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Valas
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Severian - SA

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:03 am

« on: Jul 28, 2010, 9:27AM» Repost

It takes a little time to tell the tale of Team Vigilant's expedition into Space Hulk Damocles - fighting Orks and sabotaging life support, battling Dark Eldar, the strange psychic disturbances across the vessel and finding the Necron pyramid. Eventually, a part of the story is reached that no-one else knows, except the tech-priest.

"I was... able to interface with the alien... cogitator," he admits, seemingly choosing his words with care. "It seemed to appreciate my modifications - though it was dismissive of my remaining flesh - and appeared willing to help."

Severian pauses a moment, perhaps reviewing the event from his memorybanks - and is that a faint twitch, as one of his eye-lenses contracts a flicker? "It first spoke of the device present on the Space Hulk, and that it was willing to relinquish it to us by dropping the defenses around it. Second, it spoke of another piece of the device, showing me the image of a planet with two moons that it identified as 'Phyrr'. That planet, it claimed, was the resting-place of another piece of the device."

"It would not clearly answer how it knew these things, however, so I am unable to determine if the device belonged to them, or if they were responsible for taking it and scattering it, or if they have stolen it. An objective of keeping it safe seems at odds with the alien machine's open nature, however... though it attempted to motivate me with the warning, 'The Old Ones are coming'. I confess, I am unsure what this means."

"After that, we proceeded to the device, only to find the Dark Eldar - the 'Old Ones?' - and mercenaries belonging to Victus Magnus fighting over the device. He took it and escaped using sorcery - we do need to find a way to counter his power, if capturing him is to be considered feasible - leaving us to battle the Dark Eldar and awakening... 'Necrons'. We were extracted by Deathwatch Marines and put into the care of this Inquisitor Shalyne, who notably seemed disinclined to answer our requests for outside contact."

He pauses. "It is possible the tech-priest under her command was able to gain a copy of my short-term memory log without my knowledge," he admits. "I show no record that such a data transfer occurred, but that does not mean it did not occur." He pauses a moment. "You appear to be familiar with this woman, Inquisitor," he asks. "May we inquire as to her identity and background?"

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Acantha - VM

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:04 am

« on: Jul 28, 2010, 2:40PM» Repost

An expression of suppressed zealous anger existed throught Severian's account, and a hiss was audible as he described the discussion with the Necron mind. This only deepened as he voiced his suspicions with regard to the interrogation and the cold glint in her eyes surfaced again as Acantha spoke.

"I do not trust the motives of this Inquisitor Shalynne. She insisted I receive treatment, despite being merely scratched, and I believe it an excuse enter a drug into my bloodstream." She scowled givings something akin to a soft snarl. "I refused, and though I accepted what may or may not have been a medical check to assess exposure to xeno corruption I doubt the validity of that claim."

"I have no doubt that Garm, Brand and Zeevja were submitted to the same," her eyes turned to look at them in turn. "If they accepted the drug could they then also have compromised our mission?" Her eyes turned back to Sol-Dane.

"I would also like to know if this woman," she almost spat the words, "is of Ordo Xenos, as Severian suggested the presence of Deathwatch may indicate, and if so then why they have enough information to locate us and why are they suddenly so interested in our activities?"

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DM

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:07 am

« on: Jul 29, 2010, 12:53PM» Repost

The Inquisitor listens intently his expression unchanging throughout Severian's account of what had transpired during the team's mission aboard the space hulk. As Severian finishes with the question and Acantha interjects the Inquisitor reaches down to his side holster and withdraws a battle worn bolt pistol holding it in his hand. His fingers caress the fine detail of the filigree and inscriptions written upon the bolt pistol. The weapon is large in his hands conjuring images of violent explosive death. Still contemplating the boltpistol, the Inquisitor speaks in a soft voice forcing the team to lean in to hear him over the screaming engines of the shuttle.

"This bolt pistol was a gift... earned for courage against the enemies of mankind. It was given to me by a member of the Adeptus Astartes after a mission on the planet Archaos. I had been an Inquisitor for about fifteen years and was chasing down a recidivist who had infiltrated the Eccliesarchy and managed to corrupt all within that particular church..." he pauses remembering the details..." from the Bishop right down to the altar boys. It was a vile corruption, trading the worship of the Immortal Emperor for the seduction of a chaos god. A member of my team had infiltrated the cult and had been gathering information on the cult for several months until we had the knowledge of all the members and the key leader of the cult. Acting upon the knowledge garnered by her, I actioned a purging. My team and I assaulted the church and we fought our way down to the very bowels of the cult until we came upon the recidivist. Only we had arrived too late as he became possessed by a daemon and proceeded to slaughter my troopers and team. I fought the daemon.." his voice grows cold and hard " with every fiber of my being, but I was not fast enough and the daemon slipped past my guard and would have killed me if not for my Interrogator. She who had infiltrated the cult threw herself between me and the daemon taking the blow. As she distracted the daemon, I attacked the daemon with new fury driving it back and away from her. We fought for several more minutes... till I almost could no longer lift my chainsword. As I thought I was going to join the Immortal Emperor, a Grey Knight joined the battle and ended the perversity of the daemon."

The Inquisitor looks up at the team before speaking again.

"Afterwards, the Grey Knight gave me this bolt pistol and tended to my almost mortally wounded Interrogator. With intervention, she survived and later became the Inquisitor Shalyne. She left Ordo Herticus and joined Ordos Xenos. From what I hear, she has done quite well within that organization... though I also hear she is somewhat radical in her pursuit. Not enough to warrant declaration of Extremius."

"I can guess she was here to investigate the space hulk, but I too wonder if she is pursuing the same goal as I... but for different reasons. This complicates the situation more."

More sternly as he turns his full gaze upon Severian.

"Severian, you will submit yourself to Enginseer Ralos for full diagnostic scanning and evaluation to ensure that you have not been corrupted by the shared link with the xenos once we reach Merciless Justice. If found wanting, your systems will be deactivated and your mind will be wiped."

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Garm - Ayram

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:08 am

« on: Jul 30, 2010, 4:26PM» Repost

When Inquisitor Dane ordered Severian to the Engineseer, Kastian was mildly alarmed for his comrade, and it showed on his face. He made a silent prayer to the Emperor that Severian would prove he was still in control of himself.

Valas
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Severian - SA

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:09 am

« on: Jul 30, 2010, 5:24PM» Repost

The same eyelens-tic - a sudden twitch as the left lens dilated slightly, and then reset - was all the outward reaction Severian gave to the Inquisitor's ominous pronouncement. Inside, though...

***
+Warning: probability of death: execution+
+Warning: probability of taint+
+Begin self-diagnostic+
+Running....................+
+Self-diagnostic complete: likelihood of taint 0%+
+Analysisng self-diagnostic.........+
+Margin for error: 0.8%+
+Analysing analysis of self-diagnostic......+
+Margin for error of margin for error: Error: unquantifiable+
+Compute probability of alternatives+
+Computing............+
+Probability of influencing inspection without detection: 10.3% approx+
+Probability of being granted stay of execution in event of taint: 6.4%+
+Probability of escape in event of taint: 2.1% approx+
+Probability of overpowering Team Vigilant/Inquisitor Dane [pre-emptive]: 0.3% approx+
+No probable alternatives found+

***

Blessed is the mind too small for doubt. Alas, that mind is not mine. "As you instruct, Master," the techpriest replies, head bowed and voice muted.

Valas
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Acantha - VM

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:10 am

« on: Jul 30, 2010, 5:37PM» Repost

Acantha listened quietly and impassively throughout Sol-Dane's story. Even at the end she made no comment, nor did she by even the smallest change in facial expression or body language suggest that her opinion had moved in any direction as a result.

At the instructions given to Severian her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. However, if this were as a result of the potential for the techpriest to have been tainted, or at the result if proven to be, would have been impossible to tell even for any noting the response.

"Severian is the repository for a great deal of information." Acantha remarked neutrally. "It would be a .. set back to lose access to it in the event of a taint."

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Zeevja - Shandani

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:11 am

« on: Jul 30, 2010, 6:12PM» Repost

Zeevja had been quiet for most of the debriefing, though the Inquisitor's story appeared to pique her interests.

She looked up when Acantha spoke of Severian, and proceeded to nod in eager agreement.

"Such an event would be most unfortunate!" the psyker said. "I hope I did not place him at risk by catching him. Though, on reflection, I suppose allowing him to fall to his death would not necessarily have been preferable. We shall see."

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DM

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:12 am

« on: Aug 3, 2010, 12:31PM» Repost

Arriving aboard the vessel Merciless Justice, the Inquisitor gave them a quick tour of the ship and then sent Severian to see Enginseer Ralos. Ralos performed an intensive scan upon Severian and sent the results to Inquisitor Dane.

Inquisitor Dane called the team to the briefing room to consider their next mission - recovery of the part that was located on the death world Phyrr. Severian's results were clear of taint the Inquisitor informed the team and planning of the mission gained everyone's full attention. As the team debated, the Inquisitor left to pursue other business. Once gone, the ship began it's journey to Phyrr.

The team went down to the detention cell and convinced the prisoner with some effort to following them to the medical ward of the ship for interrogation. Now the team attempts to garner information from the mercenary.

Valas
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Acantha - VM

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:13 am

« on: Aug 6, 2010, 10:58AM» Repost

With the prisoner secured Acantha moved the the medical cabinet and selected a cutting medical tool. Walking back towards the medical table she adjusted the setting finely and tested it lightly against her fore finger. Blood oozed from the hairline cut and she popped it into her mouth, sucking away the blood then.

Tilting her head to one side she looked the prisoner up and down while licking her lips carefully. She smiled slowly and spoke. "Whenever you are ready?"

Valas
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Severian - SA

Post by Valas » Thu Apr 19, 2012 3:16 am

« on: Aug 6, 2010, 12:18PM» Repost

Not every member of the group of Acolytes was helping with the interrogation. Severian especially, feeling that his talents were wasted in face-to-face communication with an unwilling heretic. No, there was other work that he could be doing, things just as important. A review of the last few missions the group had been involved in had highlighted some worrying inadequacies in both his personal performance and that of the unit as a whole - but as the creed of the Machine God said, there was nothing the Machine could not overcome.

It was time to put that truth into practice.

His mechadendrites were adequate for research and manipulation of machinery, but it was becoming rapidly clear that his bionics were ill-suited to life on the front-line. The last thing he wanted was to end up falling down lift shafts or being unable to clamber over pits again, as he had been on the Damocles.

And so, he turned to the machine-shop on board the ship, readying blueprints and brandishing tools, looking to the truth that the way of the Tech-Priest was the true road to self-improvement. Omnissiah, give me strength!

***

+Upgraded mechadendrite harness - installed+
+Connectors installed - mind impulse transmission active+
+Hydraulic servomotors installed and functional+
+Grip and tensile strength increased 17%+

***

Injury was becoming a problem. Though his blessed implants were resistant to damage - to a point - gunfire and the stress of repeated falling impacts was beginning to tell on his remaining biological components. Self-repair was becoming ever-more difficult in airless conditions, or after hazards such as prometheum explosions. But there were ways, he thought, glancing over designs.

And injury to his own self wasn't the only problem. No constancy in flesh, only decay. Without the others, the statistical probability of him being able to complete the Inquisitor's missions was significantly lower. Finding ways to help preserve them was critical, now that it was clear they might be facing small armies - the Dark Eldar, the Shoras Cartel... and who knows who else. The fate of many might be decided by the simple old truism of last man standing.

One of those last men would be standing on blessed bionic legs, if he had anything to say on the matter.

***

+Autosanguination system online+
+Context-sensitive repair/self-medication algorythms functional+
+Clotting factor increased 22% - Blood toxicity levels within parameters+
+Torso chassis closed+
---
+Medical Mechadendrite assembly installed+
+Connectors installed - mind impulse transmission active+
+Injector rig - functional and at capacity+
+Biologis file 0117-G [Human Anatomy and Trauma] downloaded+

***

Being the last man standing was much easier if you could put the other man down, of course. Analyzing his accuracy ratios over the course of the last few months was depressing - forced to expend vast, wasteful amounts of ammunition to score hits was not using the Machine-God's blessings of powerful weaponry to the fullest. Something had to be done.

That wasn't all, either, for not every enemy fought with a gun. The ease at which his memory banks had been accessed by the alien machine had been a humbling, uncomfortable experience - and it might not be the last, especially not if such invasion had opened a security hole in his mental defenses. Being mind-sifted by psykers, aliens, or worse, other members of the Inquisition, was an unpleasant thought. His mind was his own; the instrument through which he understood the majesty of the Machine. And lo, the Machine would guard it.

***

+Cranial implants placed and connected - testing...+
+Tac-logis algorithms functional+
+Trajectory analysis/prediction algorithms functional+
+Liturgical circuit functional - emergency mental-invasion response safeguards coded and ready+
+Cranial casing closed+

***

Of course, so many modifications needed power. His own power systems were measurable as adequate, but adequate was not always satisfactory, especially in a life punctuated by sudden and desperate demands on his system resources. An upgrade was called for - but as the great Paracelus Thule was thought to have said, every modification is an opportunity...

***

+Potentia capacitors installed+
+Power transmission network replaced with high-conductivity variant+
+Electoo inductor reverser circuit installed, testing...+
+Energy discharge system ready+

***

The Tech-Priest smiled a thin, tight smile under his mask. Taking his first step after the work, testing new limbs, seeing new subroutines flicker behind his eyes and feeling new strength crackle through his frame, was an experience that could be only described as a refreshing reminder of why the Machine both received and deserved his devotion.

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