

He staggers off down the corridor without looking back.

 

The Scarlet Square:

 

Valkyrie reaches down, and touches each of the supplicants on the shoulder. "Be at peace, penitents, the will of the Emperor is to live without sin. Go forth and slander him no further."

 

A hesitant chorus bubbles up. "Aye lady, in His Will."

 

The armoured angel beckons to you three with a specific hand sign. It is simple and evocative her left palm faces you, the other hand balling into a fist across the palm, before opening into a blade edge. The Hidden Eye, Opening. The servomechanics and fibre-bundle musculature of her warplate is a purring smoothness of the artificer's skill.

 

"Come pilgrims, for solace in His light." She stands alone, her radiance and sincerity, however disdained by some of you, is an oasis of peace and surety.

 

Players may remove 1 Insanity Point due to Valkyrie's calming presence.

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

"Nice to see you, Sister. Come to welcome fellow travellers on the square, from below unto on high. In His Name!" said Kerr Restal to Valkyrie as he bowed to her, making the Aquila with his hands.

 

+++ It is Valkyrie +++

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard bowed low and moved closer, just behind the voider.

 

But cautiously. His distaste for the Church certainly extended to its warrior daughters. In some ways they were even worse than the thieving priesthood. Fanatics who would willingly give up not just their own lives, but those of every man, woman and child around them, on command. Selfless lunatics.

 

"It is an honour to this Hive that the one of the Sisterhood should be here, my Lady," he offered respectfully, just in case anyone was listening, "but surely it must also be a fearsome thing to bring one of your kind away from battle elsewhere?"

 

He hoped the question he was actually asking was clear.

 

What are you doing here, Valkyrie? You're poorly dressed for covert ops. What is going on to bring you here?

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

The Scarlet Square:

 

Valkyrie smiles benignly, bowing to Restal's greeting in turn, but there is a solemnity to the reunion.

 

"My dear pilgrims, woe besets our noble endeavour, thus forcing one such as I to go abroad with a party of the Soulful. Truly our cousin, the Wayfarer, and his charges, the Penitent and the Physician have been sorely wronged."

 

She steps from the prayer plinth, her movement disturbing the riot of purity and votive seal parchments decorating the fresco of a Saint behind her. "As pilgrims we must join in private prayer to the Emperor of all."

 

Her long-legged stride lacks the languid sway displayed before, the step more warrior than holy warden. She approaches a vestibule reserved for nobles and their attendants to make private obeisance, and as approaches, she waves away the fawning sops and wooden-penitents who clog the blessed cement of the chamber. She stands within and beckons you inside, before sealing the cell, and disabling the auto-hymnal and hololithic psalm recordings with a sweep of her Sororitas Icon.

 

"Be there peace for the mind and soul, the silence of commune with him on Terra. Fides, Spe, Caritas Exemplar."

 

Functional lighting fills the space from a bulb above, the sound without crushed to nothing by the hush of solitude. Candles ripple and spill warm yellow light into the small chamber, the scent of tallow mixing with your own bodily scents in the confined space. Valkyrie's face is firm, but her jaw works before speaking.

 

"Bear your insignia as proof you are real and whole." She deploys her own hologram.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard snorted, but held his palm up anyway, revealing his electoo.

 

"Ha! It might not prove much any more. There seem to be far more of these on this world than I was expecting. Perhaps not more than you and Verdict knew about, though…?"
 

Edited December 5, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

Nicios shows his left palm, the electoo flashing into being for a second.

 

"What are you doing here? I thought we were on our own."

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

Kerr Restal pulls the flak-glove off of his left hand and makes a fist.

 

The electoo on the back of his hand glows. 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Vestibule:

 

Valkyrie weathers Reynard's scorn with implacable, annoying calm and unwavering indulgent smile. Nothing registers on her face, no tics or flexes of her features. "And pray tell me, where do you hide a grain of sand?"

 

She almost - almost - sighs as the others perform the required duty. She nods to Restal and Nicios, turning to the psyker to explain.

 

"Whilst you were about the business of the Holy Ordo, there was a raid on the spaceport, hours gone. With mine own eyes have I seen the wrath wrought. The lander is a ruin, and Voyager, Scourge, and the Medic are nowhere to be found."

 

"Where do you hide a grain of sand?" this latter utterance, she says to herself, biting her lip. "It was providence you were not near the explosion."

 

"The decision was taken to send me in as your link. The augury within my harness detected your transmissions for rendezvous, although I cannot hear what you say..." she scolds mildly with a stern eyebrow, before continuing. "I am...unknown to our opposition. Apparently."

 

Valkyrie dwells on her revelation, a hint of scepticism showing in her voice, abruptly changing as she holds Nicios' gaze. "How fare you, Seeker?"

Edited December 6, 2022 by Mazer Rackham
Replies

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"Uncertain." Nicios qiuckly lays out the group's recent activities, with Reynard chiming in frequently. 

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

"Someone is using us - and I don't mean your boss, dear Lady."

 

Reynard started to pace up and down the small space, trying to put things together.

 

"Voyager had to have been compromised from the start. Which means we were all blown from the start, too. So everywhere we've been, someone has been watching and letting us go there. What we've uncovered, they wanted found. What they didn't want us to have - that damn serum from Dreyfuss' lab, for one - they've taken away. I assume Stitches and Scourge didn't get the vial back to the Vault before they vanished, right?"

 

He grimaced.

 

"This whole job was screwed from the start. Tell Verdict he'd be better off pulling everyone out, because what we're doing isn't helping. At least, it's not helping the good guys."

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Vesitbule:

 

Valkyrie listens to you all with patient study, not interrupting. Once Reynard completes the report with his observations, she nods.

 

"What do you suggest as our next course of action? There are several ways to extract the team if necessary."

[A.T.]

Falk

 

More seeds of mistrust... and the electoo, Falk did not recognise it but committed what he could of its form to memory. Without means to read the data crystal there was little more he could do, though perhaps this 'cage' Bardas sought would suffice. A fresh dataslate would have to be located first however unless the cartograph could be cajoled into the task.

 

Returning to the machine shop he recalled the conversation at the iron door, messages sent back and forth to announce their arrival. Perhaps the skull Bardas carried would lend some clue as to how the schism remained hidden from the whole but memories of the library still echoed in his mind, the dark winds that assailed it were not brought on by machines or mercenary soliders, there was a darker hand that yet remained hidden.

 

The golem, mechanicus perhaps or the one missing from the vats, the third daughter of hive tertius, and the dark sister. More speculation, he hoped the others had faired better.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard stopped dead. Extraction? Now that was unexpected. Especially coming from one whose kind usually viewed martyrdom as a good thing.

 

"You mean we can actually bug out of this hole?"

 

Then he caught on.

 

"Oh, got it. We call it quits. You and Verdict and Vigilance and all the other V's move on to the next job. Did your best, right? But me? I get handed to Falk and he gets told to finish doing his job. That about the size of it?"

 

He sighed.

 

"Whatever. We still had a few ideas to try. Falk and Bardas were looking into a few other bits and pieces downhive."

 

"We were coming up to talk to Aldario. I'm sure you've seen her little vid-speeches featuring me? Figured as I was famous anyway, maybe I could go tell her to butt out and let us do our job? Perhaps even get us some help? If it turns out she's involved, that might be a terrible idea though…?"

 

Reynard shrugged.

 

"Other than that, everything we've got so far points to House Canthus. Weapons manufacturers, mercenary companies - unless you've got a hundred of your Sisters waiting somewhere, that doesn't sound like fun either."

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Vestibule:

 

Valkyrie doesn't rise to Reynard's bile; her mien and mellifluous voice remain. "Unless you are an egregious failure, proven by witness necro-cortical interrogation, all Verdict will do is reassign you to something...suitable. He is not Inquisitor Coteaz, nor that maniac Tyrus. Like our Golden Liege, the Lady Inquisitrix who controls our cell is a hard and demanding soul, but believes in...redemption."

 

Her gaze turns inwards for a moment, a flash of something approaching pain registers on Valkyrie's face. It vanishes, and she shrugs, her vestments and chaplet rustling with the movements, displaced air making the candles snap and flicker.

 

"A hundred Sisters are not required. I command sufficient guile and reason to employ the Canthus Mercenaries. Perhaps that will get us closer to them," she muses. "The loss of our comrades and the serum is alarming. It is an avenue we must also explore. Approaching the Governor so bluntly may tip our hand if she is involved. However, my rank may provide petition for audience, and witnesses."

 

The Machine Shop:

 

Unfortunately, I can't hold off much longer on this as Falk is literally stuck if he's unwilling to use a simple, public terminal (and I don't blame him), so I propose to roll he and Bardas onwards. I will use Tro's Stats against Tests for Barter and Quality offscreen for the Faraday Cage, as well as time invested. Again, cheaper = longer. We will be looking at several hours.

 

Alternatively, if Falk wants to solo it, his Cartograph will highlight a small Arbites rest station within an hour's travel uphive from the Machine Shop. His knowledge of how the Arbites works, would assure he would be the ranking officer there, (only manned by a sanctified servitor quartermaster, and a rotating detail of Judges) and so would be able to use secured terminals freely. As the hive is winding down towards evening, traffic will be light, and encounters with hivers will be few.

[A.T.]

Falk

 

Hours? It should have been expected as the mechanicus were never known for their haste, he supposed that mere hours involved cutting every corner and shortening every prayer that would otherwise have taken days or weeks but still it was time they could ill afford.

 

It was high time to try and start fitting the pieces of this puzzle together, his cartograph indicated a rest station nearby where records would, or rather should have been secured against intrusion but with even the Praefectus Secundus now involved nothing could be sure. A risk that would have to be taken, and perhaps one that Justice Drake would have predicted. The Praefector Absolom had been involved in all of this from the start and his knowledge had not been reflected in the forces sent against them nor would a man of his rank surrender it... but he would have been prepared.

 

"Time is short, I will return as soon as I can. Emperor protect us in our duty." He checked his chrono, "leave here as soon as is feasible and I recommend a secondary channel for communications, enough time has passed that we can no-longer trust that your original frequencies are secured."

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

He had to admit Valkyrie was making a lot of sense. Whichever way they decided to jump - Aldario or Canthus - she was right that her presence would make the task much easier. Again, not to mention the bolter and power armour if things went wrong.

 

Maybe he was letting his dislike for the Ecclesiarchy cloud his judgement? Could he afford to alienate her?

 

He nodded and smiled at her. Not the smile he typically used on attractive women - he wouldn't risk that - but one of contrition and comradeship.

 

"I owe you an apology, my Lady, for my poor attitude and lack of gratitude thus far. Blame it on the stresses of the past few days. Any help you can provide will be most appreciated."

 

Not that he believed the rubbish about being given another 'suitable' assignment and an opportunity for 'redemption'…

 

No, to be more accurate, he believed her completely. Someone as noble as Valkyrie wouldn't lower herself to lie for his benefit. They would give him another role, one where he could earn forgiveness… but he was pretty sure that it would involve servitor-lobotomization.

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

The Vestibule:

 

Valkyrie accepts Reynard's peace offering with a genteel nod, hair bobbing with the gesture. She looks at him without rancour or satisfaction.

 

"Now my friends, we have much to do. The life of an Acolyte is full of trials and fresh effort. Where do we go next in His Will?"

 

Security Station Argus:

 

It takes Falk's quick stride less than an hour to stand opposite the fortified station. A small emplacement it may be, but it remains a bastion of law amidst the morass of humanity's moral shade. The Duty Judge stirs behind the front barricade. A staggered set of painted lines radiate from the precinct defence gate showing how far someone can close before lethal force will be deployed.

 

Bold white stencil scrawls across the dark bastion ferrocrete, above the firing slits.

 

+ KEEP YOUR DISTANCE + YOU ARE UNDER SURVEILLANCE + OBEY ALL ORDERS +

 

Spotting Falk as someone with the confidence and alertness missing in the general populace, the Judge challenges him, the words out of his mouth are without heat, and rote, but perhaps good enough to prove something solid in the mess.

 

"Do you require assistance, Citizen? If not, move along. Ordinance 14. No loitering."

Edited December 6, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[A.T.]

Falk

 

Falk adjusted his collar to display his badge, positioned ahead of time. Best not to approach watch stations with something in hand or pocket, "Emperors light be upon you, I require access to precinct records under directive NDO-K4". The designation came with significant latitude, still Falk chose a station beneath that granted for one on assignment from the Praefector Absolom.

 

A station such as this would have few resources with each judge responsible for their own supplies, but he was here for information.

[Mazer Rackham]

Station Argus:

 

The Judge assumes the ready position for the approach of a suspect, although in deference to what he sees and hears, his shotgun is lowered a fraction. "Emperor's wisdom guide you," the Judge replies, "Advance and be recognised."

 

As you approach, the scanners set into the front of the bastion wash over you in a scarlet haze, which then illuminates and remains green. The Duty Judge relaxes as you reach the threshold of the station. He offers a grim smile as he watches the approaches for ambush. Once inside and the sturdy door is closed he offers a more formal salute. "I recognise you, sir. We have a spare bunk for the night if you require, and there's a pot of kaff brewing as well. Looks like you might need a drop."

 

A second, unhelmed Judge sticks his head out of the comms chamber, a half-eaten dried fruit biscuit in one hand, his other palm on the stock of his shotgun. "Everything alright?"

 

The Duty Judge nods in your direction. "Skipper needs the cogitators."

 

The other Judge straightens up considerably in your presence, his gear correctly in order should the precinct be attacked. He bobs his head and gestures to the room he vacated. "All yours, sir."

[A.T.]

Falk

 

Returning the salute, "The kaff will be welcome, but I am not at liberty to rest at this time." So his position was still recognised by the arbites security checks, outwardly at least, the extent of the heresy that ran unseen through the hive yet had its limits.

 

He weighed the information that the other judges would need but in truth knew little enough of it himself, "an ill wind blows across the hive of late, there is more restlessness that I would like". Cordial enough, the posted judges always loved the chance to gripe given an excuse to do so within the bounds of protocol.

 

There were several cogitor screens beyond the threshold and Falk stood at one pointed directed away from the view of the other arbites to indicate that his searches were beyond their rank. The kaff here was significantly better than that at the market and for that he was thankful as he placed his cup down as rifled through a nearby shelf of logbooks and record slates for a suitable device to examine the data crystal.

 

A battered warrant-slate, crude and ideal with no means to transmit data. Checking that any vox output was silenced Falk took another sip of the kaff as he sat down and inserted the freshly acquired data crystal into the device.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard waited, half hoping that the Sororita might take the choice out of their hands. But neither she, nor Restal or Nicios, offered anything further. Finally he shrugged.

 

"I guess… if you think you've got enough pull to ask for it… maybe we could try to get a private audience with Aldario? I was planning to just show up at her front gate and try to talk my way in… but quiet is better. We could explain things to her, find out who gave her that footage, get her to call off her hunt? Then we might have an easier time trying to infiltrate the Canthus Demesne?"

 

He shrugged again.

 

"It's a gamble, for sure, so if anyone has a better idea...?"

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Lysimachus

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind. We might as well face the grox head on." 

 

Nicios looked faintly displeased by the idea of directly confronting a powerful potential enemy without any sort of leverage or backup, but needs must when the Emperor wills it.

[Mazer Rackham]

The Vestibule:

 

Valkyrie absorbs what you have to say without any encouragement or correction. Her attention turns to Restal. "And you, bladesman? Which path does your courage dare?"

 

Station Argus:

 

The beaten old reader chugs, but at a consistent, manageable pace. Interacting with some protocol, the datacrystal glows warm, as the screen reports the following:

+ PURITY THRESHOLD MET. ACCESS GRANTED +

 

The crystal carries a jumbled knot of files with no name or date, and what is there is pretty much scraps of thoughts or junk. It does a reasonable job of camouflaging the meatier items. The encryption would be easy enough to break, but is staggered in such a way, that it would take a lot of patience and cogitator power, thus giving Tracer time to either escape or fabricate a convincing fiction.

 

Thankfully, the DNA lock seems to do the trick.

 

Spoiler

Diagram239Entry 01:

Got Drexler's latest message. An intermediary claims his client has a bag of Thrones with my name on them. Not Drexler, some other guy. Not a small job. Wished I hadn't agreed to take it on, but the retainer was four figures, so it's going to be something big. A heist of one the Trading Houses maybe, who the hell knows.

 

Diagram239Entry 02:

Scouted the rendezvous. The Dispatch Box. Think I'll pull the old waiter routine. Should get me close enough to eavesdrop before identifying myself. One too many beggars down there for the rags and bowl. Need invisible. Anyway, my gut says something's off, but the money is too good. Kara's ill, but the Grunberg lot won't help. Maybe a moustache this time.

 

Diagram239Entry 03:

The client is called Dreyfuss. Throne, the bastard couldn't sit still. I think he's doped up on something, because he looked like he hadn't slept for a week. I left a box number for further instructions and where I'd leave the diagrams. Heard rumours of someone that can print them in the lower hive. Hmm. Wouldn't mind making that contact. Collected the down payment, and the holofiles. Got something for Kara. She's better. Maybe I was wrong about this job.

 

Diagram239Entry 04:

Have these guys completely lost their bloody marbles? Emperor's black bones, but I'm going to have to get a move on. I'll need disguise kits, changes of gear, a drop harness - maybe - three different scanners, full toolkit, fake documents. I'll need an electoo burning in as well, otherwise I'll never get past security. Maintenance enginseer? Might get away with it. Will need to thieve a bit from the Coggers. They won't like that, will have to be careful. Meds won't hold Kara long. Need the payday, need to get her into Grunberg.

 

Diagram239Entry 05:

Right. Scanner boards are built, got away with a favour for a favour. Electoo cost a lot though, bloody hurt as well, I swear the guy that did it is a bloody sadist. Maybe I'll rob him later. Anyway, sneaked across into the Cogger territory, pinched a few tools, a belt, a nice thick red robe. Tell you what those boys can afford the good stuff, even if they splash oil and and that solvent crap all over it. Anyway, diary; this is the biggest job ever.

 

Diagram239Entry 06:

I'm jotting as I wait. Looking like I'm doing something whilst the scanner cards record is for the best. I'm carrying around a load of junk strapped to my belts, vacuum hoses, cables that plug into only Throne knows what, but thanks to the Mechanicum Mystique nobody is bothering me. I'm sweating bullets though. Damn, but the scan is taking bloody forever. Had to be careful - the lock is hellishly complicated. So it should be. Bloody security everywhere. House Guards, Arbites, Civil Patrols, Ecclesiarchy Frateris, the lot.

 

Don't ever think I've seen this much gold and so many fat priests.

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Mazer Rackham

[A.T.]

Falk

 

Why was it never just a concise list of names, crimes, and a signed confession. Not even a date, though Bardas could perhaps extract one from the datacrystal core recordings.

 

But the diary shrank the possible locations significantly, Frateris and gold meant ecclesarchy holdings in the upper hives and the presence of arbites ruled out any private house cathedrals or doors within inner sanctums. No mention of the sororitas either and any relic or site of pilgrimage worth its name would often fall under their gaze.

 

And the house guards... Canthus were the logical choice to start. Falk took another sip from his kaff as he turned to the console and requested the security patrol allocation maps for the upper hive. Activity logs indicated the positions of recent unrest, seemed like a good place to start, as the screen filled with a dense mesh of indecipherable routes and outlines that signified the layout of the hive above.

 

Eliminate all that was unnecessary, anything not attributed to the Ecclesiarchy was first to go leaving vast and jagged stretches spread across the layers of the hive, eliminate anything not rated as moral threat indulgus, the smaller shrines and abstentious locations, sweep away all areas not covered by standard patrols, sororitas and pdf holdings, administratum, all areas outside of the primary security boarders of the great houses.

 

The map looked far more spartan now. Fat priests and house guards, Falk brought up markers for the major structures and scoured the map for those with the highest security ratings. An unguarded external high security door in public view.

 

Hopefully Falk hasn't eliminated anything quest critical or invented capabilities beyond those of the arbites cartographic records

[Mazer Rackham]

Station Argus:

 

There are a handful of doors in the upper hive conforming to the parameters you feed the security system, six in total. Each is known to the Arbites as expected, but information on three is classified above your access level, or have no information at all.

 

The first is a double-stage airlock type door (for security, one door is closed whilst the other opens) in the lower residential quarters where some of the Noble Houses have business interests such as hotels and guest dormitories for visiting VIPs. Any further information is restricted. Security logs show a strong presence near the site, but not directly in control of it.

 

The second is a single, heavyweight door which leads to a storehouse placed a stratum below, and hive-coreward, of the Templum of Iacinda. No manifest, but attached is a schedule of security checks done by Frateris Militia.

 

The third is for a security checkpoint between House Canthus, and the Upper Spire. This, again, is restricted. The security reports are thicker here, displaying a much tighter rotation of patrols.

 

The data crystal in your possession shows more files, but perhaps Bardas will have to assemble them, or you will need to secure a device with more cogitator power. 

Edited December 8, 2022 by Mazer Rackham