M40.560 - 127 Standard

  Since Galloxix, Lucien and his crew have spent the past week on-board an Imperial trade vessel travelling throughout the sector. Since coming aboard they have found themselves confined to quarters with very little in the way of answers given to their ever mounting list of questions. All they have managed to gather from the few sparse meetings with other people on-board (normally only to drop off the days ration packs), is that they are heading towards the planet Gledd, a large hive world in the Rubicon System.

  A few days into the voyage the ship drops out of the warp and moves into anchor around the planet (a troubling affair for Lucien, unaccustomed to warp travel as he is). Hours later a squad of troopers, all armed in black carapace armour complete with full-face helmets and sporting auto-guns, hustle the party from their quarters to a waiting jet-black gun-cutter in the ship's hangar. During the descent through the Gleddian stratosphere, the crew notice the thick smog that engulfs the entire planet - like a layer of dark cloud that spans as far as the eye can see, the only distinguishing features the hulking spires of the Upper Hive piercing through the smokey veil towards the stars.


  After what seems like an hour after first passing the highest point of the hive, descending into the ever thickening smog, the pilot turns the cutter sharply into a thin slit-like opening in the side of the vast structure. Travelling through a series of metallic tunnels for some minutes, ever turning and winding upwards, the cutter exits into a vast open space littered with similar craft in various states of loading and unloading. The cutter swiftly falls in line over an empty pad and proceeds to begin landing procedures. The craft touches down with a deep THUD as the ship's landing gear makes contact with the metal decking of the hangar. The men escorting you have been silent and stoic the entire journey, with few words spoken other than pilots brief vox chatter with what you assume must be aerial command. Once the ship touches down the men begin to move with purpose, disembarking from the ship with little heed of Lucien or his strange companions, though they do give you a wide berth when exiting the vessel.

  One of the black-clad men turns to address you just before disembarking, as if seemingly just remembering your existence. He grunts at you in a deep commanding voice, with a thick accent that is unfamiliar to any of your party:

"Your kit and gear is in those storage containers." he spits, gesturing to two dingy trunks in the corner. "Along with your instructions. I want you off my ship in 10 minutes flat, no exceptions." With that he turns away and heads down the ramp, leaving you alone in the ship, save for the two pilots, and the two guards who's eyes haven't left you since you boarded.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:33, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

"Charming fellow isn't he, ey Goran?"

I joke as I flash a smile to him, doing my best to not show my nerves. Truth be told I was a little excited. The Inquisition had destroyed my life's work in a matter of days. I was furious as well of-course - but to become a part of something that powerful, if I played my cards right this could just be another stepping stone to even more power.

"Well my friends we may as well get started, especially before that kek comes back. As you know I'm not one for being left in the dark and throne knows we need some information quick."

I raise my voice to be heard over the bustle outside.

"Goran you're on kit bags, check what we've been given by our gracious overlords. I'd like to know how prepared we are for a fight.  I'll check this briefing that solider mentioned, see what I can discern from it."

Goran nods his head slightly as he walks towards the storage containers. I'd known Goran for years and even after all we'd been through I don't know if you would call us friends. We'd go through hell and back to save each other but I still didn't know too much about the man. He had always been the strong silent type.

"Zena. I think you should... ZENA!" I yell until she raises her head from her dataslate.

A curious woman, very skilled but I knew I had to be careful with her. She had no loyalty to me. Why would she? She had merely been caught up in this shit storm, her quiet life gone forever, sworn to the holy Ordos like me and Goran.

"Zena, go see if you can find a cogitator or whatever it is you need, find out anything you can about where we are. Hell I don't even know what the name of this hive is or where we are in it. And don't stray too far."

I grab the dataslate and begin reading. I stroll off the ship happy to have my feet on solid ground again. I look up from time to time to see Goran moving our supplies out and examining there contents, mumbling something I cant quite make out. I spot Zena at one point out the corner of my eye but she vanishes from sight just as soon as I see her.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:38, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

  The hangar is very large, easily able to accommodate 20 or so vehicles of similar size to the gun-cutter you arrived on. There are 7 other vehicles in the bay at present, most of which are either unloading or loading some form of cargo. All the vehicles seem to be more akin to trade vessels rather than being for military purposes, though you notice they all carry weapon systems of some sort. A small number of cargo-servitors patrol the hangar, aiding the various crafts in their loading/unloading efforts. The walls and floor are all constructed of a dark grey metal, with few distinguishing features bar the differing patterns of rust you can see that coat most surfaces, and the thin lines where the various plates had been welded together untold eons ago. Loose wiring and cables flow across the walls like veins, with cogitator terminals dotted along the walls and near the landing pads.

  A small shrine to the emperor sits in an alcove against the far wall, sparingly decorated with a number of small statues of patron saints of the imperial creed, though its impossible for you to tell which ones from such a difference. Everything seems to be in a state of disrepair and the air has a distinct metallic tang to it, not so unlike that of Galloxix, though different - more rusty.

  The black-clad soldiers appear to be slightly more at ease now they're off the ship. You observe them unloading crates from the cutters cargo holds onto the pad, though of their contents you couldn't say. They pay you no mind however, as though you are not there. You notice the sergeant staring at you as you disembark the craft, though he pays you little mind once you're off the cutter.

The dataslate contains but one file, titled Orders. Upon opening the file the following appears on screen:


{{ See the lore thread for the general info Zena can obtain from the nearest terminal. Current location - Hangar D14-F Administratum District Hive Jannus }}
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:44, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

I pocket the dataslate and begin putting on my gear, holstering my las-pistol then giving my chain-sword a few quick revs to ensure its working properly. As I'm tying my Chain sword to my waist I notice Goran grinning at me.

"Once more into the fray 'ey kid." He says as he smiles and hands me a lit lho stick while lighting another. He always called me "kid" when we were on a job. I inhale my lho as I notice Zena approaching.

"Keep an eye on her will you?" I reply, "She won't be no trouble Lucien, shes a tech adept, fighting 'int their specialty." Goran remarks as he spits onto the ground.

"First, I don't need her to be good in a fight, that's not what we hired her for back on Galloxix. And second have you not looked at her kit? That's a combat shotgun!" I snap as I point at her pile of belongings. Goran glances at where I'm pointing and and shrugs. "Nothin' we ain't dealt with before. Me and you always pull through, I mean we survived an attack by the Inquisition for thrones sake." He grins and offers his hand.

"We always do my friend." I reply as I clasp his hand and smile. "But it's not just us two anymore. I have a feeling we're gonna need her before we're done 'ere."

"It's nice to see you two kekkers having a good time!" Zena snorts as she approaches. She hands me her dataslate as she begins to gather up her things. "I suppose you want a brief of what I managed to learn, Sir?" Putting a lot of emphasis on the last word.

"Please Zena. I understand you're not too pleased about this situation and you have my apologies - we ain't exactly thrilled by all this either. But if it wasn't for me you'd have been executed by the Ordos, so lets make the best of this. Hell if we work together we might actually survive this." I chuckle. "So please give me a report."

She sighs slightly "Planet Gledd, Hive Jannus, Administratum District, Hangar D14-F is our current location. Once a prosperous mining world, but those days are gone now. Its just a crumbling wreck. Main tithe is soldiers for the Imperial Guard. Not much else to tell really. I'll send everything to both your data slates if you want. I assume you CAN read?" she gestures at Goran.

"Calm down children." I say as Goran clenches his fists. "Orders are to head on over to Unit 316A, in Hab Block C, Officio Housing Government District. Zena if you could get us there please. Also link your micro beads to channel 113.007."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:50, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

  You make your way through the hangar towards the checkpoint at the end of the vast landing zone. Stopped briefly by the guards stationed at the hangar exit, a quick scan of your Ident-Chip and they allow you to pass. Upon stepping through into the hive proper, you are instantly assailed by the noise of the teeming crowds you see all hurriedly pushing past each other to get to their appointments. The faceless masses cover the tight-knit streets you find yourself in, surrounded on all sides by towering hab structures and Administratum facilities. Vox speakers and pict screens litter the streets, displaying messages of the Imperial Creed and Guard recruitment propaganda.

  Making your way through the crowded narrow streets, you manage to find your way relatively quickly through the Administratum District, thanks to Zena's direction, though you do have to push and shove your way past more than one member of the crowds. While walking towards the edge of the Administratum District you again cannot help but notice the state of the hive's structures. Rust and grime cover most of the walls along the streets and the air is thick and pungent.

  Eventually you come to another checkpoint at the crossing into the Government District, you can see a large queue of people waiting their turn to enter. You grudging take your place and wait as the line moves forward at a painfully slow pace. After twenty grueling minutes you find yourself in-front of four guards and a servitor with a number of optical and scanning implements grafted into his body chassis in a seemingly random fashion. The guards appear bored, as if simply going through the motions. As you approach the guard orders you to halt - the servitor trudges forward a few steps until it comes to a stop just in-front of you.

  "IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED - FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DETAINMENT BY LOCAL ARBITE FORCES" the machine blurts out in a low robotic drone, devoid of any and all emotion. You hold out the Ident-Chip and the servitor lunges forward, pointing one of the scanning devices embedded into his right shoulder at the circular device. "IDENTIFICATION ACCEPTED - YOU MAY PASS - ALL PRAISE TO THE EMPEROR" It cackles as it steps back, allowing you to pass.

  After coming through the check-point you find yourself in the Government District, though from the sight of it you wouldn't be able to tell you weren't still in Administratum District. Pushing through the sea of people flowing along the causeway, Zena guides you through the bustling mob down the maze like streets until she stops suddenly, proclaiming this to be the place. The building looks like all the others you've passed on your way here, a towering structure of maybe forty floors, constructed of the same dark grey-turned rusted metal. Nevertheless, Zena insists this is the correct location.

  You enter the hab structure, its tight corridors lit by fading pale lumien strips in the edges of the ceiling, and proceed to an elevator at the end of the passageway. The lift is a tight fit for the three of you as it shakily rises upwards towards the thirty-first floor, you can hear the grinding of the elevator's servos as it strains to pull itself upwards. Upon reaching its destination it screeches to a halt, despite only moving at a pitiful speed, opening up into another similar corridor. It appears deserted, the lighting-strips providing only the faintest glimmer of light. The only sound that of your party's breathing once the elevator finally comes to a complete stop.

  You advance down the hallway until you arrive at Unit 6A. A thick black-plated door stands before you, identical to all the others in the hallway. As your eyes begin to adjust to the failing light you notice the gritty layer of dust that coats everything in the corridor, seemingly undisturbed along the floor other than the short path you have just walked. You see a small terminal-pad by the side of the door with a keypad displayed on its surface. It appears to require a code to open.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:00, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

"Really." I sigh as the terminal asks for a password. "Zena, if you wouldn't mind?" Gesturing to the door. She begins unpacking items from her satchel, everything she'd need: prayer candles, a combi-tool, scented oils. Knowing how long this could take I search for my lho sticks.

"'Ere" I hear as I see Goran holding one out for me. "Good man." I remark as I take it and light it. We lean against the wall smoking and I hear Zena speaking in binary.

"10!" Goran blurts out, referring to a bet we'd make whenever we hired Zena's services - how long it would take her. "8" I reply as we both place two gelt on the floor.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:03, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

  After fiddling with the terminal for close to ten minutes, Zena looks up as the keypad chimes. The door slides open with a subtle hiss. You are greeted by a short narrow hallway - only one metre across and perhaps 2 metres long. At the other end of the hallway you see another closed door, though no locking mechanism or terminal appears evident. The hallway itself is bare. You notice that the dust layer, while present here, is also disturbed. The lumien strips that light this internal corridor however are in noticeably better condition than those you have seen so far in your journey through the hab structure.

  You can hear a faint humming noise from the other side of the door, along with the occasional whizz or clack though you cannot discern their source.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:44, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

"Luck" I remark as Goran pockets the gelt trying to hide a smile. He always beat me and he knew it annoyed me greatly. I look through the door and can tell somethings off. Just as I'm about to point out some recently disturbed dust on the floor, Goran's hand covers my mouth. He stares firmly into my eyes and taps the safety rune on his las-gun, checking his las-pack.

I ready my las-pistol and usher for Zena to move. She steps aside and grabs her shotgun -fumbling for the safety as me and Goran take cover on each side. I point to the door and motion for Goran to stay here. I approach the door on the other side as quietly as I can and open the door, aiming my pistol as I do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:45, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

  You move silently along the hallway to the opposite door. Bracing against its side, you gently push open the door. As you nudge the large metal frame you notice that despite its great thickness, it glides open with ease. Immediately upon prying open the doorway but a smidge you hear the humming sound dramatically increase in volume, as though the door had been suppressing the sound. The room beyond is coated in darkness. Beyond the inner frame of the doorway (the inside of which you can see a manual lock-bar to seal it from the inside) you can see little - barely able to make out the silhouette of a humanoid stood maybe 5 meters away from you. It seems impassive, remaining purposefully still, though you can sense it staring at you. You also detect faint spots of movement above the figure, though you cannot make out its source in the darkness.

  "Who are you? To enter this sacred place without authority is forbidden." The figure speaks from the shadows, his voice calm and confident - though also stern and cold. You hear a few more faint clicking noises from the shadows above.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:47, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

"I do have authority!" I state firmly. "If you'll allow me to reach for my credentials. " I say as I reach for the Ident-Chip.

I begin walking calmly towards the figure, hoping to close the distance for my chainsword.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:47, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

  "Halt!" growls the stranger, his voice firm. "Present your identification to the servo-skull."

  As he spits out the last word, you hear the whirring noise yet again as a small augmented skulls glides towards you. It scans your Ident-Chip briefly before floating off once again upwards into the shadows.

  "I thought as much." says the figure. You notice his tone relax slightly, though his commanding presence is still evident. "Though you can never be too careful on a backwater rock like this one. Come in and shut the door, we have much to discuss".

  The figure makes a motion with his hand and the room begins to adjust to normal light levels, allowing you to make sense of your surroundings. The room is quite large and spotlessly clean when compared to rest of the building. It appears to be a sort of lounge-turned-study area with a number of cogitator terminals stacked in one corner and various pieces of comfortable looking furniture dotted around the room. There are two other doors in room on either side of the stranger, though both are closed. Four servo-skulls hover near the ceiling, all focused on you. You can see the las-weaponry grafted into the right eye sockets of each of the floating heads.

  Standing below them is an old man dressed in white medicae robes, slightly stained in places, with a red leather coat draped across his shoulders. A fairly tall man, around six feet, he is stood with a slight hunch, his hands grasping a data-slate of some kind. His face is aged and wrinkled, with more than a few scars dotted across his visage. His bald head gleams in the light, a long disfiguring scar stretched across the right side of his scalp, ending just above this casing of his augmetic right eye. He possesses no visible weapon on his person.

  "Much to discuss..." he says again, almost to himself. "Greetings acolytes, I am Interrogator-Medicae Sand, servant of the Holy Ordos Hereticus".
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:50, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

  Upon entering the room and sealing the door behind the last of your party, Sand hobbles forward and begins to examine the three of you. His gaze shifts constantly from your party to his data-slate and he appears to be taking notes of some sort.

  "My Lord sends his apologies. It had been his intention to initiate you into Ordos service himself on Solix. Alas, an issue came to our attention while you were in transit and you were diverted here, to aid me in this task." His demeanor softens as he begins to lead you through one of the interior doors into another room. This room is smaller, filled by four gurneys - all empty at present save for one containing a humanoid figure concealed beneath a white cloth.

  "This is Saul Arbest." He says, pulling back the cloth to reveal the pale male corpse that lies beneath. The corpse has been cleaned of blood and many lensions and cuts are clearly noticeable all across his body. Sand continues: "Male, 23 standard years of age, unskilled labourer certified, hive worker. Formerly of the Tantalus Indenture, registered habitation: Chamber 6/23 - Stack 19 Coscarla Division - Mastraven Zone Hive Jannus. He was found dead on a midhive transit rail-car threes days prior as it returned to the main depot. Preliminary examination suggested narcotics overdose, though the post-mortem revealed a most disturbing anomaly."

  He tampers with his dataslate, as if sifting through data. "The cause of death was in fact found to be total systemic failure brought on by tissue rejection of an implanted synthetic graft organ. The organ destroyed his central nervous system while attempting to overcome his body's immune response. In short this..." he taps away on the dataslate and one of the servo-skulls glides across the room. It attaches itself to a small glass jar and floats over to you. Inside you can see a strange white worm-like creature with a number of tendrils sprouting out of its body. Maybe ten centimeters in the length, you observe the creature making small spasm like movements from within the specimen container.

  "..crushed the life out of him from the inside. What is it and its purpose? Difficult to say for certain, but preliminary study indicates control - neural and synaptic override of the the host, perhaps worse. There were other grafts and surgery performed upon poor Saul here before his death: a lung replaced with a concealed storage cavity, possibly for use as a courier. Also, one optic nerve removed and skin flayed around his stomach. His system is awash with alchemic traces, clotting agents, immunity drugs and the like. The surgery was expert, though from the lesions and tissue stresses, it seems little care was given to whether or not it was painless. Indeed, from the damage to his vocal cords it appears he screamed and wailed as long as he was able too."

  "It is the creature that concerns us however. Oh, you don't need to know the specific gene-lore or details of this particular filth, merely that it represents a very real threat. This is a forbidden and heretical practice, merely tampering with the likes of this is enough to warrant a death sentence from the Holy Ordos, the Arbites or the Mechanicus. How this ended up in some anonymous habprole from the rough end of the stacks is what interests us. The man has no prior criminal records, he was rendered invalid by indenture - laid off if you will, some sixty-five days ago and was reported missing thirty-two days ago by his sister - one Lileth Arbest, a resident of the same habstack, Chamber 5/13."

  "These grafts are no more than eight to ten days old, and we have little else to go on. This is to be a shadow investigation, with no open official involvement and no notification of the local authorities, as my Lord desires. I have gone to great pains to keep his discovery a secret, and no one knows of our involvement here or indeed that we have his corpse. Coscarla is down hive, so a covert approach will draw far less attention than a boot through the door, and be far less likely to scare away anyway potential leads to our heretic. Find out when and where if you can, better yet find out how. Any additional samples you can obtain for study will be greatly appreciated, though the destruction of any you cannot remains paramount." Upon finishing his briefing he drapes the cloth once more over the frail corpse and looks back up at you.

  "I have prepared briefing notes and background information on the Coscarla Division that may prove useful in your investigation." He hands you three code-locked dataslates. "The access code is 5-X-1-Y-7, and the slate will automatically wipe itself upon input of an incorrect password. They also contain details for contacting me via vox-link should you require further information or have details to report while in the field. In the other room there is clothing available to you to aid with blending in with the down-hive populace, and I have taken the liberty of constructing believable false-backgrounds for the three of you, should you desire them. You may rest and prepare yourselves here for tonight, I will try to aid you in any way I can. Tomorrow you must set off for the Coscarla Division in search of answers. In the name of our most hallowed Emperor, I wish you luck and success in your task."
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:57, Mon 08 Oct 2018.

We'd spent the rest of the night planning our next move. I say "we", but Zena mostly occupied herself studying the dataslates we'd be given, briefly commenting aloud. And Goran, well he had never been much of a planner unless it was combat oriented.

"So this Arbest fella's been experimented on, grunt laborer - no one would miss him. Most likely why he was targeted" I stated. I preferred thinking aloud, I found it easier to bounce ideas off someone, even if they didn't have much of an imagination.

"So we locate the sister first and try gather what we can. Tell her we're looking into this on behalf of Tantalus or some other kek. Goran I may need your assistance if she doesn't cooperate but I'd rather do this clean". Goran nods, this won't be the first time hes had to do something "unpleasant". "Zena we need a way there, and see if you can find out what you can about these 'Skulen-ar'" "Skaelen'Har Hegemony" Zena Corrected me unemotionally.

"Yes yes them, I wanna know how bad relations are and if The Combine is remotely operational at this point"

{{Going to his sister's place. And I want Zena to find out bout these Skaelen'Har Hegemony, it like a trade war, or more backroom shady politics/tradding shit}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:40, Thu 10 May 2018.

  The following morning you depart, having been given directions by Sand. Upon your departure, he hands you a pouch of Gelt. "For 'expenses'" he claimed. He also provided a small black satchel containing a number of surgical instruments and test tubes, as well as a small auspex device he informed you is capable of detecting bio-matter matching that of the organism - up to a range of 3 meters.

  After a brief journey through the Government District, you come to one of the many rail-transit stations scattered throughout the hive. After a brief wait and a few scans of your Ident-Chip, you cram onto a large metal transport, little more than a shipping container. The transport creaks and grinds as it trundles along between transit stations. Many hours pass, with frequent stoppages every 10-15 minutes, with passengers either boarding or exiting the transit car at each stop. Though you notice that container is getting less and less crowded the further down you go. As your journey progress downwards you notice the decay and disrepair of the station increase. You pass collapsed finery and fallen architectural splendors of the "good old days" as well as many crumbling hab structures. The lighting begins to flicker and fade as you descend towards the final stretch of your journey.

  Shortly before you arrive at your stop you realize you are the sole occupants of the transit car, the others having all deserted long before now. The rattling container shifts and lurches as it pulls into another vast and dilapidated hab-vault. It begins to slow with a hard screech. As it pulls to a stop you observe you surroundings and are greeted by a vista of vacant and decayed buildings, many in a worse state than any you have seen up until now, stretching beyond sight upwards into the dark gloom above. The rail car shudders to a stop and the doors open onto a wide, raised platform devoid of any passengers save one, a huddled figure dressed in rags. The figure quickly bundles themselves on board, flashing a pass to the door mechanism and moves to sit in the corner furthest away from you. A moment later a dull crackling tone comes from the loud-hailer in the car: "Coscarla Southern Railhead. Passengers to Coscarla disembark. This conveyance with depart in..." The rest is lost in a howl of static.

  As you step out of the car onto the platform you realize it truly is deserted, no passengers or staff of any kind occupy the transit-station. From here you can see a number of hab-blocks, all identical save for the markings of decay that inhabit them. The filth is unbearable, the air far more tangy and metallic than that of the Government district. You can also see a security building just down the street from the transit-station, though it too looks to be in a sorry state. You observe a sparse number of people travelling throughout the streets, most of them in rags, all keep to themselves.

{{This is Coscarla, I realize you know basically nowt about it but thats kinda the point. What you do from here is basically up to you.}}
This message was last updated by the GM at 21:02, Thu 10 May 2018.

"Charming place, you sure know how to treat a girl don't you Lucien?" Zena remarks as we disembark. I scan my surroundings trying to take it all in.

"I honestly didn't know we could go somewhere worse than Galloxix. There." I point to a building thats seen better days. "Looks like some kind of security force, arbites possibly. Goran eyes peeled here ey' don't want one of these beggars looking for a quick buck, Zena I want you by my side at all times. Ill take care of you mamzel Kroppen." Flashing a smile as I kneel down and offer my hand like a nobleman asking for a dance.

Her optical mechadentrite focuses on me as she stares at me with a quizzical expression. She brushes me off but I swear to the Golden Throne i see her lips curl into the slightest smile as she walks past me.

"You always did have an odd taste in women" Goran snarks as he pulls me to my feet. "c'mon lets get on with it ye'h?"

{{ walking to security building innit. IF i can ill just walk in and try speak to some1 in chargeish}}
This message was lightly edited by the player at 14:02, Sun 13 May 2018.

  You wander down the street towards the building, a squat rockcrete pillbox some three stories tall. The building is haggard and crumbling, like much of the surrounding construction. As you approach you notice that the street opens up into a large open space just off to the side of your destination. From the blackened street markers you can barely make out the words 'Southern Square'. The square is vast and empty, save for a large statue in the centre. Whether it depicts the Emperor or some other Imperial figure is hard to say as the head is missing, its neck a jagged stump of splintered rock. A market area is set in the far corner from your current location, although most of the stalls seem to be closed and/or vacant at present. Few figures inhabit the square at present, shuffling through to the appointed destinations.

  As you continue towards the pillbox-like structure, you can see two men standing outside its entrance. The men are clad in full carapace armour and wielding autoguns slung around their shoulders, though they appear to be in an amicable mood - smoking lho sticks and chatting casually amongst themselves. As they see you approach, you notice their moods stiffen. They stub out their lho sticks and step forward, clutching their weapons but not raising them.

  "What business have you got at the enforcer station eh, citizen?" One of the men spits, his face completely obscured by his helmet bar his mouth. His head begins to lift and sag slightly, as if looking over your party. "You don't look like most o' the common rabble round 'ere, an' you're not gakked-up looking enough to be one o' them narc'ers. So I'll ask again stranger, whats your business here?"

{{Sorry for the delay. FYI current time in the hab is like 8AM. Also give me awareness tests from the party please.}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:31, Tue 15 May 2018.

"Morning lads, I need to talk to your C.O, involving a missing persons case. I'm afraid I can't disclose much more without higher clearance" I respond calmly. I've learnt that most people wont question you much if you act confident enough. "I'd appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 12:52, Tue 15 May 2018.

  The man's mouth forms a twisted scowl. "Nah, stations on lockdown. No one gets in without prior approval." He spits. "You're wasting your time anyway. Got enough missing persons cases round 'ere for a lifetime. No wonder with the state of things and these rabble." He gestures towards the square.

  "On yer way now." He snarls.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:24, Tue 15 May 2018.

"Whys the station on lock down, is there a problem?" I respond. "Like you said we're not part of the common rabble, and can be very resourceful. I'm on the clock and my employer wants progress. Maybe we could work out some kind of deal."

  The man shrugs, clearly growing impatient. "Stations been on lockdown for a while, we pulled back out the streets months ago when the gang-violence got heavy. Now we mostly stick to the square n' send out the odd patrol from time to time. Just not enough Enforcers to keep the peace. Who's yer employer then? And who'er ye looking for?" The man ushers off-hand, seeming apathetic. The other man leans back onto the near wall, lighting another lho-stick and paying you little attention.
This message was last updated by the GM at 04:24, Fri 18 May 2018.

"Adeptus Administratum business, don't know the full details meself, but those frail scribes wouldn't survive 10 minutes down here. Looking for Lileth Arbest, know where I might find her?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 10:12, Wed 23 May 2018.

  "No idea" The man scoffs. "Most of our citizenry records are gone, lost or burned in the riots. If shes from 'ere shes probably living in one of the habstacks due east." He points in the direction of the square. "If shes alive at any rate." He adds after a brief pause.

  Zena notices the man leaning against the wall begin to take interest in the conversation again at the mention of Lileth. Though he is subtle, she observes him speaking in near silence into his microbead.
This message was last updated by the GM at 10:30, Wed 23 May 2018.

"Eh I don't get paid enough for this gig, cheers lads take it easy yeh?" I say behind me as we take our leave. After a few moments Zena taps my hand gently. "I'm assuming I'm the only one who noticed that guard speaking into his micro bead at the mention of Lilith Arbest?" Zena asks me quietly. Goran and I both perk up at this. "You sure?" Goran responds as he looks back toward the enforcers. Zena nods slightly.

"Well this has just made things interesting ain't it" I muse. "Hmmm. Alright we're on foriegn ground 'ere so we play it safe. Goran find somewhere discreet and keep an eye on that enforcer lets see if he does anything. Zena we're gonna go find our girl and pick up the pace we're on the clock now." Goran nods as he wanders off. As soon as we cant be seen by the enforcers I turn to Zena "I hope you're fit" I laugh as I begin jogging away.

{{I feel its all pretty straight forward. Goran is mostly gonna watch that enforcer. If he starts speaking he'll try get in ear shot if possible innit}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:49, Tue 05 June 2018.

  You make your way east through the square, past the market stalls - you can see a few more of the populace starting to gather here as the morning cycle begins to kick in. On the other side of the square you exit into one of the connecting streets. By following whats left of the roadway signs you begin to make your way towards Hab-Stack 19. The streets are littered with rubble and the walls show signs of battle, bullet holes and scorch marks coating their surfaces. The few members of the local populace you pass give you a wide berth. As you traverse the city streets towards your destination you pass a large but short building in an opening. Only four floors high, the building is towered over by the surrounding architecture. Its walls are covered in graffiti and shell marks, considerably more-so than the other buildings you have seen. It looks like a bar or cartina perhaps, similar to those on Gallowix, with a large battered sign hanging above its doors. All you can make out from the heavily vandalised sign are the the words "Tantalus Workers Un-" as the rest of the sign is blackened by soot.

  Continuing down one the main thoroughfares you eventually reach Hab-Stack 19 some twenty-thirty minutes after setting off the enforcers station. Hab-Stack 19 is a boxy, grey twenty-story block decorated with arched window surrounds and stacked with tiers of carved emblems. While it too is it a sorry state, it seems no worse than any other in the area. Its main entrance doors have been broken open and much of the the inside foyer has been vandalised or scavenged. The elevator doors are wedged open, displaying a black void beyond. You notice no people in the foyer/entrance area. The only way up the building appears to be a stairwell decorated by vandalised murals depicting happy workers and stylised representations of noble houses.


  Crouching in some rubble across the street. Goran observes the enforcer station as ordered while Lucien and Zena are gone. The two guards you had spoke too remain at their posts, smoking lho sticks and idly chatting. After twenty minutes or so Goran observes two more similarly dressed guards exit the station, exchanging a few brief words with their comrades, before heading off towards the square.

{{Been like half hour since you guys split the party. Tryna describe the city through text as best I can but is hard. Gunna try draw a simple diagram to make things easier but if you want more info or anything just lemme know. You know Lileth and Sauls rooms are both in this HabStack - Lileth Floor 5 Room 23 (Chamber 5/23) - Saul Floor 6 Room 13 (Chamber 5/13) }}
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:49, Tue 05 June 2018.

"Kid" I hear Gorans voice through my bead as we begin to make our way up the hab, I signal Zena to stop. "Got eyes on two more enforcers talking with our boys, they're making their way to the square. Permission to change targets?"

"Confirm" I reply "Keep me updated. Looks like we may have some company". Zena shrugs at me. I thumb the safety rune on my las pistol and put it back in my holster.

"Lileths on floor 5 - I'll go get her, you go to Saul's. I'll meet you there. After I get our gal.


{{I want Zena to search his hab while I go talk to Lileth, if Goran sees enforcers are making their way to this hab he'll radio in}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:50, Tue 05 June 2018.

  You and Zena make a beeline for the stair-way, reaching upwards into the gloomy darkness. The lighting strips in the stairway are dimly lit, constantly flickering on and off. As you ascend the stairs you see no other people, and can hear little in the way of sound. You part ways on the fifth floor to head toward's Lileth's hab as Zena continues upwards to the sixth. As you walk down the corridor towards Lileth's apartment you can hear faint noises coming from the other habs, though the sounds are quiet and skittish.

  Some thirty meters down the corridor, after a sharp right turn, you arrive outside apartment 23. It appears to no different than any of the other doors you have passed on your way here, a dark metal slab pressed into a slight recess in the wall with a locking mechanism on the right-hand side. You can see the number '23' imprinted on the doorway, though it is heavily faded.


  Zena continues up a floor before also turning down into the corridors. Setting off down the hallway (identical to that Lucien just walked through) until she comes to apartment 13. The door is slightly ajar, and the lock is obviously broken - forced open by the looks of it. Though there doesn't seem to be any other damage to the surrounding area. The room beyond is cast in darkness, and the corridor is deathly silent.


  Goran follows the two enforcers as they enter the square, keeping a safe distance between himself and his targets. They begin to patrol the edge of the square, heading towards the marketplace in the opposite corner. The marketplace is slightly more lively now, with a small crowd bustling through setting up shop in the various stalls. As the guards patrol through the marketplace, Goran notices the wide berth the local dregs give to the enforcers, as if fearful. The guards continue to patrol the square before setting off down the street Zena and Lucien took - the one towards the cantina like building.

{{Hey, still working on drawing up a map of the city, messsage if its at all confusing where people are in relation to each other}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:50, Tue 05 June 2018.

"Kid" Goran's voices chimes through my bead. "These guys are heading straight for you, contact in about 10 I'd guess. Plan?"

"KEK! So much for low profile. Stay with them. We'll take em on the stairs if we have to, multiple angles. Zena, progress?"

"Doors been forced open, can't tell how recent" Zena's voice barely a whisper. Maybe sending her by herself wasn't the best idea. "Beginning sweep"

Here goes nothing I think to myself as I knock on the hab door. "Mamzel Arbest? Are you in there. Open up please, Administratium business."

{{Goran still doing his thing. Zenas gonna do a sweep of hab make sure shes alone and then search around, shes using her optical mechadendrite so she can see in the dark}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:16, Sun 10 June 2018.

  Zena slowly pushes the door open, scanning the room with her optical mechadendrite. The room is an eight metre by eight metre metal box with a single door to another small room, presumably a water closet, and a single arched window in the wall opposite the door. The room is deserted however, and with no hostile presence that Zena can detect, she turns on the light-switch. The room is furnished poorly, with a single-person bed pushed into one corner, and a kitchen area crammed into the other. The room is a mess. Food stuffs are strewn around the kitchen and the bedding is unmade and hanging across the floor. The single chair in the room has been knocked over. Someone was clearly here, and looking for something.


  Lucien hears a faint movement from behind the door. A few moments later he can hear the unlocking of what sounds like numerous deadbolt locks. The door opens a few inches, a connecting chain can be seen preventing the full opening of the door. A short brown haired woman, who appears to be in her early twenties stares at you through the crack in the doorway. "Hello?" She says in a soft, timid voice. "Whats all this about?". You can see her eyes scanning the corridor behind you, and she seems jumpy.


  Goran continues after the two guards as they progress down the street. Upon reaching the next junction however, they turn and enter the cantina building, disappearing inside.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:45, Sun 10 June 2018.

"My name is Lucien, I've been contracted on behalf of the Administratum. There's an anomaly regarding your brother" I pretend to examine my dataslate "Saul was it? I'm sure its nothing. If you could just answer some questions, it wont take long." I gesture to the door.

{{Gorans gonna go in cantina still following the guys, I want Zena to do Scan room with optical mechDen  (has infared) and seach hab to see if she can find anything. Im gonna need you to tell me what rolls to make}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:30, Thu 14 June 2018.

  "Oh, alright" She says timidly. She closes the door for a moment and you can hear the unhooking of the chain. She pulls back open the door and gestures you inside, shutting the door quickly behind her and reattaching the door chain. The hab is identical to the one Zena is searching, aside from a few picts and the like decorating the hab. You notice a small worn pistol on the side table near the door, just to the right of Lileth as she thoroughly locks and bolts her door. You also observe two packed bags lying on the small bed in the corner.

  After finishing with the door, she turns and gestures to the single chair the occupies the apartment. In the light of the hab you can get a proper look at the woman. She has a kind face, though she looks tired and worn out. She is dressed in simple brown robes that cling to her figure. You notice her attire, while certainly not that of the wealthy, is nicer than what you've seen on most of the locals. She shuffles towards the kitchen-corner of the hab. "So whats this about Saul?" She asks almost casually, though you notice her glance keep shifting to the gun on the side table. "Would you care for some caffeine?"


  Zena searches through the apartment, whats left of it at least. As she goes through the apartment it is apparent that someone has been here. The draws are empty and marked with almost knife like scratches covering the bottoms of each. She notices the same marks on the walls near the door frame. The room has been ransacked anything of value, if there was even anything of value here to begin with.


  Goran trudges over to the cantina entrance, noticing the bullet-holes that pepper the front of the building, and slips into the entry-way. The interior is more bullet-ridden and marked by scores of violence than the outside. The place main room Goran comes into appears to be a bar, with a number of patrons grouped around tables. From a quick glance you can tell that this isn't a safe place, the patrons all appear to be either gangers or the like. You don't see the two guards in here, although there are stairs towards the back of the room, though there are four gangers sat around them. Most of the patrons in the bar stop talking upon Goran's entrance and the focus shifts entirely to him, though they quickly go back to their business after a few moments when he doesn't start shooting up the place.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 12:04, Thu 14 June 2018.

Dirt, blood and  people ready to shoot at a moments notice. Just my kind of place. I notice a couple people glancing my way as I walk towards the bar, sizing me up probably. Nothing new in this line of work, I've had to deal with all kinds of crazy keks while looking after the kid.

I nod at the Bar man and he starts pouring some brown liquid into a glass. "I'm looking for work" I say as I hand over a generous amount of gelt, "I bet you hear enough to point a guy like me in a few directions?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:34, Wed 04 July 2018.

"Most curious" I remark. Ransacked? Possible though unlikely. No, this seems more focused. My optical mecadendrite whizzes around taking in far more detail than my normal eyes can. Scratches on the drawers, checking for fake bottoms perhaps? Some kind of creature? Need more information.

I sigh. This isn't what I had in mind when became a tech-adept.

I name the recording of the scene save it to my memory. "Carus? Theres not much for us here, I'm going to start making my way back down to you."

{{Mechden can film. I basically video the hab so I can try reference the scratch marks if i see anymore later heading down to sauls hab}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:34, Wed 04 July 2018.

"No thank you mamzel, please don't trouble yourself with my comfort" I smile as I pull a lho stick from my pocket and light it, with her permission. "I'll level with you, we found his body. It seems Saul was involved in some pretty bad stuff. I'll spare you the details, but I need you to tell me everything you know about him if you want me to prove your not involved in this.

Shes anxious, good. People are alot easier to persuade if they're panicking. I notice her eyes keep darting to a pistol nearby. I nod in its direction "There's no need for that, I'm not here to hurt you" I state calmly. "In fact I may be the only thing between you and a painful death right now, and seeing as you're planning on packing up and running. Well I think you're aware of it too.

I lean forward and stub my lho stick out. "We may not have much time, help me and thus help yourself. Tell me anything you know about his disappearance, death and involvement with the wrong people. And I can help you disappear and stop this from going further.

{{Trying to charm her to tell me anything she knows about when Sauls disappeared.}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:04, Wed 04 July 2018.

  The barman looks you up and down, his eyes narrowing. "You're not from round 'ere thats for sure." he says, swiftly pocketing the gelt Goran placed on the bar. "No work in Coscarla, hasn't been for some years now. You'd be best off going back where you came from if its work your after." While most of the other patrons have gone back to their business, you notice a large burly man at the other end of the bar, his eyes fixed on you as you converse with the barman. "So what brings you to Coscarla stranger? Don't get many foreigners here, not unless they have specific business."


  "Dead....?" Lileth stutters, her face turning ghostly white. "I suspected, but I didn't want to believe it." She composes herself slightly. "Oh Saul, why? I didn't know he'd disappeared till days after the fact. I'd had a contract to work further uphive and was too wornout to care. To be honest, Saul had been drinking a lot, drowning his sorrows and sleeping it off during the day. By the time I realised he'd vanished he'd been gone for days. I looked everywhere, even went to the Workers' Union, though it makes my skin crawl." She shudders. "Everyone just stared blankly back at me and I knew, I knew! Something terrible had happened."

  She stand in silence for a few moments, as if deep in thought before continuing. "I was frightened to report him missing at first, but I saw Warden Locan on his own in the Square. He looked... I don't know... lost. I told him Saul was gone. He seemed angry at first, then he just went quiet and looked like he was going to break down in tears right there. He made me swear by the God Emperor and Saint Drusus not to mention this again, especially not to the other enforcers. It was strange but I believe he was even more frightened than I was. I had no idea he'd actually reported it."

  She glances at her belongings, packed away into a bag on the end of the bed. "I'd made up my mind to leave already, this just compounds my decision; There are more vanishings every night, I don't know how many and somebody will say anything! I stayed here last night, one last night, hoping he'd come home. Foolish I know, but hes my brother. I'll leave at once, before nightfall..." She leaves the sentence hanging in the air.

((Zena is on her way down to Lucien and Lileth, she wont encounter anyone on the way, can show up whenever.}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:53, Thu 12 July 2018.

"Eh, was hired as protection for some merchant. Kek left earlier than planned and didn't think to tell us lower class. Try'na make some coin to get off this rock. No offence."
I down my drink and gag slightly, got too used to drinking the good stuff.

"Back to square one" I mutter to myself. "That guy" I nod slightly, "Been staring at me for a bit. Should I be ready for a knife in me back or is that the kind of guy I'm looking for?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:56, Thu 12 July 2018.

I watch her face closely as she speaks, can never know for sure who's in on a plan. But I've seen that look too many times in my life. Genuine grief, the kind where somebody's been knocked down by life just one too many times. Either she knows nothing, or shes a kekking good actor.

"I believe you" I tell her as offer her some amasec from my hip flask. As she takes it I stand and open the hab door. I  see Zena waiting in the hall and motion her in. ""Lileth, this is Zena, shes with me. Zena tugs at my arm and shows me her dataslate. "Only anomaly I found." Its a picture of what looks like some kind of claw marks. I take it and turn to Lileth.

"Lileth theres a couple things you've said that i need you to elaborate on. How long have these vanishings been happening exactly, are the enforcers taking people in the night?" I flip the dataslate so she can see it. "Or is something darker going on here?"

{{I think its all pretty self explanatory. numbers of ppl going missing, rumors floating around about it. and if shes seen these scratches before}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:22, Thu 12 July 2018.

  The barman's gaze drifts across to the man Goran pointed out. He grins briefly. "Rough place this, as I'm sure you noticed. Helps to have Yerik near the bar in case things get a little heated." He turns back to you, smirking. "Probably best to avoid him, hes not very talkative. As I was saying-" He cuts off, glancing towards the back. You notice the two enforcers from before come down the stair-way, silent and stoic. The rabble of conversion amongst the patrons dies for a moment as the enforcers appear. They march past the guards at the stair bottom without a word and make towards the exit.

  "As I was saying, little work here in Coscarla, even the not-so-honest kind. I'd get out if you can, try further uphive. Even the upper-classes have use for hired muscle." He pours another shot into a grimy tumbler and slides it over towards you, before turning away to serve a man further down the bar.


  Lileth takes the amasec and downs it in one, her hands still trembling slightly. "I don't know how long, theres been tales of people vanishing in the night for as long as I can remember. Never paid them much heed myself, until now. I don't know who it is either, though I'd be surprised if it was the enforcers, they tend to stick to the square these days. They've pretty much abandoned the district, leaving it easy prey for the narco-gangs." She walks over towards the window, gazing out of it to the street below.

  "I saw those marks at Saul's. Someone broke into his hab a few nights ago, ransacked the place. Its what prompted my departure, Coscarla doesn't feel safe anymore. I have a feeling it hasn't been for some time. No one wants to talk about the disappearances, least not directly, as those who do tend to vanish themselves. I'm sorry I have no real information for you Lucien, I hope you catch whoever's behind Saul's death. I really must leave now, while theres still time." She begins to gather up her belongings in a hasty manner.

{{Lileth's gunna gather her things unless stopped and then make to leave town.}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:00, Fri 19 Oct 2018.

I take my flask back and hand her a small pouch of gelt. "It's not much, but its all I have on me at the moment. Should help you get away from 'ere." I motion Zena to the door "Lets go find this Warden Logan."

"Locan" Zena says as she shakes her head slightly.

"Thats our man, what would I do without you my Zena?"

I hesitate at the door "I cant bring Saul back Lileth, but I'll find the kekks responsible. May the Emperor watch over you."

As we descend down the hab block I hear Goran on my microbead. "Enforcers went into some back room of a cantina, dunno what went down but they look like they've gazed into the warp. I keep on 'em?" "Aye, got another potential lead I'll keep you posted. Out" I reply.

{{Goran following enforcers again, I wanna find this Locan, I'm gonna go back to the enforcer station, would there be anyway I could find any records of him?? Like is remote hacking a thing is this?}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Sun 22 July 2018.

  Hastily exiting the cantina, Goran spots the two enforcers, walking back seemingly towards the enforcer station. Again you notice how the locals keep their distance as the enforcers patrol the area. They take the same route back towards the square, through the market, back towards the station. A little after midday, you notice the streets are now more active, with many squalid figures jostling towards the congregation of the market.

{{Enforcers gunna march back to the station and go inside, theres still two guards posted outside. Everythings pretty similar to how it was a couple of hours ago, although the square is more lively}}
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 17:18, Sun 22 July 2018.

"I have an idea, throne knows you're not gonna like it though" I say to Zena. "Goran send me the location of this cantina and make your way there, stay outside though."

After a brief walk we arrive outside. "Fancy" Zena remarks as we walk inside and make our way straight to the bar without stopping. A bold move in a place like this, but it can portray what Goran liked to call a real 'dont kekk with me' vibe.

As I reach the bar I hold two fingers up and throw some gelt on the bar as I wait to be served. As the barman collects his payment I lean in, "Alot'a people missing round these parts ey, strange times. Whats your reckoning? You must hear all kinds of things" I down my drink and light a lho stick.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:35, Sun 29 July 2018.

  The bar falls silent upon mention of the disappearances. The barman gives you an uneasy look and Zena notices a large man at the end of the bar start fumbling with something under the counter. The barman composes himself quickly, staring harshly at you. "Dunno nothing bout no disappearances round here. Business as usual at the Union." He grunts. You notice that the general rabble of bar has completely died down, the patrons all fixed on your conversation with the barman.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:47, Sun 29 July 2018.

I chuckle "I see, so you're calling me a liar then. Busy place like this, you've heard something, stories, rumors and the like. Whats wrong? Scared? Or hiding something."

Zenas eyes start darting across the room, I did tell her she wouldn't like it, I can also hear Goran hissing at me through my bead. Calling me a mad kekk.

"Point me in a direction and I'll leave. If not, then I'll have another one" as I down Zena's drink.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 22:03, Sun 29 July 2018.

  The barman stares at you coldy, though you notice the fear in his eyes. He slowly pours another shot into a glass, then slides it forward. His other hand reaches below the bar. With a quick glance to the man at the far end of the bar he answers, his tone quieter this time "The only disappearances I know of round 'ere are of them people asking too many questions where they shouldn't". He seems unnerved, though not of you. "Drink your drink, and cease the questions if you know whats good for you".

{{The rest of the patrons are still watching your exchange, though so chatter has returned to the bar. Both men at the bar seem ready to pounce, but restrained. While the gang-looking guards by the stairs are watching with keen interest, neither seems aggressive.}}
This message was last updated by the GM at 22:12, Sun 29 July 2018.

I smile and straighten up. "Dont worry 'bout me, there's not a thing in the universe that can kill Lucien Carus!" Adding more emphasis on the name.

I stub my lho out as I exit the bar. I make it about 10 steps out the door before Goran shoves me against a wall. "What the kekk do you think you're playing at!" He snarls at me. The outburst takes Zena by surprise, I guess she always assumed Goran answered to me fully.

"Goran" I keep my voice calm but firm. "I understand your confused. But know your place. You remember what happened last time we went down this road." He takes a moment to compose himself and release me. He subconsciously touches the scar on his neck, a memento I had given him in our last and only fight.

Zena and Goran both look at me expectantly. "Look, we're blind, and you saw how everyone inside reacted. No ones gonna talk to us. So we make them come to us."

"And kill us" Zena snaps. "You know who we're working for right? If you haven't accepted that our lifespan has dropped significantly then you're not a bright as you let on."

They seem a little more composed. I clasp Gorans shoulder "I need you with me, both of you. We took Galloix for thrones sake, I'm not gonna let us die on Gledd. To the end?" They both nod. "Now! lets find Warden Locan."

{{Figured I'd write a bit as its been awhile. I basically wanna go ask if I can speak to warden Locan}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:54, Mon 20 Aug 2018.

  Your party makes it way back through the streets towards the enforcer station. The market square is now bustling with down-trodden dregs, gathering around stalls containing all manner of things. A curious glance over the stalls identifies most of the objects to be junk or scrap, likely stolen or looted - though many of the dregs are haggling boisterously over the wares. The people give you a fair berth as you pass through the market square, though they pay you little mind. You don't notice any of the enforcers in the square or the streets during your trek back towards the station.

  Upon arriving at the enforcer station, it appears little has changed. There are still two gruff-looking enforcers stood outside the building's entrance. They notice you approach and step towards you. When you inquire about Warden Locan the guards just shrug at you.

  "Locan? That old bastard's probably still sleeping off last night. Rarely see him around 'ere these days anyways - useless gak." One of the enforcers spits.

{{So longggg time tings. Sorry its been so long, had to re-go over all my notes n shit to get back in the swing of things. If you wanna go back to regular posting now I'm good. Its about 4PMish local time IC.}}

"Look boys I wanna get off this rock ASAP so... whats it gonna take for you to tell me where he is?". I say as I rub my fingers together." "Im sure a couple overworked and under appreciated fellas like you could with a nice bonus? Maybe get somethin' nice for the missus."

"Or absolutely sloshed with the lads?" Goran adds. I Light a lho stick and offer them one each as I await there reply.

{{sooo basically I wanna bribe em but I'm wondering if I can use charm to try get them to agree to it }}
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:07, Fri 28 Sept 2018.

  The enforcers seem to relax slightly, taking the lho sticks off you in turn.After inhaling a deep puff, the man who spoke before looks up at you before continuing.

  "Not sure to tell you the truth, he doesn't keep much a schedule. Normally wanders through town, though he spends a lotta time drinkin' down the Union. He stops by every now and then but I can't tell you when we'll see him next. Man's a drunkard and a fool." He quips.

"Nothings ever simple is it? Emperor protects" I throw a gelt as I leave.

"Why did you pay them?" Zena queries. "They didn't tell you much."

"People really aren't your thing are they?" I muse, "They'll spread word that some off-worlders are paying for information. Helps loosen tongues and its cost us a pittance. I pass each of them a small pouch.
"Only location we've got for him is this square, Lileth said thats where she saw him too. So we'll each have a wonder round for him, eavesdrop, bribe - kekking stab someone if you have to but keep it low key alright. Stay nearby and keep your bead on."

"Codes?" Goran asks.

"Crow for positive ID, and for danger close... how bout Saul?"

"Works for me."

{{kk i know theres a thing for this shit but dunno wat it investigation or some shit}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:06, Fri 28 Sept 2018.

  You split up and disperse amongst the dregs in the marketplace, intent on obtaining any snippets of information regarding Locan. Most of the populace recoil from Goran, reacting to him as they do towards the enforcers. He has little luck obtaining any valuable information, but spots a number of gang members throughout the market during the stakeout.

  Zena's queries are met with blank stares and harsh questions. The locals either cannot comprehend her questions or are apathetic towards her. She receives many odd looks as she traverses the market-place, attempting to be "personable".

  Lucien slips in amongst the local populace with guile and subtlety. Despite his odd appearance he manages to make small talk with a number of people around the market stalls. They seem to know little regarding Locan's current location, though many back up the story given to you by the enforcers - he is often seem roaming around the square drunk, or drinking in the Union, though he warns to watch yourself in a "place like that". One man, a local trader selling a number of trinkets and small-caliber weapons, mentions that Locan often sleeps in the Templum, the local house of worship east of the square - though he doubts he would be there now.

  Whilst among the locals your party gets the sense that the populace is deary and defeated. Morale seems low and the people are fearful of unknown dangers, the market a shadow of its once former glory. A little over two hours later your party reconvenes near the large statue in the centre of the square. The lighting is beginning to dim and the air has a chilling bite to it. The market bustle starts to die down and the crowds begin to disperse into the street-ways. One of the men Lucien had talked to earlier gives him a passing word:

  "Best find somewhere to get your head down during black-out hours, its not safe round 'ere." He splutters as he hobbles off.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:54, Fri 28 Sept 2018.

"E'ery ones afraid of the dark it seems" Goran chuckles to himself.

"I don't like this, we should get off the street like everyone else." Zena urges.

"I think our best bet is to stalk the place out if I'm honest." I tell them. "See that balcony? I want you up there Goran. Should give you a good vantage point. And you Zena" I motion her to follow me. "I noticed this as I was asking around" as we arrive at what appears to be a pile of rubble, however there as small gap inside big enough for someone to hide in. "No one should notice you in here, you'll be safe."

"And you?" Goran asks "where will you be?"

"Why. I get the best job of all I'll be wandering around this square waiting for whatever's out there to show up." They both stare at me like I've lost the plot, to be expected I suppose.

Goran begins to say something then stops as Zena chimes in first. "You know odds are you're probably going die horribly right?"

Goran simply nods at her assessment.

"Well. I appreciate the vote of confidence but this is the play we're gonna make. The barman said those who ask questions go missing so I'm the most likely target out of us." I state as calmly as I can manage. "Keep eyes on me at all times okay. I'll haunt you kekks if you let me die. Now hurry up, it'll be dark soon"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:03, Mon 01 Oct 2018.

  Quickly and efficiently, the party sets to work. Zena manages to squeeze herself into a space in the rubble, deftly concealing herself - only the tip of her optical mechadendrite showing. Goran moves through the desolate and deserted buildings, clambering up a ruined stairway until he reaches a crumbling arched-balcony a couple stories up, giving him a good vantage point of the surrounding market area.

  You notice the lights begin the dim, and the streets swiftly empty. Within an hour the streets are black and deathly silent. The only visible light coming from the odd makeshift garbage fires - of which you noticed a number of the dregs lighting upon heading back indoors, a sort of makeshift street lighting system, as well as some dim lighting coming from the Templum to the east. Despite this, visibility is poor. Due to the silence of the city you are able to make out the distinct sound of the air recyclers, their low humming and spurting continuously in the background.

  For the first few hours, your party notices little - though you hear the occasional scuttering noises of movement fairly often, you either cannot detect the source of the noise, or it is simply one of the dregs moving quickly through the street-ways. No one pays any attention to Lucien, other than the odd look one the passing dregs gives him before quickly shuffling away.

  {{Around 10:30PM Local Time}}

  Eventually, Zena detects movement in amongst the marketplace. Two humanoid figures are coming towards Lucien, their movement strange and hunched slightly, almost predatory. The figures have gone unnoticed by the the other two party members and are now almost upon Lucien - a mere 25 metres out and slowly closing. Due to the darkness and general clutter of the market area, Zena cannot make out any distinguishing features of the individuals.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:41, Sun 30 Sept 2018.

"Contact inbound - twenty out" I hear Zena whisper through my bead.

I pull out my lho and start walking towards the closest fire, I knew Goran would be tracking me and any extra light would give him a better shot. I close my eyes trying to hear footsteps, never seems darker than Galloix.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:30, Thu 04 Oct 2018.

  Lucien begins to move as fast as he can without running towards the nearest light-source, a make shift fire some 15 metres away. As he hurries through the shrouded and decrepit marketplace he closes his eyes to focus on the shuffling sounds coming from his pursuers - the darkness makes his vision useless anyway. As he moves Goran attempts to track him from his high position, though again the blackness makes it difficult as all he can make out is shadowy shapes in the dark. Goran steadies himself, breathes in and prepares to fire - his focus entirely on the moving masses below him, if a shot presents itself, he'll be ready to take it.

  From her concealed position, Zena observes Lucien moving away from her. As he does so, the shadowy figures twist and turn, following his path of movement. Their pace quickens, unnaturally so. A moment later the first of the figures is almost upon him. Zena tries to spit out a warning, but the speed of the assailants catches her off-guard. At the last moment the figure leaps through the air towards Lucien. He barely manages to throw himself to the ground a split second before the creature lunges through the space his body occupied but a moment ago, a sweeping blow from the figure's hand barely missing his head.

  The creature manages to correct itself, and lands deftly in-front of Lucien - though from the speed of the event he doesn't get a good look at the figure. Goran catches a quick glimpse of the creature as it remains in the dim light for a brief moment - a humanoid figure dressed in loose fitting and tattered rags, he can't make out much more detail from this distance - but he doesn't need to. His gaze fixed on the figure, he breathes out. His finger gently squeezing the trigger.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:26, Fri 05 Oct 2018.

{{CONDENSED COMBAT POST}}

  The creature's head evaporates into a red hazy mist. Goran looks up from his scope and grins. "Like old times." he mutters to himself. He quickly re-aligns his position and scans the market below, his visibility poor but able to make out the area in the immediate vicinity of Lucien. A moment later another of the robed figures leaps from the black towards his back. Goran fires another quick shot from his perch, catching the assailant mid-air - knocking it off course.

  "Contacts moving in - do I have to shoot all these keks myself?" Goran spits into his micro-bead.

  In response, Zena, the only party member able to see in the dark thanks to to the aid of her optical mechadendrite, opens fire on yet another of the creatures running towards Lucien. Her shot finds it mark, though barely, as the creature's twisted scuttling movement along the ground makes it difficult to hit. The shot clips the creatures leg and causes it to stumble slightly. Though it carries on towards Lucien, paying little mind to Zena in her concealed position.

  Lucien manages to keep his nerve despite the ensuing chaos around him - hell, hes been in worse situations. He throws himself towards the foe that just missed him in a sideways roll, deftly bringing up his chain-sword as he does so. The blade makes a harsh crunching noise as it scores a deep blow across the prone creature's torso - blood gushes over Lucien and the surrounding area. He chances a quick glance up to see if he can locate any more of the assailants.

  Just as he does so another crashes into him from behind, Goran's shot just narrowingly missing as it lunges from the darkness of the marketplace. Connecting hard and knocking him to the ground, the creature punches him in the back. As the hit collides he feels a sharp stinging sensation, as if stabbed with a number of needles. His blood feels like it's boiling and he falls to the floor. The one he sliced with his blade claws at him, attempting to inject him with the strange needle device Lucien can see grafted into its fists - however he manages to desperately keep it at bay as the two grapple on the floor.

  Zena scrambles out of her concealed position and lets loose a shot at the creature behind Lucien even as it rights itself to take another swing. Her shot connects with its shoulder, offsetting it somewhat - a moment later another searing round from Goran's las-lock sears the creatures skull, the right half of its head smolders and melts as it falls to the ground. However the foe still grappling with Lucien manages to find an opening - his reactions slowed from the unknown substance spreading through his body. The creature knocks his weapon aside and manages to slam its fist into the side of Lucien's neck - his world goes black.

  Goran hears a shuffling sound from just behind him. Unable to see anything in his immediate vicinity due to the piercing dark, he dived sideways on instinct. It saved him, not a moment later another of the creatures slammed into the side of the balcony where he had just been. Knowing the odds weren't in his favour he did the only thing he could think of. He tossed his las-lock over the side of the balcony and jumped over the side, throwing his grapnel hook into the rubble as he did so. The hook failed to connect to anything solid and fell the two stories to the street below, hard. He gets up and prepares to defend himself. Though he is virtually blind, he feels his trusty las-lock with his foot nearby.

  Zena lets loose shot after shot at the creature near Lucien as it grabs him with one arm and begins to skulk off deeper into the market. Unable to score a hit, she ignites the light on her mechadendrite to illuminate the area. She fires another shot at the creature just before she loses sight of it. The Emperor guides her bullet and it sits the squat creature in the back, felling it. As she turns to survey the scene she notices the creature on the balcony scuttle down and run towards the corpses of the two others near the fire. She quickly alerts Goran over the micro-bead.

  "One contact remaining - think they're pulling out. The boss is secure." She states very matter of factly.

  Goran picks up his sniper and takes a knee, his visibility of the area much better now. He takes aim at the foe who had forced him off the balcony and lets off another shot, scoring a glancing blow as it crashes into the makeshift fire near the corpses. The barrel crashes over, its contents spilling out onto the nearby stalls and the fallen bodies.

  "Kek" He murmurs.

  He takes aim again as the final assailant flees into the market. Following it in his scope as it goes, he waits for his opening and fires. The shot burns a hole clean through the creature's chest, cauterizing the wound as it exits. The creature falls into one of the now empty market stalls, knocking it over with a sharp crash. Zena runs towards the two corpses near the fire, though one is already burning by the time she gets there. She manages to pull the other away from the flames before they can take hold.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:23, Thu 04 Oct 2018.

  Goran rushes over to Lucien. He quickly checks his neck for a pulse, then hauls him over his shoulder. "We need to get off the streets fast. There may be more of these bastards, n' either way that fires gonna attract attention." He says as he turns to see Zena, still holding the corpse she'd dragged away from the flames. He could see her surveying the surroundings, panning her optical mechadendrite across the marketplace.

  "To the east, that chapel." She states dryly. "Not much, but its a defensible position we can lay low in while we check out the boss and examine this.... thing."
She re-positions the corpse and begins to drag it towards the templum with Goran falling in behind, as the fires burn in distance behind them. A few minutes of shifting through the darkness and they arrive at the entrance to the templum. The large, wooden door hangs slightly ajar, with faint flickering light coming from within. Goran and Zena lumber through, each carrying a body - and promptly close the door.

  Immediately Goran begins to scan the room even as Zena drops to one knee to examine Lucien. The chapel is small and worn, its better year clearly behind in. Among the walls near the entrance you spot a large number of small carved stones, each with a name engraved upon them. There must be a few hundred, each stacked meticulously onto of the other in an affectionate matter. The rest of the room is largely occupied by pews, with a small alter at the opposite end. Candles adjourn the walls and cast a low-light across the room. Two doors lie in the wall behind the altar, on either side of t He he room. Near the centre of the room is an old bald man dressed in dark-brown robes, his face caked with stubble. He is unarmed. Staring at Goran and Zena, plus the two prone figures with them - his mouth hangs agape. He attempts to regain his composure but calls out in a meek voice.

  "Who are you? What do you want?" He splutters, barely able to hide his fear.

  Zena's quick examination of Lucien tells her what she had already suspected. He'd be injected with some of toxic agent - though as to which she was able to say. She finds the thin puncture wounds along his back, noticing their precision. The cuts are tiny, barely noticeable. "They will leave little in the way of scars if he survives atleast." - She thinks to herself.

{{Goran notices a slight shuffling of movement behind one of the pews near the man. Lucien still passed out.}}
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:53, Wed 10 Oct 2018.

  "Sorry Father, but we needed to get out the dark." I gasp - ain't had a close call like that since Galloix got burnt.

  "We cou.." I stop suddenly. There - movement behind one of the pews. I notice Zena's mechadendrite turn to me as I falter, her eyes never leaving the kid. I signal her to hold and draw my Las on the robed man with a speed that can come only from a life time of practice.

  "Stay where you are!" I yell as I take aim at the pew. "You behind the bench, show yourself or Emperor help me I'll unload the kekking clip. I'm not taking any chances after what we've been through."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:11, Wed 10 Oct 2018.

  The robed man recoils and brings his hands up to shield himself as you draw your weapon, cowering against the edges of the pew. A moment later another voice cries out.

  "Wait, wait, don't shoot!" A younger man peeks his head over the top of the pew to look at you. "I don't want any trouble! Just a man tryin' ta show his faith." The man explains.

  He raises up to a standing position and you can get a good look at him. The man is young, early twenties you'd guess. He has short-cut brown hair and wears a weary and tired expression upon his face. His clothes, that of the local hab-workers, are covered in dirt and grime. You can see he has a small pistol clipped to his belt, though he makes no attempt to draw it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:54, Thu 11 Oct 2018.

I lower my aim slowly. "Sorry." I mumble. I crouch beside Zena and get my first look at Lucien in the light. "He looks.... fine?" I ask puzzled.

"Multiple punctures in the lower back, approximately one point two milometers in diameter." Zena states in a soft voice, almost as if reading a book. "Won't be able to tell what it is exactly that they injected him with until I can do some proper tests."

Zena raises her head for the first time since entering the temple and takes a look at her surroundings, before directing her attention to the robed man. "Do you have somewhere I can examine him?" She asks, either ignoring the fearful tension in the room or completely oblivious to it.

"Aight lets get 'em further in." I order as I sling my las over my shoulder. "Then you two are gonna tell me anything you know about these abominations." I yell as I kick the corpse beside me.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:45, Fri 12 Oct 2018.

  Goran moves quickly down the rows of pews towards the doors in the back. He passes the two men without much notice, though he does throw them the occasional glance to ensure neither try anything stupid. Upon reaching the first door, Goran swings it open and peers round the inside - a small storage closet, filled to the brim with all sorts of foodstuffs and containers greet him. The robed man protests at the invasion of his privacy, but a fierce look from Goran promptly shuts down his complaints. The other door opens up into a small hab-like bedroom/living area - presumably the robed man's living space. The room stinks of cheap alcohol.

  Wasting no time, Goran returns to help Zena carry Lucien into the small room, placing him on the unmade bed. He leaves them both there to retrieve the corpse and place in the room beside Zena. He gives it a once-over, this being the first proper look at the thing he's had. The corpse is that of a human male, though there is a wrongness to its anatomy, its joints twisting in odd places. The figure is covered in ripped and bloody rags, though he can observe  the strange augmetic-like eyes the creature has - giving it the appearance of wearing a heavy set pair of goggles. He also notices the metallic grafts on the creatures forearms and fists, strange needle-like devices poking out over its knuckles. The devices appear to be grafting onto the man's hands, rather than being something it would be able to remove.

  Zena begins to work on Lucien, her mechadendrite aiding her in the sampling of blood and testing for toxins. She glances at Goran when he returns to bring the corpse, using the optical mechadendrite to motion where he could leave it - her hands never stopping their work.

  "How is he?" She hears Goran ask.

  "Stable - for now." She replies. "They injected him with some sort of paralysis poison it seems. Preliminary samples match no known substance I have on record, though I believe its purpose is to subdue, not terminate its victim. I'm going to attempt to inject some adrenaline to counteract the effects, assuming the toxin doesn't react poorly to its introduction during the tests." She explains.

  "Right, 'course." Mutters Goran, understanding little of her words other than it seemed like the kid was going to be alright. "I'm gonna check on our friends, maybe get some answers. Lemme know if there's any change." He goes back into the main room, closing the door behind him. The robed man is sitting on the pew nearest the door, muttering to himself with his eyes closed - though he takes the occasional swig from a flask in his right hand. The other man has retreated to the other end of the room, near the door to the storage supplies. He glances nervously around upon Goran's return.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:19, Fri 12 Oct 2018.

"Right." I mutter as my tired body falls into a pew near the two men. I grab my lho sticks and lighter from my webbing. I offer one to each of them.

"So..." I say as I light my smoke. "As I'm sure you noticed, me and my associates are in the shit here. I'm a man down, fighting..." I pause and take a deep puff of my lho "I don't even know what we're fighting. But I know it ain't right."

I begin unclasping my gear and laying it beside me "We got a few hours holed up in here. Ill need a vox but throne knows I'm not going out there while its still dark."

I drop  my lho and stub it with my foot. "I refuse to believe no one knows whats going on here, so who wants to start first?"
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 13:02, Fri 19 Oct 2018.

  The robed man accepts the offered lho guardedly, allows you to light it and promptly takes a long, deep drag. He exhales slowly and composes himself. He takes another swig from his flask and shudders slightly before explaining:

  "Coscarla isn't safe during the night-cycle, friend." The mans voice is soft, and he manages to mostly hide the obvious discomfort the situation is causing him. "Like most of the hive districts around here, once the work dried up the populace lost faith. Crime and disunity began to spread, as it always does in these circumstances. Now folk talk of people vanishing and beasts in the night - hogwash if you ask me." He takes another gulp on his flask, wipes his mouth and offers it to you before continuing.

  "The local gangs run the streets now, and many have fallen on hard times. Few come even here to worship these days, Evard there one of the few faithful I still see regularly." He gestures to the younger man on the opposite pew. The young man is still sitting there quietly, listening intently to the conversation. The priest continues - "The others? Most likely fled the district in hopes of better prospects - there's still a few of the mining corps running in other districts - or fallen in with the gangers. Though I seldom leave the templum these days, especially not after dark, even I can see the dire times that have fallen on Coscarla. However, you probably know more about the dangers of the night-cycle than me I'd reckon, judging from the state you and your lot seem to be in." He smiles weakly at you as he stubs out the end of his lho against the pew.

{{The flask contains very potent but very cheaply made moonshine style alcohol if Goran accepts the offer. Other man is still on other side of room just sitting quietly.}}

I shake my head at the offer for a drink and nod at my long las resting on the floor, "I may need my aim steady fore the nights out." I say as I turn my gaze over to Evard. Boy cant be much older the Lucien.

"Whats your story son? You lose track of time in prayer, or come here for the Emperors protection maybe?" I chuckle. "Throne knows he likes to test us."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:18, Wed 24 Oct 2018.

  Evard turns to look at you, studying you intently. "I come here during the night cycles to stay safe, its not safe out there in the dark, trust me I know. I stay here with Father Fayban during the night hours, have done for the past couple weeks."

  He walks towards the end of the opposite pew, nearer you and Fayban as he talks. Upon reaching the end of the pew he promptly sits down, accepting the offer of the flask from Fayban and taking a deep gulp.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:34, Wed 24 Oct 2018.

"You know ey? Guessing you've lost someone to those monsters." I sigh. I call Zena on  my micro bead tapping the ear piece lightly as I hear static. "I'm gonna try get some rest, wake me if there's any progress with the kid yeah?".

After a brief pause I hear her voice crackle in my ear: "Noted."

Not much of a talker even by my standards. I lie down across a pew, place my lho sticks on the floor. "Help yourselves, I'm assuming were safe in here for the night cycle farther?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:48, Mon 29 Oct 2018.

  "Quite safe. Few come in the daytime, never-mind the night." Prattles Fayban between swigs of his flask.

  "Its not safe." Snorts Evard dryly. "People are going missing every day. What about Lars? Or Saul? They wouldn't have joined the gangers, and neither of 'em'd just abandon their families here even if they had found better prospects up-hive." Evard shakes his head, takes a lho stick from Goran's pack and moves back over the other end of the pew, slouching and smoking.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:48, Mon 29 Oct 2018.

I open one eye at the mention of Saul. "And there's our winner. The man who started it all, least for us" I Lean up slightly. "Suppose I should tell you we found Sauls body, I'll spare you the details but it weren't pretty. Is there anything that links these disappearances, victims have anything in common that you can think of?"

{{i swear i said last time i was basically just waiting for lucien to get up an and zena to do her autopsy tings}

  "So he's dead then?" Evard sighs, takes the flask from Fayban and drinks deep. "He was my friend Saul, a good man an' the best drinking partner you could ask for round these parts. He vanished same as the rest, out at night. We were drinking at the Union 'til late, like usual. Left in the early hours of the morn, just before the lights started up. I went home, he said he was going to grab some grub from the almshouse. Last I heard of him. Must've been snatched in the darkness like the others." He takes another deep swig and hangs his head, hunched forwards over the pew.


  In the other room, confident that Lucien is stable and beyond her immediate help, Zena gets to work on the corpse the band recovered from the market. She cuts through all the ragged clothing and strips the creature bare. The creature appear to be a man, though the body has clearly been subjected to a number of hap-hazard surgeries. Its flesh is covered in scars and is roughly stitched together in places. A number of cybernetic implants are also grafted onto the man, though it is clear little attention was paid to the comfort of the creature during their implementation - the grafts are rough and crudely fitted to the creature. The implants include a rough face mask that covers the entire visage of the man, dark red lens' covering the eyes, as well as the previously noticed needle gauntlets grafted into the mans fore-arms and hands. Four thin needles jut out over the man fists. The mans skin is bleach white, with a purplish tinge to it. As Zena examines the corpse she hears a guttural coughing sound from behind her.


  Lucien wakes with a start, gasping for breath. He finds it hard to move, and struggles to breathe - he begins shaking and coughing violently before managing to shift his head over the side of the bed, vomiting all over the floor.

I wipe my mouth on the back of my sleeve and try to steady my vision, memories of monsters in shadows flash through my still groggy mind. Once a little more composed I notice Zena staring at me, a blank expression on her face.

"G...Goran" I manage to shout, "Sitrep. Now, and something to drink"

I spend the next twenty minutes or so getting up to speed. "Ok. We need a Vox." I say as I stub my lho on the underside of my boot. "See if we can arrange a pickup for our subject. Probably the enforcer station will be our best bet."
I stop and look at the old man. "Locan. Warden Locan is meant to spend his nights here. Where is he?"

  "Locan? He sleeps off his drunken stupors here some nights its true. Haven't seen him here for a few days though, sleeps at the station most nights I hear." Fayban mutters. He stares at the three of you, still sitting on his pew. He hasn't moved much since Lucien woke. "Who are you people, sir? You've stolen my room and taken over my chapel. Your man's been watchful of Evard and I since arriving, but has been amicable enough and hasn't threatened us in any way. You don't strike me as a ganger, not like the ones round 'ere atleast. Yet I am utterly perplexed as to who you are and what you are doing here. You're guests in my home, I'd appreciate some answers as to what exactly is going on."

  He takes another deep swig from his flask and fixes you with a long hard stare. Evard watches intently from the adjacent pew.

"My name is Lucien Carus, that name used to mean something." letting out a heavy sigh as I remember how close we came. "But thats irrelevant now. Now. I like you serve the Emperor, though are methods different. For you own safety and sanity I cant say much more."

I stand up and stroll into the other room. I return after a minute dragging the mutant corpse along behind me by one leg.

I struggle slightly, haven't fully recovered I realize - though I try my best to hide the fact.

I release my grip about 10 feet from Fayban. "This is why we're here" I walk closer and kneel beside him. "Right now I need to speak to Warden Locan. I think he knows more about this but is afraid to speak out. You know him, maybe he'll come out if you ask him to."
I motion to body behind me. "And... I don't suppose youd, have a casket we can put that in for discrete  transport."

"I don't suppose either of you can I.D this man?" Zena chimes in. "Any distinguishing features? aside form all the back alley augments obviously". Her tone is slightly sharper than usual. I imagine its uncomfortable for her to see custom tech.


{{long time no post. feel like errything is self explanatory, someway to move body, and if priests gonna will help me get ahold of Warden
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Wed 16 Jan 2019.

  Both men come forward to examine the corpse, interested though clearly repulsed by the creature. They both look it up and down a few times before Evard speaks.

  "So... this is whats been snatching people?" he asks weakly, almost to himself.

  Fayban turns to you, an angry look on his face.

  "I can't tell you much about this... thing." he spits. "Other than it is an abomination. Those tech-grafts are unlike anything even the narco-gangs use. Look at it, a perversion of the human form. It's clearly heresy." He takes a deep swig of his flask, then drops it to the floor. He appears visibly shaken. "We should burn it, cleanse its filth with the sacred flames of the Emperor." he makes the sign of the aquila, though he struggles to keep his hands steady. Finally he looks back up at you. "I agree with you Lucien, Locan must be told of this - especially if there are more of these things. I have some storage boxes in the storeroom, its not a casket but there should be one large enough to suit your needs."

  "You must tell the enforcers, with proof like this they'll have to act. For too long they've ignored the disappearances, maybe now they'll believe us." Evard interrupts.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:43, Fri 25 Jan 2019.

  I hear Goran move behind me - he doesn't need to be told what to do. "Fayban, like I said; I need to talk to Locan. I'd appreciate it if you'd accompany me to the enforcer station. Goran you'll stay here and hold the fort." He grunts his acknowledgement and he heaves the corpse into the crate.

"Zena I need you to get a message to Sand, I'll try talk us into the enforcer station, if that doesn't work we'll have to improvise."

  I look over at Evard, "All that leaves is you, I'll be honest friend, your a bit of a problem, I can't make you, but I'd appreciate it if you stayed here with Goran. Id rather word not spread about last nights little incident."

{{{{Travel to enforcer station, Lucien, Zena, Fayban }}}}}}}

  Just before reaching the station I pull Fayban next to me. "Time to shine Father. I shouldn't have shown you that thing truth be told, but I needed you to understand what level of heresy is happening here. I need you to get me into that station to speak to Locan." I look over to emphasize  my point. "Every one knows you two spend time together so the guards are more likely to trust you. If hes not in find out where he is - tell them his family died or some kek if you have to."

  I can tell the mans nervous, he can barely contain his shaking. I gently place my hand on his shoulder. "Remember Father, men united in the purpose of the Emperor are blessed in his sight and shall live forever in his memory."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:30, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

  Fayban makes the sign of the aquila upon hearing the prayer, and you notice him steel himself for what hes about to do. Before he sets off, Zena hide her microbead on his clothing. with the talk-link stuck on send. The two of you watch from the debris near the rail-station, watching intently as Fayban shambles off towards the guards. The two guards stop Fayban just outside the station with a rough shout: "Halt citizen! What business do you bring to the enforcer station?"

  You can see Fayban clear enough from your hiding spot, his head bowed low as he answers: "No business good sirs, merely an inquiry. I am Father Fayban, of the Chapel of His Holy Divinity. Warden Locan hasn't been by my chapel all week and I'm beginning to worry sirs, surely you know how he gets when he hasn't had time to strengthen his conviction to the faith." His voice cracks over the static of the micro-bead.

  You hear a slight chuckle at this from one of the guards. "Aye, that we do." The man mutters. Even from this distance, you can see the guard weighing up a decision in his head. A few moments later you hear his voice crackle once more over the micro-bead: "Aye Father, Lorcan's over at the Union, least he was last night. I'd check there if I was you. Best see to him Father. Sort him out before he causes anymore problems."

"Emperor's blessing upon you sirs." You hear Fayban exclaim. "I shall do so at once, good day."

  You see Fayban hurry off towards the square, you wait a short while then set off in to the pre-appointed meeting place. Upon meeting back up with Fayban in the markets you notice he is sweating profusely. <i>"Ah, Master Lucien! That was quite an ordeal, my heart is pounding." He steadies himself before continuing: "Locan is over at the Tantalus Workers Union, the local bar. He's most likely sleeping off the nights drinking there as he so often does. I must say though, there was something very off about those guards, the way they watched me - like a predator watches prey - most unnerving.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 13:10, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

"Thank you Fayban, you've handled yourself well and done more than your duty to the Emperor. You can go back to the safety of your chapel, I promise me and my team will be out of your hair shorty. I flash a playful wink to Zena. "Fancy a drink, mamzel?"



  Zena doesn't say much on the walk over to the union, shes probably remembering what happened last time we were here. Normally I'd make up some lie about how everythings gonna be alright, but truthfully I don't expect us to make it off this planet alive. Not all of us anyway.

"Ready?" I ask just outside the door. She nods slightly, I light a lho and shove the doors open. "Guess who's still alive!" I announce as I walk to the bar. I can almost feel Zena cringe behind me. "Wheres Warden Locan? And don't try play me after the shit I've been through last night. Your gonna tell me what I wanna know. Now"
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:31, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

  The bar is dimly lit and rather quiet at this early hour. Lucien's bold entrance causes a sudden rush of movement amongst the patrons - many of which appear to have been sleeping. The bar briefly erupts in shouts - and a couple of loud shots ring out from the corner of the room, followed by a deafening crack. A patron in the far corner had stirred and promptly pulled his pistol, firing wildly into the bar. Less than a second after his weapon raised a large burly man at the end of the bar brings up a scrappy-looking rifle and fires a shot clean through the mans head. The remaining patrons quickly settle down, seemingly un-phased. Many go to back back to sleep once apparent the action is over. The man behind the bar looks at you and sighs.

  "Not for long you keep entering places like that. Hes over there." He points to a figure lying prone across one of the benches. "You can take him, rather you than them enforcers come pick him up. He stares you dead in eye and holds your gaze. "You enter this place like that again and I'll shoot you me'self, no need for Yerik's handiwork. Take 'im and go. He spits at you. You notice the large man, Yerik, re-chamber and inspect his rifle.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Mon 25 Feb 2019.

I stare coldly at the barman. "I've spent all night fighting off the mosters that have been snatching people, you and your bouncer isnt gonna cut it if you wanna intimidate me. No offence Yerik."

We make our way over to Locan, mans out cold. I grab a unfinished drink off the table and throw it on him, "Wakey wakey Locan, Father Fayban requests your presence. Zena help me get this kek on his feet."

Zena scrunches up her face as she gets close "Ugh the smell of him. You dont pay me enough for this" she protests. "I dont pay you at all now that I think about it" I chuckle

  Lucian and Zena both grapple with the man's prone figure until they are supporting him by the shoulders, one either side. The bar patrons ignore them as they drag Locan out into the streets. They promptly set off - half dragging and half carrying the still unconscious Locan. The wind their way through the street ways back towards the chapel as quickly as they can, trying to remain inconspicuous  as they go.

  No one gives you any trouble, though as you pass a few stragglers along the way, they notice you and quickly dash away, down a side street. Some ten minutes later the two of you are back at the chapel, locking the doors behind you even as the marketplace begins to liven up for the day.
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:08, Fri 19 July 2019.

We set Locan down on one of the pews. "Goran, try wake him if you wouldn't mind?" I start patting myself down looking for my smokes. "Out - typical." As I look for a new pack in my kit my hand touches something unfamiliar - the scanner Medicae Sand had given me.

"Wheres the corpse?" Goran points to a old storage container with paint flaking off. "Zena, you'll be more suited to this." I hand her the scanner and walk over. As I lift the heavy lid I see Goran splashing water on Locan's face and slightly slapping him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:06, Sun 21 July 2019.

  Zena fiddles with the scanner for a brief moment before crouching down over the container. She trails the scanner over the creature and you it clicks sporadically. Zena studies the data on the display. The data reveals that the creature matches the xeno-form's biometric pattern, though mixed with human DNA. The creature's neck area appears to be the most tainted.

  Across the room Locan begins to groan, slapping away Goran's hand as he sits himself up, he leans over and vomits on the floor. Coughing and spluttering, he begins to take in his surroundings - his eyes narrow and his face turns stoic. "Who are you, what is the meaning of this?" He sees Fayban - "Fayban? Whats going on?" He grumbles.
This message was last updated by the GM at 22:00, Sun 21 July 2019.

"Curious. Seems like there may be something in the neck - possibly the thorax. Attempting extraction now." Zena said in her bland emotionless voice we'd grown accustomed to by now.

I focus my attention to Locan. As I take a knee beside him I can hear the revving of Zena's chainscalpel, followed by the sound of flesh being cut. A sound anyone who carries a chainsword knows well.

"Warden Locan, finally we have the pleasure of meeting." I announce. The man stinks of booze and stale sweat. "I've been tasked with finding out whats going on round here, been having a marvelous time if I do say so. I mean whats life without the thrill of being taken by one of those heretical abominations."

I motion over to Zena still hacking away with what I hope was precision.

"Poor Saul ended up similar to one of those. Had an interesting chat with his sister Lileth." I turn back to face him and pull my dagger from my boot to his throat in a single fluid motion. "She said you told her to stop asking about his disappearance. In fact, that's all anyone's willing to say round here." I press the blade just enough to break the first couple layers of skin. "So are you in on this, or too afraid of who is?
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:47, Wed 24 July 2019.

  Locan trembles, his face takes on an expression of deep fear. "Who are you?" He rasps, his eyes still carting wildly around the room. "I'm not one of them!" He protests. "Do they know you've taken me? Oh God-Emperor what have you done - they'll come for me, they'll come for all of us..." He trails off.

  He begins to sob, tears slowly trailing down his face. Through the tears he gazes up at you feebly, his voice cracked and hollow. "Who are you people? What do you want?"

  Zena rises from her work. She successfully extracts a small whitish mass no bigger than a fist from the corpse and places it in a specimen container. The thing twitches slightly from within the jar. While extracting it, Zena notes that the man has a number of unusual mechanical augments and implants in his near, around the area of extraction.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:35, Wed 24 July 2019.

I pull my blade back slightly. "Who're they?" I ask. "I'd be more worried about whose got you now. The Holy Ordos isn't known for being lenient to those who dont cooperate".

The tension in the room shifts dynamically, Zena stops from her work and looks back at me. I see Goran's hand subtly moving towards his gun. "Last chance Locan, why are people being taken, and whos in charge."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 17:20, Wed 24 July 2019.

  Locan's expression shifts to one of pure horror, the colour draining from his face. "Or-...Ordos." He breathes. "Perhaps its for the best.." He looks utterly defeated, a truly broken man.

  "Moran and the others - I don't know who they are, not really. Heard them talk of themselves as "Logicans" - though that means nothing to me." They moved into the district some months ago, quickly assimilating into the enforcer agency here. They control the Coscarla Division now, not that anyone seems to care. I don't know why or how they're taking people though - truly I don't. I was just told to carry on as usual and not cause any trouble." He stares down at the floor, unable to look at any of your party.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:39, Wed 24 July 2019.

"Moran 'ey?" I chime to myself. "And I assume you're profiting from this little scheme they've got going on? Or maybe you're just doing this out of the kindness in your heart."

Zena strolls over and passes me a small container. Whether she noticed the blood all over her robes or just didn't care I'd never know.

I gently toss the container up and catch it repeatedly in one hand. "Where do the missing people go? Or should we see what this thing does here and now".
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:05, Wed 24 July 2019.

  Locan's eye go wide with fear, and you notice his trousers go dark as he soils himself. "I don't know, I'm not involved! The enforcers don't take the people as far as I know, they just clean up afterwards. Moran's involved with the local gangers, maybe they're the ones taking people!" He splutters, spitting out his words as fast as his mouth allows.

"Okay.... okay then." I laugh and playfully slap his shoulder. Everyone seems to be looking at me like a maniac. "Don't worry Locan, one last task to redeem yourself to the holy Emperor."

I pull him to his feet and Goran hands us both a lit lho stick. "I need a vox link. I'm assuming your little station has a working one correct? Your gonna let us send a message then we'll be out of your life. Deal?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:57, Wed 24 July 2019.

  Locan recoils at the suggestion, ignoring the offered lho. "Are you insane!? You can't enter the enforcer station. They won't let me anywhere near it - I've been pushed out of all official matters for weeks now. Don't you think I'd have alerted someone if it were possible?" He wheezes, calms himself and takes the lho stick, inhaling deeply.
This message was last updated by the GM at 18:32, Wed 24 July 2019.

"KEK!" I yell and throw my lho on the floor. "Perhaps informing Sand is the best course of action." Zena says as she grabs the container from my hands. "I'll go, I'm not much use in this ruin. Ill keep in contact as best I can."

She sets off without waiting for my reply. "Kekking tech priests..." I mumble to myself.

"Whats our play then 'ey?" Goran asks as he pulls me up. "Try drum up what we can on this Moran fellow I guess. Maybe try the bar, upstairs seemed like the kinda place we use to frequent back in our day." I turn back to Locan "You must have some info on this guy, known associates, locations he frequents. Give me something".
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:28, Mon 29 July 2019.

  "Moran? He runs the Alms House with a couple of helpers - claims to be from Tantalus. He moved in a few weeks before they took over the enforcer station. He rarely leaves - conducts his business through there as far as I know." Locan explains, somewhat calmer now.


  Zena sets off through the streets towards the rail station, trying to remain as inconspicuous as she can. She notices a couple of enforcers in the marketplace scanning the masses, though she manages to avoid their attention. As she approaches the station she realizes it is now under heavy guard - four of the carapace-armoured enforcers stand at the station platform. Zena manages to duck round a corner before they see her.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:43, Mon 29 July 2019.

  "That sounds like our next stop then I guess." I say with a shrug.

  "You think thats a good move?" Goran asks. "Walking straight into what could be the enemy HQ?"

  I light another lho and take a deep drag, almost out of the good ones. "A GOOD plan? No, probably not - but we've got a name at least, and I could do with a meal."

"What about them?" Goran motions to Locan and the others with a nod. "I don't think we need to worry bout them, do you? They wont say anything, will you?" I let the question hang in the air. No one speaks but the look on their faces says enough.


  After a few minutes I hear Zena's monotone voice through my bead. "Stations on lock-down - Enforcers patrolling the area. Logic dictates arterial tunnel also restricted. Advise.

  "Looks like we're stuck. Goran grumbles

  "Kek. we're on our way to the alms house. Might as well meet us there, if we're gonna die may as well be together.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:07, Wed 31 July 2019.

  You make your way out of the chapel, leaving the others where they are. Lucien and Goran set off towards the alms house, passing swiftly through the narrow thoroughfares and streets. Zena meets up with them shortly before they arrive. The alms house is a large structure some four stories tall - it looks like almost like a church. The structure has clearly seen better days, and was most likely quite a sight in its heyday.

  You observe a number of people, locals dressed in drab clothing and rags, moving through the courtyard towards a large entrance-way. Two doors, each over 3 meters in height, are set into the front of the building. You mingle in with the crowds and make your way towards the doors. You notice the fine stonework carved into the entrance-way as you approach, with busts depicting a number of men you don't recognize. As you walk through the massive doors you enter into a large room filled with long tables. Many people sit at the tables, all eating and conversing lightly, the mood seems more uplifting here than anywhere else you have been on the planet. At one end of the room you observe a man handing out bowls towards folk waiting in a line. Slighter further down you notice another minder receiving the empty bowls being dropped off by those who have finished. Both the men are wearing brown overalls and aprons, with small brown face-masks covering their mouths. Both work attentively.

  Somewhat between the two men stands a well dressed man overseeing the floor. The man is dressed in a fine dark-green robe and stands out from the other people in the room. He looks to be in his thirties, with short black hair and a soft face. People continue filing into the room, making their way towards the long line.

Goran taps my shoulder and subtly motions to the man in green. "Seems to stand out don't he" he whispers.

"Something we'll have in common then" I reply. No muscle, well at least no one obvious. "You two try blend in, Zena try test the food if you can." I pull tug her arm as she begins to walk off. A couple patrons look over but nothing major. "Without being an obvious kekker about it."

She shrugs slightly and sets off. Goran pretends to admire the bust before joining the line, putting a couple people between him and Zena.

I casually walk over to the man in green, Lighting a lho as I approach. I stop a few feet short "Moran?" I ask in hushed tone, I take a quick glance around before I continue. "I Hear you're the man to speak to when a mans out of options."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:25, Mon 24 Jan 2022.

  The man stares at you for a moment, seemingly perplexed by your approach. Up closer you can make out the intricate markings on his robes - those of the Tantalus House embroidered in thin strands of gold. He gathers himself quickly, his face adopting a neutral expression. His voice is gentle and soothing. "Greetings, my child. I like to believe we are here for all of Emperor's children, regardless of their options. However I must admit, you don't seem to be our ordinary clientele." He chuckles, gesturing to your clothing. "But of course, we turn none away here. Eat your fill my child, unless there is something else I can assist you with?"

  I look at him blankly and let out a sigh before speaking. "I've been through the warp and back these past 24 hours, constantly feeling like I'm in the dark - quite fitting for this planet wouldn't you say. Trying to figure out whats been nabbin' people in the night." I smile slightly before continuing. "And every lead I follow leads me back to you and your Logicans." I tap my las pistol gently, just enough for him to notice. "If I dont report back to my superiors soon this entire shit stain of a district will be razed to the ground, so tell me why are you taking people?"

-----------------------------------------------

  While waiting in line Zena pretends to fidget with one of her augments while pulling out the scanner Medicae Sand gave Lucien, pointing it roughly in the direction of the the closet man with the face mask collecting bowls.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:36, Fri 15 May 2020.

  Moran's expression goes blank, taken aback at your words. He quickly recovers, adopting a calm demenour, his arms outstretched as he glances around the vast room. "My friend, calm yourself - this is a place of safety and solace, there is no need for alarm." He takes your hand in his and casts his other arm across the nearest table of dregs wearily eating. "If you have woes or questions, I would be happy to help - we help all those we need it here." he states.

  He turns and gestures towards the door behind him. "Perhaps it would be best if we discuss this in a less.... crowded space? These poor souls have enough on their minds."


  Zena deftly activates the scanner as she shuffles forward, attempting to scan the nearest helper as she approaches without anyone catching notice. After a brief moment, the scanner gives a muffled chime - though it is drowned out by the general bustle of the room. The scanner reports a negative reading, detecting none of xenos material in a 3 metre radius.

"Aye" I reply simply, "These people have enough troubles indeed. Please lead the way sir. I'm sure we will both find this to be an enlightening experience."

I allow Moran to take a step in front of me and begin to follow him, I look over to Goran and thank the throne hes looking my way. I make a fist with one hand and cover my knuckles my palm, a hand signal we used to use back in our early days.

It had no fixed meaning but the intent was clear, danger close, hold position

Just I reach the threshold of the door I scratch my ear and deftly switch my micro-bead to open, allowing Goran and Zena to listen in - of course I wouldn't be able to hear them in case Zena found something.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:22, Sun 19 July 2020.

  Moran strolls forwards past you towards the door. Lucien notices him make a quick motion with his hands as he passes you. The motion is deft, and he seems to move quicker than a man should be able too. Though you cannot make out the exact meaning of the movement, it appears as if  he is signalling the henchmen.

  "Right this way please." He says. His voice friendly though you detect an icy undertone. As you pass through the doorway he turns and closes it behind you - shutting out the noise of the mess hall. The room is smaller and in a state of disrepair. Moran walks over towards an old arm-chair, then turns to face you.

  "Thats better." He says - his voice losing its previous charm. "Less prying eyes here." He gestures around the room. His eyes fix you in a cold stare. "So who are you then, cur - what are you wasting my time with?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:15, Thu 08 Oct 2020.

"Cur...." I let the word hang for a moment, "I've been called worse. Before we continue" I say as I approach reaching into my pocket very slowly. "Its a custom of mine to begin each meeting I conduct with someone significant, to offer some sort of tribute if you will. Sadly I'm a bit under prepared but at the moment but." I offer my lho sticks "Needs must."

He reaches for one oddly enough. Most people don't.

"Now" I say as i sit down and light up, "About this situation we find ourselves in. I represent some very powerful people, people with absolute power. If your as smart as I think you are then I don't need to say more." I'm usually quite good at reading people, maybe it's just the bad lighting but, Moran was just a blank slate to me

I lean forward. "They know you're up to something here, Maybe not every detail but enough to send people like me. We know about Saul and the vile operations you performed on him. We know what you're doing to the people here." I take a puff "But" I say cheerily "I don't care about that. I didn't sign up for this, I wager I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me here.... So, lets make a deal." I lean back and get comfortable.

"As I said they don't know every detail. Give me someone. Small enough not to cause you problems, but big enough "They" stop looking. I get to get off this slag heap alive, you regain complete anonymity." I raise one finger to silence any reply. "I know you think you could just kill me, but I should warn you. If people like me don't work. They send the real black ops boys. No witnesses kind. Your move."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:41, Sun 04 Apr 2021.

  Moran fixes you with a hard stare, his eyes narrowing. His demeanor softens as he sits down in the old chair and lights the lho-stick. Despite his casual posture, his tone is low and his voice is hard.

  "You have made a grave mistake threatening us, fool - here of all places. Clearly you are misinformed or ignorant of my work here, but no matter. This will not affect the timeline."


In the main hall, Goran notices a couple of the helpers moving to towards the large entrance way. They seal the door and take up places either side of it, their covered faces seemingly scanning the people in the hall. The dregs around him and Zena don't seem to notice, or don't care if they do - seemingly focused upon their meals.


  "You will tell me who you are, and who sent you here. You will tell me the complete truth now without resistance, or I shall cause you such unimaginable anguish you will curse your own mother for bringing you into this universe." Moran continues. "I do not make idle threats - make this easy for both of us. Please sit and be comfortable, let us talk as friends - you will not enjoy the alternative.
This message was last updated by the GM at 19:40, Sun 04 Apr 2021.

"My Name is Luciean. I used to run the biggest gang back home. Arbites, enforcers, administratum. Nothing could touch me." I sighed before continuing. "Then the black ships came. Undid a decade of work in mere weeks, they figured a man of my skills to be useful so i was given two options, join or die."
I raise both my arms to gesture arond us. "Which brings us both here by either grand design or happenstance, two men who don't want to be in this situation. So in the interest of mutual survival lets deal"

I lean forward before continuing "I know people are being grabbed and experimented on, through I admit I don't know the purpose, I also know ever lead brings me to you. So why not just kill me and the secret dies with me you're thinking.
Well I've sent my reports collected samples and corpses. Kill me and they'll send someone else, maybe you'll kill them too. But how long until their done with subtley and raze the entire district.

I let the thought hang before finishing
"So I propose a trade, give me someone who I can pass off as the mastermind, dead of course cant have anyone finding out. I leave and report the planet safe. We both live another day. So what do you say."