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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"I don't intend on staying here too long," called back Rhodes in reply, the muzzle of his gun still tracking back and forth over the upper balconies in search of the source of Red's voice. "I don't believe you've told me your name, sir. It only seems fair, since you seem to know mine."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"You can call me Red if you want, names are much more useful than 'Guy who you can't see'. Usually shorter, too. Mind telling me why you're in this vault, and why you brought Mister Jessel and the Good sergant's squad with you? Researching one's lineage does not, as far as I'm aware, usually involve stringing along a handful of trained fighters and somebody who can break into a Forbidden Administratum vault.
That's the part where you made the Mechanicus angry, just for your information."
Red gently prodded the man he held at gunpoint to move forward slightly. His team had his back most likely, but that was no reason to blather on and get shot because talking gave his position away. Best to keep shifting his position a little bit.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
As the soldier moved forwards, Summerson's torch-beam fixed on him, lighting up Red's hostage for all to see. Down below, the sergeant muttered something too quiet to hear at the Acolytes' altitude: Red heard a low echoing murmur of the man's voice from a comm-bead in his hostage's ear. Lowering the gun for a moment, the dark shape of Lord Rhodes stepped forward to the edge of the beam of light, leaning over and saying something in his daughter's ear. She nodded, and stepped back.
Straightening up, the gun still in his hands, he looked up at the captive guard.
"That rather depends who I'm talking to, Mr 'Red'. Who sent you? Mechanicus? One of Leonid's whelps?" His head shifted subtly from left to right, still scanning the gantries for signs of life. "Why don't you come down here, eh, old boy? Then we can discuss this like civilised men."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Red grinned.
"If you can't read my colours, I'm sure one of your men can. I'd love to speak civil with you, but there far too many guns and far too many cyber owls for me to be comfortable. You'll have to believe me that I don't want anybody who serves the Emperor to get shot out because of this mess. If I let this man go, and order my squaddies to do the same with the other, will you take it as a sign of good faith?"
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"Why of course," called back Rhodes, smoothly. He lowered the gun, although he didn't put it away.
"Let them go like a good fellow, and they'll show you the way down." His eyes remained on the illuminated hostage. "Won't they, Summerson?"
"Yessir. They will."
"There, you see?" Rhodes looked around again, as if hoping to see Red show his face. "No need for all this... unpleasantness." He paused. "The owls aren't ours, you know."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"We know. We've noticed you aren't fond of them. I'm not fond of them either." Hieronymus' voice came down from the other direction. A rather unpleasant smile had found its way onto the Provost's face as he looked at his hostage. "Come on then, friend. Let's get downstairs and have a talk with your boss, shall we? You'll understand if I have you go first, I hope."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Nodding, Hieronymous' hostage raised his hands, leaving his gun dangling by its strap - turning slowly towards the stairs, he began to descend.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Keeping the guard in front of him as best he could, Hieronymus descended the stairs as well, his shotgun lowered but ready to be snapped back up again at a moment's notice. "Mr. Rhodes. If you want names, call me Mr. Bosc." Giving him that much was safe. It was stitched to the front of Hieronymus' uniform anyways.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"Alright, trooper, here's how it works." Red began, speaking to his 'hostage'. "You're going to hand me your rifle and your microbead. Just to make sure nothing untoward happens to my person. I'm taking a big risk standing down there with your boss as it is. I'd rather not have to worry about Summerson having the bright idea to issue the order to shoot me. I'm sure you understand." He finished, in the calmest voice he could muster.
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ASSUMING THE GUARD COMPLIES:
Red set the rifle aside, leaning it against the stacks and assured the soldier that one of his compatriots would police it, the Acolyte slung his own rifle as a show of good faith and began following his man down the stairs, to stand easy in front of Rhodes and crew, doing his best to hide his apprehension for standing near Heironymus.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Slowly relinquishing the items in question, the guard descended the stairs: following him down, Red wound his way down through the layered levels, the long way to the ground making the descent seem almost interminable. As he emerged onto the ground floor, Heironymous appeared opposite, ushering his own captive before him. Summerson’s torch-beam flicked between them: sighing, the young lady reached into the bag she was carrying and produced a glow-globe, twisting a brass dial on its base and tossing it up into the air. With a dull whine, the repulsor unit kicked in, the spherical lamp slowing in mid-fall and hovering at about head height: a warm, yellow light welled up from within, the tangles of machinery in the centre of the room casting long shadows as it lit up the chamber.
Seeing the shotgun in Heironymous’ hands, Summerson tensed a little, the barrel of his lasgun rising: stepping forward, Rhodes made a slight gesture for the sergeant to stand down, the nobleman’s gaze passing from one Acolyte to the other. The glow-globe cast his aquiline face into starkly contrasting light and shade, hooded eyes surveying them from shadowed sockets: even though his posture was one of immaculate politeness, his impressively huge frame was far more intimidating up close. Behind him, his daughter watched with an expression somewhere between curiosity and amusement, the little man Jessel still working frantically away to the rear.
“I believe you said the word squad, Mr Red,” the nobleman purred. “That usually doesn’t describe only two people.”
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"You heard correctly." Red replied as evenly as possible, returning the guard who escorted him's microbead wordlessly.
"I also said that I would be coming down. The rest of my squad will be keeping over-watch, as security. Being down here, surrounded by your men is dangerous for both Bosc and myself, and less dangerous for you. I figure it's prudent to keep our numbers and composition concealed, if at all possible."
Even as he said this, he hoped the others were monitoring his still-open comm channel, and moving to actually fill said over-watch positions, especially Jericus.
Then, he quickly shook his head and, suspecting Rhodes's daughter was a witch, began thinking of where he would position a dozen men on over-watch, hopefully to make her think he actually had a dozen soldiers.
"Likewise, I believe the prudent question for me to ask at the moment is what you're really doing here."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"One might ask the same question of you," replied Rhodes, not missing a beat. "Your uniform - one of the Guytogan regiments, isn't it?" He smiled a broad, white-toothed smile beneath his luxuriant moustache. "I didn't think the Scrivener's Star was a current Guard posting."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"I'm part of a special detachment, under orders to investigate the Starship Byzantium." Red said, plainly enough. That part, he wasn't under orders to dance around, and if they knew something, and spoke up it would further their investigation.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"Byzantium, you say?" said Rhodes. "And under whose orders might that be?"
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"Orders are orders. I'm just following the instructions handed to me, didn't ask who's authority this mission was under." Red lied, as cleanly as he could, and quickly attempted to turn the conversation around. "Your turn."
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[roll0]
Untrained, so half Fellowship, which is 14.5.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
“Well, if that’s the case, I don’t see that it’s your purview, dear boy,” said Rhodes, still smiling broadly. “Private... family matters, you understand. Nothing to do with this starship of yours.”
Resting the Nomad over his shoulder, he placed a hand on Red’s shoulder, taking the guardsman over to one side with a genial air.
“Now, my man Jessel here, he tells me something’s wrong with the... cogitator system, or whatever it is they have, here,” he said, gesturing airily at the Vault around them. “As you said, we’ve lost the power, and then there’s the owls. Damned nuisance, practically dive-bombing us every other minute.” He nodded towards the upper levels. “If you could persuade your friends to come down, I think we might be able to work together. All this unpleasantness with the guns has been a great misunderstanding, don’t you agree?”
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"If everyone promises not to shoot everyone else, that might be arranged," Hieronymus said carefully. "Our first concern is getting the heating back on, and that's not going to happen if the machines get filled with holes."
"Mr. Rhodes," he added, after a moment of peering intently at the cogitator banks around the room. "I've just got one request. After we shut down the mad library cogitator trying to kill us all, my colleagues and I would like to have a discussion with your man Jessel regarding some technical matters."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"Yes, it does seem to be more misunderstanding than anything, sir." Red replied easily, although pronouncing the "Sir" icily.
"As my companion has stated, your man Jessel is of particular interest to my group. He is the one who used the access code to get into this vault, no?"
Leaving his condition as a given, and not giving Rhodes a chance to respond, the Guardsmen nodded authoritatively and muttered "Good deal, that." under his breath before making a show of reaching for his commbead and opening the line.
"Come on down when you get the chance, guys let's return the lasgun to our friend the trooper. Kitraya, I think you might find yourself finally able to get some girl time in with the nobleman's daughter."
Red glanced at Rhodes as he said this, gaging him for a reaction.
"I have a female on the squad. She is always going on about what pigs us men are. She'd probably be spending alot of time with your daughter had I not mentioned it."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Rhodes raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. His daughter smirked.
Quote:
"I've just got one request. After we shut down the mad library cogitator trying to kill us all, my colleagues and I would like to have a discussion with your man Jessel regarding some technical matters."
"Of course," said Rhodes, "at your disposal, Mr... Bosc. Once we are done here, as you said."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Jericus thumbed the transmit rune on his combead "You want me to come down there, and uh, liase with that Jessel, or stay up here"
OOC: Assuming Red does Jericus will stow his autogun and make his way slowly down to the cogitator, giving everyone suspicious looks and keeping his hand near his Tranter.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Shrugging, Ignace carefully descended to the platform where the others were, his laspistol held by his side, his finger off the trigger.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Red clicked his commbead once in affirmation of Jer's question and, when his compatriots all met assembled, smiled at Rhodes.
"Well, that's all of us." He said truthfully. "Let's go fix the heat."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Descending the stairs in the rearguard, Katyra grudgingly handed Red’s former captive back his lasgun – the man took it would a word, stepping back and standing idle but alert to one side of the group. At the back of the nobleman’s retinue, Jessel looked up at Jericus’ appearance: the little man seemed to try and make himself small and un-noticeable as he caught sight of the tech-priest, hands dancing quickly over the terminal he had been operating and stowing at least a couple of small, unseen objects away inside his robes.
“A capital plan!” said Rhodes. “I believe these great blocks of machinery here control the auxiliary power. If your man can see his way clear to making them work…”
He looked at the Jericus and paused.
“You wouldn’t have encountered another man of the Machine Cult on your way in here, I suppose? Large chap, not very talkative.” He lowered his voice a little, as if admitting the Acolytes to some secret conspiracy. “We’re rather concerned about his whereabouts.”
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Jericus turned to the tall, genial man.
"Why? Are you worried he could pose a problem to us?"
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"He seemed rather set on shooting my men the last time we encountered him," said Rhodes. "So quite possibly."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"If it was the one with the plasma gun on his shoulder, he won't be presenting a problem. I took care of him." A slight exaggeration, perhaps, but it wouldn't hurt to play up his own abilities around this lot.
"He was rather keen on shooting us as well," Hieronymus adds as part of his explanation. Gesturing to the banks of machinery, he smiles. "See what you can do, Jericus."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Jericus glowered at the Provost and lurched over to Jessel. He started to examine the cogitator banks, trying to determine the make and origin of the logic engines.
Common Lore (Tech) <55
[roll0]
And a tech use roll for good measure.
Tech Use: <55
[roll1]
Jericus will be snappy and terse with Jessel.
HOLY OMNISSIAH! I passed not one, but two skill checks! By a considerable margin of success, I hope.
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
“Really?” Rhodes raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more.
Practically pushing Jessel aside, Jericus stepped up to the cogitator at which the man had been working: flexing his fingers, he ran a practised eye over the controls, sizing up the banks of machinery that surrounded him.
Something here didn’t add up: these machines were not slaved to this cogitator panel, or any other for that matter. They were the auxiliary power: they were operated purely manually, that was the whole point. It made no sense for Jessel to be trying to use the cogitator to invoke their actions: of course, there was the possibility that the man was just plain stupid, which Jericus was always careful never to dismiss. By the way he seemed to have been disassembling parts of the terminal’s outer casing, that was looking like a possibility.
Turning away from the screen, Jericus walked between the banks of generatoria: this was what they brought him along for? This was a trivial problem. They had built these machines for the laity to use. He could do this in his sleep. He had designed more complicated arrangements than this.
Shaking his head at the utter ignorance of the uninitiated, he reached out without even looking and pulled a heavy knife-switch downward. There was a heavy thunk, then a slow, rising whirr of machinery from below: the others looked around in superstitious awe as a steady gurgling rose up through the walls, heralding the return of the heat. The frosty-dragon’s breath that had begun to gust from their lips dissolving away, they turned their heads upwards as the first of the lights overhead flickered on, the others beginning to light up in expanding, concentric circles from the first.
From a battered-looking speaker attached to the railing of one of the higher gantries in the now fully-illuminated chamber, LIRA’s voice crackled back into transmission.
“Oh. N/n/n/now you’re n/n/n/not being any fun.”
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
Hieronymus only nodded in response to Rhodes. As the light and heat came back on, he looked around the room, now illuminated. That took care of the dark, at least. "One down, two to go. I think we should all take the grav-platform, but before we do, it might be wise to disable the remote access. LIRA broke our last one. Forty meters up."
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Re: Knowledge Is Power [Dark Heresy] - IC
"Two to go?" enquired Rhodes politely. "Not sure what you mean, I'm afraid."
Scuttling back to the cogitator panel that Jericus had left, Jessel went back to tapping furiously at the keys, hunched over the screen like a vulture mantling over carrion. After a couple of seconds, there was a quiet bing and a small data-slate was ejected from a port in its side: snatching the slate, he brought it over to Rhodes, the nobleman taking it from his servant and scanning it with an air of gentlemanly detachment.
"Ah," he said, suppressing the slightest of smiles. "It looks like we've found what we're looking for." He looked up at Heironymous and the other Acolytes. "Happy to give you a lift, old boy, but we'll have to make a stop along the way." He gestured to the lectern: the Acolytes could see the bottom panel of the control column had been removed, something complicated having been done to the tangle of wiring beneath. "We had a little trouble with the navigation as well, but Mr Jessel sorted it out for us."
Jericus Only:
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The nature of Jessel's ad hoc changes to the Lectern's systems shows something of a disrespect for the machine's Holy Design.