[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (RPG IC)

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

He reloaded his webbing with his shotgun shells. Nicios had allowed him to spend from the kitty. 

 

He'd then taken ownership of his requested armaments and gear. 

 

He then left for the refectory via the ablutions. Cleaned and refreshed he then got some food and looked to his kit. 

 

He detached his folding stocks from the pair of Las Carbines and then attached the slings. He then tested and adjusted the new portage. Worked out the variables. 

 

The Recoil Gloves were a wonder although he missed the brass knuckles, perhaps he could ask Bardas to add them to the gloves. 

 

He'd earlier in his career carried the shotgun in a left and a right hand draw, so the long holsters under the pockets of his trench-coat would still be there. He just needed to remove the pocket linings. 

 

"Anyone seen Bar-dass?" He asked. 

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard sighed.

 

"Understood. Keep trying."

 

Time was exactly what they didn't have. He didn't actually believe the enemy would wait another eleven days to blow Primus. Not after they destroyed Secundus only three days after Tertius. There was a rhythm to such things, usually an acceleration towards the end, an exponential growth towards the final crescendo. He hoped he was wrong, but...

 

Wherever they were going to go next, they needed to get there faster. Hmm.

 

I wonder if Haldane has any aircars or shuttles currently in impound?

[Mazer Rackham]

The Halls of Judgement:

 

A crackle of the voxcaster speakers rings across the walls, filling every nook and cranny of the entire building.

 

+Officer Falk and party to the strategium. Officer Falk and party to the strategium, on the double.+

[A.T.]

Falk:

 

As much as he had desired the consultation of the Praefector this call did not bode well, and he hoped that it was their words rather than further ill events that called this meeting.

 

Falk quickly marshalled those with him to ensure there was no misunderstanding of 'on the double' and contacted Reynard, "find Bardas and bring him to the strategium". Pocketing the ammunition from the counter to sort at a more opportune time he made a final nod to the armourer and directed the others out into the halls.

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

After re-arming, Nicios ate and was able to meditate a little, refreshing himself and centering his mind for the upcoming day. Hearing the vox-call, he went to find the strategium.

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

As you answer the summons, and enter the strategium, up on a command dais, you can see Haldane, surrounded by Judges and Investigators, in discussions back and forth. He signs documents by depressing his thumb onto dataslate glass, or sealing orders with retinal scan authority. He looks up and rubs a rather red eye showing he's been doing it a while.

 

"That's all of you. Tech Sentinel Bardas voxed upon receipt of the order. He's up to his elbows. Follow me."

 

The chill he displayed in the cells is gone, replaced with a certain energy. He leads off through an armoured door, above which is marked 'Panopticon'.

 

Erupting into the room, the noise hammers you. It is full of tech judges and dispatchers, tracking thousands of picters and intellicams. Both a lift and staircase lead down another six levels, where circlets of desks and pulpits form the intelligence hub of the Halls of Judgement. It is a strange reflection of the venerated templum of Iacinda, where they worship the Emperor as the spiritual.

 

Haldane keeps going, bypassing the lift and stairs altogether, heading for another door, this one significantly armoured. Not even Falk has been here, although none could miss it. The golden wings flaring above and around the doorsill are ornate, the feathers of each wing inscribed with the names of decorated lawmen, all of whom held rank within Damocles. There is no bold carving or armorials signifying the family or household of who resides within. That is irrelevant.

 

The Arbites need no bold statements or frescoes to prove anything.

 

They are the law.

 

Haldane presses his face to another optical reader, and the amber light shifts from amber to green. A vision slit opens, but the armoured glass would take an autocannon to get through. It vanishes as the solid blast shutter is pulled up, and the large, oval bulkhead opens to reveal a semi-circular office. Haldane steps back and ushers you inside.

 

The office is carpeted only in front of the desk, which itself is steel. No great ostentation is found on it, but papers and dataslates are stacked on it, in the process of being dealt with. The walls carry long shelves, which have been jostled in the recent disturbance, with a tall, square-shouldered man arranging his own rooms. Several chairs sit around the convex wall, all facing the desk and the large square viewscreens behind and beside it. Those of you who met 'Drexler' can see the immediate parallels. Here however, the decor is spartan. There is however, a small rank of terrariums with different blooms and plants which have been carefully fixed to the wall behind the desk, below a one-way glass window which overlooks the Panopticon.

 

The tall man turns, and you recognise the Praefector Absolom Drake.

 

He offers a slight crinkle around the eyes as way of greeting, before retiring to his desk, gesturing for you to sit.

 

"Close and secure the door, Haldane."

 

"Sir."

 

Your teeth all buzz as the door slams shut and the electric frizz of a stummerfield cuts in. Absolute silence descends, almost as though you've just left orbit and gone into space, or fallen into a bottomless hive-shaft.

 

"We're in private now, Acolyte." He looks at Reynard. "I do hope you're not going to rant at me?"

Edited February 15, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard grinned.

 

"Your subordinate thinks you don't do anything without good reason, Praefector. I'm willing to believe he is correct… though I must admit, your actions in the throne room, along with your appointment of a local as your second, had me wondering. I assume the latter was a case of 'keeping enemies close'? As to the former, I'd be interested to hear why you didn't follow our lead against the witch Helene Aldario?"

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mirador:

 

"Mr Haldane has told me of your concerns, and yes, he knows I have reasons, Mr Reynard." His eyebrow lifts. Drake turns in his seat and activates the vidscreens with a control wand. "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, my Verispexers tell me, and this is what we have."

 

"Young De Grassi starts rumours that someone impersonating an Inquisitor is meeting with the Governor. With something like that, it doesn't matter if he's spouting grox dung, as he often does, we get onto it. But the rumour changes thanks to loose lips in the noble houses. Now, it's a real Inquisitor, coming to declare Throne knows what."

 

The first vidscreen shows rioting, and outbreaks of civil unrest.

 

"With the destruction of Tertius, everyone was on pins. With the populace getting edgy, Secundus goes down, right at the worst time. Doomsday cults just waiting for this have sprung up, preaching the end of days, and it's exterminatus because we didn't kill all the bloody T'au. Into this mix comes a young man in a big coat, throwing his authority around like a prize sausage."

 

The second vidscreen replays the entrance of the team into the upper house, and the private audience chamber. "You see anyone you know?" He doesn't wait, and speeds the footage on, until you can see Restal dancing.

 

Alone.

 

He pauses it again, and the picter should be showing both Helene and Kraevus, but only he is present. He spools it further to show the Praefector Secundus scarpering out after the Arbites arrest the team. "Where the hell they've gone, I have no idea. My agents are catching up to them. He married into the family by the way, took the name. Came from Tertius originally, by all accounts. Some kind of minor noble across there."

 

The third viewscreen shows the now oft-repeated footage of the action at the sanctum, and the press release with Old Man Delacroix.

 

"We've been over these with a fine toothcomb, because they're not ours. Haldane may have told you. Apart from Kreavus, it's all fabricated, voxel-composition one of our Coggers informs me. Good likeness of Helene, yes? You can imagine why she likes statues so much. The transmissions ceased broadcast ever since you set foot in the spire. I find that very interesting, don't you?"

 

Drake turns back on the proposition, lacing his fingers as he leans on the desk, before treating Reynard to an even look.

 

"Those are my reasons, Acolyte. I hope that you'll agree they were good ones."

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard shrugged.

 

"Possibly. Your order of those events is a little off. I didn't announce myself until well after they had already made me famous with that faked footage. Figured I might as well try to use it to our advantage, but it wasn't what I would have chosen. In any case, I agree you made reasonable choices based on the information you had. But so did we."

 

"Unfortunately, all of this business with traitors and impostors in the Spire seems to be tangential… maybe parallel at best… to the primary mission we have been given. You were the one who assigned Falk to gather us, Praefector. You must know who asked you to do that, but what do you know about why?"

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mirador:

 

Drake shrugs. "The order of events may be a little off, but I'm catching up with what we know and the requests presented to me by Mr Haldane. As to the nature of your investigation I know nothing. I was told by the Sector Tribune to make Officer Falke available, and provide him with information packets. No questions asked."

 

He smiles, thinly. To himself.

 

"We compartmentalise for the safety of our officers and the security of our information and correct prosecution of the law. I find the less we know, the smaller the pyres burn, Acolyte."

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Logical. But a Praefector of the Arbites was an incredibly useful resource. Not only could he provide them with all kinds of material support, but Drake might also have records, reports, privileged information that could lead to their quarry. Locke. Depending on how long he'd served on this planet, Absolom might know something useful himself.

 

Hell, if the incorruptible, utterly loyal Arbites were somehow compromised, the Acolytes were already screwed anyway. Reynard looked around the other Agents, one eyebrow raised.

 

"I think it will serve our mission better for him to know everything. Any objections?"

 

[A.T.]

Falk:

 

"Everything save knowledge of those to which duty was sworn, such an oath is inviolate even here".

 

How Verdicts cell had become compromised remained an open question.

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"A moment please, Praefector." Nicios drew his companions aside.

 

"Perhaps we can release a little information to the Praefector, while not informing him of everything." Nicios looked at both Falk and Reynard. "We are currently without any ability to inform our benefactors of what has occurred, unless Bardas finds something, and the Inquisitorial prerogatives we carry are less authoritative than that of a full Inquisitor. In short, we have little support, no instructions, and are facing powerful enemies."

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Nodding his thanks to his colleagues, Reynard turned back to Absolom.

 

"So, it goes like this…"

 

As quickly and concisely as possible, he described their recruitment, the task they had been set, and their misadventures up to this point. Some of it he might already have heard from Falk's report. He didn't describe anything specific about the Vault or its occupants, but he did explain that the Prioress had been one of their handlers, and that the attack against a shuttle in the spaceport had been targeting another.

 

"...and that's about it. We still need to find out who is responsible for razing Tertius and Secundus… preferably before Primus goes up too."

[Machine God]

Kerr Restal:

 

In the strategium Kerr Restal listened carefully and attentively, as he cleaned the dirt from his fingernails with the point of one of his knives.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Machine God
Typo

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mirador:

 

The Praefector absorbs what you say without interruption. Finally, his gaze travels back to the four of you, then to Reynard. "We have a lot in common. Many innocents have died as the result of something despicable. Many good officers, some of them friends."

 

His face turns to stone a moment, and a cold fury lights his eyes. His hand slams the desk in a blur, in the relative silence it's as loud as a pistol shot, but when he speaks, it is that chilly, reasonable voice from the Governor's throne room. "We will restore law and order to this place for the innocents within it. One way or another."

 

He stands, and walks to the observation window, tapping it three times, and the glass clears to look out on the panopticon. He clasps his hands in the small of his back. "The Secundus proper was involved in an accident. Kraevus was with the local constabulary, a fine officer, good record with recommendations from the Seniors in Tertius. Once we had him in, things went better. Recruitment went up in the other hives, genuine surveillance footage broke all kinds of illicit organised crime. He became indispensable."

 

"We had reservations, but could find no corroborating evidence to convict. Circumstantial. In the end he was happy to stay in the spire, and we could keep an eye on him. All seems a bit moot now, doesn't it?"

 

"We knew nothing of Dreyfuss - despite the usual D-Notices from the Inquisition, which we obeyed," he swivels to deliver the last, making sure you understand him. "We cleaned up the mess there. As per Falke's interrogative, we're scouring our picters for Mr Greyson even as we speak. He will answer - as will anyone who put him up to it."

 

Drake stops a moment to let out a long sigh.

 

"Now we have Greyson in our sights, we looked a little closer at the security footage from the Magrail Terminal. One of the perps was armed with an illegally modified hand-cannon. Amateurs, all of them. Assault, bit of larceny, but clean. No murder, no previous unspent convictions, no current warrants. Interrogation corroborated their stories. Just hired by some faceless goon in a drinking den to shoot at Fabian Canthus."

 

He bites his lip.

 

"Weapons were real enough. One had service in the Guard. We're certain it was a genuine attempt."

Edited February 16, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

"Everything keeps leading back to Canthus, doesn't it? I'm still not clear what side they're on, but there's no way they aren't involved somehow."

 

Reynard frowned, then shrugged apologetically towards Nicios and Restal.

 

"Sorry gentlemen, perhaps I was wrong to lead us up the Spire."

 

Then he looked back at Drake.

 

"I suppose, given the current civil unrest, an incursion in force into House Canthus' desmesne is out of the question?"
 

[A.T.]

Falk:

 

"Canthus are involved but it is unclear how", notes Falk, "if it was Greysons men at the warehouse then were a step behind us in this investigation suggesting no involvement in the initial events. And there is the question of their potential co-operation, or at least shared goals with Aldario given that the mercenaries were removed from the earlier pict feeds and there were few ways they could have learnt of the location of the warehouse without help from Kraevus and his interrogation of Lecriox".

 

Weighing motive, "Greed is a possible motivation, a play for power in light of damning information that may have emerged about Aldario after the original wearhouse break in, the recent arrests for illicit xenotech were mentioned. Kraevus, Canthus, and De Grassi all have their own stake in ruleship of the hive once the last of the sisters fall."

 

"But no clear link to the means, nor any apparent reason to go as far as destroying two hives. Whatever their involvement I do not think that they are ultimately our targets. Somewhere behind the smokescreen of their manoeuvering is Helenes coven and its ties to both the biologis and his missing test subject, as well as this tech-adept that appears to be shadowing us, and I question the fate of the father as well."

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mirador:

 

Drake returns to his seat, steepling his fingers as he reclines a fraction, brows furrowed as Falk lays out the intricacies.

 

"Officer Falke is right. There are many strings being pulled here, and not all in the same direction. Mr Reynard, we can indeed make entry under warrant into Canthus territory. We have identified Mr Greyson, and he will now be a Person Of Interest in our prosecutions."

 

"There was also the incident at the Spaceport. From what you say, your comrades went there. Could this man, Greyson, have followed and attacked? We were led to believe it was some kind of industrial accident."

 

He pulls a breath in through his nose, and exhales gently, thinking.

 

"You can visit the tech or forensics labs if you anything checking out. Our cogitators and the panopticon are at your disposal as well. Haldane, task a small React team. Get them down to that security intersection Canthus controls between the tiers, but on the quiet. Say it's a redeployment or something banal like that."

 

"Sir."

 

"We've got martial law in several sectors across the hive, but it's only containment for the most important areas, controlling population traffic. If you want to get to the Canthus holdings quickly, I can offer you an aircar. Otherwise, since you are nominally in charge, Acolyte, we await your direction."

 

The last is said with a tight smile that fails to meet Drake's eyes.

 

The Tech Labs:

 

At Bardas' careful and diligent ministrations, plus a little help from Yshing, the communicator array in the precints manages to patch into Valkyrie's vox relay.

 

+Vigilance responding. Hello? Valkyrie, are you there? Vox check.+

Edited February 17, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[A.T.]

Falk:

 

Falk nods, "there is one more matter. A man named Lecroix was captured and interrogated by Kraevus, two other officers were also connected in the public feed. Their identities and his fate may give us some idea of Kraevus' involvement in recent events and any connection to Canthus, particularly how they were able to circumvent the pict feed security here. Of course it would be ideal to interrogate Kraevus himself on the matter."

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mirador:

 

"As I said, the only real persons in the footage are Kraevus and his hostage. Of course we will try to locate the man Lecroix from pict-feeds and intellicams, but we are at capacity, however, and we are sparing resources to find Kraevus Aldario and the other suspects. Once in our custody - we will try to take him alive, of course - excruciation will scheduled."

 

He laces his fingers from their steepled position.

 

"One mustn't cheat the hangman, after all. If we have a sighting of any of them, we will contact you on the Arbites channel."

Edited February 17, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Hmm. So an armed escort was available? That would be an odd experience. Guarded by Arbites, but not their prisoner. In truth, Reynard's question had been a little facetious.

 

"I know I would prefer to go in heavy, backed up by as many Arbitrators as you can spare, Praefector. But I fear that if we did so, our quarry might see us coming and simply flee into the lower Hive? In the current chaos, would we find them again in time?"

 

Maybe they would be better to take the offered aircar? Slip in and narrow down Greyson and Fabian Canthus' location, then call in reinforcements? Not an easy decision. He also didn't like the fact that Drake seemed to be waiting for him to make it. Reynard knew he was a thief and a swindler, a chancer with few morals - certainly not a leader. He didn't want to be responsible for so many lives.

 

"Give us a moment to discuss this, please, Praefector?"

 

Reynard turned to whisper to his fellow Acolytes, at the same time activating his microbead.

 

"What do we think, gentlemen? Go in force, or try to sneak ourselves in and locate the target?"

 

+What about you, Bardas? How are things going down there, any luck?+

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Mirador:

 

Drake merely nods and turns to watch the picter screens, changing the images to live footage of the disturbances rocking the hive in the wake of such panic and destruction. Riots, looting and gangs fighting all spring into view, the Praefector's face granite-set as he watches violence he cannot currently quell.

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"I'd prefer a quiet approach, but with a large force waiting in back-up for when we inevitably run into problems."

 

Nicios looked at the Praefector and back to the others.

 

"I'm sure the Praefector can spare a small force to assist us- given the current situation I doubt it will be overwhelming enough to shut down all possible avenues of escape. So if we can go in quietly and either capture them or herd them towards the Arbites, I believe we will have the best chance of success. I am also worried about the role Helene and her coven may play. Of course, my natural inclinations are to go after them above all else but the overall mission will be better served by going after those whose whereabouts we are more certain of.

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Nicios made sense. Go in quiet, but have troops ready to come in after you. So, sneaking into Canthus' territory? Not easy. It would be well guarded, especially under the current circumstances. Not like the guards would just let them walk past...

 

Of course, if Stitches had still been around, they could have used the security pass he had been given. Reynard wondered what had happened to it. Probably taken by the enemy. However, if they had made it look like an accident, might that have limited their time to thoroughly check the shuttle?

 

"Praefector, can you provide us with any picter footage from the spaceport that might reveal exactly what happened to our colleagues? Did any of your teams process the scene? Collect any evidence from the wreckage?"