I was the law, now I maintain it.

[profitofrage]

It is a dark cold night in the hive spire Sibellus. The streets noisy from the traffic of thousands of men and women moving and making there way to the manufactoriums for the changing of the shifts. It was here in the upper middle hives that things were best..at least for the average person. Not high enough to fall foul of the ingrained corruption that was the noble houses and yet high enough to ensure that you could sleep at night knowing that murder was unlikely...though not impossible.

It was here that the Diviso Immoralius and by extention the Scintillian Adeptus Arbites resided, A large pyramid like structure with the top flattened down fortified. Landing pads dotted the structure and within vast staging areas could be found full of the various impliments the Arbites need call upon to ensure law is maintained not just in Hive Sibellus but also the system at large.
Sibellus was the generally accepted capital of Scintilla..and by extension the beaurocratic center for the callixian sector...at least to a degree.
It was within this fortress that the Divisio Immoralius had holdings...in fact at the very top lay there headquarters, a location they had very often been petitioned to give up.
It was here within a dark dank office that Hastus the veteran Arbite punched in the codes into a private vox system. Searching for the secure channel to his now off duty friend.
The connection if ever traced would lead them to an office building barely a level below them and quite a few miles west. To the small yet accomadating household of Torrian.

XXX---XXX

The non portable vox system built into the wall of the Office began to chim and hiss as it had always done. The mech-write who implemented the machine had apparently "miss read part of the activation rights" and indeed required a short wait before one could respond to any given communication attempt. This however was a small issue..since few ever tried contacting the channel it was callibrated to function on.

The voice then came through..crackling and skipping on the odd occasion.
"Ah old friend it seems the emperor is smiling upon you this day...We had a brief run in with the PDF dogs today...happened by chance really but hte situation died down...seems some poor soul didnt like how a duel went and stabbed some shmuck im sure deserved it...anyhow..turns out the fool had family..family with thrones if you catch my drift...I know these petty crimes are more PDF material..but we both know they cant give a Frak about things like that on this level..to busy trying to fix the various mistakes they make daily to worry about keeping the law upheld...thought you might like the easy job so i told them to head to you if they had the thrones."

[Calimos]

OOC
Character sheet

Name: Torrian (his normal name) "Thorn" (the name he was known by, during his youth, as a member of Sinophia's underworld society) Severus (his family's surname)
Age: 35
Career: Arbitrator / Warden of Divisio Immoralis (retired, now private investigator)
Current rank: Enforcer
Homeworld: Sinophia (Imperial world) [pg.25 Inquisitor's Handbook]
Hair colour: Black
Eye colour: Blue
Skin: Fair
Height: 1,85 cm
Weight: 70 kg
Quirk: Tatoos (Torrian bears an Aquilla tattoo on his left shoulder and an other quite more obscure in appearance and significance on his right. Also a couple more, on various parts of his body, with more gang symbols from the underworld society of Sinophia, a permanent reminder of his troubled past).
Divination: "Thought begets Heresy; Heresy begets Retribution".
Wounds: 14
Fate points: 3
Insanity Points (if allowed to take the Warden of D.I. alt. rank) [roll0]

Tatoo description and other identification:
Torrian has gang tatoos to mark his affiliation to Sinophia's underworld, a signet ring depicting a coiled snake and also bearing an engravement on its inside given to his as a gift from his mentor and a pair of army-resembling dog tags but with a secret code - in place of the soldier's serial number - that can be verified by Arbites records, to mark his undercover service within the Divisio Immoralis.

Regarding gang tattoos, Torrian has an aquilla on his left shoulder, indicating his hailing of an imperial world and underneath it a torn and tattered banner, to indicate the decay of the society he grew in. On the right shoulder, a skull encircled by a serpent and beneath it a pair of crossed pistol and knife, marking him a a member of one of Sinophia's most dangerous gangs. There is anther tatoo encircling his forearm, depicting a barbed wire, indicating his bonds of fellowship to Sinophia's underworld society. Lastly there's a another on his right chest depicting a sealed and bound book bearing a strange symbol on its cover. This last one, is the tatoo Torrian never speaks of, and its meaning can only be guessed. Probably indicates the proscribed knowledge he has accumulated or searched for during the years, something that still haunts him but also drives him on to uncover even more.

Characteristics
WS 28
BS 42
S 30
T 38 (simple advance)
Ag 32
Int 38
Per 41
WP 35
Fel 30

Skills
Speak Language (Low Gothic)
Intimidate [S]
Inquiry [Fel] (talented +10)
Deceive [Fel]
Awareness [Per]
Scrutiny [Per]
Security [Ag]
Tracking
Literacy [Int]
Common Lore (Imperium) [Int]
Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites) [Int]

As basic skills - not skilled yet

Speak Language (High Gothic) [Int]
Common Lore (Underworld) [Int]
Forbidden Lore (Heresy) [Int]
Forbidden Lore (Cults) [Int]


Talents
Basic weapon training (SP)
Pistol training (SP)
Melee weapons training (primitive)
Paranoia
Rapid reload
Resistance (Fear)
Sound Constitution

Homeworld traits
Leitourgical Familiarity
Blighted origins
Decayed Society

Equipment
Knife (concealed in his right boot)
Chrono
Arbites ID
Flask of Amasec
Injector
1 dose of stimm
Uniform (good quality clothing)

Purchased Items
Gear
Multikey 150 thrones
Stummers 25 thrones
Respirator 25 thrones
Lamp pack 15 thrones
Salvation Auger (simple) 20 thrones (IH pg.127-128)
1 Pack of Lho-Sticks 10 thrones
Backpack 10 thrones

Weapons and Upgrades
Pump action shotgun 75 thrones
12 shells (from starting gear), 100 shells 5 thrones
Stub Automatic 50 thrones
100 Bullets 5 thrones
12 Man stopper bullets 10 thrones
Silencer 10 thrones
Good craftsmanship sword 30 thrones


Armor
Flak Cloak (3 AP to all locations) 80 thrones

40 thrones left.

XP allocation (800 xp)
Rank 1 - Warden of Divisio Immoralis
"The Calixian Pattern Killings" background package (IH pg. 28-29) 200xp
Pistol training (SP) 100xp
Awareness 100xp
Scrutiny 100xp
Resistance (Fear) 100xp

Rank 2 - Enforcer
Security 100xp
Tracking 100xp
Intimidate 100xp
T simple advance 100xp
BS simple advance
Sound Constitution


Background

+++Torrian Severus’s background+++
+++Scribe Nixios Zane, in service to the Adeptus Arbites of Calixis Sector+++

+++Encryption Level Red – Authorized personell only+++
“Thought for the day: The Emperor knows, the Emperor is watching”


…Authorization verified…Unlocking files…You may proceed…
…Retrieving relevant data on subject 777….Data found…

Born to the decayed society of Sinophia, once a glorious sector world, marking the very beggining of the Calixis Sector and the crusade that made it a part of our beloved Imperium, young Torrian was a restless boy. After his childhood [i][not much retrieved from that period] this led him to a gradually increasing involvement with “ill” companies and friendships and eventually to the Underworld. As is well known to your excellence, there is a decay in Sinophia, a stagnation, a misery and melancholy that seems to seep into the souls of its denizens. Torrian, being on the contrary full of energy and an ambition that would drive him till today, went head on to discover as many of Sinophia's Underworld's secret as possible.

During his time there, he was introduced to a new style of life, learning to be a smooth talker yet also a decisive enforcer of his superiors’ will when the need would arise. His inquisitive spirit and defiant nature forged him to a valuable asset to his gang and combined with his aptitude with firearms and quicksilver nature both in body and tongue made him an enemy to be respected and feared by the rest.

Yet this was not to last. At some point a – later discovered – traitor infiltrated his gang and, unnoticed by his superiors and slowly but methodically exposed its members’ vulnerabilities to opposing “organizations” that consequently “terminated” them. Disgusted by watching all ideas of loyalty and fellowship falling apart by the actions of that traitor, Torrian decided to unravel his plans and take care of him as well as of the criminal masterminds behind his actions. Such a task though, was not an easy one and Torrian wasn’t certain about who he could trust from his friends and peers. The corrupt police and law enforcement departments of the area were out of the question as well and Thor was soon running dangerously out of options.

It was then that he received a transmission from one of his out-of-planet peers, notifying him about the imminent arrival of a certain individual, a member of the Adeptus Arbites, on a mission to root out the organized crime in Sinophia, warning Torrian to lay low for some time. [i][this Arbitrator, whose name I won’t mention here for security reasons – please see Archive 865, file 74, sub-file 11 for further information – was there to uncover the actions of the corrupt law enforcement departments and see to some strange cult activity, whose presence they were tolerating, as a Warden of the infamous Divisio Immorallis].

This was the chance that Torrian was expecting. Through this so-called Arbitrator, he would exact his vengeance on his opponents, as well as avoid the wrath of Emperor’s justice as well. After careful planning and much caution, Torrian managed to secure a meeting with the Arbitrator under the guise of an informant, willing to offer valuable help and insight on the workings of the local gangs and underworld dealings, assisting on his mission.

In the beginning, Torrian wasn’t much impressed with him. Not exceptionally strong of body or mean in demeanour – like Torrian would imagine someone who was determined to take down a good part of Sinophial’s organized crime – yet as they discussed further, his attitude, remarks, careful and methodical approach, almost convinced Torrian that at the very least it wouldn’t be a total waste of time and maybe he would even stand a chance against the organized crime, emboldened gangs and corrupt police officials of the city.

What remained then, was to see him in action and confirm if that cautious and methodical arbitrator was good enough to enforce his meticulously reached opinions and judgments, when the subjects at hand weren’t all that eager to agree and submit.
The chance presented itself when news came that some of the local syndicate’s officials [not the highest ranking ones, but they had to start somewhere] would hold a meeting – that was also to be attended by a foreign crimelord’s representative – to discuss their ongoing operations in the local underworld.

The arbitrator planned the course of action with much care – as usual – seeing to it that they’d avoid any unpleasant surprises or sudden and unexpected incidents that would jeopardize the mission’s success as well as the lives of his team’s operatives. For this, Torrian came to respect him even more, as it wasn’t common for someone of authority in the Imperium, to deem those lower than him anything more than expendable means to an end.

The team itself was assembled from select few uncorrupted local law enforcers of whom Torrian had managed to steer clear during his "adventurous" days, [they weren’t probably offered a hefty share of the illegal transactions by their superiors and that’s probably why they escaped corruption]
as well as some trusted friends of Torrian and the three operatives that accompanied the arbitrator since his arrival and acted as his personal retinue. All of them, quite capable to deal with this kind of situations and having proven their worth in the past, prepared properly and met in a safehouse near the hab-block that the meeting was scheduled to take place in the following days.

The plan devised by Torrian and the arbitrator was a cunning one, but highly dangerous as well. Knowing that the gang representatives that were about to attend the meeting had never met the off-worlder agent, who was rumoured to offer them a proposition of cooperation for mutual interest [and the interest of their bank accounts might I add], the team planned to kidnap him and then insert one of its own to take his place in order to procure more information and manage to reach the high ranking individuals of the local underworld. The one that was about to undertake this mission and after careful alteration of his feautures – both for obvious reasons – would be Torrian.

When the time came, the team, that had already secured the perimeter around the area through which the target was about to travel, stormed the vehicles, killing most of the gang members accompanying him – “No witnesses guys, remember that”, as the arbitrator made clear to them prior to the incursion – and seized him, alongside his briefcase. This briefcase – by the way – proved extremely valuable to the arbitrator, since its contents much of the criminals’ plan, in contrast to the liaison himself, that was all to reluctant to cooperate, even after getting a good part of his, let’s call it sensitive areas of his body fried, by these – ever useful – portable electrocution devices [handy indeed might I add from having seen them used in many heretics, traitors and scum].

In the end, he swallowed some sort of poison, hidden inside a cavity in his tooth, to be found dead the following day. [If I may offer you a humble esteem of the incident, I think he took it mostly because the pain was too excruciating to bear and given the personality of the interrogation specialist involved, I don’t think it would stop even after revealing all the information he knew, plus a dozen of unaccounted crimes in the region, at the very least. Combine that now with the mind and body numbing properties of the aforementioned poison – almost a happy relief for him – if a final one, might I say.]

So, after getting all the needed information, Torrian, in disguise, went undercover and infiltrated his, all too familiar, underworld society of Sinophia– only now with a different purpose. Communication with the team was scarce at start to avoid causing unwanted suspicion and also because time was needed for trust to be won, solid evidence to be found and progress to be made, that would provide him with access to the higher levels of the syndicates.

It was one of the most critical and demanding periods in Torrian’s life thus far, yet his background in similar situations, as well as the improvement of his skills while operating with the arbitrator, would give him the capability to overcome the various setbacks and dangers, and in close cooperation with the rest of the group, to succeed in fulfilling the mission’s objectives. And so it happened. Having gradually won the trust of the local crime bosses, Torrian - through his natural smooth-talking attitude - managed to manipulate situations and lead the to various traps and “accidents”. Finally, in one fell swoop, during a night that was truly worthy of remembrance and the peak of this life changing period for Torrian, the arbitrator and his squad stormed into a meeting between the last of the criminal lords and the leadership of the local corrupt law enforcement.

In this operation, that culminated in a confrontation of epic proportions, Torrian witnessed firsthand, the arbitrator’s capabilities and courage in full scale. An excellent combatant – besides being an accomplished investigator – he stormed into room guns blazing, surprising those inside and giving his team a valuable edge in the battle that ensued. Despite getting wounded in the upper torso and left arm, he continued fighting and only ceased when all criminals were either killed or surrender and arrested.

In the days that followed, Torrian, had some very long and thorough conversations with the arbitrator and in the end received a very serious proposal from him – that would apparently change his life [and become the gateway leading him to a life of service in the Imperium] once and for all.

In recognition of his services to the cause of upholding the Emperor’s justice, the arbitrator considered his past crimes as minor transgressions, that he had already sufficiently atoned himself for and offered him the opportunity to join the organization of the Adeptus Arbites, serving meanwhile as his personal assistant and receiving additional training and field experience that would one day evolve him to a real man, an accomplished arbitrator and a tool of righteous justice in the Emperor’s hands.

Torrian accepted gladly and joined the Adeptus Arbites, progressing all too well under the strict and watchful – yet understanding as well – eye of his patron and his trainers and superiors in the Adeptus Arbites facilities and precincts.

He conducted many successful purges and investigations alongside his mentor and he honed his investigation skills to a razor sharp edge. It is rumoured that he was also heavily involved in the investigation of certain hideous murder cases, displaying an alarming array of disturbing elements, linked by certain patterns and occurring throughout the sector [See relevant archives 459D-subfiles 15,16,56,88]. The mere fact that he escaped mentally unscathed from this is a testament to his strong will and determination as well as his faith to Him in Terra and the excellent training he received.

In addition to that, his involvement in those cases and the partial success he had on them, raised some interested looks in the higher echelons of the Adeptus Arbites and his mentor approached him once again with a new proposition. He found him in his appartment, in Hab-block 35-16D and what transpired there is unknown to most. However, we managed to secure part of their conversation thanks to the Arbites mobile spying drones that were active in the area. Here it follows:

+++Static on screen...+++
Image slowly clearing...Static lessens...Image zooms in...
A balcony...2 people visible, sitting on chairs and probably talking...
+++Drone moves closer...Receiving audio as well now+++
Sounds of discussion, a man appearing older (Subject A), dressed in Adeptus Arbites uniform is talking to the other (Subject B, our man) who appears to be in civilian clothes, naked from the waist up.

- (A)It's good to see you once again young man. I learn your news and you seem to be doing quite well.
- Subject B nods and passes to him something that looks like a bottle.

Subject A stands up, moves closer to subject B.

- (A)This is why i'm here.

Subject B looks up, waits...

- (A) They've noticed you, all your hard work and diligence, your incorrutible nature, the way you solved some of the cases entrusted to you, how you maintained your composure when others didn't. They're interested in you and sent me to talk to you. To recruit you.

-(B) What are you talking about? Who noticed? and what is all these nonsense about recruiting me? I'm a proud member of the Emperor's Adeptus Arbites and i don't quite intend to leave service yet.

-(A) You don't understand. Let me explain and don't get agitated. Damn it Thorn, i think at times that i'm still talking to that flamboyant boy in that detoriorating, full with decay and stagnation city of yours. Even back then you stood out of the miserable lot. .

-(B) These days are long gone, though i still can't figure out whether it was better back then, for one thing we gave em hell down there, we put all those corrupted bastards in their proper place.

-(A) I remember it as if it was yesterday. Indeed we performed a fine service to the Imperium of Man. And now let us perform another. As you know, there are some cases that simply cannot be explained, some findings that cannot be categorized, some situations that elude even the most perverse criminal mind and avoid the attention of even the most dilligent investigator. There is a group inside our Organization that believes there is reason behind all this, that something else is at work in our Sector, apart from petty criminal activity and serrial killing psychopathy.

This group has been organised in a department within the Adeptus Arbites and is called the Divisio Immoralis.
We, who heed this call, are the Wardens, for we stand vigilant against the signs of heresy, of corruption, of the moral bankruptcy of our society and carefully, ever with subtlety and utmost care, we pick the pieces to a grand puzzle and put them together. It's a thankless job and even worse than the one you're currently doing and as such it isn't fit for everybody.

It takes a special kind of man for this job Thorn, one with the nerve to withstand it and the iron will to move on.

I'm sent here to bring you in our ranks. If you agree, then pack your bags and follow me. They're awaiting us in Scintilla. You'll see the capital boy and the leader of the Wardens. Yes, *lowers his voice to a bearly audible level* ........ herself will meet and brief you , once.....there.

-(B) Damn it old man.....and when i just said that nothing could happen to further screw my day....if it is for the good of the Imperium then i'm up for it...

- (A) That's my boy, now pass me that amasec and go get ready.

Subject B withdraws inside the appartment. Subject A reaches to his ear and appears to be talking.
-(A) Yes....agreed...will take him now...reluctant but will come...prepare for immediate extraction, others .....watching... see you there. ......over and out.

At this point conversation ends and subject B moves in. +++Feed ends +++

+++File end+++
+++Closing archive….+++



+++Undisclosed Location, somewhere on Scintilla+++
Place: Warehouse, zoom reveals old and barely readable sign "1..5-D" above door.
Someone approaches the door. Tall figure, draped in cloak, facial recognition impossible. Hits twice.
Door opens slightly. Sound of talking. Subject walks in....

Image static...

Indeterminate amount of time passes, image clears, now inside a poorly maintained room. Two subjects sitting around a table, talking.

- (B) What the hell were you thinking....damn it. And what do you want here?

-(A) Calm down. I am here to check on you. I was worried. I was told you were lately involved in some pretty nasty cases and you had serious issues.

-(B) *Lowers his voice* Not something i'd like to discuss if i can help it, old man...Things were strange, pretty damn strange and i saw good men on my squad losing it while conducting these investigations. Heck,.... Xanthis got more lead in him than you can find in a munitions storage room , Higgins ended up taking an extended leave for medical reasons and Carter ended up in a Sanatorium, for borderning to insanity.

(A) I told you there were dangers. That joining the Divisio would be demanding.

(B) Demanding? Are you out of your mind - damn it. Those things weren't normal, old man. Not at all. I lost them back there. I froze, and till i had the time to come to my senses all hell had broken loose. I don't even want to remember the body count...fething murderers...

(A) I understand. Such things are not easy to stomach, even for one such as you...

(B) ....

(A) Now calm down and listen to me. I will make sure you get an indefinite leave from your duties in the Divisio and take care of the paperwork regarding the latest mess. Do something else, get some rest. And when you feel better we'll talk again.

(B) Thank you old man. You're still looking after for me, even after all those years....Sorry for shouting earlier...

(A) Oh, shut up...I know you'd take more than a bullet for me and since the Emperor hasn't decided to take me by His side yet, i think i can still take care of you. Now i'll be off, make sure to take it easy and lay low for some time, then as you see you get better take a private job or two maybe and we'll be in touch. Oh and next time, make sure you have a flask of amasec around.

(B) Will do.

+++pict-feed ends+++


Appearance and Demeanour
Torrian Severus is a serious man, around 35 standard imperial years old, tall and quite thin. He usually wears his uniform or standard civilian clothes, high reinforced boots and his long, black flak cloak, which also serves him as a coat, apart from the increased protection it offers him. His various weapons and pieces of equipment are fitted in pockets either in his uniform or his coat. He usually carries his sidearm in a shoulder or waist holster and when increased danger is expected, his trusted pump action shotgun can be seen, hanging by its leather strap from his shoulder.

His look is grim at most times, though he has admittedly a soft spot for pretty ladies and a glass of good amasec, both of which tend to cheer him up quite a bit. He also enjoys good company and the occassional joke. He was quite popular in his precinct and while most of his colleagues knew that he had a very low bull**** tolerance threshold, he could be trusted like no other to provide support and guarantee their safety in the thick of combat.

Having his character forged up in dangerous conditions he remains a bit on edge even today, the look on his blue eyes sharp as a mono-sword, being evident of this. After all he has witnessed, few things can impress him genuinely. He's methodical and mostly calm as his mentor taught him, yet he can become pretty "convincing" when his patience runs out.


As the night fell to the hive, Torrian was resting in his appartment.
Simple but relatively clean and with reinforced doors and windows for added security, plus a secret weapon stash he made below the floor. Torrian double checked the lock on the door, put a data-slate with the latest news on the table and then went to have a shower. It was refreshing, making Torrian wish that as the water takes away the dust from his flesh, it would be great if it could also erase certain memories of past years that still made him look behind his back more often than not and prevented him from having a decent sleep at night.

"Sleep well tonight. Dream the sweetest of dreams and remember their careless touch. For it will be the last peaceful sleep you will ever have." The words of senior arbitrator Kae Drusil, rang in his head...When she addressed him in such a way, alongside other new recruits, upon his induction in the Divisio Immoralis, he was somewhat skeptical. Now, after all those years he realized she was true and for that she had earnt his trust and respect.

The water gets warmer in the shower, (at least living in the capital of the sector has a few more privileges), the better to warm his flesh and heart. Maybe, sometime in the future, his heart will learn to push all that aside, or maybe he'll find eventually a lady that will understand him and stand by his side. But he fears that his line of duty will probably deny him that. For this is usually the fate and destiny, for those few who decided to leave behind their tiny self centered world and take up the long vigil against corruption, the unending service to the Imperium, expecting little in the way of rewards, medals, official recognition, but merely the satisfaction that their actions made a difference - no matter how small - in that grim and unforgiving universe.

Damn it, Torrian thinks, always getting all sentimental and nostalgic. I need to get a grip and not let any of these cloud my thoughts.

He finishes his shower, wears his clean uniform and sits on his sofa, pouring a glass of amasec and watching the dark streets below, from his appartment's window. Then, a strange hissing sound got his attention. He stood up, alerted, and reached for his sidearm, but then realized the source of it. It was the vox-unit he had in his small office, adjacent to his appartment. He put his pistol in his shoulder holster, unlocked the door, checked the hallway for anything unusual and then moved into his office, locking both doors behind him.

Torrian turned the lights on, sat on his desk and reached for the vox. As he checked the channel, he almost gasped. He wasn't expecting a message in this frequency. He heard the transmission and slightly grinned. Hastus hadn't changed and apparently he was still trying to get him back in shape via private investigation. He took a sip from an amasec bottle he had stored in the office drawer and clicked the proper button in the vox panel to respond.

"Still can't sleep at night, eh, you old wolf? It's good to hear from you anyway...Hmmm...this sounds interesting. A murder case. Long time since i had worked on one of those. Well, i want to slightly get back in shape and i could certainly use the thrones. Send them here. I'll be expecting them. In the meantime, is there a file on the case with names, place of incident etc or any evidence gathered that i should know of, prior to starting my investigation?"

[profitofrage]

The vox hissed again after the sending button was released. Yet another interesting quirk of the machines spirit. It did not take long however for it to hiss a responce.
A slight chuckle could be heard, half of it cut out.
"Why would I sleep when the worst of characters are out and about eh? makes more sense to sleep when the other Arbites and guards are at there keenest." A long drag of a lho stick could be heard.
"The Arbites didnt file any report since it really was more for the green cloak's...I pulled up there report..what was put in anyhow...they put it down as a duel of honour to the death...in fact thats the whole report...looks like the lazy sod's didnt want to look into it..thats when the family came to us."
yet another drag is heard.
"They made there complaint to a service servitor...as we know most of them are ignored...course the servitor sent me the information when a certain name was dropped...Lupus, Silon Lupis...the same Silon Lupis who ran the underhive gang that the redemptionists shot, stabbed and burnt not two months ago....anyway the mother of the victim will probably be down there tomorow...plug your data slate in..ill send the case file now."
hastus concluded before the vox began to whiz and beep the small cable hanging from it heating ever so slightly.





*Green Cloak(the slang term for the Magistratum the local police force)

[Calimos]

Torrian gets a data slate from his desk, inserting it in the cogitator linked in the vox-unit, to transfer the data from Hastus, takes another sip of amasec and responds.

"I see...sounds intriguing to say the least. Honour duel was the official excuse but the family wants to look into it. I don't blame 'em, Throne knows I don't trust the "green cloaks" much either. I'll try to get a few hours of sleep after reading your report and i'll wait for her in the morning. Oh, and I hope you've changed the brand of lho sticks you smoke. I could smell the smoke of your last ones, even through the vox, old man.

Anyway, what about that underhive gang boss you mentioned? How is he implicated in all that mess? Was he the alleged murderer? Because it would be very interesting to have a suspect that is supposed to have been shot, stubbed and burnt courtesy of those bloodthirsty fanatics, that call themselves Redemptionists. And just in case, i missed something due to this temperamental vox-unit of mine, did they supposedly kill him two months ago or merely exterminated his gang?"

[profitofrage]

(will now use colours to show speech)
The vox whirred for but a second as the data slate was updated with the case files.
"Heh..it isnt a real lho stick if you cant feel the burn Kid. As for The gang itself, wasnt really anything special..just your average middle hive gang...the only note of interest about them was there salughter by the last redemptionist mob." Haster said before taking a much longer drag.

"but yea..this Lupus was burnt...nasty affair to..dowsed him in that special brand of promethium the ecclisiarchy like to use...burnt real slow..At least thats what the case file said"

XXX-Data Slate-XXX

You can tell by the report that a clear lack of evidence..or effort was put into the report itself several if not the majority of the form not filled out. One perculiar fact is that Subject A's name appears to have been expunged.

Case file.
Case file - lower hab block ZA53 - market district
Subjects involved:
Subject A - Male 6,3 pale complection, dark hair, blue eyes, name withheld.
Subject B - Male 5,9 fair complection, dark hair, green eyes, name Lazerus Octus, deceased.

Incident report:
Duel of honour - conditions were to the death
Cause: Subject B - A one Lazerus Octus was believed to have insulted the honour of Subject A - A one XXXXXXXXXXX who then called a duel to the death after the conditions were agreed upon. Subject B succumbed to grevious wounds to the neck, chest, leg and hip before dying of bloodloss.
Recording made by Servitor 897B about a "official complaint"

A one Diona Lazerus - "This is rediculous..my son slighted noone and it was no Dual of HONOUR!...why wont anyone listen to me..my son was MURDERED!...Murdered by that scoundral Silon...Silon LUPIS!" - recording ended when subject stormed off.

[Calimos]

Torrian reads carefully through the contents of the reports in the data-slate, his face showing growing concern, as the primary suspect's name seems to be expunged.

"Just received the files Hastus. Not much, regarding details but i'll look it up for myself, once i get to talk with the victim's mother. There's, however, one thing that worries me. Do tell me, was it your idea to expunge the name of the primary suspect or those nitwit "green cloaks" erased it? Do you have any further info about it?

Oh and since we're at it. There are a couple of things missing as well, making me agree with your initial assessment of the sloppy treatment this case got from the Magistratum forces. Most of the report form is incomplete. There are no names of the officers that went on scene and handled the case. They refer to an honour duel, yet they cite no witness testimonies. And there is no reference to the murder weapons or to any report from a coroner. My only conclusion so far is that it wasn't probably a las weapon, as it should cauterize the wound upon impact, searing the skin and not causing blood loss. But I can't be certain yet.

Did they take the body to any hospital close by? I'll probably go check if there's a medical facility near the market district where the incident took place and see if i can find anything in its morgue.

Hmmm....this is either badly handled, or something is wrong or perhaps both. Anyway, is it possible to retrieve and send me those files regarding the redemptionist purge of the gang and the alleged death of Silon Lupis? If they included an image or description of him would be much appreciated. This way i could see if his characteristics match those of the suspect's. Also, you see, i need to make sure that the victim's mother knows that it was Lupis and not someone else using his name, in case she'd seen him and also to use this info as leverage to push the grieving lady - if necessary - to reveal any shady dealings her son might have, that drove him to this regrettable end.

And thanks again for the heads up Hastus. If only half of our arbitrators were such as you. I was damn lucky to have you drag me out of this corrupt maze back then and watch my back since. I'll make sure to be there for you, should the need arises. You know I will".

[profitofrage]

The vox began to beep ounce more hissing and whirring.

"what you see there is all the information that was put in..when I asked why the name was expunged they said that it must have been an error that whiped the name..my guess is that 'error' came in the form of a hefty sum of thrones. another drag on the lho stick, followed by a quick muffled cough.

"And nah..now other files came with it..no witness report..no medicae file..nothing...I know the Green Cloaks dont look into honour duels unless there upper hive..but the lack of info on this is rediculous.
You are in luck when it comes to the Redemptionists though..when there purging sinners they dont mind taking pictures of it...usually post them up all over the under hives..those pictures usualy get back to us at some point. Picture of Lupis is coming through now along with info on the gang itself..though thats limited.


XXX-Data Slate update-XXX

Crime organisation file XDA12 - Subject Silon Lupis
within is a picture of a man matching the description given of lupus (or at least meets the vauge criteria the report has) he doesnt look like the average underhiver sort, Indeed he looks like most anyother middle hiver except the trademark gang tatoo on the right half of his face. The tatoo itself are two guns, faced as if to immitate the imperial aquila.

Crime Organisation file XDA12 - gang "The Thrones Guns"

The gang prior to purging was a small sort, known for attacking and stealing from other underhive gangs and having a great disdain for mutants and subhumans. Although targeting weaker gangs and mutants is rather common in the underhives the group itself was notable for attacking the interests of larger criminal Organisations like the 'Masks' (see subsequent file XDB78 - Gang "The Masks")
Although one would suspect there end be caused by said rivals it was the redemptionists that finally purged them from the hive. The gang itself estimated in numbering barely 12 individuals was quickly put down by the redemptionist warband and every member was reported killed and bodies accounted for (see Medicae report JGH65 - subsection H87).
The leader and founder of the gang itself was one Silon Lupis (deceased).
He was noted for his exceptional planning and what can only appear as blind luck. Indeed his enthusiastic targeting of any mutants or subhumans were the only notable features ever recorded on the subject..as other then making enemies fast the gang lived a very short life span (more so then most underhive gangs that size). The accuracy of this information however could be called into question, as the Redemptionists claim that it was for associating with mutants that he and his gang was sentanced to be purged.

[Calimos]

"Alright, Hastus. I received the file and will review it. Preliminary assessment indicates that the suspect could be our "dead" ganger. His activities though were quite at odds with the redemptionists final judgement...Anyway, i'll guess i'll start looking after i talk to the victim's mother and i'll take it from there. In case of any serious implication or noteworthy development i'll let you know. Thank you again and may the Emperor watch over you old friend. Torrian out".

[profitofrage]

"No problem, take care old friend...I dont want to have to come in to save your ass." Hastus said with a chuckle.
"Hastus out" The vox cutting out into dead silence. The sounds and smells of the hive city returning, seeping into the office ounce more now that Torrian's mind was no longer occupied with the conversation.

(the Mother will be arriving tomorow morning, anything you wish to do? look up? or occupy yourself with till morning?)

[Calimos]

Torrian took some more moments to think on the latest data he received. He drank some more amasec and for a few minutes he almost phased out, lost in thought. Then he shook his head, stood up and opened the office window, to get some cold air inside. Cold air hitting him in the face always helped to get his mind cleared and focused. He cleared the office, since he'd be receiving a lady client tomorrow, and started making a case diagram over in blackboard he had on the wall behind him.

Over the board he pinned a map of the Market District and marked with red the place of the alleged honour duel/murder. Then he pinned the reports indicating the suspects and the event as well as the description of Silon Lupis. It would seem as if the dead ganger had returned to life to bring even more death...strange...but Torrian was determined to get to the bottom of it. Torrian also marked the location of the nearest medicae center in which the body of the victim could probably be found and reviewed all the information once again, taking time to look to the old archives, case files and reports he had kept from his active duty days, for anything relevant to the marketplace area and the vicinity, as well as any relevant information on gang dealings and illicit activities that took place there in the past. Maybe after the testimony of the victim's mother, he'd get some more clues and a cleare view of where to start. If not, he'd hit the streets tomorrow and do this as he knew. Close and personal.

He closed the window and the lights, locked the door and went to his apartment and after eating some leftovers from his lunch he went to bed. He should get some sleep, since he had a nagging feeling that tomorrow would be a long day.

[profitofrage]

XXX-The Market District-XXX

the Market district itself was the only real place of interest in Hab block ZA53 or as the locals called it "soot alley" due to the market district itself being an abandoned heavy crawler railway. The large train like vehicles ran into issues in a hive quake at least a decade ago, the tracks themselves broken and considered to expensive to fix. Instead the large trains where hollowed out and rebuilt into make shift market stalls for the middle hive vendors to sell there wares.
Petty crime is of course common..as it usually is throughout the hive. However the small magistratum prescint nearbye understands the importance of the area and always has a few well trained men to keep an eye on the place.
Called "red dots" because they stand atop the metallic tower in the middle of the district(it was the old traffic control tower for the railway) and will often fire warning shots at trouble makers.

There are of course many files pertaining to crimes that have occured in the district, however few contain information directly relevant to the case. It is noted however that several gangs charge merchants set up there "for protection" on top of what the merchants have to pay the merchant guilds who actualy own the area itself.

XXX-Medicae facility-XXX
The closest Medicae facility near the market district. Supports a higher then average survival rate to those admitted ( 23%). Run by one "Jacob Merenz" it is a great example of how a medicae facility can preform despite constant budget cuts and lack of working staff. The building itself is a large one, acting as the default medicae facility for the dozen hab blocks surrounding it. There is controversy as to how it admits patients however. While most medicae facilities of course charge an entrance fee, this medicae facility waves its right to do so...instead having untrained personel make quick diagnostic tests and only admitting those in dire need. While this is unorthodox..one cant question the results.


As Torrian slept the hive spire around him did not, in constant motion and permenant bustle as it always was. It was only untill the next day did anything of note really happen.
The Elevator that ran up the center of the building could be heard lurching and spluttering as the compartment climbed the various levels approaching his. When it finally arrived the familiar DING could be heard on the level and a thin averagly dressed women nervously stepped out and made her way to the door she had been instructed to knock twice on.

The women would have been in her late twenties...matching the approximate age of her son 14-15...not to surprising to find women pregnant not to long after puberty in the middle hives....a larger family bringing in more money after all.
She was dressed in a red flowing dress, adorned in a layer of fur that was almost certainly fake but served the purpose of warmth just as well. Pinned on the garmet were various shiney star shaped metals ( a fashoin that took the upper hive by storm not long ago..of course there version involved small holo lith devices that showed images of stars dancing around the wearer.)
she was clearly nervous if a little upset, in her hand was a picture no doubt of her son. she clutched it tight in one hand the other carrying a small bag that jingled with the sound of thrones.
After knocking on the door her soft if chirpish voice was finally heard.
"Hello...I was told to come here about my son?"

[Calimos]

Torrian was up early in the morning. Habits of long time service in the Arbites and the Divisio, even though his service at the latest organization had messed up his sleeping hours as much as his mentor's. He washed his face, wore his uniform and drunk a cup of bitter recaf to clear his mind. He closed his apartment and went to his office, opening the window to refresh the air and making sure it was somewhat tidy. He placed the files on the desk, checked the map again and sorted out the relevant reports and information on the area of the incident.

He wanted to project an aura of seriousness and professionalism to the victim's mother, aiming to earn her trust and make her believe that he'd carry out the investigation as dilligently as possible. After all, he didn't know any other way to conduct an investigation other than the right and proper.

When he heard the knock on the door, Torrian straightened up and went to open. As the young lady entered, he closed and locked the door, offering the lady a seat in front of his office.

"Good morning Ms. Lazerus and welcome to my office. I was expecting you, since I was told about your problem from a good friend. My name is Torrian Severus and i'm ex-Arbites and currently private investigator. Please have a seat. Would you like me to bring you something to drink? A cup of recaf or perhaps a glass of amasec? Get comfortable and when you're ready you can tell me what you know of this incident that lead to your son's demise. Then i'll ask you specific questions and we'll see what we can find out".

[profitofrage]

The women nodded and walked inside, taking a seat and holding the picture and bag in her lap as she nodded.
"whatevery ou have is fine, I dont want to impose" She said looking around and fidgeting, she was obviously a little uncomfortable.
"Its a pleasure to meet you Mr Severus...i wish it were under better circumstances" She said clearly holding back her sadness over the issue.
"As I told the servitor...the man who killed my son did not do it in a duel....my son would never insult somone like that...let alone agree that the conditions where to the death!.....The man who killed him obviously paid the Red Dots off..." She said before turning her head away.
"Noone seemed to believe me...and i suppose im not surprised....but my Son was a good boy...he had potential to get out of this place...make something of himself.." She said clearly getting teary eyed.
"I want the man who did this to be punished....i dont care how....All i have is the savings we got from the shops profits...its all we have.." She said placing the small bag on the table. Within what would be for them nearly a years worth of savings (300 thrones).

[Calimos]

Torrian nods to the young lady and prepares for her a cup of recaf, adding some sugar and leaves it on the desk in front of her.

He then sits on his chair, opposite from the lady, resting his hands on the desk and continues.
"I see. You know a hive city is chaotic at times and unfortunately the magistratum forces aren't known for their thorough investigations. I understand that it's a source of great pain for you and i appreciate your composure, but please share with me some details about your son. I see you have a picture with you, is it him?

Tell me, how old was he and what was he into?
Working in some place, maybe at your own store - oh and by the way, what kind of a shop do you have - or learning some other trade perhaps?
What about your hunsband? How's he holding up and what is his view of the matter?
About your son's personality, his behaviour?
Did he have any particularly close friends that you know of, whom i could approach and perhaps find out more?
Did your son ever exhibited signs of problematic or illegal behavior or had any troubles with the Law or with criminal gangs?
And something else, maybe more serious. In your report to the Arbites servitor you mentioned that you knew the name of your son's killer and that it was Silon Lupis. How do you know it was him and what do you know of this man? Did your son had any relations or antagonism towards him or anything else?

While laying the questions one by one for the lady to answer, Torrian keeps detailed notes in a case file of his. Then he looks up and sees the purse that the lady leaves on the table and listens to her mention of her son's potential. The grief is evident in her teared eyes and her desperation is evident in the sum of money she has brought before him. He gently pushes it back to her and gives her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Ma'am you're a hard working, Emperor fearing citizen and i am here to help. I cannot accept such a sum of money, not while knowing that these money belong to hard working people, who on top of all lost their son. I will not charge you more than my usual salary would be and that would depend on the time that your case will take to solve. A month's pay for me was around 77 thrones and that was for a full month of dealing with any crime you can imagine, day and night. I am not in this for the money, young lady, but rather to uphold law and justice. I will only accept 30 thrones as down payment for any potential expenses i may need to do in the course of the investigation. If there are any important developments i'll let you know and when it is concluded i'll tell you if more money are needed.

Now please. Forget about money and concentrate on answering my questions and we'll try to get to the bottom of this".

[profitofrage]

She gingerly placed the picture of her son on the table.
The picture itself was of a strapping surprisingly happy young lad. It shows him standing behind what is clearly one of the market stalls filled with clothes of some kind.

"He was 15...I shouldnt really be calling him a boy..since hes more of a man then his father ever was....I havnt seen him since the day he was concevied....he was all I had...but we got by..my father left me there stall and the 12 month lease...Ive been working there ever since with my son.
We mostly sell clothing.....well thats not entirely true...we sell knock off up hive stuff...we get normal cloths and adorn them with the latest fashoins...as best we can" she said pointing out her dress.

"The locals seem to really like it...we were actually getting by rather nicely...Octus was always so happy...he never asked for anything and he always ran the shop so well...he sold twice as much that I did..he was a blessing...." she said getting teary ounce more, rubbing her eyes and sniffing to hold it all back.

"He was always well manored...he didnt have any friends but i suppose that was my fault keeping him so busy...but he never complained...He couldn't have gotten himself into trouble..not with the law or any gangs..Hes not that kind of boy." She said shakiing her head to any notion he might be a criminal.

"Silon...he was looking at our stock....Octus was out front at the time I was busy in the back sewing. I heard him insulting the cloths...and if theres one thing that makes my son angry is when you insult his mothers work....such a good boy....i suppose whatever he said got the man angry because he threatened him....Told him that his name was Silon Lupis...and that hed be sorry he said that."
"He left...and a few hours later Octus went off to get something to eat....He had barely left the stall when i heard a shout and a gunshot....when i came out he was dead....just lying there" She said tears streaming down her face, her hand coming up to her eyes to try and conceal it.

"I was told how much I should bring...I brang more.....I dont want this man getting away to murder someone elses son...." She said looking you in the eyes, the implications starting to show through.

[Calimos]

"I understand ma'am. And I apologise for making you relive those moments once again. Please wipe your tears and try to stay strong through this hardship. i'm sure that your son, who is now in the arms of the Emperor, would want you to do that and remember him always as the young energetic man he was.

And if you don't mind me saying, you are doing a truly remarkable job augmenting clothes. The additional details on your dress indicate that you must be talented in your trade indeed.

As for the killer. I did a background check on him and it has turned up a quite strange fact. It seems Ms. Lazerus, that this man who claimed to be Silon Lupis should have been dead two months ago. You see, he was a gang leader in the Underhive and his gang was purged by a band of Redemptionists, who supposedly burnt him to death. His re-appearance, in such a dramatic way is very strange indeed and i'll look on the matter with great care.

And as for the money, i'll say it once again. Other than the downpayment for the expenses, i won't get a single throne from you without good reason, that is in case i need more money for the case to move on or before i have solved it for good. And do not worry. I understand your desire for vengeance and I promise i'll do everything in my power to make sure justice triumphs and no other ever griefs because of this scum. I know his kind and i assure you i know how to handle such individuals".

With that, and to emphasize his point, Severus stands up, taking off his uniform from the waist up, revealing his tattooed torso and arms to the lady.

"I've been in the Underworld many years ago, when i was at the age of your son and I'll make sure that as i dealt with them back then, i'll deal with Silon Lupis now. I'll start my investigation right away, by surveying the place and asking around to see what i can get out of the locals. And then we'll see. Now, and since i'll be heading to the marketplace, would you mind if I escorted you back to your store? Walking around with your shop savings isn't always very prudent".

[profitofrage]

The women looks at you with a smile, the first time you see it. She seems to say nothing at the compliment but you can see it was appreciated. She seems to have calmed down after hearing that you would indeed take care of the problem and take the case on.
She stares at the tatoos for but a moment before blushing and turning away.

That was when her temprement changed, shocked at the news that the man was supposed to have been dead she shook her head and spoke polightly.
"im sure of what i heard...He said his name was Silon Lupis...im sure of it." She said before standing up.

"Id very much like to take you up on your offer...i cant help but feel alot less safe around here now" she concluded, taking the bag of thrones back again and peering inside and placing a handful of thrones neatly on the desk.
"That should be about 30.." She said counting them quickly.

"I really cant thank you enough...Its been such a hard time for my family lately....well...me now i suppose....It seemed like only yesterday that I was rejoicing over Octus' recovery." she said ounce more now ready to leave.

[Calimos]

Torrian put his trusted sidearm in its shoulder holster, wore a belt with bullets around his waist, put on his black flak cloak, making sure that he had inside its spacious and specifically sewn pockets all the equipment he might need as well as his easily concealed knife. He put the thrones into a leather pouch and in one of his cloak's pockets, grabbed a pack of lho sticks and his notebook, alongside Octus' picture from the office and then moved on to open the door for Ms. Lazerus.

As they exited the office, he locked the door and turned to her, while walking to the elevator.
"Recovery? Was your son sick as of lately?"

[profitofrage]

She followed him out and thanked him for opening the door for her, obviously not used to such polight treatment.
"Your a very kind man...and yes...He caught a serious fever several months ago...I was terrified because many had died from the very same thing....he pulled through though..complete recovery thanks to the doctors at the medicae facilitiy..."
She said entering the elevatus, the plain metalic walls streched around all sides, easily large enough to fit in dozens of people. However now it was empty bar the two of you. The button to the bottom floor already having been pushed.

[Calimos]

"I see...was he treated in the medicae facility supervised by Dr. Jacob Merenz?"

[profitofrage]

"yes thats the one...i was really worried to...they only admit certain patients..."
She said before the elevatus began to lurch and decend.
"We were in great luck though...he initially told me that such a fever was fatal if we couldnt pay for the expensive medicines....Thats when we were told hed be perfect for the alternative...they were running a cheap experimental procedure having great successes in all sorts of areas...it was barely a week before he came out healthier then ever." She said smiling.
"its a pity such a success...went to waste..." The smile fading fast.

[Calimos]

"Truth be told i've heard about this Dr.Merenz and his - let's say - unconventional methods. I'll probably pay him a visit as well. And hopefully there will be certain witnesses to the murder, even though i'd imagine they may be afraid after that development. No matter, i'll find a way Ms Lazerus to get to the bottom of this".

[profitofrage]

She turned her head his way and looked inquisitivly.
"Well emperor bless that place...and i suppose the man who runs it." she said starting to sound a little more casual.
"They even accepted the body free of charge...said they remembered me and felt sorry for such a loss."
She said suddenly going into deap thought. The elevator suddenly jerking to a halt and opening up into the streets.

(for 1 throne you can take a transporter "bus" or you can call in a hover rover for 5 thrones)

[Calimos]

"Well, that's very kind of them, I'll go see them when we get there. Now come, let's go".

OOC
I'll call a hover rover for 5 thrones.

[profitofrage]

The hover rover slowly stops at the top of a kind of ramp. The doors sliding open and the servitor in the front practically barking to pay the tole.
"5 Thrones...place the amount in the tray in front of you...then clearly state your destination."

Ms Lazerus apprehensivly gets into the vehicle..and gawks at the servitor.
"Youll have to excuse me...im certainly not used to actually being in these." She said before looking out window.

[Calimos]

"Nothing to worry about. Just get yourself comfortable and we'll be there shortly".

Torrian approached the servitor and placed the requested sum of thrones in the tray. "To the Market District", he said to the servitor.

[profitofrage]

The thrones clanked and slid through the tray and slid shut ounce the destination was set. The doors slid back shut and slowly but surely the machine groaned and began to ascend. When it reached a certain distance above the ground it began to lurch forward towards the market district.

(is there anything you wish to ask her before you arrive?)

[Calimos]

OOC
Can't think of something else at the moment. Some small talk perhaps, to somewhat take her mind off the tragic death of her son and improve her mood. Also, i'll take advantage of the fact that we're approaching the Market District from an elevated position, to take a good look in the area and probably with the help of morning light discern anything useful.

As a sidenote, i'll be afk for a few hours (2 or 3), since i'll have to go to escort a family member to a doctor, so i won't be able to post for that time. Just letting you know. And thank you for the great interaction so far. :smallsmile:

[profitofrage]

OOC
Thats fine, its been great roleplaying with you so far. Make a standard Fellowship role for the small talk ^_^ + 30 since your already in her good books. a success will solidify her opinion on you which may come in handy later.

[Calimos]

OOC
Fellowship roll: [roll0] vs 60 [Fel (30) + 30]

[Calimos]

OOC
Using a fate point (one out of three my character has), to re-roll the previous Fellowship test
[roll0] Damn....as of lately the forum's dice roller must really hate me...not a single success in a lot of rolls. And not even by using FPs to re-roll. Bah...let's hope my efforts to establish myself as a person of trust towards Ms Lazerus won't be entirely ruined by this...

[profitofrage]

OOC
It wont, youve already done well to establish a strong connection. :P I will never allow a fellowship test to override what i consider to be absolutly superb roleplaying. What it means is that the cab ride was perhaps unually silent or that she continued to get upset.

The Hover Rover Flew above the city streets and towards the market district. It would have been an hour of flying, begging to question how it was that ms Lazerus got here to begin with. She said she walked or took transporters, an expensive trip for a citizens pay rate.

The city streets gradually got more ill kept and grimier untill finally the large frieght train station that was the market district came into view. A thousand people all bustling in the one place, with a place so crowded there could be a hundred witnesses to the crime.
Coming up out of the middle of the many hollowed out frieght trains was a tower resembling more of a bunker held aloft by several large coloumbs and a staircase. On top lay what was most certainly a few heavy stubbers and several trained armed men.
The hover rover slowly descended to yet another ramp like creation, no doubt to ensure the vehicle never had to actually land. However this one was in complete disrepair and a block or so away from the market itself.

"Emper be with you" The servitor croaked as you left the confines of the vehicle before shutting the doors and taking off.

"You know i had always wondered what those ramps were for..." Your Client cherped.
"The market district is that way...I can take you to our stall" She said leading the way.
The sites and smells were very much overwhelming.
There were countless people all dressed in the similar quirky manor, with various trinkets pinned onto there outfits or otherwise themed mottifs mimiking the far more advanced (and actually good looking) noble fashions.
The smells of fried ration bars and ...various...meat looking products scoured the entrances of the market place..no doubt to catch those hungry after a day of ridding yourself of change.
The market definably matched its discription, there were lines of Frieght trains, the metallic boxes having been cut open to form entrances and windows from which men and women would shout out offers to people below asking for produce. On the sides of them graffeti or product prices littered the walls. It was not uncommon for shanty like venders to have built up on the side of the larger "shops" simply to sell wares, others would walk through the streets itself hoping to shove a garmet in a mans face and ask if they would purchase it.

[Calimos]

The Market District was sure living up to its name and reputation. Not much unlike the places Torrian had grown up back in Sinophia, even though a foreboding sense of decay was hanging like fog in all things. Here, it seemed like a place where everything could happen and perhaps evade attention and detection due to the crowd and general fuss, should one attempted to conceal it. A true place to put his investigation skills to the test. He prayed to the Emperor that this time of inactivity hadn't rusted him much, for it seemed that he would need his senses and wits in this place, to function "overtime".

"Sure Ms. Lazerus, lead the way. I'd really like to see your stall. This place is bustling with all sorts of activity and a keen mind and eye is needed to navigate it. I must say it should have been quite an ordeal for you to go such a long way to come and find me. And all this while carrying your savings with you. I think you're much more resolute and strong willed woman than you ever let your appearance imply. And that you evidently loved your son. Your determination makes me think that i should do even more to solve this case and put an end to the perpetrator".

[profitofrage]

Ms Lazerus nods and starts leading Torrian through the dense crowds before leaning over and whispering in his ear.
"Please you flatter me...but on that note..please dont say how much money were carrying again...its asking for trouble" before backing away and weaving through the crowd. She seemed expert at it, judging the flow and movement of the crowd to almost perfect effect. Indeed you would have trouble keeping up with her if it wernt for her watchfu eye ensuring you do just that.

OOC
difficult terriagn, you dont have to make a test now just know for later that moving in such a crowd for any given purpose will impose a -10 penalty if not rushed. -20 if rushed or -30 if running. alternativly concealment tests gain +10 or 20 bonus due to the crowd (situation determines which bonus)


Soon after much walking you get to another of the hollowed out train carts, this one however apears closed. The metal doors shut tight and held that way with chains locked with primitive locks.
"I know it doesnt look like much security...but the other shop keeps nearbye watch the place when were out...and of course since we live here thats not often" She said looking upset.
"I dont think i will be able to stay here for much longer...not with the memories..." SHe said sadly.

[Calimos]

"I understand Ms. Lazerus. And by the way, your skill in crossing these crowded areas is remarkable. You should tell me how you manage to estimate with such precision the ebbs and flows of this crowd. It could prove very useful in the case of having to either follow or chase someone in this sea of people.

Also, if you decide to relocate, please contact me, so that i know where i can find you, in case i need to ask you something, or update you on the investigation's progress and results.

Now, if you'd be so kind to point me to the direction of the Medicae Facility of Mr. Jacob Merenz, as well as to the place your son went for food prior to the incident. Unless there is something else that you wish to ask or tell me, i should be on my way to begin my investigation".

[profitofrage]

She nodded in responce.
"Its not really something you can teach...just something you get used to. Ill be sure to let you know if anything changes....as for the Medicae...Its to the east of here" She said pointing off in its direction.
"If you head down that way youll get to a proper street..Just follow it along...id be surprised if someone like you could miss it." She said before unlockoing the chain and opening the door, then hesitantly walking down the steps towards you.
"I really cannot thank you enough for this...With someone like you helping..im sure That horrible man will pay" She said before saying her goodbyes and entering her humble house.

OOC
I rolled a secret perception test for you, here are the results.

As ms lazerus is entering the house you cannot help but feel as if your being watched. Your keen senses..or perhaps blind luck allow you to catch the eye of a man not to far off...staring rather intently at you. Its hard to see the mans face beneath his rather concealing cloak...but it is clear he was looking at you. It also seems he saw you looking at him, as it was when you looked back that he casually turned and walked behind the corner of one of the many freight train container stores.

[Calimos]

"Goodbye, Ms Lazerus, take care".

Torrian walked away of Ms Lazerus' stall and - having noticed that strange individual watching him - moved towards that freight train, behind which that individual went, but from the opposite side, as if to catch him off guard in case he would wait there. As he walks, he pulls the hood of his cloak over his head, and prepares himself.

He hadn't expected to be watched right from the start, but if someone ran an underhive gang, had the guts and means to escape a redemptionist purge, kill a young man in cold blood and somehow manage to have his name expunged from the incident report, it wouldn't be beyond him to ensure by watchful eyes that things remained undisturbed.

He was planning to go to the Medicae Facility and then check the streets around but what the heck. He never enjoyed being watched. And as Hastus used to tell him since his first day on the streets as an arbitrator in training, "trust in your gut feeling Thorn and in the Emperor".

Or perhaps he was simply paranoid and was imagining conspiracies lurking in every corner. Oh well, blame a childhood in Sinophia and his service to the Arbites and the Divisio for that.

[profitofrage]

OOC
ive rolled perception tests and concealment tests for you, though in the future you may roll the concealment tests IF you wish i just did so this time out of speed. Though since concealment isnt a "hidden" roll ill let you know that you passed very well...rolled a 22. the following is the result.

Passing through to the other side of the tracks you see the individual walk off into the crowd. He doesnt seem to notice you and continues walking. There are a fair few people in the way, but you see the side of his face as he turns.
Although specifics could not be determined the individual definably looked young..to young to be Silon. The trench coat the individual wore didnt exactly stand out in the crowd..but it was just different enough to allow you to keep a fine eye on him through the crowd.

[Calimos]

Absolutely no problem at all. You can keep rolling these tests for me, to keep the pace faster.

Hmmm....too young to be the murderer. But who knows, thought Torrian. The stranger had been watching him but now the tables had turned. And if he followed him, he could uncover his dealings, his hideout and perhaps gain some more clues on who had sent him to keep watch in the Market District and what was the reason behind it. Then he would pay a visit to the medicae facility and see what he could learn from there. But for now, by the Emperor's grace, his quarry was ahead of him.

[profitofrage]

OOC
im going to assume that by tests you are also including the shadowing tests perception tests and concealment tests?
it does make things faster. I also have my own dice roller that can roll various tests all at ounce. in any case ill let you know what you roll each time for the applicable tests.

Shadowing rolled a flat 60, not so great a roll. If you wish to spend a fate point just let me know and ill re roll and edit the reaction.

The target seemed to continue on unhindered through the crowd, indeed familiarly so. This did however lead to an issue, as just as the crowd seemed to turn flow the criminal turned back and smiled an eery smile before ducking off down a make shift alley way formed by two containers laid side by side.
It appears as if the target found out you were following him..and was now trying to make an escape.

[Calimos]

As i said previously no problem at all. You can handle most rolls. I'm fine with that and since it's just the two of us in this game, and you rolling them via your own dice roller speeds the pace, there are no objections. :smallsmile:

Also, since it was my first lead in the case and he was already watching me for some reason apparently, i would really like to get to the bottom of it and follow him successfully, so i'll spend my second FP, and you can re-roll the shadowing test, achieving hopefully a better outcome.

[profitofrage]

OOC
unfortuanatly on the re roll you rolled a 55. doesnt look like luck is with you today. HOWEVER i rolled an agility test at - 10 (i.e your rushing after him through the crowd) and you scored a 22 which funily enough is exactly what you needed to pass. So although you havnt caught him you can keep him in site if you wish to persue.

[Calimos]

Torrian curses under his breath, seeing the man's eerie smile and his subsequent attempt to shake him off. He begins chasing him, ever mindful of the dense crowd, trying to keep the stranger in sight and catch up with him. And if he manages to do that, well he can be quite persuasive.

[profitofrage]

The subsequent street is just as thick but far more straight, the man easily spoted. Although he isnt running his "casual pace" is astonishing in such a dense crowd of people. The people themsevles buying produce, moving it or likewise trying to get to one place or another. Luckily your beinging to catch the feel of the crowd and begin to catch up to your target, who although proving hard to keep up with...seems to show no signs of worry about your advance.

OOC
aposing agility tests between you both. first to reach five degrees of success wins. You amazingly made it to 4 before the NPC's luck stopped having him roll 80 + and even with your 4 degree lead..he eventually won. seems like my dice roller likes close calls :P

You amazingly manage to get at least 10 meters away from him, his apearal now clearly visible. The cloak itself was old, perhaps just a little ill kept but still in one peice. Plenty of pockets, no doubt for hiding loot in covering ones face when on the run. However it was when you got this close that the man turned and the first look on his face was finaly visible.
Young..very young, younger then you expected. The boy would have not been a day older then 17 perhaps even younger, yet was still fairly tall for his age. This time however there was no smile...instead a grimace and a quick burst of speed you had not expected him to pull off in the dense crowd. Ducking behind and through a corner store he scooted back into the laneway you remember walking down with Ms lazerus. The shop keeper saw him walk through and after quickly checking that nothing had been stolen grumbled and continued with his work.
Luckily your legs had not totally failed you yet.

OOC
you rolled a decent agility test of 24..though its not enough to have kept the race going its within one AG bonus from passing...thus you might get through to see him scamper off somewhere..maybe gaining something from this afterall. That will only occur of course.if you take said shortcut through the stall as he did.

[Calimos]

Marshalling all of his physical resources, Torrian mutters another curse under his breath and redoubles his efforts not to lose this youngster, taking that shortcut, through the stall, in an attempt to see where the young man ran off to.

[profitofrage]

Bursting through the stall ignoring the curses and shouts from the store keeper you make through the other side and find a perculiar site. The crowd here was thinner now, it being in direct line of site to the communications tower barely 30 meters away, but this was to be expected. No what was perculiar was the slow walking cloaked figure in front of you. Was he even trying to escape now?
No he was walking casually if anything only trying to conceal his face ounce more and stick close to the sides of a container shop...was it a poor attempt to go unnoticed?

[Calimos]

Or perhaps something else was at work here. Torrian checked again the last place he'd seen the young man, right next to the stall before dissapearing from his sight, but not before unholstering his trusted sidearm and keeping it concealed in his cloak's pocket, ready, in case there was an ambush awaiting him.

Back in Sinophia, the gangs used young and athletic individuals as thieves and runners. One of their well-known tricks to evade arrest was for one of them to run towards a place where his accomplice waited for him. Then the first would go hiding nearby after outrunning his pursuers, while the next one, dressed like him would walk normally ahead. The victim or pursuer would catch up with the "fake" thief, only to be embarassed and confused, as the perpetrator walked away unnoticed and unscathed.

If something like that was happening now, Torrian made sure he wouldn't fall for it.


I'll check the place near the stall once again and then -if i don't notice anything strange, i'll go ahead and intercept the cloaked man.

[profitofrage]

OOC
out of sheer disbelief :P i thought id share what just happened with my dice roller. instead of rolling the ONE perception test..i accidently had it roll three....AMAZINGLY all three of them were 01. Statistically..its possible :P but WOW.


The street savy Arbite was not to be fooled, he checked the immediate area, looked for other ways the suspect could have gone in the short time they ran ahead of him. However as well as Torrian searched he could find no young man..let alone one in a coat such as that. Having nowhere else to turn he tapped the suspects shoulder, his weapon still concealed.
However as his suspicians had been..it was no young man residing in the cloak...but rather an older man...even sporting a small whisker of 9 o clock shadow.
"Oh my...your a bit bold trying to rob a man in the middle of the street" He said looking odly calm, obviously having noticed your hand under your cloak.
"I havnt got anything for you..and the tower is just there for peats sake you wont make 5 yards."

[Calimos]

Frustrated at the young man's achievement to escape, but not willing to let any of this get to him, Severus cleared his mind and smiled to the old man.
"Rob you, in the middle of the street, in broad daylight? Why would i want to do something like that? No, good sir, I merely want to talk to you".

Torrian got his leather wallet from an inside cloak pocket, displaying his Arbitrator ID to the man and gently gesturing to the side of a nearby shop to go there and continue their conversation.

"It would be best to follow me. I won't take much of your time and your first drink is on me", he added.

OOC
Well that is quite unlikely but apparently it does happen. :smallsmile: Was it a test for my character to spot the youngster nearby according to my initial suspicions? If so, and i couldn't do it with 01 in perception, then the young gentleman is quite talented and smart indeed....Hmmm....maybe we should recruit him. :smallwink:

[Calimos]

OOC
As a sidenote, i'll be going out now, to the university to talk with a professor etc, and i'll be probably afk for 2-3 hours and thus unable to post. Just letting you know. See you later and thanks again for the great interaction. :smallsmile:

[profitofrage]

ooc
In order for the boy to have beaten you he would have had to beat your several degrees of succes with his opposed agility test..unless there is something else going on entirely.

The old man saw that badge and seemed shocked for but a moment before taking a deep look into Torrians eyes...indeed deeper then expected as if he was looking for something.
"Ah..im a busy man...wouldnt be here if i wasnt...but with a mighty fine badge like that and such a kind offer for a drink i think ill go along with it"

[Calimos]

Torrian sits with the older man in a bar, preferably in some nearby stall and orders drinks for both after asking the man what he would prefer.

Then he turns to him, looking him intently as if to pierce any deceptions about him and continues.

"Well, thank you for your time sir. Please bear with me as I ask you a few questions and then you can be on your way.
Where you in the Market District for some sort of business i suppose? If so i'll try to be as brief as possible.
To begin with, and since it would be bad etiquette on my behalf, i should introduce myself, since a civilian must always know the representative of the law that he's dealing with. You can call me Thorn. And what is your name sir?
While walking there before i stopped you, did you happen to see any youngster, wearing a coat that was remarkably resembling the one you wear, running off somewhere?
And in case you live or work around here, did you hear anything about a killing that occured yesterday in the area? Some say it was a duel, others that it was cruel murder. Did you perhaps see or hear anything relevant?"

Then he describes to the man, the characteristics and appearance of Silon Lupis, asking him if he's ever encountered such a man in the vicinity, making special reference to the facial tattoo of crossed pistols in his face.

Torrian as he asks those question, pays very close attention, not only to the responses of the older man, but even more to the small and usually overlooked details, as the nuances and variations of his voice, the way he may shift his look or attention while questioned, any kind of shown surprise or annoyment shown in his face etc. It had been quite some time since he carried out a street investigation and wanted to execute this one impeccably.

OOC
You can roll all relevant Inquiry (+10 for me, due to talented), Scrutiny etc tests that may be needed during the conversation, to keep up the pace.

[profitofrage]

The old man listens to your questions carefully, his eye contact tells you that much. However it would appear he was far more interested in drinking the drink you had paid for. He seemed calm..to calm...had he met with Law types before? In any case his behavior was disconcerting...there was something strange about him..but you cant put your finger on it.

"Well its nice to meet you thorn....im Jack" he said with the slightest of grin's...did he spot your lie perhaps? In any case you spotted his..though he wasnt realy trying to hide it.

"I wasn't really all that busy..just scoping out what was around...see the new produce" He said taking a long swig. "I didnt see any kid...but its no wonder you are questioning me...you dont see this kind of long coat very often...not as plain as this anyhow...everyone else preffering the latest fashions" He said with a chuckle and tugging at his coat. If were not for the person in it...youd be sure it was the same one..just as raggard.

"Can't say i Heard anything about the murder...or that Silon you mentioned.." He wasnt lying...at least you couldnt spot anything that would suggest it. Most people had tells, nervous twitches...something. The guilty would act to defensive..or likewise try to hard to appear innocent, the innocent would get angry..disliking being questioned about things they wernt involved in. This man however...did niether, showing no signs of a tell at all..as if hes been practising for this very moment word for word.

"Im sorry Thorn..but i dont think i can be all that much help to you..." he said finishing his drink.

[Calimos]

"I see...indeed it would seem that you haven't been out here yesterday or at least not heard anything of relevance to my investigation. Oh, no matter Mr Jack. At least you seem to be enjoying your drink, so i'll order you one more".

OOC
I want to try a last couple of tricks with that man. If Severus has been in Scintilla and Hive Sibellus for many years, (after he was brought here by Hastus as a teenager), he should know certain facts about the area, that another of similar age would know as well, but a youngster, like the one that escaped him, wouldn't know of. I'd like to ask him something like that to see - according to his answer - if his age is real or misleading or at least to see if he's from around here or not.

Then i'll ask him directly why he was watching me earlier in the Market District in an attempt to surprise him and hopefully mess his calmness a bit.


Torrian orders a second drink for both and asks Jack a question that would fit more in some kind of small talk rather than in an informal questioning procedure, attempting to discern the real age of the man and in a way his origins as well.

Then, after waiting for his answer, Torrian takes another sip of his drink and looks at "Jack" straight in the eyes.
"Well...if you think that you won't be much of a help to me, Jack, then tell me, why were you watching me a bit earlier a few stalls nearby? Is there something else going on?

[profitofrage]

The two men spoke a little more, Torrian buying drinks and likewise trying to get his target to slip up and perhaps divulge whatever it was this man was hiding.

The conversation continued in much the same fashoin, the aura of strangeness and seeming perfection...the man even seemed to play tipsy to an almost perfect degree..giving up more information but never anything remotly useful.
He spoke of the roits that happened in the area that sparked the change of the medicae management nearly a decade ago, even mentioned his friend who had seen the publised arbite raid of the Pleasure Palace down hiding in the lower hive. Indeed the man had seen plenty of this hive..perhaps more then Torrian.

Thats when the topic turned serious. Torrian braeking the mood and staring plainly in the mans eyes. Although partially confused by the question it took barely a second for him to snap to attention.
"Look...I understand that your obviously angry at someone...or have been paid a large sum of thrones to catch whoever it is your looking for....but your clawing up the wrong pillar...I hadnt even seen your face till you approached me" He said before finishing his drink.
"I think this little interview has gone past a meer conversation..so ill thank you kindly for the drinks and be on my way." He said getting up and begining to walk off surprisingly well for a drunk man.

[Calimos]

"Have a good day then. Tread carefully and in the Light of the Emperor."

Torrian wished him well, hiding his frustration under the facade of politeness. This man had either nothing to do with the case or was too well trained for that sort of situations. Anyway, time was passing and he needed to make progress. He thought for a moment to follow this man for a while, perhaps see where he was heading, but then again, since he was already alerted by his presence he would take appropriate countermeasures definitely.

Torrian decided to move on instead and head for the medicae facility. He needed to see the body, check the wounds and talk to Dr. Merenz. Perhaps he could get some more information from there and then he'd probably go talk to the Magistratum Forces as well.

Torrian keeps watching the man for a while, as he walks away, then gets up, pays the drinks and leaves, after taking care to ask the bar owner if he'd ever seen the older man before as well if he'd heard anything about the murder incident.

Then he continues his way to the medicae facility, asking discreetly various store owners and other people if they witnessed the incident, or anyone looking either like Silon or like the young and older man he had previously encountered.

[profitofrage]

OOC-2 thrones for the drinks, i know its nothing :P but it might add up

Although the start of the journey to the medicae facility was fruitless (the bartender mentioning that hed never seen the man before) the rest of the trip was a bounty of information. It seemed that every store clerk had either heard the gunshots or seen the Red Dot guardsmen race down from there tower, something very strange indeed. One particular gentlemen seemed to have been nearbye at the time and was more then happy to speak of the situation.

"Oh it was very strange...see the Red Dots have no trouble spotting a public duel..people stand out of the way..cheer someone on or likewise make a fuss...didnt happen this time though..i woulda heard the bustle BEFORE the screams. Course your occasional murder isnt to unexpected..what was..is that the red dots usually just open fire...or ignore it...no this time they had two or three of em leave there post...i didnt see what went on but i saw they were in a mighty hurry."

Another witness had been nearbye at the time and had plenty of information as the the "dual" itself.
"Was no dual...it was plain as day, that poor boy was walking by the stall and then he lept at him, shouting about how hed get him back...I turned away soon after...you dont want to be around when the Dots start shooting...but the shots never came...that horrid man..that Silon you mentioned..he just kept stabbing away at the guy..over and over...only place he didnt go for was the poor boys head..He didnt stop untill the Red Dots came down and dragged him away...never seen a more suspicious turn of events ill tell you..."

[Calimos]

Torrian listened carefully to all those sources of information, writing the most important details in a small notebook he was carrying. Then, he continued his way to the medicae facility, while recollecting mentally the facts and intel he had managed to gather thus far. Perhaps a discussion with the good doctors would be enlightening and as an adherent to the importance of forensics he wanted to take a good look at the body of the deceased young man, before forming any opinion.

So, Silon was apparently alive and someone in the Red Dots or in another position of influence knew. Otherwise why bother to expunge his name from the report. In addition to that the handling of the situation was hurried and unprofessional on their behalf. Torrian bet he could wrap 'em in so much red-tape if he decided to file formal complaints for their incompetence that they would not be able to clear themselves for quite some time.

And then he started thinking a bit strangely, trying to discern connections not obvious, between the various events, attempting to uncover those strands of seemingly unrelated information, as his duties under the tutelage of his mentor Hastus and his service to the Divisio had taught him.

It was known that Silon was supposedly against mutants and had shown open hostility against them during his gang days. It was also known that this Dr. Merenz was administering some strange and experimental treatments. Could it be that Mr. Silon had developed an "eye" for deviancy and had somehow detected some sort of taint on the young son of Ms. Lazerus, who had recently been treated in Dr. Merenz's facility and would most likely be dead without his intervention.

An elaborate and complex diagram of people, events, relations etc was already forming in Torrian's head and he prayed to the Emperor for additional wisdom to see through it. With such thoughts in mind he made the rest of his way to the Medicae Facility.

[profitofrage]

The streets were sprawling but died down ounce Torrian left the obvious zone of influence the market district seemed to exude. The smell of the crowd began to fade and the smell of soot began to waft by, the true implications of which wouldnt be realised untill later.
It was dark, as it always is in a Hive spire..but as he walked down the streets it seemed to chill if even slightly. The hab block artificial lighting had been neglected like much of the area surrounding it, many of the lights themselves being dull..signs of the power grid failing or perhaps being redirected.
Then it was obvious, Torrian standing across the street from the large surprisingly well kept medicae facility.
The entrance itself was walled off, 10 feet solid rockcrete walls topped with razor wire sorrounded as far as Torrian could see, a little excessive for a medicae facility..but then again one could understand when considering the broken down surroundings and the criminal attracting maket scene not to far away.
On the sides was a large pair of chimny's pouring out fire and ash...and then the connection was made. This medicae facility obviously took care of there own waste disposal....burial being uncommon in anywhere but the upper hives..taxidermy being the popular choice.
The front entrance was guarded by several large burly looking men, a large metallic gate sitting next to some kind of security office. It was obvious one would need to speak to them first before gaining entry. Occasionally a Hovercraft would float overhead and land somewhere within the walls..no doubt carrying the sick who could afford such special treatment. The rest lined up at the door begging to get in, the guards sending a good deal more then half away...none of them dare approaching the gates for fear of angering the guards who no doubt decided who and who could not enter.

OOC
any more information youd like?

[Calimos]

Torrian studied the surroundings for a while and then walked towards the facility's entrance. His sidearm rested now back in its holster and his coat was closed up to his neck, to alleviate the chilly atmosphere around. He wasn't delighted to see the facility's "muscle" waiting up front, but then again it was prudent for an enterprising doctor to take such measures, if he wanted to conduct his job mostly unhindered by various incidents that could have taken place otherwise.

He would not be dettered though and he reached the entrance of the medicae facility, turning to the apparent supervisor of the Security force and asking to enter and speak with Dr. Merenz. A flash of his badge and a hard look would be all they'd get if they decided to question his intent on visiting the facility. He was not in the mood of waiting much and neither did he have any inclination to explain his purpose to them any further.

[profitofrage]

"Hey Where do you think your going...back o the line..like everyone else" One of the white patched uniformed brutes said before Torrian lifted his badge.
"OH..Wow an Arbite...jeez..right this way sir.." The man said shouting at a few sick and bleeding people to move out of the way, ushering you through a door and into the office.
"Whats this about? the sick go through the gate not the office" A tall grizzled man said making his way toward you.

"Hes an Arbite..says he wants to talk to Fancy Pants" The man leading you said with a chuckle making his way outside.

"An Arbite....thats not something you see everyday...or ever...i assume you have a badge?" The security officer said looking over it but still keeping his distance.
"Ah...thats the real thing alright...and if it aint..you paid enough to forge one..and i dont have the inclination to stop someone that determined." he said turning around and tapping away at a data console in the office, then picking up a phone connected to some sort of intercom.

"hello..yes Its Harlem here...we have a visitor here for Dr Merenz...of course hes busy..im here to ask when he IS free...uh huh...gotcha..thanks Laura." The familliar click signalling the end of the conversation.
"Dr Merenz is a mighty busy man...I can get you an appointment with him in 5 months....unless of course you have something more pressing that needs attention now." He said looking back.

Torrian was no rookie, he had been through systems before and whats more knew the tell tale signs of liars..and more so people fishing for information. It was obvious that this 'helpful security officer Harlem wanted to know who hed be letting through the gate and why.

[Calimos]

Torrian got a bored and bothered look in his face, looking straight in the eyes of Harlem.
"I appreciate the fact that you're doing a fine job screening those who wish to enter the facility Mr Harlem. But last time i checked, a servant of the Emperor's Justice didn't need to state his business except to the one he wanted to talk to. The matter is urgent and that is the reason that i'm here without an appointment, otherwise i wouldn't come and disrupt your facility's schedule. Now please, do not waste my time any more. We wouldn't want anyone facing charges for obstruction of justice, now, would we".

Torrian keeps himself composed and entirely calm, even though deadly serious, as he speaks, maintaining a low to normal voice tone. Finally, he gets a couple of thrones of his pocket, tossing them on the officer's desk and says with a smile.

"And keep those to get a couple of drinks with the boys when your shift is off. I know a lot about security business to recognise the burden it causes on people's souls".

Torrian had no intention to appear threatening or overly harsh to the security personnel of the facility. He just wanted to demonstrate his authority in the degree necessary for him to bypass any impediment or obstacle they might put, which could delay him from meeting Dr. Merenz. After all, he knew - all too well - that it was better to have people like you rather than hate you and perhaps this Harlem might have seen some things while working here. After he was done with Dr. Merenz, he'd consider talking to him as well.

[profitofrage]

Harlem quickly doned a grimey grin and picked up the few thrones.
He typed away a little at the data console in front of him before standing up straight and giving the other men in the room the "get out of ear shot before i beat you" look, of which all complied.
"The suppliment to my income is much appreciated..but i wasnt lying about Merenze busy schedule...takes alot to organise and run a medicae facility..hell most of the Doctors here are in fact from the sister's Hospitaller...its the only way we can keep in budget." He said before walking to the door exiting into the courtyard to the hospital entrance.
"now dont think youve tricked me for a second...ive seen Arbite's before..and the badge you had on you had a few extra letters on it..not to mention shinier...your higher up on the food chain..and thats why im going to take your bribe..the first ive taken in my carreer." He said looking a bit worried, leading you through the court yard and towards the large glass doors.
"Merenze will be in his office..top floor..but it aint him you want your eye on i can bet money on it...its where hes getting his extra funding from..but thats all im willing to say" He said hitting a button, the doors slowly opening into a pristene white structure within.

It was with that that Harlem began to leave, heading back to his post.
Within the circuler front desk, manned by white shirted servitors tapping away under the watchful eye of a partially augmented women. Her head raising to see who was entering...the look of surprise crossing her face when she sees what appears to be a healthy man.

[Calimos]

"Much appreciated Mr. Harlem. I know a clever and capable man when i see one and my assumption was correct about you".

He then lowers his voice to almost a whisper and continues.
"If you need to continue supplementing that income or you suddenly feel an urgent need for confession or professional advice, you can leave a message in the local Arbites for "Thorn" of the Divisio Immoralis. I'll be informed and get in touch in you. That or you can use this vox-frequency. It's secure and with no risks."

Gives him the number of vox-frequency he had since his active duty days for handling various contacts, a reassuring pat on his shoulder and continues louder now.
"...and thank you very much for your assistance sir. Your behaviour was commendable. Thank you again and have a nice day".

Then, Torrian proceeds to the front circular desk, looking pleasantly to the lady occupying it.
"Good day my lady. I am here to see the respected Dr. Merenz about a matter of urgent nature and mutual interest. Would you be so kind to direct me to his office?"

[profitofrage]

OOC
- 5 thrones for harlems bribe. when an amount isnt specified exactly..i estimate / err on the side of "what amount would accomplish said goal"
Harlem took the number and pocketed it quickly and nodded. Something told you that he may take you up on your offer.
As you approached the desk you noticed the rather open first floor, many many people of varing shapes and sizes sitting off to the sides awaiting there turn to be cured most likely. occasionaly a servitor would grown out a name and they would approach the desk..otherwise a white cloaked women with the obvious Hospitaller insignia coming and polightly taking people away with orderlies.

"Um Hello there, Im assuming by the look of you that you have no appointment..." She said picking up a phone and dialing several keys.
"Wait here please" She said before patching through.
"Hello..yes theres a man down here seeking Mr..OH i see....no no i understand..of course" She said putting down the phone and looking up at you.
"Mr Merenz is on the top floor, third door on the right...there might be a bit of a wait though..since hes busy..you might catch him briefly though." She said with a soft charm not usually expected from a civil servant. She then pointed at a series of elevators that no doubt went through the entirety of the complex.

[Calimos]

OOC
It's fine. That's also why i don't specify it, since you know better the amount required for each case etc.

Torrian thanks the lady with a smile and a nod and heads towards the elevators to get to the doctor's office, all the while his eyes paying close attention to his surroundings, in case of an interesting detail he may spot.

The brief talk with Harlem was intriguing. He had his suspicions of the Doctor's unusual methods but the funding, yes, that is what was said by some of the precinct's grizzled, veteran investigators. "Follow the money". Well it seemed that whoever those benefactors where, things were definitely deeper that they appeared.

[profitofrage]

The elevator was easy enough, the machine spirits kept so simple and friendly as to allow almost anyone to operate them effectivly. The place may not have been as busy and crowded as the market place..but it was certainly just as busy. People, patients and doctors would get on and out of the elevator as it ascended the various levels. Most if not all of them giving Torrian an inquisitve look. Indeed...some practically stared at him. It was in each group of people who entered and left..at least one of them would see him and stare intently...as if they knew him.

In any case Torrian reached the top floor unhindered, the floor itself being rather open like the bottom floor. Following the direction he came to a large room. out front of which was a servitor that seemed to grown as Torrian approached.

"Name please" it chirped, the servitor componants obiously female in origin, giving the harsh metal cackling a soft tone.

[Calimos]

Torrian tried to shake that strange foreboding feeling that grew on him as he got to the top floor. Those people, their strange looks, almost staring at him, as if...no, damn it, his old paranoia gripping him once again in its slow, cold grasp. He had to keep his mind clear. He took a sip from his flask of amasec before descending at the last floor and moved on.

He entered the large room, stopped before the servitor and responded.
"Torrian Severus. I am here to see Dr. Merenz".

[profitofrage]

The servitor clicked audibly before typing away at a date console in front of her.
"Your name is not recorded, you have to make an appointment to see Dr Merenz" She said before staring at you blankly, as all servitors did.

Thats when the office door opened and a thin older man walked out, He was wearing a long white coat and was trailed by several floating servo skulls, all drapping various data scrolls.
He sighed almost immediatly and held the door open.
"Let me guess...another person who has "urgent" matters to deal with...." he said the servitors constantly scribbling away.
a badge hanging off his chest proved that he was indeed Merenz.

[Calimos]

"Indeed. Dr. Merenz I presume? Could I come in? I'll try not to take too much of your valuable time."

[profitofrage]

"Oh emperor give me patience" He said turning around and walking back into what was obviously a huge office.
"I am an extremly busy man so whatever it is you want make it quick.." he said leading torrian into the office. It was a fairly plain room, filled with forms and three servitors dedicated seemingly to only processing the various data that seems to be filling the room.

"Hurry up whats your name..and why are you here" Merenz said impatiently and indeed fairly rudely as he sat back down on his desk.

[Calimos]

Torrian grinned a little, the impatient doctor absorbed in his own-little or perhaps bigger-world amused him in a peculiar way.

"Busy you are Mr. Merenz. But not only that. You are a man of breakthroughs in your field and one that does not hesitate to use new methods to cure his patients. And not only those who can afford it, but those who would - let's say - volunteer to submit themselves to your peculiar and experimental treatments, helping you advance the medical science and helping themselves to a cure they couldn't otherwise afford.

Yet the services you offer to the hive's population is not exactly the reason i'm here today.

You asked my name Dr. Merenz. I'm Torrian Severus. And I am here to ask you certain things about a young man who came twice in your medicae facility. The first time as a patient, to be cured of his high fever several months ago and the second as a corpse, bearing several wounds, just yesterday. His name was Octus Lazerus and he was around the age of 15-16. I'd like to know what was his original sickness exactly, what kind of treatment you administered to him - which was apparently quite successful - and most important, i'd like to see his dead body and learn about the results of a possible autopsy that you performed on it, as well as the circumstances under which he was brought here.

And before you attempt to deny me, with some sort of doctor-patient confidentiality, i inform you that I serve the Emperor's Justice".

Torrian got his wallet out of his coat, showing his ID and badge to the doctor. This was of course an unofficial investigation but the good doctor had no business to question an Arbitrator's duties or motives.

[Calimos]

OOC
Also, while talking with the doctor Torrian will try to snatch any kind of information he can, by looking around the room, or glancing absently over the data the servitors process or the papers that are all over the desk, or any other potentially useful details, especially those regarding the funding of the medicae facility, the doctor's benefactors, any significant transactions etc. As I have already said all relevant tests (Awareness, Inquiry, Scrutiny, Common Lore, Forbidden Lore ones etc are on you to roll, you have my absolute trust on that matter :smallsmile:)

[profitofrage]

Merenz seemed only half interested in the conversation from the beginging, him signing certain forms and tapping away at data slates before handing them off to the skull servitors that would buzz in and out of the room through small circuler vents.

He looked up only at the end when Torrian mentioned he served the emperor's justice.
"If you do then youll know theres a certain assortment of forms you require to get access to that information" He said bluntly before looking at the many forms on his desk.
"I hate forms...Your now hired as a Consult...yes...thats a much shorter form...less time wasted for the same outcome." He said before shouting at the servitor in the corner.
"46!...DAMBIT 46! COME HERE...NO COME HERE!" he shouted, the servitor carrying what appeared to be a data slate and vox system set up on a small pair of treads slowly ginded over to him after attempting to drive through a wall.
"His name...Octus Lazerus......Ah..came in with a case of fever...most time a fever means bedrest..here it means death to the weak of body.....was transferred to Wing 17...ah..in that case i can already tell you what was done to the body." He said tapping away a few more times.
"Cut stripped down and sold as Servitor Componants..no doubt a small sum of which will be sent to the family of the victim."
"Wing 17 is currently controlled by the Magos Biologis residing here...indeed it was him who admistered the cure to the victim originally. Id tell you what he did..but to do so would require forms to get him to translate his forms to something outside of encrypted binary." He said tapping away the servitors suddenly sheering off there data scripts and scribbling away several new ones, filing them in proper order and then handing it to Merenz.
"These are all the files concerning the patient including the binary...now if theres nothing else you want...your promptly fired as a consultant...please leave now" He said immediatly getting back to work, the Servo skulls and servitors picking up new peices of paper and continueing there work.

Torrian keeping an eye out throughout the room noticed several key things.
Paper, data and servitors.
There seemed to be nothing else in this rather large data processing room of an office. The various things they were processing were complex and reeked of red tape. Medicae facilities couldnt possibly have such things as standard...then again this was one of the more succesful places...and was indeed known for its unothodox methods...perhaps the punishment for stepping out of line is indeed years worth of forms.

[Calimos]

OOC
I presume the doctor handed over the relevant files to me, when he said "these are all the files concerning the patient". If not please notify me and i'll modify my response accordingly.

Torrian looked upon all that paperwork and he almost got nauseous. No wonder the doctor was busy...and quite absent minded that is. Multi-tasking is no easy thing.

He got up took the relevant files and thanked Dr. Merenz.

"Thank you very much for seeing me Dr. Merenz and for providing me with the necessary files. I will leave you to your manifold duties now. Goodbye sir".

Torrian left the room and sat for a few minutes outside, taking a quick look through the documents in the files.

[profitofrage]

OOC
He did indeed give you the files, however all of it appears to be in Machine Code. Indeed little if any of it makes sense to you at all, it looks more like what happens when a data slate rebels then anything you can recognise.
Also im dreadfully sorry for my short absense, it appears as if my job hunting is starting to get hectic :S so many interviews in a short span of time.

[Calimos]

OOC
No problem at all. I know exactly the feeling and I wish you best of luck in finding a nice job.

[profitofrage]

Dr Merenz didnt so much as say goodbye, as shake his hand in Torrians direction before getting back to his work. Torrian could have stood there all day and Merenz probably wouldnt even notice, so consumed by his work.

[Calimos]

Torrian continued his way in the medicae facility corridors, looking for Wing 17, where the magos biologis who administered the treatment to Octus could be found. Perhaps he could tell him some more things about the patiet's situation and the particulars of the treatment.

[profitofrage]

The medicae facility itself was busy as to be expected, not a single room was empty, and often held as many people as they could possibly fit in. The hospital itself seemed to be crewed by two distinct types. The dedicated and rather attractive women of the Hospilitar, or Mono Task servitor's.
Indeed several times you were requird to duck as a whirring servo skull zoomed past.
Indeed most if not all of the menial tasks were preformed by servitors, the occasional mech-Write seen administering to them.

Indeed the closer you got to this "wing 17" the less the medicae facility looked as such.
Eventually the clean white walls were replaced with cold metal, and the air conditioning removed altogether...the smell of charred corpses wafting in...perhaps this floor was the one ajoining the crematorium?

Eventually and after asking a few directions from the helpful staff (and not so helpful servitors) you arrive at a perculiar set of locked metal doors, something youve seen on space ships..or in bunkers.
In front of it is a pair of servitors with what appears to be platemail shields welded onto there front, the Mechanicus logo easily visable.

"HALT!...security clearance needed" The machine man squaked.
"Identify yourself for access, or leave!"

[Calimos]

"Torrian Severus, Adeptus Arbites. I need to see the Magos Biologis in charge of Wing 17".

It seemed that security was much tighter around here, and the nature of the guards indicated a certain shift in authority regarding operations in this part of the facility. More like a Mechanicus overseeing of that wing, rather than the typical medical personell. He would have to tread carefully and respectfully around the Servants of Omnissiah.

[profitofrage]

The servitor seemed to snap to attention when the words "Adeptus Arbites" was mentioned, its single human eye looking intently at Torrian..no doubt collecting an accurate facial scan. The servitor then twitched slightly before begining to speak.
"Access denied, authorised person-" Was all it managed to muster before an electrical surge could be spotted firing through its metalic cranium and the doors themselves grinded and opened. As if expecting you a man dressed in deep red robes stood out and the servitors fell silent.
The man was no doubt a member of the mechanicus, the logo was obvious enough. The man had a metallic grill covering the lower half of his face, and sported what looked to be a menacing set of drills, bone saws and needles connected to a mechanical limb stretching from his shoulder. Luckily however unlike the servitors any further augmentations were covered.
"Torrian Severus, its a pleasure to meet you...My name is Halvern....Please...walk with me" The eery fabricated voice muttered.

[Calimos]

Torrian hid his surprise, under a face of sincere respect and partial awe before the one who stood before him. The mysteries of technology were not something to be easily overlooked and he was respectful to the followers of the Machine God. They too served the Imperium and its people and he ought to maintain good relationships with this mysterious servants of the Adeptus Mechanicus, especially with this one if he hoped to gain any information helpful to his investigation.

He nodded and bowed slightly.
"I'm honoured to meet a venerable member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, sir Halvern", he told the man and walked alongside him.

[profitofrage]

Halvern did not bow, instead simply turning on the spot. Indeed It was not so much that he turned...but rotated on the spot and began to lead Torrian down the hallway.
It took a few seconds but soon it was obvious that man to his right was almost gliding across the floor. The movement of his robes suggested there were limbs beneath them, but they moved so flawlessly it was strange.
The hallway itself lacked any of the upkeep that the rest of the facility maintained. Cables wires and cooling vents were left exposed and indeed to the attention of many various servitors. Every 30 meters or so a perfectly silent still security servitor would stand its eyes on Torrian as they walked and spoke.

"It is not often I see someone appreciative of the gifts the machine god bestows upon us...Then again its far rarer for a medicae facility with such a clean record to be visited by an Arbite.....May I see your badge?...for confirmation of course" Halvern said.

[Calimos]

"But of course. Here it is".
Torrian shows Halvern his badge and continues.
"I don't think there is any reason to worry. I am not investigating this facility, but a certain crime, whose victim had been a patient of this facility in the past, and after his death they brought his corpse here. To be honest, sir, I was surprised to find out that a Magos Biologis was operating in this facility and even more when I met you. I didn't know that the venerable Priesthood of Mars had an interest in this facility or that they had an esteemed member of their own in here".

[profitofrage]

The moment Torrian takes out his badge and offers to hand it over, The Magos lets a single hand outstrech to grab it.
Surprisingly the hand itself resembled more of a series of cord like connectors, ending in a variety or different ports no doubt for better connecting to the machine. It was however a little disconcerting when the 'fingers' wrapped themselves around the badge and began to...scan it? it was unclear. The Magos never moved his head or gaze however.

"Surprise Is something I long ago gave up, but I assure you it is not at all imporbable that the mechanicus would have dealings with medical matters." He said stopping at what appeared to be a large series of data consoles all staffed by various servitors and about three mech-writes..all keeping busy.

"Servitor componants are ALWAYS wanted by the mechanicus...and medicae facilities and penal systems are our leading suppliers" He said bluntly.
"I however am here for research...the medicae facility providing me with the resources I require." He said before his augmented hand offered to hand the badge back.
"Tell me Torrian Severus...what is it you wished to ask?"

[Calimos]

"I wished to ask about that - now dead - patient. His name was Lazerus Octus and was brought here three months ago if i remember well, with a most severe case of fever. He was submitted to an experimental treatment and miraculously recovered. Then he was killed in an incident yesterday, in the Market District and I was told that his body was brought here and dissolved to be used as servitor parts. What do you know about that patient and his treatment and did you perform an autopsy on his dead body that could indicate any abnormalities as well as the cause of his death?"

[profitofrage]

Halvern listened silently, even the dull whirring of the machines about him didnt seem to hide the growing presence that everything about him was focussed almost entirely upon him and his actions.
Halvern quickly had his hand probe at the date consoles next to him, the strange cord like fingers each finding a socket and connecting in perfectly. A faint muttering could be heard all of which consisted on small prayers that the machine spirit function quickly followed by short bursts of binary.
"Patient Lazerus Octus...He was indeed sent here under recomendation. His desease was prevailent..the fever had reached his lungs. After alternate payment was arranged i administered an experimental coctail and the sickness withdrew almost immediatly...After the incident he was Indeed checked in again..this time deceased...multiple stab wounds being the result of his death....of course...you already know that...you asked to access his file not an hour ago" He said turning to let his human eyes glare deep into Torrian. Human in the sense that a faint shimmer of red could be seen in his iris...could these apparently human eyes be augmetic to?
"I believe we have found the true purpose of your visit Torrian Severus...you wish translation of of the encrypted medicae files you have obtained?" Halvern said, his emotionless face not able to conceal the idea that he was trying to dig up information of his own.

[Calimos]

"That is true Magos. My respect for the servants of Omnissiah does not grant me the capability to understand their ciphers or encryptions and those files could be of importance in my investigation", answered Torrian with a smile.

[profitofrage]

The magos couldnt be seen to grin, but if such a being had emotions it could be guessed that he would have.
"Unfortuanatly for your investigations, the ommnisiah granted us the capability to create encryptions for the expressed purpose of keeping the information within away from unworthy eyes....I can however..decrypt the parts relevent to your case Arbite."

[Calimos]

"I would appreciate it very much if you could do this Magos", said Torrian with a nod.

[profitofrage]

The Magos returned his attention to the data consoles and began muttering various machine prayers that you understood to be binary chatter. The other Mech - writes in the room even bowed there heads and mumbled the ommisiah's name quitly before going about there work.
Soon after a servo skull zoomed in nearbye and the tech preist detached his hand from the console and took the papers the machine held.

"This should be everything you need to know" He said before walking back towards the entrance.
"Now if youll excuse us..we have much work to be done..and little time for distractions"


Files

Name: Lazerus Octus
Age: approx 15 standard Terran years
Diagnosis: Came in with an acute case of Flu strain 7D4 as well as standard anemia and malnutrition common in the hives.
Treatment: Sent to Ward 17 for experimental protocol **EXPUNGED**
Made a full recovery.

Name: Lazerus Octus
Age: approx 15 standard Terran years
Diagnosis: Multiple stab wounds in the torso, pronounced dead before arrival to the facility.
Cause of Death: The stab wounds were found in the torso, deliberatly aimed for the heart and other vital organs see pict accompanying file.
Treatment: as according to facility protocol concerning donars, the subject was harvested for servitor componants before being incinerated.

(The file itself seems to have very little useful information other then the cause of death...however what is most shocking..is the picture of the subject....The young face..although cold and clamy...is most certainly the one you saw following you in the marketplace)

[Calimos]

Torrian thanked the Magos Biologis and went on his way, checking the files as he walked. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes refusing to believe what his mind was telling him. It couldn't be him...how the heck...damn...and he wasn't that drunk at the time...

He needed time to think, things were suddenly getting stranger than they were. According to the report, young Octus was harvested for servitor parts, then incinerated yet he'd swear he saw him this very morning following him. Damn it, with his own history of strange cases and colleagues lost to insanity, Torrian had a feeling that almost nobody would believe him.

He tried to clear his mind, shake this feeling of coldness running through his spine and left the hospital.

OOC
If I remember well, Ms Lazerus had shown me a picture of her son when she came to my office. Is the man on the picture the same as the one in the file?

[profitofrage]

OOC
It is indeed, its only now that you made the connection, (made intellegence rolls) hence why before his smile looked familiar.

The magos guided him to the exit and back into the rest of the medicae facility.
He seemed intent of getting Torrian out as soon as possible and indeed the large metalic doors had slid to a shut before Torrian had saw the picture and responded with shock.

[Calimos]

Quite worried, confused and troubled, his face having almost lost his colour - as if he'd seen a ghost, Torrian proceeded to exit the facility. He then went to check on Ms Lazerus, to see how she was holding up, since the sighting of the man who looked exactly like her son had disturbed him quite a lot, and perhaps he was getting a bit paranoid about it. He intended to proceed to the Magistratum forces HQ afterwards, in an attempt to conclude the first stage of his investigation and return to his house, to re-organise all the clues and get some rest.

[profitofrage]

After a short while of walking Torrian ounce again made his way to the small shop front that doubled as the Lazerus' home. With a polite knock and a short wait Ms Lazerus came to the door with what could be seen as a slight smile crossing her lips.
"Oh Mr Severus, I wasn't expecting you..Im glad you came..would you like to come in?" She offered polightly, still dressed in hte outfit you had seen her in when you dropped her off.

[Calimos]

"I am sorry to bother you at this time Ms Lazerus. I sure didn't want to be a burden. Merely wanted to check and see how you were holding up since I was quite worried about your state. You see, in times of severe stress, mental strain and sorrow, people tend to become detached and are in need of proper support. Thank you for your invitation. I think I'll come in for few minutes".

[profitofrage]

She nodded after listening, the look of sorrow filling her face for but a moment.
"Your very kind for taking your time to check in on me, I must say im surprised" She said welcoming Torrian inside.
Inside was most perculiar. The Building itself was formed out of the Large rectangular hab train cargo containers. The front of which seemed to be the shop itself, various garmets laid out across small tables all within viewing of the front window (now closed via a sliding metallic door).
Many of the garmets there were indeed well made, even if the materials used were not the most fabulous.
The rest of the house appeared to be sectioned off by metallic walls clearly cut from other containers, welded in place and then decorated and painted to feel more homely. There were only three rooms, the living room which was also the kitchen and dining area. Then the two bedrooms, One of which doubled as the sewing room.
"Well this is it...my humble home..Thank the emperor we were so lucky to get it" She said polightly showing him to a seat that looked perhaps older then she was.
"Im sorry id offer you a drink but we dont have much...I can get you some water?" she offered being polight.

[Calimos]

"A glass of water is all that I'd accept in such a time. Other drinks might cloud the mind and while conducting an investigation this would be unwise. Ms Lazerus, I conducted my search so far and I can say that I'm following the case very closely. Also I stopped by the hospital and I wanted to tell you that, as I was informed, you will receive a small sum as compensation fee by them, according to a donor's contract that you had apparently signed for your son when he was inducted in the hospital due to the serious fever he had back then.

Apart from this, would you mind, letting me take a look through your son's personal effects (clothes, items etc)? I know it is perhaps too much to ask, but familiarizing myself with the victim's possessions could perhaps add to my list of clues".

[profitofrage]

Ms Lazerus got up and opened what appeared to be an old refrigerator and pulled out a jug of water. Thats when you noticed there was obviously no plumbing. She bent down to a set of draws to collect a glass and proceeded to pour you a glass of water. She placed it in front of you and took on a slight blush when there was a mention on compensation.
"Oh the compensation.....i doubt ill see any of that..They had me sign that form or they wouldnt do the treatment...I had thought at the time that it wouldnt matter for a good long time but i suppose i was wrong....In any case they will probably just say it offsets what i owe them." She said before thinking over letting you into his room.
"I havnt gone in there since it happened....I suppose ill have to eventually..all the sewing equipment is in there..its where i do my work...We didnt have much but if you think it will help you can do as you like....but" She said suddenly cutting off, thinking deeply the signs of sorrow creeping onto her face.
"Could you do it another time..perhaps tomorow...Its been a long day...I dont want to face the room where he used to sleep..not tonight." She said before pouring herself a drink and sipping lightly.

[Calimos]

"Most certainly Ms Lazerus. My purpose is to alleviate your sorrow by locating and terminating this murderer, not to add to your already considerable sadness. Now, to improve your mood a bit before heading to my next destination, is there anything I can help you with? a social event perhaps in the area that you'd be interested to attend? any favorite topic of discussion to take your mind off the latest events? I could tell you about my Homeworld as well, but i don't know if you'd like it, it wasn't among the pretty planets of Calixis sector, you see".

Torrian looked with genuine interest to Ms Lazerus, trying to somewhat alleviate her sorrow. He remembered during his training under the watchful gaze of Hastus, something that the old investigator had told him. "Never forget my boy, when you're investigating a case, that you are dealing with human beings. Talking to the victim's family can be an ordeal of its own, but even when you seek the right pieces of information to put together what happened, you must take care to remember that those people are undergoing a very stressful situation and you should attempt to sympathize with them. It is the one thing that lets you keep your humanity even after going deep in the search of heinous crimes. And believe me Torrian, it is invaluable".

[profitofrage]

Ms Lazerus was a little surprised at the offer, She was not expecting such hospitality from any law enforcement types.
"Wow, you Arbites are certainly a league apart from the enforcers" She said taking another sip of her drink.
"In all honesty I havnt really gotten out much at all...It was always working or tending to the store or taking care of Octus." she said thinking it over.
"I wouldnt want to trouble you by taking care of me as well as your investigation...." She said before a bit of a silence consumed the room.
"Y-you said homeworld? I had a feeling you were foriegn..but I had thought maybe another Spire..or Ambulon...Have you really come from another planet?" She said her curiosity getting the better of her.

[Calimos]

"Don't worry ma'am. It is no trouble. And part of upholding the Emperor's Justice is to treat his loyal civilians with dignity. As for my homeworld...it is true that I am not from here. Not from Hive Sibellus, not even from another Hive of the planet. My origins lay on the distant world of Sinophia, an imperial world situated in the "Periphery" part of Calixis sector. I was born and raised there and after a series of let's say complicated and dangerous events I was brought into the Emperor's service, being inducted into the Adeptus Arbites and consequently to Scintilla.

Sinophia may sound like home, but truth is it is a harsh place. Perhaps not so much harsh as decrepit. A stench and sense of decay hangs over most things there, as if the very air is filled with it. Depression is quite common among its inhabitants and crime is rife as well. It was once a mighty planet, blooming with trade and riches and prosperity but lost its glory long before I was born. And now it goes through a prolonged misery and agony as everything there slowly collapses. Not the best of places to be in. I was pulled from there by the Grace of the Emperor and the noble soul of a veteran arbitrator who saw potential in me and treated me with kindness and dignity. For this I am thankful and I try to follow his example in my life. Carry out my duties, but never forget to retain my humanity".

[profitofrage]

Ms Lazerus seemed captivted by everything you said, Indeed it was not often one met someone from a different planet.
She simply sipped at her glass of water for a time while he spoke, when he finished she simply blushed lightly and chirped a quiet.
"wow, I cannot imagine the sort of man your mentor must be if he is what has made you so kind and honourable...Indeed I must admit that for most down here in the hives authority isnt...well..liked as much as the preists preach us to...but if the Arbites are anything like you I can see why they speak so highly of your ilk."

[Calimos]

"It is a continuous struggle ma'am. We strive to uphold His Justice and sometimes we are called to take tough decisions, that can cost folks their lives, properties etc. Also to enforce discipline, which may not be a desirable concept for others. So it is natural that authorities may not be regarded very well by the general population. In any case, I wouldn't want to take anymore advantage of your hospitality. I should depart and continue my investigation. I wish you a good night Ms Lazerus, even though I recognise the irony in my words, given the circumstances. Please, try to get some sleep, as difficult as it may sound, it'll help. I'll probably see you tomorrow. Thank you again".

Torrian stands up thanking Ms Lazerus politely and slowly going towards the hab exit. Unless she says or needs anything else, he intents to visit the Magistratum Forces HQ and see what he can learn from there regarding Octus' murder. While walking outside, he is extra careful to notice if anyone is watching him or if anything seems out of place.

[profitofrage]

Ms Lazerus doesnt keep you any longer, she thanks you kindly for spending time with here and seems happy knowing you will be checking up on her again tomorow.
Curiously as she opens the door for you to leave you hear a perculiar hovering sound, faint but distinguishable from the general noise that persisted in the market place. Ms Lazerus however didnt apear to hear it and bid you a goodnight after you had left.
It was now beginging to get dark...or Darker in the Underhives, the artificial lighting deliberatly set to lower to create synthetic night/day cycles the human condition requires.
However it wasnt the lights dimming or the bustle of the crowd that caught your attention, it was the servo skull...or at least you thought so. It had taken off particularly fast, you had not seen it AT your location...but it seems to be rushing off in a straight line..that would have suggested so. The only one you could remember having access to such things was the Magos....but why would he be so curious of Torrian can ony be guessed.

[Calimos]

"You must be curious then Mr. Magos Biologis...hmmm...let's see what I can find out about you. If you're so interested in me then perhaps I can expand my interest in you as well. But now I have work to do".


Those thoughts crossed Torrian's mind as he began walking in the streets of the Market District, towards the Magistrate HQ, drawing the hood of his flak cloak over his head and staying alert all the way till there. There was obviously more to that case than it seemed at first and some people were quite alarmed by his investigation it seemed.

[profitofrage]

ooc
When you say magistratum HQ do you mean the tower in the market district? or the actual Spire Based Magistratum HQ?

[Calimos]

OOC
The tower in the market district, near which I saw the man i thought that was following me. The place from where the Red Dots came to check Octus murder.

[profitofrage]

ooc
Ok no worries, just being sure.

The closer one got to the tower the less busy things seemed to be. It was obvious that people were avoiding the tower, only those sure of there adherance to the law dared set up shop around such a place.

There was a small fence around the tower itself, Barbed wire strung around the top but clearly not maintained. There were several Enforcers sitting at a table set up under the tower itself near the stair way that trailed up to the main structure above. They appeared to be the only ones guarding the gate into the 'complex' itself.
When Torrian Approached one of them spotted him coming and promptly pointed you out. Although it was not untill you approached the fence gate that they really took an interest in you. One of them putting down a deck of cards (they must have been playing) and begins to approach the fence.
"Who are you, what do you want?" the man said loud and menacing, as if hoping that he could scare you away and not have to deal with you.

[Calimos]

Torrian moved towards them, making an effort to appear serious but polite. He didn't want to stir any more hostility and sucpicion if possible.

"Good evening gentlemen and apologies for disturbing your game in that time. I am here to talk to the officer in charge, regarding a recent incident in the Market District".

[profitofrage]

It was with that the Soldier chuckled and looked back to his two friends at the table. All three of them were dressed in dark green greatcoats though these were poorly kept, signs of improper funding or training.
"Ok...now I know you aint stupid enough to come up to us and ask to come in...so how about you go back to..selling ratmeat or buttons" He said smiling and looking back at his friends, laughing with him from the comfort of the table.
They seemed poorly armed, only a single holster within there coat, most likely holding a stub revolver or some sort.

[Calimos]

Without bothering to remove the hood from his head, Torrian grins slightly and responds, with his usual politeness, but this time his voice being quite more serious.

"First of all I don't see selling ratmeat or buttons as something to be ashamed of. But this is not our issue here. Our issue honourable gentlemen is that you are obstructing a citizen to access the Magistratum facilities for a serious matter regarding an incident in the Market District. And because I have the feeling that even this won't get me through, perhaps I should take chance to introduce myself properly as a member of the Adeptus Arbites".

Torrian shows his badge and ID to the guards and moves closer.

"Now can you please direct me to the officer in charge for this Magistratum precinct?"

[profitofrage]

The Enforcers were smiling, enjoying there power over the common man, treating it like a game. However when it was revealed that Torrian was indeed an Arbite the mood changed considerably. The laughing men lost there smiles and doned harsh scowls one even moved his coat to the side to ensure his gun was readily available.

"Ah...An Arbite..I should have known by the smell....In that case well Take your badge number...ensure it is recorded..then get back to you...given the process that should be 2-3 weeks from now." He said before turning away to sit back down.

[Calimos]

Torrian straightened up, struggling to keep his composure against the lazy and arrogant behaviour of the Enforcers. No wonder the population thought ill of them and no wonder they did such a sloppy job upholding the Law. How the heck were they supposed to do anything if they refused cooperation with other Imperial organizations...Suddenly the fact that they could perhaps be in league with criminals and other unsavory individuals like Silon Lupis, seemed all too possible.

His eyes fixated on the enforcer who showed his weapon beneath his coat.

"Put that away, sir, unless you wish for me to add threatening an imperial officer in the charges against you, apart from the obvious obstruction of justice, improper behaviour while on duty, public attempt to humiliate and berate civilian professions, laziness and total disregard of your sacred duties to uphold law and order and a dozen more disciplinary misdemeanours.

I have stared into the eyes of death itself, in Sinophia's corrupt underworld gangs and I have seen things that robbed the sanity out of men much harder than you. I won't be intimidated by a sidearm".

Then he turned to the rest.

"Now, I thought that we were on the same side - that of Imperial Law - but you so far try to prove me wrong. I stand here requesting politely to speak to an officer in charge, providing official and valid identification and serious reason, and all I get in return is mocking comments and covert threats. In this case gentlemen, and I think it's a bit much to call you that - you should appreciate it - I will be obliged to request your own names, serial numbers and individual ranks, so that I know to include them in my report to Arbites High Command. Perhaps you have enough free time - as is evident by your current activities - to get burdened with a couple more shifts and duties for the next months. That would be most regrettable.


Torrian turned his back slightly and began to walk away, putting his wallet back inside his coat, his hand unclasping the holster of his sidearm, just to be sure. Then he stood there for a moment, his tone suddenly changed, to more amiable...

"Well, come to think of it, I thought politeness, service to the Imperial Law and an urgent case would be sufficient to warrant the attention of one of your officers. Perhaps I was wrong. To be honest I was even about to suggest that all those hard working enforcers of the Magistratum should be given additional resources and extended cooperation by the Arbites Command in a joint effort to put down crime and ensure that both organizations would cooperate adequately and profitably for both sides. It would be a shame to waste such potential, especially when I could back my suggestions to the High Command with prime examples of dilligent officers eager to enforce the Law and assist in Imperial Justice, such as you.

So, what will it be?"

[profitofrage]

The Enforvers were a little taken back by Torrian's speech, even the one showing off his sidearm promptly concealed it ounce more having been put in his place.
The man who was previously speaking up seemed to slip into a quiet glare no doubt thinking of his next move.
"Right now I KNOW you aint from here..otherwise you wouldnt have come here making such bold statements alone...otherwise youd know that was a fast way to wind up beaten in a gutter.....So let me fill you in on something here....You are an Arbite...a full of yourself Frak who thinks he has jurisdiction over the magistratum...Which you do not...so go back to your big sparkly pyramid..and stay there..and leave the law enforcement to the real men."

[Calimos]

Torrian slightly grinned beneath his hood. Their arrogance and bad manners were almost amusing. Of course, they were lucky that Torrian was not any more in the Arbites force as a proper enforcer, but rather a detached investigator, affiliated to the Divisio Immoralis. It would have been fun to see their faces when confronting a squad of Arbites clad in full riot gear, carapace armor donned, helmet visor down, shield up and combat shotgun armed and ready. Oh, he'd love to see the expression in their faces, since they obviously paid no heed to his words. They thought of themselves as proper men after all. Torrian bet they'd piss themselves if confronted with his former squadmates, a thought that amused him enough, to let it go for now.

Come to think of it, he wasn't even trying to pull rank in that case. Merely to speak to one of their officers...bah...their skulls were too thick to understand. He'd file a report mentioning their misdemeanours but he wasn't optimistic about it. He'd probably seek Hastus counsel on how to handle those Magistratum thugs.

"Till we meet again then gentlemen. Have a good night and remember, no shield may stay the blade of Justice".

With that, Torrian continued his way back to get transport and return to his appartment. The first part of his investigation seemed to come to a close and he'd need to put all clues in order and continue from there. Things were murky and even the authorities were unwilling to cooperate. This might be deeper than expected. Perhaps he'd have to infiltrate the Underworld of Hive Sibellus and start searching on Silon's past, even try to approach his main enemy gangs in an effort to get some information. Risky and dangerous course of action, but Torrian had the guts to do it if needed.

He continued walking, keeping his wits about him and checking for suspicious movements, his hand resting on his pistol which now laid inside his big outer cloak pocket, ready to respond at a moment's notice. He would hate to confront corrupt law enforcers once again in the future, but the behaviour of those men back in the magistratum precinct indicated that he might end up doing just that at some point along the way, as the investigation proceeded.

[profitofrage]

Torrian walked back to the small platform he had stepped off and into the market place at the begining of the day. The market district itself only taking a slight hit to its bustling nature as those who dared not walk at 'night' went to there respected homes.
What Torrian did notice however was the poor attempt to follow him. He had seen the young women, maybe 14 or so trailing him dressed in rags. A spotter or follower if you would, no doubt a rookie thief of some kind. It would be easy to avoid her ounce Torrian got to the platform, it was a short and straight forward walk with no dark alleys or blind spots to get ambushed in. He could simply hire a transport and get back without incident...unless he happened to consider this young women useful?

[Calimos]

Torrian grinned slightly, as he spotted the young woman trailing him, with the edge of his eye. She didn't seem very competent, but perhaps she could still be useful. As he had learnt in the past, people living at the fringes of imperial society, are sometimes very resourceful and can evolve into valuable contacts, allies, tools or means to carry out a variety of assignments or provide information otherwise unaccessible, or perhaps a doorway to the local underworld. In any case, he could postpone his rest for a while and give her some attention. Perhaps he could make something out of it. After all, as it is with most Hives, the interesting things tend to happen at night.

He slowed his pace a bit, to allow the woman to get closer, then he turned into an alley, appearing to have a relaxing walk, while his right hand grasped his sidearm tightly and waited for her.

[profitofrage]

Torrian found the dark alley way to stink of rot, though the rot could not be spotted. The hive as all knew was built in layers, each one built atop the remains of the last. This sometimes forced building planners to stay on there toes and often simply cram in a new building in which ever manor they could. This of course resulted in labyrinth alleyways, this being one of them. The alley way seemed to duck around a corner covered in excessive darkness.
Torrian had yet to enter the darkened portion when the girl walked past the corner. It appeared that she didnt want to give herself away so she quickly stopped and pretended as if she had dropped something, perhaps trying to cover her obvious actions or send a signal?

When she stood back up she looked slightly worried, looking back down the street before peering into the alley way ounce more. She was looking for something..or someone, It was not long however before she began to follow Torrian ounce more obviously not wanting to lose him.

[Calimos]

Torrian had spent the best part of his youth in the Underworld society of Sinophia, which even though not a Hive, was a pretty rotten and decayed place itself. He did not intend to harm the young lady, but he understood that she was perhaps in league with someone else, probably waiting somewhere nearby for her signal to attempt to rob him or worse.

He pretended to lean over to fix a lace in his long, Arbites - issue boot , allowing the woman to approach even more, then with the speed of an uncoiling serpent, like one of the many tattoos in his torso, Torrian turned and launched himself backwards, in an attempt to surprise the young girl.

"No need to run young lady. I won't hurt you. I noticed you trailing me for some time. Bet you need a couple of thrones? Let's talk".

[profitofrage]

ooc
I rolled an agility Test for that little manuver :P and you rolled a 1 :P

Indeed to be as a serpent was an understatement, not only did Torrian frighten the girl he had lept back enough to block her from simply running back out the alley way. She squeeled for but a moment before grabbing at her mouth clearly embaressed and angry that Torrian had gotten the best of her.

However it wasnt long before the words "thrones" were heard and she immediatly started to smile and grin.
"oh i see, well if thats your thing i havnt a problem with it.." She said suddenly walking towards Torrian seductivly.

[Calimos]

OOC
That was nice indeed. :smallsmile:

Torrian smiled, scanning carefully his surroundings as the young lady approached.

He extended his left hand to her, as if to hold her own hand, in a polite gesture.
"You can call me Thorn, rosebud", he replied smiling, "would you mind telling me your name and take a walk with me?"

[profitofrage]

She giggled and took his hand lightly.
"Well its a pleasure to meet you Thorn, You can call me whatever you like since your the one paying" She said looking bac down the alley way, she was obviously expecting someone.
She stopped and looked back up into your eyes, her young face betraying the innocence that one would normaly have at such an age...well..would normally have if it were any other setting.
"We dont have to go anywhere really, unless your the shy type."

[Calimos]

Torrian smiled, and gave her one throne.
"Shy? I wouldn't say that, my lady. It is just that I'd prefer some more privacy. Out here, anyone might interrupt us at any moment, and we wouldn't want that now, would we? he responded with a meaningful look in his eyes.

[profitofrage]

The young girl started to look worried, it was obvious she was trying to stall for time.
"Well that will cost you extra, alot extra..its just how I do things" She said with a cute laugh before gently touching your chest.
"Are you sure you can wait?" She said trying her best to immitate the seedy women Torrian had no doubt seen busting pleasure halls and the like.

[Calimos]

Torrian, having already understood her anxiety, wasn't too fond of waiting for her accomplices to show themselves. He'd have to act fast and decisively, not only to secure that he'd talk alone with this young lady that was instructed to follow him, but also to make it appear perfectly normal, to any potential onlookers.

He leaned forth suddenly, hugging her affectionately and kissed her passionately in the mouth.

Then he looked deep into her eyes and responded.
"Now I can wait. Let's go. I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing the market District from above".

He then started walking, holding her tightly by the hand, heading towards the platform.

[profitofrage]

The young women was rather shocked when it happened, extremly so. She couldnt fight it however, to do so would have undone her plot so she kissed him back with as much fervor. However the kiss was still half hearted, Torrian could tell as much. However when he broke away and began to lead her she was left still shocked, looking back into the alley way and around the street searching for the backup Torrian assumed she was looking for. Funnily enough she did not fight him, perhaps consigning to her fate? What was clear is she stuck close to him, and seemed to keep a very watchful eye about.

[Calimos]

Torrian, ever watchful, proceeded quickly to the platform, paying the servitor, designating its destination and ushering the young lady politely into the hover rover.
"Ever travelled with one of these before? I ensure you, the view is breathtaking".

[profitofrage]

The girl got more and more nervous the further she went under Torrian's lead.
When Torrian called the Hab Rover over she looked shocked and stared at Torrian.
"Wait...where are we going" She said looking rather worried at the hovering vehicle opening its doors.
She had obviously never been in the vehicle before, let alone met someone who could afford them regularly.
She stopped and thought for a few moments before getting into the hoverer. Clearly she had either given up on her friends...or began considering that this offer might just be worth it.

[Calimos]

OOC
I presume that we are alone in the vehicle, with only the servitor/driver.

"Do not worry young lady. It is not my intent to harm you in any way. I simply thought that it would be highly improper to stay back there. You see, as I told you, someone could come and interrupt us at a most inopportune moment. And I didn't want to risk it".

He looks to her, right in her eyes, his piercing gaze, cultivated from years of staring down suspects and criminals, fixated upon her. His voice tone remains normal, though, and polite, and he holds her hands calmly, as if to make her feel more comfortable.

"Now that we are alone, my young and beautiful lady, you can talk freely and I would like to know a few things. To begin with, what is your lovely name and why were you following me back there. Oh and to put it better, who sent you to follow me. Don't bother lying or denying it and trying to find an excuse. I noticed you trailing me for quite some time and I noticed you looking around and stalling, a clear indication that you were expecting company or a signal. Or perhaps they expected a signal from you.

Now that we are on our way and they cannot harm you, if that is what you're afraid of, you can talk freely. But as I said, no lies. Tell me the truth and I'll try to ensure that you won't have to ever go back there if you wish so".

[profitofrage]

ooc
Indeed you are alone

The Hover vehicle took off promptly wasting no time in getting to its destination.
The young girl listened and relised soon after his intense look what sort of situation she had gotten herself into. She seemed worried and looked out the window to see the rather long drop down.
"Frak..Well theres no point lying now, My boss told me every now and then youll bump into someone out of your league..Guess for me thats you.. They call me Mouse cause im quiet..guess not enough though" She said looking a bit nervous.
"As to why I was following you...well anyone with a fint coat like that is a target on the streets...I was supposed to follow you...lead you into an alley way for my friends to rob you....but...well you didnt give me the chance...you turned down the wrong alley."

[Calimos]

Torrian removed his hood, revealing his face to the young lady and his look became somewhat calmer and more sympthetic. In a strange way, this young girl reminded him of himself, when he was back there in the decayed society of Sinophia, involved in Underworld activities, before Hastus came and changed his life.

"I can understand you, young lady or Ms. Mouse, as they call you. And I know the feeling of meeting someone out of your league all too well. You see, I may look quite different now, but in my early youth I was much like you. Do not worry though. My intent is not to harm you, nor force myself to you in any way. It was only a well played act, to flush you out of there without much suspicion. That is not to say I don't find you pretty or desirable - on the contrary - you're akin to a rosebud, young and beautiful.

I was content though that even though surprised you adapted very well and tried not to expose your original intentions. It seems you're resourceful and talented indeed. We might be able to hone your talents given time.

Now, tell me about your friends and that boss you mentioned. Who is he, what is his name, what sort of gang he runs etc?"

[profitofrage]

She had seen him before when he kissed her, though now she had gotten a better look at him she was quickly realising she wasn't trapped in a vehicle with some rich stranger.
"Oh..dont tell me your some kind of Green Cloak" She said ignoring his compliments, though her blushing cheeks betrayed her act.
"Look I don't know who you are...and its mighty nice of you to treat a girl to such a view...but theres no way im telling you anything, a Gal has to have loyalty..or be strong enough to go it alone...and what happens to the girls who go it alone aint something I am Inclined to let happen to me."

[Calimos]

Torrian smiled, the girl was smart and apparently had a sense of loyalty as well.
"Go it alone? Is it some sort of slang expression indicating an individual that tries to fend off for himself in the unforgiving environment of a hive?

Oh and you got a point there, young lady. Loyalty is something to be commended, not frowned upon, since it shows moral strength and values. Until the time you get to acquire some more experience and see how things truly are. Then if you're strong and smart enough - and you seem to be - you adapt and place your loyalties properly. This was what I did long ago, so let's just say that all your arguments sound familiar. I'll prove it to you, when we arrive at our destination.

But as you mentioned, I forgot to introduce myself properly. My name is Torrian, you can still call me Thorn though, since I went by that name during my - let's say - more adventurous days. Now, I'm going to take a leap of faith with you here and speak openly to you, since you seem to value loyalty and trust.

I am not a green cloak/red dot or whatever else you'd call those magistratum thugs that take pride to be called "enforcers". But your assessment was correct, in that I serve the Emperor, and the Imperial Justice to be more precise. I am a member of the Adeptus Arbites if you've heard of them and the reasons of being in your areas have to do with an investigation of mine. Things are strange and that is why I was so eager to find out why a stranger, even one as pretty as you, was following me. You see years in the service, tend to make me somewhat paranoid. Now, that you know, who and what I am, I'd suggest you stay for a bit longer, to discuss a proposition I have for you, as well as some other things. What do you think?"

[profitofrage]

The young women watched Torrian carefully, she obviously not trusting him at least not yet. When he mentioned the Adeptus Arbitus the young women looked mildly confused, she was obviously part of the vast majority who had never met an Arbitus.

"Adeptus...you only hear that term being used for real important people." She said obviously in deep thought.
She shifted and got into a more comfortable pose, leaning on the door and looking over down into the hive. No doubt surprised at how seemingly endless the rockcrete buildings streched over the landscape.
"Well..I guess you can't be all that bad if you hate the 'Stratum....but what exactly is this preposition?....and where are we going?...uphive?" She questioned, clearly just as intent on getting answers.

[Calimos]

"Yes we're going up. Not the high spires, with the nobles and such but above the market district. As for the Adeptus. Let me explain. There are large groups of people that work together, all loyal to the God-Emperor of Mankind, serving the Imperium from a variety of positions. There is the Adeptus Ministorum which takes care of religious matters, sends priests, builds temples etc. Then there's the Administratum that takes care off all things realted to bureaucracy, record keeping etc. The Adeptus Mechanicus, with the mysterious tech-priests that deal with the ancient secrets of technology. The Adeptus Arbites that upholds the Imperial Law and Justice. There are also other Adepta, with different and more mysterious tasks.

Now, regarding my proposition. As I told you already, I am currently investigating a crime that took place in the market district. Truth is that I'd like to have someone I can trust from there, in order to get information, learn things I couldn't normally and try to get in touch - if needed - with the local underworld. Having seen you and talked to you, I believe that you could perhaps become a competent associate of me and in the future - if all goes well - a servant of the Emperor as well, getting out of this way of life that you were till now.

I could help you, train you and we could work together. I'll do my best to take care of you and your needs and give you a shelter. You seem smart and capable and you could be of great assistance in my investigation around those territories in the Market District that you seem to know very well.

What do you think Ms Mouse?"

[profitofrage]

ooc
ok im gonna start by saying THANK YOU. ^_^ the first paragraph of your (as always) high quality post i started to dread :S as in most other Roleplays ive been involved in :P someone has said something that there character by rights shouldnt know or would require a knowledge check to know. You however did not ^_^ in fact you did it beautifully. Just thought id show my appreciation.

Mouse seemed a little impressed yet continued to look at Torrian suspiciously, sizing him up.
"I think its to good to be true....I think that like the other "Law" types out there your gonna toss me away when your done....I think that anyone high up enough to be able to do what you say you can do isnt really interested in people below them...." She responded rather bluntly.

She then reached into her pocket and withdrew a small picture, it was of a women, probably only a few years older then her with blond hair being the only attrbute you could see before she looked back.
"So Instead of talking nonsense...lets talk real...Ill do what you want me to...but on the condition you do something for me...I know how things go...Ill pay my dues first...since i aint in the bargining position right now....but if you want this to be a regular thing you owe me."

[Calimos]

OOC
And I thank you very much for the appreciation and for providing a very nice and excellent game so far, with great interaction. :smallsmile:

"Your doubts are well founded Mouse. All I can say, is that I will try to prove them wrong. As I said before, I've been in your shoes years ago. If you want to I'll tell you more about my past, when we get to our destination. Perhaps it'll give you one more reason to trust me, even though I understand your hesitation. I hope to earn your trust and respect as we go, nonetheless.

Now, you said you wanted me to do something for you. Please continue. You have my attention".

[profitofrage]

The girl placed the picture back in her pocket and continued looking out the window. A grim look crossed her face.
"My sister went missing a while back....a long while back...She said she was going with some important people...to change the world...but i never saw her again...and the shady bunch she went with i didnt trust one bit....If i help you with this you have to promise to help me find out what happened to her....or at least send me in the right direction"
She said before the hover Rover began to land ounce more, amidst the large gothic towers of which in one of them lay a single level..and within a single room that Torrian called home.
"As for your life story, you can tell me that while your feeding me Dinner" She said with a cheeky grin

[Calimos]

Torrian looked her in the eyes, projecting all his honesty in them.
"I promise you, that as soon as I'm done with my current investigation, I'll look for your sister. As a matter of fact I'll try to combine both searches if possible, but that will depend on how the current case evolves".

Then he smiled back at her and responded again.
"I'll be sure to feed you a good dinner - even though living alone hasn't improved my cooking skills much - and I'll tell you my story, as long as you promise to be a good girl and tell me some more things about you. They'll be necessary and useful if I am to find your sister as well".

[profitofrage]

She glared at him almost instantly.
"well for starters dont call me girl" She snapped getting out of the vehicle and waiting for him at the platform. Almost immediatly however her scowl dissapeared and her curiosity took over, looking about the better kept buildings and richer folk about.
"as for me...I was born from two very shoddy parents...grew up just me and my sister...she left like i said...and I joined the toughest gang around to survive...and everythng after that I aint saying..cause I aint letting nothin slip bout the gang."
She responded as Torrian guided her up and into the elevatus that would take her to his level.

OOC
i assumed that was indeed your intention :P if not let me know

[Calimos]

"Alright, don't get worked up. Should I call you Mouse or would you mind telling me your real name?"

Bold and loyal to her gang. Quick to anger if she thought she was bellitled or insulted, but clever enough to see an opportunity and take advantage of it. Just like Torrian himself back there in Sinophia.

As they went up, Torrian was wondering if the years of service and witnessing human misery had softened him up. Bah...he was always kind-hearted deep inside and getting out of your way to do a little good or be kind to someone can have a good result sometime in the future. After all, he'd been in that place and if not for Hastus he'd be probably dead in some dark alley in Sinophia. He couldn't help everyone, that was certain. But when he was able to somehow make a life even a little better, he was determined to do so. For in doing so, was enclosed his basic purpose. To serve the Emperor's Justice. And justice was a complex thing, not always same as the law, or at least not according to Torrian.

[profitofrage]

"What the gang calls you IS your real name" She said much like an Imperial guard or PDF trooper would cite a regulation.
The creaking elevator climbed the many levels quickly, though of course to the passengers within it was just an enclosed room that made those within a tad heavier for a time. This unchanging scenery seemed to jolt mouse into speech.
"Thorn you said...that was your Gang name?...whats it mean?" she asked looking up at him.
"I mean mines fairly obvious...im small, quick and quiet...." she said kicking her feet idly.

[Calimos]

"I'll call you Mouse then", responded Torrian, not wanting to agitate the young lady any further.
"As for my gang name, well, it means that I'm sharp in mind and wits as a thorn, commonly found on flowers that used to bloom back in some gardens in Sinophia. And also that, like a thorn, I can sting those who will underestimate me or try to harm me and those I care for".

As the elevator stopped to the floor of their destination, Torrian got out gesturing for Mouse to follow him. He unlocks the door and opens it, showing Mouse to get inside and locking it back again.

"Here we are Mouse. This is my appartment, the place I live and the center of my operations at the same time. You can sit over there in the couch, while I remove my coat and make you something to eat. The bathroom is over there if you wish to have a shower and clean up a bit, which I'd suggest. I'll bring you some old clothes of me to wear tonight, they'll be a bit large, but they're clean and tomorrow I can get you something more appropriate. I'll show you your quarters for the night after the dinner. For now make yourself at home and ask if you have any questions".

[profitofrage]

Mouse listened intently to his explanation about his name.
"Sinophia....now see i never heard of that city." She said before looking around the apartment. She immediatly sat on the couch and seemed to mile and shift on it grinning as she relaxed into its comfy embrace.
"Wow this place is pretty tip top...and I wont be taking no bath thanks...I know what you older men are like" She said in a more joking tone before finishing the thought.
"Besides..if i head back to the gang all clean people will ask questions."
The girl seemed far to attached to the couch, rolling on it and cuddling up against its cushoins.

[Calimos]

"Hey, I'm not that old", answered Torrian, pretending to be somewhat annoyed, before bursting to laughs.
"Well I guess that is a good reason anyway. Though I'd have thought that you could tell them, that rich guy you met had certain "demands" but anyway. It's your cover story so you'll handle it as you see fit. After all you know them better and know what they'll believe quite better than I do".

Torrian removed his flak cloak and boots and put them on a small wardrobe by the door. Then he removed his shoulder holster with his sidearm in it, hanging it in there as well. He took off the upper part of his uniform, revealing his fit torso and arms, alongside his various tattoos and gang marks, the permanent reminders of his past, a past scribed upon his very flesh.

After washing his hands and face he prepared a small meal for Mouse and himself and put the plates on the table. He looked at her for a second, smiling quizically, then took one plate and sat on the floor, right in front of the couch.

"Since you seem to be quite comfortable in the couch, I'm not going to move you for dinner. Instead, as you asked, I'll bring the dinner here, to feed you, as I tell you a tale of a young and smart boy, who lived in a world far away from Scintilla".

Torrian smiled, his face indicating warmth and kindness and continued.

"The name of the world was Sinophia. It was a very nice world centuries ago. The trade went well and everybody prospered. But then things changed, new trade routes were founded, merchant interests changed and all of a sudden Sinophia found itself in the fringes of Imperial society and the people living here fell into sadness, depression and moral decay. A pariah planet if you'd like. In this world, nearly 30 years ago a boy was born. His childhood was difficult, with both parents working almost all day long and poverty overshadowing their life. As he grew up the boy became restless and being smart and active, seeked to do other things.

He met strange people and got into dangerous and bad companies. Became a member of one of the most dangerous gangs and ascended in its hierarchy. Crime was his domain and with wits, guns and friends he went forth in his life. Loyalty to the gang and its cause was important and he was as loyal as he could be. For a while it seemed he was doing fine.

But this was about to change".

Torrian paused dramatically, to allow Mouse to eat some more and ask any questions she might have.

[profitofrage]

Like the young women she was she couldnt help but watch as Torrian undressed partially. Wether curious or for other reasons could not be told as her gaze soon returned to the various things about the room. That was untill he started cooking. The meal was simple of course, an Arbites salary nothing but a pitance compared to those who lived above them in the hive. However the sheer smell of prepared food causes Mouse's mouth to water.

When he brought it to her she dug in almost immediatly, indeed...she was matching her name sake.

She stopped eating only to listen to Torrian's story, It intrigued her he could tell yet again one who had never met someone born off world let alone one with such a rich history.

[Calimos]

"My my....you have a ravenous hunger Mouse. That's good. A strong appettite indicates a strong person. Now, where was I...oh yes...as I was saying this was not to last."

You see, one of those he considered friends and loyal companions, decided to change sides so to speak. Decided to side with other gang leaders and corrupt merchants, in order to exterminate his former friends. Of course it was a long time till he was discovered and in that time he wreaked havoc among the gang. Our boy, who was by then a young man - at least younger than he is today - was devastated by that turn of events. To be betrayed in that way and watch his very friends die in front him was too much. In the beginning he could not imagine that one of their own could have done it, but after some careful investigation he found out the truth.

As you can understand he could not stay put and do nothing, but at the same time the damage inflicted to the gang by the traitor had almost tied his hands. Then the opportunity came and our young man seized it. He was informed by his contacts, that an imperial servant of the Adeptus Arbites was coming to Sinophia, to clear it from the organized crime. He set up a meeting with this man, posing as a potential informant and through him, he managed to get his revenge on the traitor and on all the other gangs that had opposed them in the past.

When all things were said and done, this Arbitrator, made an offer to our young man. An offer that given the circumstances, could not be denied. He thanked him for his assistance and proposed to him to join his team, become a member of the Adeptus Arbites and travel to the Sector capital, to be a servant of the Emperor's Justice. The young man eagerly accepted and his life changed forever. He was nothing but a ganger scum, yet someone looked upon him and saw true potential. He treated him well, as a true friend, not as an expendable means to an end and for that he earnt his respect. And now, the young man has grown up a bit more and tries to uphold the Emperor's justice, while rooting out serious crime and all that, trying at the same time to retain his humanity and help those he can, when possible.

So how does this sound for a dinner story Mouse?" he asked, closing his narration.

[profitofrage]

By the time Torrian had finished his story Mouse had finished her meal and couldnt help but be curious for more.
"wow thats some story there Thorn...Hell I hope i can come up with even half as good a one when im your age....The most interesting thing ive done in the Red Caps is loot a broken down truck.." She said picking the morsels of food off her plate and eating them, leaving nothing left.
It was then she realised her slip of the tounge and rolled her eyes and raised her hand.
"Yes YES..before you start Thats the name of the Gang...just dont go poking your nose at em...from the sounds of it we really arnt on your level of interest anyway" She said putting the bowl back down.

"Which reminds me...what exactly do you want from me?...and whats this investigation in the market place you keep mentioning?"

[Calimos]

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Both the story and the meal. And don't worry about your gang. I have other problems in my head currently".

Torrian took her bowl, stood up and left it at the sink. Then he took the case file from his cloak and sat next to her in the sofa. He opened the file, showed her pictures and told her descriptions of the people involved in the murder case of Lazerus Octus. He described the incident to her and asked her if she had heard or seen anything relevant and if she thought she'd be able to find out something about this, either on her own or through her gang contacts.

He also asked her if she'd heard about the gang of Silon Lupis, the so called Throne's guns or perhaps their main opposers. Showed her the tattoo that should be on Lupis' face as well as anything else that could be of relevance.

Finally he asked her about the medicae facility of Dr. Merenze and anything strange she might have known about it.

[profitofrage]

Mouse watched and looked over the case files, however she only ever looked at the pictures. Instead listening closly when Torrian read from them.

"Well I know about the Thrones Guns...few havnt...The Confessor delt with them for dealing with mutants...the Redemptionists...They are one mighty tough gang, since there backed by the Emperor and his Church and all." She said looking over the pictures.

"Him ive never seen" she said shaking her head at the picture of Octus and even silon.
However when the medicae facility was mentioned her tone went quiet.
"Oh that place aint right....They say its one of the best places...maybe for richer folk...but they say if you like up outside and cant pay for treatment they will take your arms and legs as payment....worse is..Ive heard people say that theres one of those..machine men working in there...everyone he treats dies months later."

[Calimos]

Torrian thought for a while and responded.
"Indeed Mouse, there is such a machine man in the hospital. As a matter of fact I've met with him and I think he was watching me down at the Market Place. The murder victim in this case was also treated in that hospital, but seemed to be healthier afterwards, until the time he was killed.

Anyway, regarding the incident I told you about. The alleged murderer seems to be that Silon Lupis, but the Green cloaks didn't even bother to arrest him, despite the fact that it happened in plain sight, calling it instead an honour duel. Now, the strange thing is that Silon should be dead already by the Redemptionists as you know and that is why things get complicated.

Perhaps your boss or your other friends could know about that incident or that man looking exactly like Silon Lupis and claiming he's that man".

Torrian then looked at Mouse again quizically and told her.
"Oh and by the way, it appears you have some trouble reading. I could help you with that you know, as long as you don't mind. And I could also try to help you improve your various skills, honing your innate ability to be quick and quiet and I could show you how to use a weapon if the need arises. What do you think?"

[profitofrage]

Mouse stared at him when he mentioned the 'machine man' almost shocked.
"WOW..wait you mean its true?...see I know that the preachers say there are men among us who worship not the emperor..but whos evils are tolerated by him in order to keep his creations running while he sleeps....but i thought that was all talk" mouse said before her gang was mentioned ounce more.

"Look I aint asking em questions..because that means they will ask where i got em from...and I told you i wont be saying nothing to help you get to them..so maybe you should find another way to dig into this Silon guy."
Deliberatly ignoring the offer to teach her to read and instead looking again at the photo's.
"Reading is for you fancy people...When i need it..ill learn it" she said flatly, with a hint of that child like refusal to admit weakness.

[Calimos]

"Alright, I won't press you any more on it. As for Silon and Octus, I understand your hesitation. I believe though that you could still keep your eyes and ears open in case you encounter them or hear anything about people matching their description by your friends. You can do that right?"

Now, if you want, could you tell me about your sister and those people she left with, in detail? When it happened,what did they look like, anything strange about them etc".

[profitofrage]

Mouse was thankful that Torrian dropped the subject of her gang, but was not all take and no give.
"I may not want to worry my Gang about it..but im still a free girl...Ill keep an eye out...maybe ask a few questions around the area...people tend to tell small kids stuff they normally wouldnt because they think we wont understand" She said with a grin before the topic turned to a somber tone.

"My sister...well...it happened..2-3 years ago..its a bit hazy...but I remember her acting real strange before it happened...nightmares I guess...she said that someone was coming for her....like she knew it was going to happen. Then one day I wake up and see her talking to this REAL big guy in a dark robe..one big red..flashy eye..some others where there with her..but i didnt see them...My sis just turned around and told me she had to go...that they knew what to do....I still dont understand it much today...."

[Calimos]

"Hmmm...did you say she had nightmares? How old was your sister at the time and had she ever acted strangely before this happened? And those people that came for her, had she ever met them before or just this once?

By the way, you had mentioned the first time you told me about her that she was going off to save the world or something. Did they mention anything relevant to it?"

OOC
What I suspect here, from the nightmares and "i sense them coming for me" part, is that perhaps her sister was a nascent-emergent psyker and was snatched away by the authorities as part of their duties towards the Imperium (all planets must give up their psykers when they notice them) or maybe by some individuals with darker motives. I am not sure though if my character could possess knowledge about who collects those psykers etc so I'm asking you first before saying anything about it.

[profitofrage]

OOC
Glad you asked. FOR STARTERS..id like to mention that any Lore test made on common lore skills that would otherwise be a +40 modifier are autosuccesful...this is so an arbiter doesnt magically forget that something is an obvious crime.
I looked over your Lore skillset, now you have common lore (Arbitus) this would assume you know the main tenants of Imperial law (without test) when it comes to planetary governments. Giving up the psykers to "The black ships" being one of them. So yes youd know psykers need to be handed over...knowing what a psyker was apart of hear say and rumor..no. You have forbidden lore (heresy and cults) so youd know psykers are indeed VERY dangerous..and that there value to cults are obvious..but otherwise thats it. You wouldnt know it was the inquisition who ran the black ships..and you wouldnt know wether or not "nightmares" was a glaring sign of latent psychic ability. assuming of course your assumption is correct.

"Nightmares...bad ones...shed wake up cold as ice most nights...She would have been my age at the time..a little older.....and no....I would have remembered if she saw those guys before...they were right scary...scarier then anything ive seen since...and ive seen some bad stuff.."
She said putting down the pictures, shifting and moving her eyes on the floor. Clearly she was looking for something to distract herself with, or otherwise try and escape the obvious emotional pain of such a subject.
"She told me...That she was needed someplace i couldnt go...that what she was doing would help save worlds....that was the last thing i heard from her before......" Mouse said sadly starting to tear up.
"Before i fainted....one of the guys in the robes..they shot something..or threw something..i dunno...but when i woke up my sister was gone..and there was a sting on my neck."

[Calimos]

Seeing Mouse on the verge of crying - at the mention of her older sister's fate - Torrian proceeds to gently wipe her tears with his hands, trying to comfort her.
"Come on now, don't stain those pretty eyes of yours with tears. I promised I'd look into it and if I found anything you'd be the first to know, even though there don't seem to be many clues on those people, and I take it that you didn't discern any strange symbol or anything else that might indicate any affiliation on them.

Plus, that there is always the chance that your sister was telling you the truth indeed and tried to comfort you, knowing that she couldn't take you with her. She may be fine and I'm sure wherever she is, she'd want you to be happy and not sad. Right?

Now, my lady is time to get some rest. I see that you find my couch very comfortable, so I'll probably get you a blanket to keep you warm as you sleep. I'll be right next door, in my office, for a few, to take care of some things and then I'll return to sleep, in my bedroom over there. If you need anything or if something is wrong, you can come and wake me up. Don't worry I don't sleep much anyway".

Torrian went in his bedroom, took a blanket and covered Mouse to keep her warm. He run his fingers through her hair, whispered to her "good night and sweet dreams" and left for his office next door.

[profitofrage]

Mouse calmed down a little at his kind words, Indeed one could reason it was strange how quickly she was accepting her new role as protege. Perhaps she thought she could get something out of Torrian and hence play along? or far more realistically..was simply getting from him what she had failed to get from her gang, a father figure.
In any case she took the blanket and curled up to sleep without incident, muttering only the words.
"Nothing except the Large Eye" before drifting to sleep.

OOC
For reasons not yet understood, Mouse has taken a shine to you. This means a + 10 to all fellowship based tests except command, due to her unruley nature.

[Calimos]

OOC
Nice. :smallsmile: I like it when I have a positive effect on people.

Torrian got his files and stood at the door, turning off most lights, and looking at Mouse for a few moments affectionately. He was glad that in all his inability to properly solve cases or perform adequately other duties as of lately, he could still manage to help and comfort people in need and try to be dilligent in his duties, despite the difficulties he faced.

He went to his office, locking both doors and opened the window, to refresh the air in the small room. He then took his time to pin back to the board all relative clues and evidence he had acquired. He rewrote his notes in a more comprehensible form and connected with red marker lines the people and places he had visited in his investigation. He noted the strange meeting with the young man looking like Octus and contradicted it with the later appearance of the older man as well as with the medicae report that certified his death.

He noted the Red Dots refusal to assist and cooperate and the mysterious figure of the Magos Biologis in the medicae facility.

Then he checked his vox, seeing if there were any messages for him and tried to connect with Hastus, letting him know in detail how his investigation had gone, requesting if he could dig up anything on the hospital's official and unofficial funding and benefactors, on that mysterious magos biologis, on Mouse's gang -just to be safe- as well as on how he proposed to handle the magistratum enforcers.

[profitofrage]

OOC
mmm i feel that alot of RP players tend to ignore interactions with NPC's and look at it as more of just tests to pass. You are a great exception to that, but I also like to quantify it as well :) just so you can still make plans for your character and keep your impact on the story.

The dank spire air rushed in to clear out the stagnating room. It was always dark in a Hive..but being so high up, the wonderous granit gargoyles and the sprawling lights below seemed to converge when looked at from above. Providing just enough light to be bearable. Indeed imagining the fate of those below with no such access to the power grid seemed hard to believe sometimes.
The vox had no messages for Torrian, and yet again hissed loudly when activated. The raspy voice and obvious sucking on a lho stick could be heard almost straight away.
"Ah Torrian..glad to hear from you...How is the investigation going?" He said before hearing Torrians report.
"Oh my...those are some complications...well ill have the files sent through....but first tell me more about this girl...Sounds like trouble..Lots of trouble."

[Calimos]

"Your mind is as sharp as ever Hastus. Let me tell you about her. She was following me into the market district when the darkness fell, and being too wary of the previous times I had been watched during the day - both by the young and supposedly dead man and by that magos' servo-skull - I decided to find out why. Good think I still haven't lost my fast talking and fast moves. She's young, 14 or 15 years old and she fell for it. What I liked though was that she tried to play along in order not to reveal her real intentions and tried to stall me in order to give time to her friends to rob me. But she succeeded in none and I took her with me.

I must confess she reminded me of myself when I was younger, back there in Emperor forsaken Sinophia, and reminded me also of your kindness back then. I could do no less and besides having an extra set of eyes and ears inside a gang can never hurt. You should have seen her eating the dinner I made for her. Heh, she devoured it Hastus. The poor girl must have had quite some time to eat properly. She's now sleeping in the couch, curled up like a cat. She's a bit rebellious by nature but I don't blame her. Parents abandoned her with her older sister when she was very little and things went south from that time on.

What is more troubling though is her sister's dissapearance a couple of years ago. The young girl agreed to help me, but not for money. She wants me to look into her sister's dissapearance. Thing is that she didn't have any solid clues on what happened. Her sister seemed to be plagued by terrible nightmares at that time and then she said she was feeling that someone was coming for her. One day, the little girl saw a group of frightening individuals talking to her sister, one of them being quite bulky and possessing a big red flashing eye. Her sister told her that she had to go with them, and what she'd do would help save worlds. Then they popped some gas or something that drove the young one to sleep and they left taking the older girl with them. I couldn't make much from it".

[profitofrage]

Hastus was rather curious and casual making quiet jokes during Torrians explanation on how he came about the girl.
"14 or 15 years old? Yea heard that before..Heh..means shes 13 - 14 and good looking...anyone who didnt know your honourable intentions might get ideas Torrian" he said with a chuckle, smoking his lho stick and blowing audibly into the vox.
Torrian did notice him change tone almost immediatly, if only for the slightest of seconds. The relaxed rate of him smoking suddenly stopping to ask a question.
"Big flashing Eye? as in the Letter or the body part?"

[Calimos]

"Well...I didn't ask her for clarification on that. She probably meant the eye as a body part I'd presume, since she seemed to have trouble reading and perhaps had trouble recognising the letters properly, but I am not sure. What would you think for both possibilities?

[profitofrage]

Hastus let out a rather long sigh and the sounds of a chair creaking could be heard over the vox.
"Well...Im not sure how much you know about psykers...We here in the Divisio..dont tend to deal with them as much..we let the local Arbite forces deal with those sort of things usually...Its probably nothing, But this old fool is inclinced to jump at small things...Its just the Stylised I is the symbol of the mysterious folks who control the black ships. Wouldnt think it of them to do the grunt work themselves though...They get the Arbites to do that sort of thing for them....sad to say..probably more likely an upstart narco gang got ahold of her..got her addicted to spook"

OOC
passed the test, you Do indeed know what spook is. though of course the idea is that spook makes people crazy..not give them psychic powers. :P all "abilities" attributed to the drug are thus far unfounded, rumors or considering myth.

[Calimos]

"Hmmm, if she was a narco addict then things would be sad but well probably somewhat understandable for her little sister, even tough I don't think she'd take it well. If on the other hand was taken by those who run the Black Ships, then things are very serious and fall outside our jurisdiction. Plus it would be pointless for her younger sister to keep looking for her after that.

As for psykers truth is I know certain things but not much. That they are dangerous individuals, valuable to heretical cults and that they must be given to the Black Ships. But nothing about signs indicating them or how to deal with them.

Anyway things went pretty messed up during the day. Oh, and the chief security guard of the hospital, told me that I should keep an eye on those who fund the medicae facility. He might give me more information in the future. I have set all things here, I have gathered whatever evidence I could find and still no solid result.

Regarding the kid's murder, mother said she heard a shot, but the body recovered had stab wounds. The bystanders say that he stabbed him repeatedly and when the Red Dots came didn't shoot the murderer on sight as is their usual practice. They acted pretty strange, according to the witnesses. I may try my luck again tomorrow in looking around the market district some more, but I'm not confident. And that young man following me, looked just like the supposed murder victim. For a moment there Hastus, I confess that I thought I'd lost my mind".

[profitofrage]

Hastus began to relax a tad bit more slipping into one of his more contemplative moods no doubt.
"When it comes to psykers thats all one should care to know...much more invites madness as they do. Spotting a psyker is both easy and hard...there characterised by strange behavior and occurances...course that sums up half the spire...Indeed they say the only for sure way to spot them is with another Psyker." He said taking another drag.

"I got the files now, apparently the Medicae facility is...oh what do you know...It receives a large donation of personel assistance from the sister hospitilar...some low key order...suited more for helping the sick rather then the emperor's armies. Whats interesting...is that the facility gains most of its finacial support NOT from donations..but from the generous donations of a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus researching within the facility. Never heard of the ecclisiarchy playing nice with the mechanicus...should have known thrones would be the binding factor....Looks like the real owner of the medicae facility is the Magos."

[Calimos]

"Could be Hastus, could be. Indeed, most of the personell were from the Sisters Hospitaller. And as for the Magos Biologis, who I think was named Halvern, he seems to be quite in charge and the facility wing in which he conducts his research is quite more fortified and restricted. There are other members of the Adeptus Mechanicus in there as well, but he's in charge apparently. He told me that he administers certain experimental treatments and takes care to receive body parts from the deceased as servitor parts, to use further in the Mechanicus facilities.

I must say I treated him with respect, since he was the one who gave the young man that treatment, which seemed to cure him from a fever that killed many a couple of months ago. He certainly liked that respectful behaviour but he seemed interested in learning more, otherwise why have his servo skull spy on me?....I don't know. My little protege has heard bad rumours about this facility. That all those treated in there die after a while for example...I don't know...Mechanicus personell are always too mysterious and protective of their secrets".

[profitofrage]

Hastus continued to smoke, no doubt thinking over the situation.
"Well if you want my advice..id take another look at that Magos...I can think of a few cases where 'experimenting' Mechnicus have been found to be less then lawful...Ill get ahold of the Mechanicus contacts I know and see if they know anything about him but i doubt ill come up with much." He said taking what sounded like a final drag.
"All i can say is be careful if you try taking him on...noone is better armed then the Mechanicus..there the lot who build our guns afterall"

[Calimos]

"That's true Hastus. And what that security guard from the facility told me was to focus on those who funded the medicae facility if I wanted to unravel more. He implied that he knew more things, but wasn't willing to share them with me at the moment. I gave him a secure vox frequency to communicate with me later and if we're lucky, he might do just that.

What troubles me, apart from the fact that this Magos was spying on me afterwards, is the total refusal of the Magistratum to even allow me to enter their facilities, let alone listen about my case. Heh, if I was a bit more hot headed, I'd be injured or worse by now. As a matter of fact I think I'd enjoy showing up there, after our case is concluded, alongside the old team, clad in full carapace armor, riot shields and combat shotguns. Just to see the look on their faces.

Anyway, things are strange. I'll probably search some more in the market district again tomorrow and start probing for information on local gangs perhaps, in case they know something more about Silon. I was thinking about those who opposed him, the so-called Masks if I'm not mistaken but I'm not sure yet. Too many complications with no apparent solutions and this begins to look like a strangely dangerous dead-end. We'll see".

[profitofrage]

Hastus chuckled when hearing of the Magistratum.
"Ah...We Divisio Immoralus are blessed by the Emperor to not have to deal with those scum on a daily basis. The local Arbites are not so lucky. See since this is the de facto capital of the entire sector...the Arbitus of course likes to keep a closer eye on things...this indeed upsets the Magistratum...the two are famously hating of one another...Im not surprised they refused to help you if you told them you were an Arbite" He said with a slight cough.

"My suggestion? go back there and challenge whoever is the mouthiest to a duel...there big on that here...hell..you can practically get away with murder" He said with a dry black humor.

[Calimos]

"Nice suggestion old man, if things come to it, I'll be sure to keep it in mind", said Torrian, laughing a bit.

"In any case, I'll try to put the evidence and clues in order here and I'll try my luck in the Market District tomorrow again. Emperor willing, I may spot that strange young man again, his good coat was hard to miss in that crowd, or I may manage to learn something more from the locals. I'll teach the young lady a couple of tricks as well, to improve her chances of actually becoming helpful in the future and we'll see.

Thank you for listening to me, Hastus and for all your help and advice so far. I'll keep you updated if things change. Goodnight old friend. The Emperor protects".

[profitofrage]

Hastus laughed alongside his old friend.
"Yes yes...sounds like a good plan to me...as for the girl...tis a mighty large risk to take...then again id be a hypocrite if I told you not to do it." He said with a final laugh before saying his goodbyes and shutting off the vox.


OOC
Keeping Hastus in the loop --> may have implications later :P

[Calimos]

OOC
I guess it's just how Torrian sees it. Hastus brought him to the Arbites and the Divisio, and frankly, he gave him that murder case. Torrian thinks it's only normal to let him know and seek his advice, at least for the time being.

Torrian got up, put his notes in order, and took a good look at the large board, with the case diagram on it, as if trying to discern any hidden pattern between all those things that happened. Some of them contradicted each other and some of them almost threatened his sanity and logical way of thinking. Things were happening when they weren't supposed to. People certainly don't come back from the dead, but evidence seemed to indicate otherwise.

He closed the window, exited the office and locked the door. Then he went back in his appartment, trying to make as little noise as possible in order not to wake Mouse and went to sleep, praying to the Emperor to grant him strength and wisdom to see this case through and preserve his soul from all perils.

[profitofrage]

Torrian managed to sneak past Mouse happily sleeping on the bed with little effort. The night itself as well proved uneventful and passed into what what was considered as a morning in the Hive spire. The bustling streets filled yet again with various people changing shifts and going about the regular ritual.
When Torrian woke up it was to the mutterings in the kitchen, the immistakable sound of someone uttering the Emperor's morning prayer, a short self stated cermon praying for a good and prosperus day. Mouse must indeed have been up.

[Calimos]

Torrian, got up, rubbing his eyes, made some stretching exercises and went to the bathroom. Then he got out and headed to the kitchen to greet Mouse, get something to eat and begin another day in pursuit of crimes, strange events and unforeseen risks and dangers.

[profitofrage]

Mouse was sifting through the pantry by the time you came out and into the hallway. She hadnt taken anything from the looks of it, Instead content with meerly exploring as to what was available.
"You have to many canned stuff...how are you supposed to know whats in them?..no pictures nothing..just metal...you should drawn what it is on the side or something" She said stepping away and making her way back to the couch, obviously wanting to avoid the obvious 'read the label' retorts.

"So what are you doing today?...youll need to take me back to the markets to...its already suspect that I was gone all night." She said barely waiting for a responce between her questions and demands.

[Calimos]

"Good morning Mouse. I trust you slept well. Now let me see about the cans. Hmmm...I think those two would be perfect for a breakfast. Sit at the table and let's eat something before heading out to the market district. We'll get there probably by a somewhat slower and more crowded means of transportation and that'll give you time to blend in the crowd. Now breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day and you should eat well. You can ask for more if you're hungry, there's no shame to it".

He opened the cans emptied their contents in two bowls and sat in the table. As he passed one bowl to Mouse he smiled and asked her.
"By the way, I heard you whispering something last night before you fell asleep. Nothing except the Large Eye. What does it mean?"

[profitofrage]

Mouse pratically stared at the meal the entire time the can was opened to the point in which Torrian handed it to her. She wasted no time either, immediatly hacking in to the flavored protein gruel like it was a noble's banquet.
"The Eye...it was the only thing i could see through the Figures Cowl...his face was totally covered but i could see its eye...well sorta...It was this Big red light..coming down the side of its face...A line with three strokes through it...I remember it being creepy because when I looked at it, it died down and flared back up again when my sister spoke to it."
She said as she finished her meal and held her stomach.
"Boy...I dont know where you get this stuff...but whatever is in it doesnt like being swallowed fast." She said before burping into her fist and pushing the plate back to you.
"You said I could have more?"

[Calimos]

"Sure thing Mouse", Torrian said, opening another can and passing it to her. "Don't eat too fast though. It aint good for your stomach. As for this line with the three strokes on it, do you think you could draw it for me, while you're eating?"

Torrian took a piece of paper and a pen, giving it to Mouse, trying to validate Hastus question, whether the girl had seen an eye or something looking like the capital letter I.

[profitofrage]

Mouse looked at the pen and took it in her hand in an odd manor. Indeed she was holding it more like one would a dagger or stick. She then began to scrawl onto the sheet (albiet in an odd fashoin) a large capital I with a third stroke through it at the middle. After having drawn it she handed back the pen and delved into the can much like a preditor would prey.

OOC
^_^ lol youll be glad to know :P that i run several Layors of campaigns at a time...:P i have the immediat plot (the murder) a secondary longer term plot. and Longer still plot archs involving characters and places. :P most focus on one or the other :P yet you LIKE A CHAMP :P hit most of them at ounce. ^_^ You sir are fantastic for a DM :P

[Calimos]

OOC
Thank you very much for the kind words and the appreciation. :smallsmile: I try to be a good player and when the DM gives me clues and options to search and consider, I try to utilize them as best as possible (even though sometimes I might not understand all clues or might take me somewhat longer to put everything in its proper place). It is great to know that you create stories with such depth and I hope that we will have a great time going through them. :smallsmile:

Torrian thanked Mouse, took the paper and looked upon it carefully. Despite Mouse's apparent difficulty to write properly, a capital I could be indeed discerned, bearing an additional line in it's middle.

His face darkened somewhat as he remembered Hastus' words from last night. He waited for Mouse to finish her food, before talking again.

"I see...now Mouse, I want you to listen to me. Try not to react too intensely since I will be truthful to you and don't forget that no matter what I am still here for you".

Torrian gently touched her hands and looked into her eyes.
"I promised to find out clues about your sister's disappearance. I did my research yesterday after you slept and according to what you had told me about her and those who took her away, I have a lead on what might have happened. Your last drawing has confirmed my doubts. Tell me, have you ever heard of some strange folk, known as psykers or witches?"

[profitofrage]

Mouse was suddenly alot less interested in her meal. She was no fool, she knew that when adults began saying things like "im here for you" and "dont react to intensly" then there was just cause to think something was wrong.
"Ive heard of Witches...and my sister was no witch" She said rather intently.
"Ive heard the preachers go on about them, there evil and do dark bad things and my sister never did ANYTHING like that."

[Calimos]

"That's right Mouse. Witches are evil and do bad things if left unchecked. That is why there is a special organization in the Imperium, which is tasked to find those people who show signs that could perhaps make them one day witches, and they take them away from their homes to take care of them, so that they won't hurt anyone, but become useful. These people run the so-called "Black Ships" and they're responsible of collecting those individuals.

I believe, by your description that this was the case with your older sister. While I cannot recognise or understand any signs of someone being a psyker, at least without seeing anything too blatantly obvious, I can say that the rest of the evidence point me that way, even if there are some unexplained points.

If this is the case Mouse, you will have to accept once and for all that your sister was special and unique and that she has indeed gone where she was supposed to, to be taken care by people who know more about her condition than I'd ever dare to imagine. And you should try to gradually, little by little, let go of the sad feelings surrounding her departure, content in the thought that she was taken early on, to have a better future.

I'm afraid the alternative for your sister's case isn't much better. If she was not taken away to the Black Ships, then all I could say, based on her intense nightmares and strange feelings of someone coming for her, is that she could be a spook addict and was finally taken away by a narco gang. But I don't remember you mentioning anything about you both being involved in gang activities at the time, nor of your sister doing any drugs, correct?"

[profitofrage]

Mouse was rather admirably holding back her tears, she had not expected to hear these words so soon.
"My sister was no witch..and she was no addict..she wouldnt ever go near drugs.." She protested.
"If you dont know what a psyker is like then you cant say my sister was one..I dont believe you......Some people took her and I want her found or know the truth!" she said before standing up abruptly and making for the door, standing at it tears runing down her face.
"Take me home!"

[Calimos]

Damn it, Torrian thought, I knew she'd take it badly...but living in a life of false hope can also have devastating effects....We'll see...

He fastened his sidearm holster rig, took a couple of his notes with him, put on his flak cloak and necessary gear and went to the door. He gave a handkerchief to Mouse, to wipe her tears with and opened the door.

"I am sorry Mouse. This was all I could find till now. For any further findings I'll let you know as soon as I discover them. Now come, let's go. We need also to figure out a safe meeting place in the market district since it could be suspicious if you had to leave for another day next time we had to discuss, right?"

OOC
We'll take the slow means of transportation back to the market place, not the hover rover, in order to give Mouse the chance to blend in with people and not be seen with me when we'll arrive, to keep her cover intact.

[profitofrage]

OOC
Rather long walk, very long actualy. Am i to assume youll take the hover rover to the outskirts of the area then walk?

She wiped her tears and stayed silent, making her way to the elevatus and down to the bottom of the spire like building.
She said nothing the entire time, no doubt occupied with her thoughts. She had taken on alot in the short hours since meeting her.

Finally when the machine dropped off at the bottom she stood out and turned back to speak.
"The alley way were we met...its as good a place as any." She said quietly, staring at the ground as she followed.

[Calimos]

OOC
That would be better, yes.

"Alright, Mouse, in the alleyway then. Now if I need to contact you or you need to contact me, we should also find a way of communication. What do you propose?"

[profitofrage]

The two of them awaited at the platform, the bustle of the city around them. The machine as it had before zoomed down and stopped long enough for them to get in.
Mouse shrugged her shoulders in responce to his question.
"Ill be fine...if i get into anything I shouldnt ill just leg it" She said her previous cheer obviously absent.

[Calimos]

"Alright. You know how to take care of yourself, that much is obvious, but if there's something don't hesitate to ask for my help".

After a while passed travelling, Torrian leaned over Mouse again, with a kinder more sympathetic look in his face.

"Hey. Don't let it ruin you. Cheer up a bit. It's serious but not the end of the world. Life regrettably took away your sister but maybe gave you something like an older brother in me. Isn't that better than nothing?"

He didn't think he'd cheer her up but at least he had to try. After all he wished to help not make things worse for anyone, not her, nor Ms Lazerus. He only hoped that the Emperor would give him strength and wisdom to manage it properly.

[profitofrage]

Mouse stared out the window and stayed mostly quiet, thinking she had to think. Most of her life she had been tortured with not knowing what happened to her sister, then suddenly along came this suspiciously nice man that within a day had already come up with wild theories and answers to things she had never managed to find.
"Ill be fine." Was all she said before the hover Rover stopped at a platform a hefty walk away from the market place.
She wasted no time, hopping out of the vehicle and getting down into the crowd. Staying on the platform for any amount of time usually gave off ones presence, so she wished to get down to where it was harder to be spotted.
"Are you ok to get to the market on your own? or should we split up here?"

[Calimos]

"I'll be fine Mouse. Go on and take care. The Emperor be with you".

Torrian started walking at a normal pace, observing the market district and went to the direction that this young man, who looked very much like the dead Lazerus Octus was going yesterday, before he understood that Torrian was following him and escaped. Maybe Torrian could find something out in that direction. Then he planned to pay a visit to Ms Lazerus, in order to examine Octus' possessions and then he'd see.

[profitofrage]

Mouse nodded before rushing off, she kept in pace with the general thick crowd and it was not long before she dissapeared entirely from sight. She was indeed more adept at her skills then she had otherwise shown back in the allyway.
Torrian walked, it was not long before he passed the bar he had just yesterday bought drinks for the older man. Indeed it was after that point that certain strange things began to be noticed. The first stranger to stare at him was largly ignored, people stare sometimes..especially at strangers to an area. However it was barely another 20 meters before a slender women dressed in red stopped mid stride to stare at him while he passed.
Again, not to far ahead another older man with a rather odd shaped kane stared for before looking away, Torrian could feel his gaze returning after he passed by.
It was but a few moments before it seemed that everyone was not just shooting glances at him..but deep penetrating stares, sometimes till he past othertimes for just meer moments. Each set of eyes darkened watching...only to look away as if going about there buisness.

[Calimos]

This behaviour was strange and its repetition made it quite inexplicable. Torrian didn't know what to make of it and the strange events that had happened didn't help shake that ominous feeling that had been hanging above him like the proverbial Damocle's Sword. It was as if those people knew things. Things that he obviously had no knowledge of, things that he was perhaps disturbing with his investigation.

The next time someone stopped and stared at him like that, Torrian decided to follow up by asking him/her directly if there was anything wrong going on or if there was something odd on him that could invite that staring.

[profitofrage]

Torrian moved through the crowd and soon enough a women dressed in an obviously fake fur coat seemed to stare at him for a few moments. However when Torrian walked up her attention seemed to that of her friend, another women dressed similarly.
"Im sorry what? what do you want?" She said her friend now staring.
As Torrian stood there he could see out the corner of his eyes others staring..but when he looked they would keep walking again...as if it didnt happen.

[Calimos]

"Is there something wrong lady? Did you see anything strange on me and you were staring?"

His look was serious as well as his voice tone, but not abrupt nor impolite.

[profitofrage]

"Im not quite sure what you are talking about" She said looking at you strangly, her friend chiming in with a concerned look and turned to her friend.
"Come, lets head to the store now..Id like to get everything we need before more strangers start bothering us" She said leading the women away, them both looking at you rather oddly.
Meanwhile a man accidently bumps into you, it was an accident and a faint 'sorry bout that' was heard as he kept walking forward.
Then thats when you saw it that grin...that same grin you saw on Octus..or what you thought was octus..That smile..no it was immistakable. The man wasnt wearing the notable coat you saw yesterday..just some common rags similar to what everyone else was wearing..but you were sure of that smile.

[Calimos]

Torrian doesn't bother to answer to the ladies and instead begins following that all-too familiar stranger, determined not to lose him.

[profitofrage]

The man was making no effort to out run him, indeed he was barely a few meters ahead of him. the staring was getting worse...more blatent. People would stop talking just to watch him pass before going back to there conversations. The man walked straight ahead, weaving through the crowd at that same grace and speed as Octus had before when you chased him. Wait..the boy you thought was octus...octus was dead..had to remember that.
Indeed it wasnt long before you caught up to him, walking behind him the man easily within reach.

[Calimos]

The crowd seemed like a creature with eyes, staring at his every moment, then looking away to fool him. But why, why was that happening. And that man, that grin, that effortless grace. It had to be him, it had to be Octus, but Octus was dead and he had seen the autopsy photos. How could it be? Throne of Terra how could this be? Was he descending to madness or something else was in work here....

Torrian called upon his reserves of will to pull himself together. With considerable effort he tried to push his engorging paranoia to the back of his mind, as he approached the young man ahead of him and tapped him gently on the shoulder, in an effort to get his attention.

"Excuse me sir, may I have your attention for a minute?"

[profitofrage]

With the tap of the shoulder the figure stopped, turning around to see a man of roughly his age..indeed someone he had never seen before.
"Sorry...can i help you?" The figure said standing there, the smile absent the familiarity ounce seen no longer there.

[Calimos]

"I'm sorry for bothering you sir. You see I was looking for someone and he happened to look much like you, or at least I seemed to think so when you accidentally bumped onto me a little earlier".

Torrian took Octus' picture from his coat and showed it to the man.
"It's him. Have you seen him before around here in the marketplace?"

[profitofrage]

The man took the picture and looked at it for a moment before shaking his head.
"no sorry never seen him, If you dont mind I have to be going im very busy" The man said looking at a shabby looking Chrono on his wrist.

[Calimos]

"Thank you and sorry for holding you up. Have a nice day."

Torrian let the man go and went a bit on the side, leaning towards a nearby stall. He ran his hands over his eyes and his head, as if to push away those events of increasing paranoia and abnormality. He was confused and didn't know what to make of this situation. As if he was walking alone amidst total strangers, seeing things that did not exist and others seeing on him things they would not tell about. Otherwise why stare at him like that. He was not dressed extravagantly, nor in excessive armour and obvious weapons and certainly he wasn't the most handsome man in Hive Sibellus.

Something else was going on and a fear began encircling him. The fear that he was slowly losing his grip on sanity and reality, the fear that all that he had witnessed in the past were catching up with him and an uncertainty about what would come next. Maybe he should ask Hastus to arrange a psychological evaluation for him by one of the medicae specialists employed by the Arbites or the Divisio. And going back to amasec drinking was no solution either. He had to remain as sober and alert as ever.

With those thoughts clouding his brain, Torrian made slowly his way back to Ms Lazerus' stall, drawing his hood over his head. He was tired by the staring but still he kept an eye out for anything suspicious. Hopefully something that wouldn't exist solely in his mind.

[profitofrage]

The man nodded and began to go on his way toward the market place.
"Not a problem mister Thorn" The man said as Torrian stood aside to clear his mind. It was then it hit him...he had not given that man his name. The man had already disapeared however...lost within the crowd..a few had similar outfits to him but each bore a different face...Indeed it was like the man had simply vanished, a new person occupying the same space he had just been.
Was insanity slowly creeping up on him..was the strains of his life finally catching up to him?

OOC
Fear test (1) i.e a willpower test made at +10 due to your resistance fear. you rolled a 4 and so pulled yourself together.

despite the strangness and indeed firghtening situation you made your way through the crowd ever watchful. The staring lessoned..the shock lessoned..and soon you were upon the familiar shop front of Ms Lazerus.

[Calimos]

Bloody hell...what was that again...how could he know my name...did he call me by name indeed or did I just thought I heard him telling it....damn, pull yourself together Torrian, pull yourself together before it's too late.

Trying hard to clear his mind from those thoughts Torrian went on and knocked on Ms Lazerus' door.

[profitofrage]

There was no answer for a few moments, and then the sound of something falling over inside. Then the door slid open and a rather irratic looking Ms Lazerus was at the door. She looked around franticly and sighed a sigh of extreme relief.
"OH thank the emperor its you...Someone has been following me...I mean..well not following me...I ..I dont know..here come inside please." She begged moving inside to get out of the street.

[Calimos]

Torrian moves inside quickly and turns to Ms Lazerus.
"Calm down Ms Lazerus. I'll agree that things seem strange outside. Please calm down and tell me what happened or what you think it might have happened."

[profitofrage]

She appeared rather frantic, slamming the door and locking it before turning around to answer to Torrian.
"I i dont know...M-my day starts early..I-I have to collect all the materials so i can finish making the dresses and things before people get out and about" She said trying to explain everything.
"When I get outside i get half way down the street before...people started following me...I didnt know what to do so i ran to the Tower..t-the one with the guards..they told me I was losing it...but I swear on my way home someone tried to grab me..I kicked them and ran back here" She said clearly in shock.

[Calimos]

"I see...Ms Lazerus, please try to calm down. I believe you, because I have been noticing strange things ever since I began the investigation of your son's murder. People staring intently, others seem to look familiar but are not, others yet following me. Something is evidently strange here and it will take all of my nerve to pierce all those strange and peculiar happenings. I am sorry to hear that there has been similar events occuring to you. We'll have to figure something out, in order to keep you safe.

In the meantime, I should check Octus' stuff in his room. Also, did you ever see any of those who were following you or that tried to grab you?

Those were distressing news indeed. Something was happening and was aiming towards him and Ms Lazerus. The investigation was stirring something that probably others wanted to be left alone. Maybe he should try to put Ms Lazerus in some kind of an Arbites witness protection program if possible. He'd have to think this through.

[profitofrage]

She tried to calm down in order to think. "N-no ...I was preoccupied with getting home..Someone just reached out behind the corner of a shop and grabbed me..I screamed and kicked and ran..I didnt look back" She said wiping a tear from her face.
"Y-yes his rooms just over there..help yourself" She said taking a deep breath and leading the way to open up the door.
She opened it with a creek and revealed the rather spartan room within.
Most of it was taken up with a work bench no doubt used for sewing and making the clothes she sold.
Across from that was a bed, held aloft on a worn wooden frame.

[Calimos]

Torrian tried to console Ms Lazerus from her fear for a bit, then proceeded to take a good look and the room and began searching for anything strange. He looked everywhere, under the bed's mattress, on the work bench, below the bed, everywhere that he could think of. He even started tapping lightly at certain places of the room, in the hopes of uncovering a secret compartment or anything carefully hidden.

[profitofrage]

Besides various mundane possesions kept beneath the boys bed there was very little of interest.
There was a tattered book filled with Imperial Prayers.
A copy of a few perhaps morally questionable pictographs of a young women kept in a small box hidden under a floorboard.
There also appeared to be a small stash of thrones, though barely a handful.
"I dont know why anyone would want to hurt him......he was a smart boy he wouldnt get into trouble." She said before spotting the pictures and blushing.
"Oh...my..OH ive seen her" She said a little embaressed.

[Calimos]

Torrian turned to Ms Lazerus, giving her the handful of thrones discovered, took a good look at the lady in the pictures and then asked.

"You said you've seen her. Who is she? Perhaps involved in a romantic relationship with Octus?"

[profitofrage]

She took the thrones and smiled.
"yes I had seen him talking to her several times..she is the daughter of a store keeper a track or so away...I ...well I didnt know they were an item..I didnt think he had any real friends like that....but i suppose from the pictures he must" She said taking a look at one of the girls rather flaunting poses.
"Im not even sure how he could have gotten pictures let alone...of this...I suppose boys will be boys..." She said handing the pictures back.

[Calimos]

"Well you can certainly count on that", Torrian said with a smile, remembering his own escapades during his early youth.

"In any case though, I think I'll pay them a visit, if only to see if I can learn anything more. If you could tell me at which stall she is I'll go right away. As for earlier, keep the door locked and I'll see if I can get you out of here at some point".

[profitofrage]

She nodded and pointed via instinct.
"Its just across the way..if you go through the side of the shops past the tracks there shop is a few up. You wont miss it, they sell dried food. Its the only one in the area." She said leading you to the door and opening it for you.
"Thank you for the offer...I guess I just dont feel safe here anymore.." She said quietly, closing and locking the door as you leave.

[Calimos]

Torrian nodded encouragingly to Ms Lazerus and proceeded towards the direction she indicated, keeping alert of anything strange or suspicious.

[profitofrage]

Things seemed to return to normal, the staring strangers retreating to but the odd head turning. The directions were easy enough to follow, a quick jump over the train line and between the shops had him come out on a new 'street' filled with shops lined up in a row. The shop he spoke of was right where she said it was, albiet looking a lot more decrepid. The place was obviously abandoned..or unoccupied, yet the scrawled menus still lay on the outside of the windows. The makeshift sign "Sibelus' Finest Dried Meats" lofted up for those who could read.

[Calimos]

After taking a good look around, Torrian proceeded to knock on the door.

[profitofrage]

The knocking was not answered. Indeed the wooden door that had been bolted onto the metallic box the shop was made out of did nothing but creak.
The smell of meat still lingered, indeed rotting meat could be smelt..no wonder the crowd was giving the place a relativly wide birth.
From the smell of the meat still lingering..and the fact that the place was only just decrepid...one could draw the conclusion that it had only recently been abandoned.

[Calimos]

Torrian cursed under his breath and tried to open the door. He tested it first to see if it was locked, and if it was he put out discreetly his multikey and tried to open it. Breaking and entering, part of a skillset he had acquired long ago, while being part of the Underworld and which he perfected during his long years of investigations and operations with the Adeptus Arbites and the Divisio. He also unholstered his sidearm, to be prepared for everything.

OOC
I edited the post since I discovered that I had a multikey among my equipment, which should be really helpful in this case.

[profitofrage]

The door was indeed locked, but not for long. The knife hacked away at the poor locking mechanism and with a rough shove the door flung open. Gun ready the reak of rotting meat was overpowering. Roaches and rat droppings could be seen on the floor and the entire store was dark all the windows closed.
The shop itself was arranged strangely, the doorway leading into what looked to be a sort of corridor with two open doorways. The first was to what was the store front, if the window were open it would be easier to see but all there was was a long bench on which various meats had no doubt layed before being ravaged by the vermin.
All that lay was the back room...the one where most of the smell was coming from.

[Calimos]

OOC
Well it seems that you answered quicker than I edited my above post, saying that I used a multikey to increase my chances of opening the lock, but it didn't seem to matter since i succeded anyway. :smallsmile:

Torrian closed the door behind him, put the respirator in his face to alleviate the rotten smell, grabbed a lamp pack from inside his coat and holding his sidearm - after having affixed a silencer on it - with his other hand proceeded carefully to search the place inch by inch.

Just like old days. Pistol and flashlight up front, and all senses working overtime to spot anything strange, suspicious or dangerous.

[profitofrage]

ooc
:P you passed anyway, but ill take into account that instead obreaking and entering it would have apeared less criminal.

Torrian stepped through the doorway slowly, checking the front of the shop first for any clues.
He found a book, a log full of various expenses..whoever owned the shop was literate. He also found a box filled with around 20 thrones..obviously even the thieves had yet to ransack this place.
When the front room was cleared Torrian proceeded down the hallway. Step by step he could feel the rebreather begin to kick in, screaning out the smell of rotting flesh. It was at the door that he saw the source. It was not the cold pantry in the corner filled with rotting slabs of meat..but rather the large dead fat man sprawled on one of the two beds on either side of the open room.
The man had quite clearly been shot...a large calibur...considering the large gorey hole that was left of the mans chest. Rats and other vermin had clearly been hacking away at the exposed flesh and just when the sight couldnt get any worse Torrian saw a rat pry out of a previously unseen hole in the mans head.
Toughness test to avoid throwing up + 20 bonus due to resperator blocking the smell. you rolled 64 which is a fail...so you throw up.

[Calimos]

OOC
I think that the respirator also provides a re-roll apart from the +30 bonus to the toughness test [Core rulebook pg. 147], so maybe you could roll once more to solidify the result.

Torrian grabbed the book and the thrones pushing them inside a large pocket in his coat, where he kept the notes and photos and continued on. As he entered the last room and saw the dead man's corpse being eaten he let out a muffled gasp and tried very hard to keep himself from throwing up at the gruesome spectacle before him.

[profitofrage]

the test was partly due to the smell but also due to the sight of the vermin clawing its way out of the mans head. I did re roll anyway since its reasonable. but unfortuanatly you rolled 87 so you still failed it :S

[Calimos]

OOC
Sure. I thought that it wouldn't be only the smell, so it's more than reasonable.

Torrian felt nauseous. The sight of the rat coming out of the corpse's head was too much to stomach, especially after those days that tested his sanity to the breaking point. He took the respirator off his face and threw up in a corner. After a while, he pulled himself together, cleaned his face and affixing the respirator again, moved on, scurrying the vermin away and examining the room and the corpse more closely and methodically. He checked both of the obvious wounds (head and chest) on the man, checked around for bullet casings, checked below the beds, under the mattresses, everywhere he could think of, searching for anything that could either identify the killers and uncover what might have happened, as well as any clue on the apparently missing daughter.

[profitofrage]

The site was truly aweful and picking through it was a tortuous affair. The room had been tossed and turned but only at the entrance..there was a struggle..but it didnt last long. From the way the body was lying one could assume the man had tried fighting his attackers..but the large calibur tore open his chest. The large blood and gore stain on the floor in front showed where he landed..but where he was now he was moved to..or more tossed to.
The cavity in the skull was incredible..like his skull had been sawn open and what was inside scooped out.
It was a truly gruesome scene..but the room bore several interesting clues.
One was a simple pict recorder, designed to capture images only though at several zoom levels. No doubt an expensive peice of equipment..at least for a civilian in the hives.
There was a large hole in the side wall, the refrigerator had been torn off the wall and moved to the side to show the small hidden (albiet empty) compartment. This man must have been hiding something...from some nasty people.
The last clue was indeed the footsteps..there were three sets, two moving about hte blood splatter..no doubt the murderers moving the body..the other walking to the safe compartment. What WAS interesting..is one of the two men must have had an augmented leg of some kind..the rectangular mark on the floor noticably not from any kind of boot.

[Calimos]

Torrian, barely keeping his feelings of disgust at bay, searched carefully through the room. He recovered the pict recorder, hoping that it might still contain some picts inside and as evidence connecting Lazerus Octus to the daughter of the owner of this place, which could be the dead man laying on the bed.

He examined it, to see if it was in working condition and then, with the help of his lamp pack he took picts of the strange footstep that indicated an augmented leg, as well as picts of the secret compartment and the gruesomely murdered man and his grievous wounds in torso and head.

He looked around once again, overturning the mattress of the other bed and trying to find any signs of the girl that was supposed to live in this place and then headed out, examining the place for one last time as he departed.

[profitofrage]

The pic recorder definably had data still on it, however acessing it was going to prove difficult. The functions of using the device appeared simple enough, the extraction however required some kind of data access port..something Torrian did not currently possess.

There was no sign of the girl, only little clues that suggested her existance. The small collection of hairs on the pillow at her bed. The clothes kept in a box under it matched her rough size and shape. What was certain is a girl lived her..where she could have gone could only be assumed.

Although it was a terribly grim scene...It at least pointed in a familiar direction.

[Calimos]

Torrian, having acquired what he could from evidence and clues, went outside, closing and locking the door again behind him, using his multikey. The gruesome murder site had disturbed him quite a lot, but hopefully he'd get over it soon.

He looked around and went on his way, asking people when was the last time they had seen the shopkeeper and his daughter and if they had seen her leave the place or if they'd seen anything suspicious in the last couple of days.

Then he continued his way towards Ms Lazerus' house, thinking of the crime scene he encountered.

OOC
The familiar direction that you mentioned regarding the murder scene, does it have anything to do with that mysterious magos bilogis who could probably have an augmetic leg, or was it something else that looked familiar to me and pointed me to some place/person etc and if so which and where does it point me?

Sorry for the question and the late response, but I'm posting late at night and my mind is a bit messed up by various situations and exhaustion.

[profitofrage]

Torrian had ony managed to ask a few people about the shopkeeper before he noticed that people were rather tight lipped. Either refusing straight away claiming they knew nothing or stopping for several moments as if searching for what to say before giving rather useless answers to all questions.
Indeed things were strange.

The direction was an assumption on my part really, the idea that nowhere else thus far has been seen to have access to augmetics other then the hospital or tech priest.

[Calimos]

OOC
Good. It seems that mind still functions properly :smallwink:. And also that the hospital turns out to be quite more suspicious as the investigation moves on. We'll see.

Torrian, hiding his dissapointment at the lack of any witnesses or available information, continued his way to Ms Lazerus. If things were getting too strange, he'd have to think about helping her relocate, to ensure her safety.

[profitofrage]

Torrian Squeezed past the small stores and back into the 'street' Ms Lazerus' store was on. However something was wrong, It wasnt untill he was about a hundred or so meters away that he saw it. The door was kicked in and two armed men in Green were at the front door. Several onlookers scurrying past as quickly as they could. A quick glance to the tower showed that all eyes were on the area, but the men at the door were simply guarding it keeping people back. Torrian knew that it had only been 15 - 20 minutes since he was last there...what could have happened in that time?

[Calimos]

Cursing under his breath Torrian proceeded to the entrance of the store, his heart and mind racing. What could have gone wrong in so little time, yet again, he wondered. When he reached the Green Cloaks, he stopped.

"Greetings gentlemen. What happened here? I am a friend of Ms Lazerus and was coming to see here, you may have heard about it but she lost her son two days ago and she was devastated. What's going on?"

[profitofrage]

The men at the door were recognisable, the bunch who were playing cards..although there ringleader was not in sight.
"Back off civilian this area is a crime scene move along!" The man shouted before the other tapped his shoulder and whispered in his ear, It seemed the first hadnt recognised him..the other correcting his mistake.

"Oh its you...Its not of your concern, its a crime scene and its occured in our juridiction please leave" He said rather sternly the other standing next to him now, both looking rather serious.

[Calimos]

Torrian sighed heavily. Not this jurisdiction nonsense once again. Damn their stupid attitude and that of their superiors. Hell he had to try anyway.
His face distorting visibly from grief and frustration, he exhaled deep and offered a lho stick to the men standing in the door.

"Look officers. I am not here on official capacity and I am not trying to pull rank or claim jurisdiction over the incident. I simply was an acquaintance of Ms Lazerus and quite close over the last few days, helping her through the most dire situation that befell her. The poor lady lost her son for Emperor's sake. Now I only wish to help, not hinder your investigation.

I merely wish to know what happened and give you any clues I might discern from the crime scene. I won't hinder any investigation and you'll get full credit. And that's not all. I'll also provide you with knowledge of a crime that took place near here in the last few days for which you'll also get full credit. And I'll make sure to pull some strings in order for you to get some more recognition for your success in uncovering and solving crimes in the area. I only wish to help and looking inside will only take me few minutes.

For Emperor's sake people, we're all serving the Imperial Justice. I am not a criminal and I seek to offer help. I got to know Ms Lazerus as of lately and any insight I could offer would help you crack this case. Can we please cooperate on this for everyone's benefit?"

[profitofrage]

The men didnt seem to listen or even care, they seem far more determined in making sure noone could get a good look inside the partially torn off door. standing there ground the man simply scowled and raised his voice.

"OK you listen real carefully...I dont care how well you knew her..or what crimes you think of have been commited your going to turn around..back off and leave before something bad happ-" The man didnt get a chance. A booming rough and slightly intimidating voice seemed to echo through the air from behind Torrian.

"Stand Down Private!....This is Sergant Major Dorandell and I am officially taking over this investigation!" The man was by no stretch of the imagination a brick house. His green coat was a league ahead of his subordinates clearly reinforced with flack plating. A Large pump action shotgun slung over his shoulder only reinforcing the mans aura of authority.
Torrian barely had a moment to look at the man's grizzled scarred face before he stepped past him and glared down at the man in front of him.
"Sir, this is unexpected...This is our Jurisdiction and-"
"I dont give five FRACKS! whos Jurisdiction it is...Im the Senior Officer here and Certain words have been handed down to me about this precinct...ive come here to check it out. For starters youll get your asses back to your positions by the door...THEN youll tell whoever The corperal is around here to answer to me immediatly. AND WHY havnt you asked me for identification yet!" The man shouted before shoving an engraved Aquila into the mans chest before turning around.
"You...who are you and why are you trying to gain access to a Magistratum crime scene?" he said with a look that might puncture spaceship hulls.

[Calimos]

Well, at least someone heard of the lax way this precinct is performing their duties and decided to take action, thought Torrian.

Having stared into the eyes of many frightening individuals and spectacles, Torrian could nonetheless acknowledge the fact that Sergeant Major Dorandell was looking serious and menacing indeed. No wonder he held higher rank than the others.

Torrian straightened up, removed his hood, revealing his face to the officer before him, and got his ID and badge from inside his coat. His eyes met the piercing gaze of Sergeant Major Dorandell, unflinching and deadly serious and responded, in a strong, bass voice.

"Glad to meet you Sergeant Major. I am Torrian Severus, Warden of the Divisio Immoralis. As I already mentioned to those men, the lady living here was an acquaintance of me and her son was murdered two days ago. After being denied help from the local Magistratum precinct, on the basis that her son was killed during an honour duel - something to which I can present contrary evidence - she came to me and I tried to help her. This morning she told me she had been followed to her house and someone tried to grab her. She was afraid and I tried to make arrangements to get her some place safe.

As I also told those men, I encountered another crime scene on my way back here, of which I could provide additional information, if there was even a shred of good will and cooperation on your behalf. I am not a criminal sir and it is my sworn duty to investigate special cases that could present moral threats to the integrity of Scintilla and Hive Sibellus in particular, under authority of Senior Arbitrator Kae Drusil and Sector Governor, Lord Marius Hax himself.

I have already tried to contact the officer in charge of the local precinct about the situation, but I received threats against my life by the Magistratum personel and total refusal to be allowed to talk to him. If they had listened, perhaps today's crime might have been averted. I only wish to help, honourable officer, since I realize that things are strange on those cases. I seek to work with all forces of law, order and justice and not circumvent anyone as I carry out my sworn duties. I believe I can help you, both to resolve those crimes, by providing clues and information as well as personal field assistance. I can cooperate in any way you see fit, but please understand that I only wish to help. I'm not out here to get credit for anything, just help".

[profitofrage]

The man looked at Torrian sternly throughout the entire speech, However unlike the others it was clear his mind was picking over every single word.
He looked at the badge carefully and could be seen muttering the badge number..perhaps commiting it to memory.
"Divisio Immoralis" he said with a raised eye brow before turning to the other men for a moment and looking back.
"The Arbitus and the magistratum are without a doubt totally and completly hateful of one another, I doubt that the threats on your life are anything more then either your overexageration or there enthusiastic way of telling you to get the frack out of our buisness...this is an opinion most of us hold...I do not." he said outstretching his hand to give a vice like handshake.

"As for talk about crimes..I have yet to recieve word as to ANY sort of report from this pricinct...something that" Turns to glare at the two privates.
"Angers me greatly" He said turning back.
"I am going to assume that a member of the Divisio Immoralis would not be here if there was not sufficient reason...so while I am looking over the crime scene first hand..and the two men behind me keep very VERY quiet, you can fill me in....Although this is now my jurisdiction it is obvious that it is your investigation due to your obvious knowledge."

It was during all this Torrian got a far better look at the man before him. His hand was bionic, he could tell despite the gloves he wore simply by how the hand felt during the hand shake. The other interesting fact was the dog tags held aloft by a chain around the mans neck. He had obviously served in the Imperial guard..or perhaps PDF forces. Suddenly his strict nature and build made more sense.

[Calimos]

Torrian returned the hadshake and nodded approvingly.

"It is an honour to work with you sir. Should we proceed to look over the crime scene as I'll fill you in on the latest events?"

OOC
I can either write down extensively everything related to the Lazerus murder etc, or you could just assume that I tell him everything related to it, especially the parts concerning the strange reluctance of the Magistratum forces to apprehend Silon Lupis and even expunge his name from the official report.

[profitofrage]

OOC
Instead of writing down what you DO want to tell him, instead tell me what you dont, also if you wish to lie or otherwise bend the truth let me know that to.

"Yes...We should definably go over it as soon as possible." He said turning to the other two men.
"Alright now that is sorted your services are not required...The site is now secure due to my presence..you are to immediatly rendevue back at the base of the tower along with your other personel..I am going to want a word with all the staff." He said the two men looking to each other with a concerned look wondering wether or not to obey.
"That means NOW privates..MOVE or suffer immediate summary EXECUTION for disobeying a DIRECT ORDER!" He threatened the two men promptly heading back towards the tower.

"I am afraid I to show concern for the Magistratum enforcers in this Princint Warden Severus." He said stepping inside the building.

The entire front of the store appeared turned and scattered. Definate signs of a struggle. There thankfully was no blood, only the door laying on the ground obviously kicked in. What was concerning is that the metal door was built in on a sliding mechanism and had been bolted onto the exterior door..whatever had kicked it in did so with a considerable amount of force.
"This is concerning."

[Calimos]

OOC
I think I'll tell him most things, since I want to establish in him the feeling that something is definitely very wrong about the incidents that happen in the area, justifying my presence as a Warden of D.I. here and also in order to gain his trust and why not forge a lasting friendship and cooperation. I'll also mention in detail the crime scene in the meat merchant's store that I encountered before and the potential link between the cases. That link is additionally reinforced by the considerable force that battered down Ms Lazerus door which might have something to do with the increased strength that a good augmentic could give someone.

I'll be careful not to insult the honour of the Magistratum forces, but I'll mention all relevant facts that I can back up with evidence, such as their laxity on the Octus' murder etc. Finally I think that I'll tell him to keep an eye out for internal corruption since I personally have bad experience from it and someone on the inside expunged the killer's name for no apparent reason. I'll mention also that the hospital in the area is the source of some controversy, just to know and keep an eye on it.

I don't think I'll hold up anything else, nor that I'll twist any information. He may be a Magistratum official, but his army background and overall atittude speak directly to the heart of Torrian as a loyal servant to the Emperor and a defender of Justice. Torrian likes such people and for the moment at least he'll cooperate fully, trusting the Sergeant Major.

Torrian moved in, his heart pulse racing, expecting to see Ms Lazerus disembowled of worse. While she was not in there apparently, there was also no blood, which was encouraging. She could have been abducted by the looks of it. And whoever brought that door down possessed exceptional strength, which was alarming.

He turned to Dorandell, and answered.
"Indeed Sergeant Major. Indeed".

[profitofrage]

No problem, the good news is this guy definably likes Torrian. Hes an old school Imperial Guard Vet and Torrians respect goes a long way with such figures. +10 to all fellowship tests with this character. Also you now have his com bead vox frequency (as youll see in the post)

The Sargent major grimaced considerably, indeed it would not be surprising if it were revealed such a face was incapable of smiling at all.
"You could probably guess Warden that I have served in the Imperial Guard, The most honourable and Emperor serving profession a man can take on...no offense. It is in such a position that you learn to hate the mutant..the witch and the heretic to a degree most men here have yet to learn...however there is one other hatred for which I posses..and that is of corruption." He practically growled.
"Ive seen what men can do...and no man could have done this without equipment or augmentation...I also know that such augmentation doesnt come cheap" He said flexing his hand.
"I am officially delegating this investigation to you...that is the kidnapping of Ms Octus and the murder of her son and the meatshop owner. The investigation on this pricincts Magistratum enforcers however is mine and mine alone...your discretion is a condition of you taking on this investigation." He said reaching into his pocket and handing you a card.
"This is a frequency you can always reach me on...If you do not have one..I suggest you purchase or commision a Micro-Bead for you future operations"

[Calimos]

"You are a most perceptive man Sergeant Major. Your military background is evident on you and to be honest I'm glad for it. Your appearance here at this moment gives me hope and reassurance that we may make real progress and catch the perpetrators of those crimes. I'll make sure to requisition or get a micro-bead a.s.a.p. Till then I'll contact you from the vox-caster in my office.

As to the crimes, I'll gladly continue the investigation I began. My discretion is of course guaranteed on matters concerning the local precinct, since that will be handled by you. I know that you've probably seen and survived through the worst, but since I've been born in a planet whose very name is a synonym to corruption and decay - Sinophia if you've heard - I'll warn you to watch your back and tread carefully while attempting to root out any existing corruption in the precinct. I have faith in the Emperor, that He'll protect you and you'll see this to the end.

For anything you might need I give you my personal vox frequency as well. When I manage to gather enough evidence, I'll make sure to contact you to meet again in person or discuss the appropriate course of action.

Now, I'll check the place here once more and move on to see what information I may gather from any potential witnesses etc. Also, if you want, you can sent people to clear that meathouse before the body rots and becomes a place of dangerous contagion and threat to the people's health".

OOC
Feelings are mutual. I have a feeling we'll be cooperating productively with him and perhaps we may improve the situation quite a lot.
Also, could I get a micro bead from the Divisio or should I buy one? and if so will it be hard to find a place to get it? I think I can afford it since it costs 20 thrones.

After speaking to Dorandell, I'll keep searching the store, (to get the thrones Ms Lazerus had, since I'm not leaving it there for any robbers and) for any evidence and clues I might discern.

[profitofrage]

"A man who respects the fighting men who keep us all safe, is in turn respected by me. Indeed our occupations are much the same, It is a pity that the Magistratum and the Arbitus is not more cooperative." He said before walking toward the entrance.
"I have things to get to the bottom of, Good luck with your investigation....The emperor Protects" He said saluting with the sign of the aquila before taking off.

Unfortuanatly searching the house revealed very little. It seems that Ms Octus was indeed sitting at her table when the attackers broke in. Having no way out they tossed what was in there way out of the way and taken her. Torrian wasnt exactly next door when it occured..and it was a busy part of the day..but surely he would have heard the screams? Perhaps she was drugged or beaten...though the absense of blood would discourage the later. The money however seemed nowhere to be found...perhaps whomever took her took it as well?

EDIT:
Sorry didnt see your spoiler, You are currently off duty so cant commision one. However you could easily buy one from them for the 20 thrones. this would also allow you to use a private frequency (or the one you already have)

[Calimos]

Torrian saluted Dorandell with the same gesture, making the sign of the Aquila over his chest and proceeded to check the place again. No solid evidence or clues could be found however and that nagging sense of another dead end starting creeping at the back of his mind. He got outside and started inquiring those around in an effort to get some more clues on what could have happened here.

OOC
Alright, I'll buy one then. Can I find such a store in market place or at the district where I live?

[profitofrage]

After a quick search Torrian walked outside and into the center of a circle of bystanders. While others moved about around them, the dozen or so average looking men and women all stared at him. That same stare that he had seen a few hours ago.
They stared..there cold eyes...it seemed like hours that they stared but in reality it was but a moment.
A single moment and then they turned, all walking there seperate ways.