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Sea of Stars - IC III
Sea of Stars
+++Episode 8 - Continued+++
OOC Thread
"Full of brilliant observations," Etula deadpanned. "Yes, I'd love for the rumourmongering to stop."
Then she frowned, eyeing Macharius suspiciously. "More to you than meets the eye though, I wager. They've been indiscriminate, whoever it is. Now they could be doing that to throw off suspicion, but if suspicion's the goal, that wouldn't make sense. It also wouldn't make sense if eliminating political opponents is the goal. As many of them have been Uncle's allies as not. It's probably not politics, which makes my position a lot more complicated, now doesn't it?"
Etula sighed, and slowly started pacing. "All right, fine. Now I'm frakking intrigued, you interfering bastards. If not politics, what could they want? The targets are seemingly random, the only constant is that they don't hit the palace, where security is much tighter. The only person I've seen that's been even close to as paranoid about security as Uncle is our dear hostess this evening. The guards are one thing, the security systems she's put into this place must have cost a fortune or two. She's always been a bit funny about dying though, she's put it off about as long as she can with rejuvenats, so it's on brand. Bad location for the ancestral estate to sit, right now."
Suddenly, she stopped walking. "What if it's access? The palace is out on the end of that huge bridge, at the top of a rock spire. Sure, there's elevators, and smaller bridges, but everything's watched constantly. There's no way to approach without being seen unless you can fly. The Stalker's got wings, we've all been assuming they can fly, but nobody has heard anything as loud as a jump pack, grav generators are too big.. maybe they're for gliding."
Spoiler: Anika Only
Show
The Kindjal heiress promised to pass on Anika's regards, and moved away through the crowd. Left to her own devices for the moment, Anika had time to look around at the artwork. There were a lot of portraits, mostly of women. The Kindjals through the ages didn't seem to possess a strong family resemblance, but there were things here and there that certainly reminded her of Hannabel. It could have just been because she was looking for it, of course. Hannabel had claimed no relations, which would be unusual if she didn't expect there to be something, right? Anika came away from the experience with an appreciation for the skill of the Kindjal's chosen portrait artists, but no concrete evidence of anything.
Spoiler: Ravia Only
Show
The gold standard for human augmentation was, of course, the Astartes, but without access to the process that made them, and starting with the sad lot of criminals she'd had pulled from Scintilla's prisons, she wasn't likely to get close to that. Not yet. They'd been treated poorly enough in prison that the general health level wasn't good, but Ravia was able to pick out a few of the more robust specimens with ease, and to assign the rest of her test subjects an enhanced nutrition regimen that would at least see them restored to regular levels of functionality before too long.
The simplest enhancements would be the addition of some vat muscle. The medicae decks were equipped to produce that as medical replacements, given enough base materials. Growing a sufficient quantity would, of course, take time. In the meantime, she knew of a number of interesting substances which could enhance combat performance. Perhaps a modification of the Lostok Augmentation Process? Easy enough to do, and it removed the need to source or build injector implants. Could she perhaps stimulate bone growth? The main material required was calcium, plenty of that to be had. Or... no, best to stay simple, for now.
((OOC: Pick one to start with. Bone density, combat drug glands, or vat muscle))
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Destro_Yersul
"Full of brilliant observations," Etula deadpanned.
'Don't get me started.' Anika replies still grinning. 'For instance, I would say that it would be better for everyone if the Stalker turned out to be human, but I'm not going to rule out the possibility that it isn't. The Ordos don't seem to be involved with the investigation yet but it would explain a lot.'
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Destro_Yersul
Etula sighed, and slowly started pacing. "All right, fine. Now I'm frakking intrigued, you interfering bastards. If not politics, what could they want? The targets are seemingly random, the only constant is that they don't hit the palace, where security is much tighter. The only person I've seen that's been even close to as paranoid about security as Uncle is our dear hostess this evening. The guards are one thing, the security systems she's put into this place must have cost a fortune or two. She's always been a bit funny about dying though, she's put it off about as long as she can with rejuvenats, so it's on brand. Bad location for the ancestral estate to sit, right now."
'About our hostess. Have you met her? It's not a name I remember from my childhood. I might as well be honest in admitting that we came here tonight to speak to you as much as for the party.'
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Destro_Yersul
Suddenly, she stopped walking. "What if it's access? The palace is out on the end of that huge bridge, at the top of a rock spire. Sure, there's elevators, and smaller bridges, but everything's watched constantly. There's no way to approach without being seen unless you can fly. The Stalker's got wings, we've all been assuming they can fly, but nobody has heard anything as loud as a jump pack, grav generators are too big.. maybe they're for gliding."
Anika takes that on board, 'Seems an easy way to fall to your death if you don't know what you're doing. There used to be a trend for bored highborn children to visit the lower levels of the Hive to amuse themselves. What are the chances that someone's been throwing themselves off the Spire in the same spirit?'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Haval
'Don't get me started.' Anika replies still grinning. 'For instance, I would say that it would be better for everyone if the Stalker turned out to be human, but I'm not going to rule out the possibility that it isn't. The Ordos don't seem to be involved with the investigation yet but it would explain a lot.'
"Always been partial to Occam's Razor," Etula said. "Simplest is best. Is there any reason to suspect the Stalker isn't human? Until there is, assume it's not."
Quote:
'About our hostess. Have you met her? It's not a name I remember from my childhood. I might as well be honest in admitting that we came here tonight to speak to you as much as for the party.'
"I've met Lady Kindjal once or twice, but I don't know her well. She's been around forever."
Quote:
Anika takes that on board, 'Seems an easy way to fall to your death if you don't know what you're doing. There used to be a trend for bored highborn children to visit the lower levels of the Hive to amuse themselves. What are the chances that someone's been throwing themselves off the Spire in the same spirit?'
"Stalker seems to know what they're doing. Bored highborn children have taken up trying to hunt them, with limited success, so idiots finding inventive ways to get themselves killed is still a thing."
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro
Show
++Not point having this fail due to structural weakness, we need a solid foundation to build from++
Bone density enhancements ahoy
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Anika waves away the Occam's Razor comment, 'You're probably right, but it couldn't hurt to be prepared.'
On Lady Kindjal, 'Then you've spent more time around her then I have. I've heard that she's a bit of a recluse these days. How did she strike you as a person? Someone who has been around that long might be interesting to talk to.'
For the rest, 'I suppose we could talk to those sort of people at some point, but I don't expect them to manage any better then the commissariat has. Where do the young highborn hang out these days?'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Destro_Yersul
Sea of Stars
+++Episode 8 - Continued+++
OOC Thread
"Full of brilliant observations," Etula deadpanned. "Yes, I'd love for the rumourmongering to stop."
Then she frowned, eyeing Macharius suspiciously. "More to you than meets the eye though, I wager. They've been indiscriminate, whoever it is. Now they could be doing that to throw off suspicion, but if suspicion's the goal, that wouldn't make sense. It also wouldn't make sense if eliminating political opponents is the goal. As many of them have been Uncle's allies as not. It's probably not politics, which makes my position a lot more complicated, now doesn't it?"
Etula sighed, and slowly started pacing. "All right, fine. Now I'm frakking intrigued, you interfering bastards. If not politics, what could they want? The targets are seemingly random, the only constant is that they don't hit the palace, where security is much tighter. The only person I've seen that's been even close to as paranoid about security as Uncle is our dear hostess this evening. The guards are one thing, the security systems she's put into this place must have cost a fortune or two. She's always been a bit funny about dying though, she's put it off about as long as she can with rejuvenats, so it's on brand. Bad location for the ancestral estate to sit, right now."
Suddenly, she stopped walking. "What if it's access? The palace is out on the end of that huge bridge, at the top of a rock spire. Sure, there's elevators, and smaller bridges, but everything's watched constantly. There's no way to approach without being seen unless you can fly. The Stalker's got wings, we've all been assuming they can fly, but nobody has heard anything as loud as a jump pack, grav generators are too big.. maybe they're for gliding."
Macharius grins roguishly. More than a foppish dilettante mostly concerned with showing off to other fops, you mean? Perhaps I haven't survived the Expanse purely based on luck, hoho!
He continues talking in that same bright tone, smiling widely, looking for all the world like he's merely spinning idle tales or engaging in polite flirting, though keeping his voice low enough to be just indistinct out of their little group. Not random, I don't think. The Stalker has been getting better over time. Quicker, cleaner, more surgical. Without the blood and gore you'd expect if this was a pleasure killer. What if they're looking for something? I agree that they may well be human, but wayward humans have an unfortunate tendency to serve darker masters. Were any of the victims known or rumored to have any sort of... collections? Officially, of course, no one has xenos or heretical artifacts, but in my experience such collectors are rather common among the bored and wealthy.
He roars with laughter again, plucking a pastry off the table.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoGolem
He continues talking in that same bright tone, smiling widely, looking for all the world like he's merely spinning idle tales or engaging in polite flirting, though keeping his voice low enough to be just indistinct out of their little group. Not random, I don't think. The Stalker has been getting better over time. Quicker, cleaner, more surgical. Without the blood and gore you'd expect if this was a pleasure killer. What if they're looking for something? I agree that they may well be human, but wayward humans have an unfortunate tendency to serve darker masters. Were any of the victims known or rumored to have any sort of... collections? Officially, of course, no one has xenos or heretical artifacts, but in my experience such collectors are rather common among the bored and wealthy.
'I admit I hadn't even considered that. If anyone in the families of the victims had that sort of reputation then it shouldn't be that hard to find out.' Anika will look into that when she's out of the party.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Haval
On Lady Kindjal, 'Then you've spent more time around her then I have. I've heard that she's a bit of a recluse these days. How did she strike you as a person? Someone who has been around that long might be interesting to talk to.'
"Driven, if you wanted me to pick a good word. I'm not about to speak ill of her," Etula said. Not here, being the implication. It wasn't exactly a private setting, for all that Macharius' prevarications were working to disguise their activities. "She gets what she wants. She's still giving audiences here and there, but I think she's realised there's only so far you can stretch a lifetime."
Quote:
For the rest, 'I suppose we could talk to those sort of people at some point, but I don't expect them to manage any better then the commissariat has. Where do the young highborn hang out these days?'
Etula blew off the question. "Underfoot, mostly. I wouldn't bother. Half of them are so inbred they can't tell their arse from an Ogryn."
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoGolem
Macharius grins roguishly. More than a foppish dilettante mostly concerned with showing off to other fops, you mean? Perhaps I haven't survived the Expanse purely based on luck, hoho!
He continues talking in that same bright tone, smiling widely, looking for all the world like he's merely spinning idle tales or engaging in polite flirting, though keeping his voice low enough to be just indistinct out of their little group. Not random, I don't think. The Stalker has been getting better over time. Quicker, cleaner, more surgical. Without the blood and gore you'd expect if this was a pleasure killer. What if they're looking for something? I agree that they may well be human, but wayward humans have an unfortunate tendency to serve darker masters. Were any of the victims known or rumored to have any sort of... collections? Officially, of course, no one has xenos or heretical artifacts, but in my experience such collectors are rather common among the bored and wealthy.
He roars with laughter again, plucking a pastry off the table.
"Point taken." Etula favoured Macharius with half a smile, which was the most positive emotion they'd seen from her thus far. "I can't decide if uncle would like you or hate you, but he certainly wouldn't trust you. For a few reasons. Xenos artifacts, hah. If you asked him that, he'd probably think you were trying to drum up a list of potential buyers, or that you were concerned about a market collapse in the wake of all these possible clients running down the curtains. But no. As far as I'm aware, that's not part of the pattern. If there even is a pattern. The only common factor so far is that all of the dead were highborn."
From the way she said this last, it was clear she was sure her awareness didn't stretch all that far. Part of being the surly and taciturn subject of the swirling rumour mill was that people were less inclined to share any other parts of it with you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Leon
Spoiler: Destro
Show
++Not point having this fail due to structural weakness, we need a solid foundation to build from++
Bone density enhancements ahoy
Spoiler: Ravia Only
Show
Bone density would have been easier starting from younger subjects, who still had growing to do. Ravia was fairly certain that was why Astartes Novitiates were taken so young, and anyways there were a number of interesting papers on genetic conditions stemming from excess growth hormone during developmental stages. At the moment she was somewhat lacking the appropriate subjects, however, and would have to make do. The men she had were done growing normally, and a different approach would be required. She was fairly certain she could develop a formula to induce microfractures in the bone, combined with a drug regimen to stimulate healing. Alongside appropriate calcium supplements and sufficient time, it would take advantage of the body's natural processes to greatly increase overall bone strength. The bones wouldn't change size or shape, in theory, just become a good deal stronger. While she was at it, she might as well try implanting a few reinforcement struts in key locations. Overall this was going to be an incredibly painful process, but the medicae decks were stocked with plenty of painkillers. And some Morphia-V, in case anything stronger was needed.
((OOC: Roll Trade (Chymist) to whip up a drug regimen, and Medicae to administer it without killing anybody))
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
'Oh I would never speak ill of anyone.' Anika replies. She could always ask again when they weren't inside the Kindjal's manor. Lady Hax's response to the second point was not entirely unexpected, 'I suppose I could track down some Hetaireia students if I have to, but I think I should try to use my time on Scintilla effectively.'
Anika will glance at Macharius to see if he had anything more to add. 'I think when we're finished here we need to keep watch on as many of the high points of the Sibellus as we can. If we can't catch the Stalker in the act perhaps we can make some educated guesses about where they might have started from. I'm fairly confident we can manage to throw more resources at the problem then the Commissariat has anyway. Regardless of whether this pans out or not I would like to exchange contact details Lady Hax. I'm hardly likely to bother you for favours once we're back in the Expanse, but in the meantime, feel free to contact us about anything you want to add.'
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Because it's possible that Etula doesn't know, Inquiry test conducted at a later date to ask the Commissariat about the possibility of a pattern to the killings about involvement with Forbidden stuff of whatever kind
vs. Fel 47 (+10 Etiquette)
[roll0]
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Macharius winks. Best I don't ask him then, hoho! Unfortunate. I do believe Anika is right- we should focus on the high points of the spires. Are there any that are above everywhere the attacks have been so far? We could start trying to run down a lair.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
"The hive goes quite high, but assuming limited range based on the palace remaining exempt, they probably aren't climbing the highest spires. Lots of the estates have towers though, including this one. Do you have the manpower to post watch on everything tall enough to work as a jumping off point?"
Regardless of the answer to that question, it was obvious there wasn't a great deal more to be learned from Lady Hax. She parted with her contact information somewhat reluctantly, it seemed to Anika, assuring them that she could be reached at the palace most days.
Anika made a mental note to ask the Commissariat about forbidden items when she returned to their lodgings - it later turned out that the same level of thoroughness or paranoia which inspired the outings with the borrowed psyker had led to other inquiries as well. It hadn't led to any leads on the stalker, though a number of unrelated nobility had very expesnive collections quietly siezed, and at least one who wasn't important enough to possess a degree of fortification against censure had been publically executed. It hadn't helped Hax's popularity, but this was an area over which the Inquisition tended to loom ominously, and none had been willing to risk that sort of attention by protesting in an overly loud fashion.
The rest of the party was pleasant enough (and Macharius hadn't been exaggerating about the quality of the food), and as they mingled and chatted with this eminence or that, Anika noticed that one of the previously shut doors had been opened, if barred by velvet rope, and periodically someone would be admitted under escort and returned to the party after a brief absense. As the night was winding down, a guard approached and bowed stiffly. "The Lady Kindjal requests your attendance in her audience chamber."
Spoiler: Ravia Only
Show
The first set of mixtures Ravia tried was a horrible failure. The result was aggressive and volatile bone growth, and the test subject she had given it to expired messily. She corrected a few ratios, and administered the drugs to another test group. This time was a little more successful, though still not perfect - the final mixture would require some refining. She took notes. This group, however, might still be useful for later. A few of them had sprouted spurs and things, from their arms or otherwise, but the growth in bone mass was within tolerances and demonstrated an increase in both strength and density. They would unfortunately never be able to pass as human unless she did something about the growths, but all great science had to start somewhere.
((OOC: You can continue refining this process, or accept bone spurs and minor deformity and move on))
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Destro_Yersul
"The hive goes quite high, but assuming limited range based on the palace remaining exempt, they probably aren't climbing the highest spires. Lots of the estates have towers though, including this one. Do you have the manpower to post watch on everything tall enough to work as a jumping off point?"
'More then most. The Sting isn't even that large but it's still a spaceship. I suspect throwing resources at the problem might at least turn something up.'
For the rest of the evening Anika will take the opportunity to explore whatever parts of the house that the guests are allowed into and will otherwise chat to anyone that she has more then a passing acquaintance with. They aren't neccessarily friends but sometimes it was good to catch up on current events. If she's not always sticking close to Macharius she will borrow a Praetorian.
To the guard, 'I would be happy to. May I ask why though? I was under the impression that the Lady of the House was unlikely to be accepting visitors.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro
Show
++Ugh, well we all start somewhere++
The next batch being better but still would cause questions to be asked so would have to be refined until at a stage where questions wouldn't slow or stop progress, they would be a useful if situational occurrence and could be worked with but for the greater sum a better solution would be needed.
Chymistry Tn 63 [roll0]
If needed
Medicae Tn 83 [roll1]
Those with the Spurs would be kept close and employed as needed under the auspices of Bodyguard's, still had a weapon to test after all and in due time have the spurs reinforced and weaponized if possible, any that proved to be unworkable would just feed her hobby
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Haval
To the guard, 'I would be happy to. May I ask why though? I was under the impression that the Lady of the House was unlikely to be accepting visitors.'
The guard looked uncomfortable. "Not my place to question my Lady's decisions. She's been granting limited audiences to a small number of the guests, and your names are on her list."
Spoiler: Ravia Only
Show
Looking over her data and reviewing the results, Ravia was able to find a few areas to make major improvements. Obviously the dosages had been off on a number of the things she had introduced, and would need to be fine-tuned. The third batch of drugs she tried showed much more promising results. Even in adults it increased density significantly while also increasing mass, and she expected that in more optimal subjects it would be more successful still. She kept the subjects under observation, and none of them developed obvious spurs or deformities. This lot was, so far, the winners. She filed away the details of what she had prepared, organised her notes on the bone growth formulae, and set about weaponising the more viable of the failed subjects. These experiments had, however, occupied a significant length of time. There would be more to come, of course, once they left Scintilla. Warp travel left plenty of time for all manner of activities.
((OOC: Done for now. More later))
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
'Then lead the way.'
Assuming Macharius was coming with her, Anika will mutter 'be careful' in high gothic while he was in earshot.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Macharius brightens up. Splendid! We are of course delighted to be invited. It is a great honor. Lead on!
He chuckles to Anika at her comment before replying in quite High Gothic. When am I not?
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
The guard led them through a doorway cordoned off by ropes, and down several branching paths. The estate was a maze on the inside, but their guide seemed to know where he was going. He pushed open a heavy wooden door, and gestured them into a dimly lit chamber draped in heavy curtains. The decor was all done in deep, rich tones of red and purple. A stick of incense smouldered in a burner on a small end table, and there were a few chairs scattered around the near half of the room. The far end was taken up by a massive four-poster, the drapes at the foot drawn aside. Barely visible in the darkness within, a slight figure reclined, half buried under mounds of expensive blankets and silk-encased pillows.
"Good evening," the Lady said, in a voice thin and cracked. A gloved hand emerged from the bed, turning up the wick on an oil lamp placed next to the table. The flame sputtered and strengthened, sending flickering shadows across the walls. The hand withdrew. "I trust you are enjoying the festivities. Would that I could attend in a greater capacity."
"Still, I can at least grant a few audiences. I am not dead yet, whatever my detractors might say." The voice carried a hard edge to it. Even bedridden, here was a woman who was used to getting her way. "Suppose you're wondering why I've asked for you, hmm? You're new here. Recently come to Scintilla, I understand, from the distant reaches of the Expanse. I wanted to take your measure personally."
She lapsed into expectant silence, clearly waiting for Macharius to make some sort of introduction.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro
Show
++Progress, will see how these ones develop for now++
After making sure that the special subjects were well supplied with entertainment and nutrition feeds until she could attend to there advancement again she seccured the facility with a person encode and went off to see about the training progress of the Cohort, soon it would be time to pick specialties for them
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoGolem
He chuckles to Anika at her comment before replying in quite High Gothic. When am I not?
At that Anika only looks worried. On the way to the audience she will visibly pay attention to the route the guard leads them down even as she lets Macharius take the lead.
In the room, 'Good evening Lady Kindjal.' Anika will let Macharius explain what they were doing here but will add, 'We have come a long way to get here but I am here in part to see my Mother if you can credit it. I grew up not far from here.'
Spoiler
Show
If there's anything to notice in Lady Kindjal's room
Awareness +10 or Scrutiny
vs. Per 43
[roll0]
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Macharius bows respectfully. Thank you for gracing us with an audience, my Lady. I am Lord-Captain Macharius Absalom, in service of the Imperium and of Him on Terra. You are correct, we spend most of our time in the Expanse, bringing the Emperor's Light to the dark reaches of the galaxy. Still, one longs for civilization at times. And for investments that are somewhat less...precarious than those in the Expanse. And, of course, there is the matter of tithes and obligations. No matter how far we may go, we must return and show our fealty to Mankind.
He gestures to Anika. Lady Anika Vanhal, my seneschal. Brilliant and perceptive, as a seneschal should be. And a native of Scintilla, though many years gone exploring.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
"Lady Vanhal. I have heard of your family, of course. The Absaloms, though... not for some time. I trust the family fortunes are recovering well under your care, Lord Captain?" The lady coughed, a deep forceful sound for one so old and frail. She adjusted her position in the bed, drawing further into the shadows.
"A pious, upstanding young man such as yourself deserves proper success. I have been wondering if you might undertake a small contract on my estate's behalf, when you return to the Expanse?"
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
'I can't see why we'd say no. What would you need us to do?' Anika's tone is neutral verging on cold. If she doesn't see anything obviously interesting in the room she will watch Lady Kindjal as best as she can through the curtains on her bed.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quite well, if I say so myself. The Emperor provides for his servants, after all. What might we assist you with? Macharius' tone is warmer, though he's careful not to agree to anything at this point.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
"I am going to be sponsoring a group of pilgrims and missionaries. As the end of my life approaches, I fear I have not always done my best for the Emperor, and I wish to amend the situation before I go to meet Him. There is no shortage of supplicants to the cause, of course, but ships willing to brave the Koronus passage are a much scarcer commodity. All you would need to do is find space for them, and deliver them to Footfall. I can make other arrangements for them from there."
The room didn't have much in terms of interesting things to look at, but nor was it especially easy to make out the Lady in the dim lighting. An ornamental statue of a saint had been placed on a small table, next to a closed shrine. There was a fair bit of dust on it.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Well then, that should be manageable. A deed done in service of the Emperor redounds to the blessing of all involved, as Saint Octavio Minor said. How many pilgrims are we talking about?
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
'I take it Footfall is the starting point to their pilgrimage? I can't quite think what a group of pilgrims would want to visit in a place like that.' Anika is practical. 'How good are these pilgrims at looking after themselves? I'd say there are a fair few unsavoury types on Footfall who might exploit the unwary or worse.'
Spoiler
Show
Edit - Posted in the wrong thread so I'll build a post around it.
I didn't realise there was a ground based Star Wars game now. That's some good work for getting it finished quickly.
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If Anika knows the Saint. Maybe she anticipates Macharius asking
Scholastic Lore (Archaic or Legend)
vs. Int 53
[roll0]
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
"Not many at all, for a voidship. A hundred or so. They'll be starting at the Macrostatue of the Emperor in Footfall, and making a circuit of the expanse from there, such as they can. I only expect you to carry them for the first part of the journey, through the Maw. They will handle themselves from there. I believe a handful of them are retired Imperial Guardsmen, so they should be able to take care of themselves well enough."
Macharius didn't know this particular saint, but Anika did. It was Rybel Gorth, the Watcher in the Dark. An unusual choice, perhaps, but a recognised one.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Anika looks to Macharius, 'I'm...sure we can manage that. That statue is certainly worth a visit. Is anyone in charge of these pilgrims? Feel free to have them contact me at your earliest convenience.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Well, that wont be a problem at all. And the Guardsmen should be used to void travel, so they can comfort the others. We would be glad to assist them in their service to the Emperor.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
"Excellent. I am most pleased we were able to come to an arrangement." The figure in bed coughed. "Would you kindly alert the guards to fetch the next guests on your way out?"
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Anika will leave the room before Macharius does. Outside she looks conflicted about something but will deliver the message to Lady Kindjal's people. She will also ask the guard for the name of whoever was in charge of Lady Kindjal's affairs on the basis that she should compare notes about the pilgrimage.
As soon as she's out of earshot of any of the household staff she will speak to Macharius in a low voice. 'I'd like to believe that I'm wrong but we may have a problem. Outside of our host's odd taste in Saints what is your opinion of her?'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Agreed. This seems like a surprisingly simple task, and we are certainly not the only ship that traverses the Maw. I expect there's more to this than meets the eye. Have your people look into these pilgrims' backgrounds. And I'd be very interested in how she's making arrangements for travel in the Expanse. Why is getting them there all she needs our held with?
I'm not entirely sure what to make of her myself. She seems diminished, but that may be an act. It's odd that she stayed so hidden.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoGolem
Agreed. This seems like a surprisingly simple task, and we are certainly not the only ship that traverses the Maw. I expect there's more to this than meets the eye. Have your people look into these pilgrims' backgrounds. And I'd be very interested in how she's making arrangements for travel in the Expanse. Why is getting them there all she needs our held with?
I'm not entirely sure what to make of her myself. She seems diminished, but that may be an act. It's odd that she stayed so hidden.
'I'd expect she's a little vain. It's not entirely unusual. It's not like there are that many people of her generation that are still around for me to ask about what she looked like when she was younger.'
'Perhaps she intends for these pilgrims to make their own way on the other side. It's good enough for the Mendicant Orders after all, but someone who lives in a house like this doesn't suggest that kind of piety to me.' Anika doesn't look like she believes it. 'I didn't feel like I could honestly refuse her request, but you realise we can always change our mind before we leave Scintilla. If not, I'm sure they'll appreciate the stop at the Witch World that we're due to make along the way.'
'If anyone knows anything useful about the people Lady Kindjal is sending on this pilgrimage it would be my friends in the lower hive, and even though it's been a while since I've been back here, I would like to believe they still like me more then they like her.' There was one more thing that Anika really looks uncomfortable bringing up in public. 'You realise this isn't of academic interest? I would say that anyone trying anything on board the Sting would regret it anyway. Now...after recent events, I am certain of it.'
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Research at some pont after Anika leaves the Kindjal party
Anika is going to send Theresa to look for information on Lady Kindjal when she was younger. I presume there's some kind of records office in the Lucid Palace. Ideally she could find a picture as well. She'd do it herself but the other matter is more pressing.
Still trying to talk to the Kindjal Seneschal about the pilgrimage officially. Unofficially going to make some inquiries with the Kasballica if they know the kind of people who are the muscle for the pilgrimage. Are they dangerous mercenary types basically.
Inquiry test vs. Fel 47 (+10 Peer Underworld)
[roll0]
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Anika
The Kindjal household steward was, Anika was told, the person in charge of organising the pilgrims, in conjuction with a handful of minor Ministorum functionaries. The Steward would be the person Anika would need to talk to, though. As of the night of the party they were quite busy, but before she left for the night Anika was able to get a tentative passenger manifest. With pilgrims it was always possible a few more would attach themselves to the group, or a few would leave, opting for a different transportation arrangement.
With Theresa dispatched on a research mission, Anika set about putting out feelers to some of her old contacts. A few of the people she once knew were no longer oprating, likely because they had been killed, either by the Arbites or a rival, who could say. The ones that were still around remembered her, and sent along a few details free of charge. Anika suspected this was because they didn't care about the pilgrims very much - the former guardsmen had indeed served in the Imperial Guard, and a few of them had been Frateris Militia, which was about what you'd expect. They weren't mercenaries, at least as far as the Kasballica knew.
When Theresa returned, it was with a pile of notes collected from the records offices and archives, as well as a few old broadsheet articles. Lady Kindjal had been alive for a very long time, and had collected her share of news. A few of these had picts attached, though not of especially high quality. The family resemblance to her great niece was certainly there, though. She had borne a striking resemblance to the heiress back when she herself was a young woman.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Later
Anika will pass on her findings to Macharius. In private she looks worried. 'That is better then I expected, but to be honest, it still doesn't fill me with confidence. The Frateris Militia aren't the sort of people that you can talk out of acting as they please. If we give them a lift perhaps it's better to assume the worst regardless. On the Sting, anything short of confining them to quarters ought to be easy to justify.' Anika is going to make sure the others are aware of Lady Kindjal's request.
Anika appreciates Theresa's efforts but had not quite found what she was looking for. She will go so far as to start a file on the Kindjal's though.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro
Show
To Assembled Cohorts
++Soon your classification exams will commence and your new specialties will be chosen++
++Your work no matter where you are destined is for the betterment of the Adeptus, the Imperium and the Absaloms++
++Once your specialties have been selected you will be given a new branch of of intensive skill upgrades to better suit++
++Now you will each have fifteen minutes to appraise me of your current aptitudes and learning processes achieved thus far++
The process was expected to highlight what Unit was likely to be best suited to the tasks at hand and while she did expect most to be better suited for the Shipyards she still hope to have a core set to work alongside her in the other matter, it needing more finesse and decorum
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
It should be relatively easy to confine them to their quarters and a shrine. They're being transported as pilgrims, not combat advisors or sightseers. There's no reason they should be allowed free run of the ship. And for the Guard veterans, that should be what they're used to. I don't believe Guardsmen are normally allowed to wander Navy ships as they wish. Bad for morale, can lead to inter-service brawls, that sort of thing.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Ravia Only
Show
Unsurprisingly, most of the Lathemasters - at least going by their aptitude scores - were best suited for the shipyards and other mechanically intensive labour tasks. They would be an asset to Port Davis, especially in the smooth operation of the space station's core systems. Ravia had enough of them to disperse to the shipyards and still be useful, while also retaining a few select individuals to act as her own assistants.
For these, the best option was selecting those who scored highly on loyalty, creativity, AND stoicism. There weren't many individuals who hit all three criteria, but there were a few. Five, in fact, enough for a half-sized fireteam. Their leader was a male Lathemaster named Azgit, one of the quieter ones, who mostly kept to his own counsel but seemed to carry respect from the others. When it was his turn to explain what he was good at, he grumbled a few lines about chymistry and basic medicae skills and left it at that.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
PotatoGolem
It should be relatively easy to confine them to their quarters and a shrine. They're being transported as pilgrims, not combat advisors or sightseers. There's no reason they should be allowed free run of the ship. And for the Guard veterans, that should be what they're used to. I don't believe Guardsmen are normally allowed to wander Navy ships as they wish. Bad for morale, can lead to inter-service brawls, that sort of thing.
'That depends on them doing what they're told of course. As long as we're prepared.' Anika looks worried.
Party
If nothing gets in her way Anika will snoop a little. Looking at other people's books was a habit whether or not she knew the owner, but if she didn't find anything interesting she'll try and investigate the areas of the house that weren't supposed to be accessible to the guests. She'd didn't think she'd be able to sneak past the guards even when she was younger so she'll try and talk her way through. With a drink still in hand Anika will ask one of them if they could direct her to the nearest bathroom. Regrettably there seemed to be a lot of guests here tonight and she would have to queue otherwise to use the toilet.
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Deceive vs. Fel 47 (+10 Etiquette)
[roll0]
probably better that this failed
Spoiler: Destro only
Show
This is a fishing expedition and it's dependent on the guards letting Anika through anyway. She doesn't trust Lady Kindjal but doesn't know enough to know what she should be looking for so I thought I'd throw an Awareness roll at the problem while Anika is in her house.
Awareness vs. Per 43 (Awareness +10) (+20 if she has a chance to use her Auspex where no one else is around)
[roll1]
And if she gets to use the auspex, Tech Use vs. Int 53
[roll2]
Pilgrimage Preparations
At some point after the party Anika will call the Sting to inform her subordinates that they would have guests for the return journey. She'll look to prepare quarters in the ship that are at a relative distance from anywhere important. She'll also ask the crew to keep an eye on the Kindjal pilgrims for the whole journey.
Stalker Investigations
Anika will do what she can to investigate any leads on the Stalker. She will rope in Theresa, Macharius or anyone else who might be around to assist her.
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Going to try and roll to follow up on some things while I'm trying to catch everything
Are there any specific details that can be understood by looking at autopsy reports of the Stalker's victims.
See
https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...postcount=1455
Scrutiny vs. Per 43
[roll3]
And from a post of Rax
https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...9&postcount=90
No idea how to work out motive from first principles. At best we can maybe discern it from other things.
But otherwise, is there a pattern from all available records to how the Stalker seems to get inside the premises of the victims. Do they deactivate everything, do they use brute force or is it unclear how the Stalker gets inside in the first place
Scrutiny vs. Per 43
[roll4]
Logis Prophesying
Given the social circles that each of the victims moved in, can the connections of subsequent victims be anticipated? Ideally Anika is trying to create a red string board to look for patterns.
vs. Int 53 (might be a vague question)
[roll5]
Spoiler: Destro only
Show
Research
Hannabal's revalations had made Anika interested in following up on everything she knew about the Kindjals while they were still on Scintilla. Mother had mentioned a tangentiable association with Tech Heresy. Anika will make inquiries with the Commissariat to see if they could tell her some of the details.
ooc - Lead I realised I didn't follow up on
https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...postcount=1455
Inquiry vs. Fel 47 (+10 Etiquette?)
[roll6]
And I should check if the servo skull network mentioned here went anywhere
https://forums.giantitp.com/showsing...1&postcount=93
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Anika
Party
Anika wasn't able to bluff her way through the guards, who politely but firmly told her that if lining up was necessary, then that's what she'd have to do. The rest of the mansion was closed to guests, and there were a large number of washrooms in the available areas, so it wasn't like the wait would be long. It did, however, give her an excuse to duck into one of them and try her auspex, which spit out some very strange readings indeed. There were a lot of biosigns in the area, which was to be expected, but for whatever reason the device couldn't determine the precise number of them, and kept warning of xenological biosigns mixed in with the human ones.
Investigations
Scouring autopsy reports seemed like the sort of thing Theresa would be useful for. She'd proven efficient at collating data before.
While she was working on that, Anika dug through everything else she could regarding the crimes. The Stalker's mode of access wasn't clear - usually, nothing had been brute forced, but security systems had failed to activate. They probably had some technological help, something that could fool the usual motion detectors and pict recorders, built into the suit, but there was still the matter of physical locks. A multikey, perhaps? There were a lot of ways a skilled infiltrator could get through Imperial security systems, and Anika couldn't be sure what the Stalker was doing, and turned to her logis device looking for answers. She fed it all the information she had on the current victims, and started building a conspiracy wall. The information she'd given the machine wasn't perfect, and the question was vague, but it kept generating connections. Almost too many of them to follow. The victims had all been nobility, had all been socially active, regularly attended events outside their own homes, regularly hosted events within their own homes... the list went on and on. Ultimately, it did seem to be focusing on the social interaction aspects of the victims, though - it kept paring out the possibility of servant changes and other activities, and suggesting that it all came down to parties.
Theresa returned while Anika was checking the skull network to see if surveillance had turned up anything. The skulls had scattered throughout the hive, hovering around at roof height, and there were a lot of feeds to go through. The rooftops of Scintilla weren't very active, so it was mostly boring viewing - Anika caught a lot of rodents, couriers, other skulls, and lovers' trysts. She had also got some better images of the Stalker, from the cameras within their target area. It was still impossible to make out features - the Stalker appeared to be wearing some sort of hood, or a mask, but they were certainly a woman. Sleight build, acrobatic. About the right size to be Etula, but.. perhaps not at the right time. The skull picters applied large timestamps to their picts, if Etula's whereabouts could be confirmed during the timestamps where the Stalker appreared, then the person in the photos couldn't possibly be her.
"Death by blood loss, most of them," Theresa reported, when Anika had a moment. "Multiple stab wounds, punctured organs. Some had defensive-style injuries on their arms, some didn't. Rate of death varies. Some were faster, some bled out. Head injuries on all of them, with enough force to puncture the skull. Some of these were post-mortem, which is a little unusual. No other post mortem injuries were recorded."
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Party
Did the Kindjals have xenos pets? If so they didn't seem interested in showing them off. While hiding in the washroom Anika will make an effort to identify and locate the xenos signals.
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Going to see if I can get more information
Forbidden Lore (Xenos) vs. Int 53 (+10 Talented FL Xenos)
[roll0]
Scrutiny vs. Per 43
[roll1]
Investigations
The connection of the murdered to the parties they had attended seemed to just raise more questions. Anika was quite willing to believe that the Stalker's motive might turn out to be something as petty as one noble being shown up by a another over the wine or the enertainment at another's party. She will start drawing links between the victims to see if there was any attendee at a particular party that hadn't yet been visited by the Stalker.
To Theresa, 'Hopefully there weren't too many picts. I don't think I could be paying anyone enough to look at images of dead bodies for work.' She wasn't a psychologist but the manner in which the victims were killed seemed to suggest a disturbed individual rather then a calculating assassin. Assuming it wasn't literally a servitor of some sort. Inflicting wounds after death seemed to sit oddly with the Stalker's technological prowess.
Ravia
At some point Anika is going to go find Ravia to make use of her expertise. 'I'm working on a theory, although I seem to be barely sleeping lately so feel free to let me know if I'm not making sense.' Anika has a dataslate full of evidence with her. 'Whoever this Stalker person is the most interesting thing about them is the tech that they seem to be using. Picking locks is nothing. I could do it myself with the right tools. Deleting yourself from any local pict recorders is something else entirely. But the other devices are surely still working. If the Stalker is going in and deleting the data what are the chances that they leave something behind? And frankly if we know how the Stalker is disabling everyone's tech perhaps we could close whatever loophole they use to do it. I feel like the Commissariat ought to have their own Tech Priests for this sort of thing, but perhaps the Mechanicus only lends out their more incompetent members for this sort of work.'
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Going to try and borrow Ravia's Tech-Use to see if the Stalker leaves a trace of itself behind in the cameras. Maybe it's like a Recycle Bin :smallsmile:
Anika can give +10 if its needed
Spoiler: Destro & Rax only
Show
At some point after the Kindjal party Anika will find a moment to call Hannabel in private.
'Getting straight to the point. Your friend has given us a contract. We've been asked to ferry a group of a hundred or so pilgrims to Footfall when we return through the Maw. I don't think they're all heavily armed but some of them certainly seem to be former Guard. Supposedly they're intending to mount a lovely tour of some notable sites in the Expanse starting with the statue of the Emperor in Footfall.' Anika will pause for a second to see how badly Hannabel takes it. 'If you hadn't told me what you did I might have believed she was sincere.'
'I did consider trying to talk Macharius out of agreeing to it, but then I feel like I would have needed to explain what the problem was. The good news is that I would say there's no reason to think they know anything about your actual location. If they know where you and intend to come for you on the ship I'd like to think they would have brought more men with them. But if you don't want to spend the journey to Footfall in your quarters I think we need to confer. Assuming you'd not rather we go to Macharius about this?'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro & Haval
Show
"A pilgrimage? Well she's either up to something or she really is desperate for redemption," Hannabel sighs. "You're right though - even if she's somehow found out where I am, it's unlikely that all the pilgrims are her agents and it ought to be extremely difficult to get me off the ship even if a smaller group manages to pick me out and corner me somewhere. Perhaps I should wear a cowbell from now on, so you can hear me coming and start worrying if you don't?" she chuckles.
"But...the mission is to deliver the pilgrims to Footfall? Wasn't that where you said you'd spotted me when you called the number on the bounty posting?"
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Rax
Show
'I will consider holding you to that. Perhaps with some sort of tracking device.' Anika replies also chuckling. 'But yes, the story was I had seen someone matching your description in the Ogyrn's Head on Footfall. If that is where they're going I don't think it would be that difficult to keep an eye on them.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Haval
Show
"Well, if you're trying to track someone down and the trail's gone cold, sending your hunters to the last place the quarry was spotted is the natural thing to do. I imagine they'll start asking around if they can't turn up any leads at the Ogryn's Head, and it's possible someone else will remember seeing me on Footfall. I'd hate to have to dodge the Countess' hunters every time we dock there," Hannabel muses.
"We can't really do anything about them until we get to Footfall anyway. If these ex-Guardsmen are the Countess' agents, then they'll probably be meek little lambs as long as they're posing as pilgrims. Short of spacing the lot of them on the way to Footfall, I think we'll have to wait for them to break cover. Once we know who they are, we can deal with them without raising too much suspicion - Footfall's a dangerous place, after all."
"As a bonus, we might pull that off without worrying the Lord Commander's pretty little head..."
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Rax
Show
'Then I wonder how easy it would be to plant evidence that you had set off for somewhere more scenic. Perhaps Ork territory or the Rifts of Hecaton. How enthusiastic do you think they might be to follow you out that far?'
'The idea of engineering some sort of accident had occured to me. Who knows, perhaps the trip through the Maw might resolve the problem for us. Have you heard the stories about the world Kennoch wants us to stop at?'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Party
The signals weren't any sort of reading Anika recognised, which ruled out almost all of the more common exotic xenos pets, and a lot of the uncommon ones. This was something else, something new or at least very rare, and it was... strange, to say the least. There would have been trouble enough pinpointing it with thick walls and all manner of electrical wiring around, some of it very old, but on top of that there seemed to be something about the signal that Anika couldn't quite compensate for. Sometimes, the auspex would spit out an error message and just stop seeing it... whatever it was. Anika was out of time, though. Another guest had started knocking on the door insistently.
Investigations
"You see worse downhive Landunder," Theresa said. "Autopsies are very clean compared to the Render clan."
She paused. "If you're offering me a raise though, I wouldn't turn it down."
Working the party angle, Anika couldn't single out anyone. Not everyone who had been to a party had been targeted, nor even all those who had hosted them. Though.. the ones who hosted and hadn't been attacked mostly had homes within the Lucid palace, and nobody from there had been targetted at all. If the hypothesis about accessibility was correct, and you eliminated that group... then it wasn't attending parties, it was hosting them.
+++
Later, Anika had Ravia check the devices, and the Magos found that things hadn't been deleted. Everything the cameras had recorded was there. There was a loop region, though. For about an hour, right when the murders were happening, the picters and audio snoopers had simply recorded the previous hour's worth of footage again. It was easy to miss, if you weren't going through with a fine-toothed comb, and Ravia confirmed that it was possible to pre-set a cogitator to perform the necessary data manipulations, but the talk got very technical very quickly, and the short answer was that very few people had the acumen to do that. Which meant the Stalker had probably outsourced.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
++There are sadly misbegotten wretch's that manipulate the Holy Tech for nefarious means outside of our purview for the right or wrong price++
++They may have trained as Laypeople under our adepts, do as much as we are we cant do everything everywhere most often++
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Haval
Show
"I suppose we won't know until we try. It's worth a shot at least," Hannabel answers with a smile.
"The Witch-cursed World? Only bad stuff - nothing to see or do there, but sometimes derelict ships turn up with no crew and no way of telling where they went to. Why does Kennoch want us to go there?"
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Party
Anika will make a mental note to investigate whether her auspex was actually working correctly but knew that that probably wasn't the problem. Without neccessarily even knowing that she was curious about it, something was evidently capable of hiding from an auspex scan. What the hell are the Kindjals up to?
After letting the other woman into the stall she will go so far as to briefly vox Macharius. 'There's something odd going on here. Keep an eye out.' She will head in the general direction of the signal just in case it was inside the area that the guests were free to move through.
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Awareness +10 vs. Per 43
[roll0]
Investigations
To Theresa, 'I'll see what I can do. Up to a point I think I still count as rich. As long as you don't need a personal spaceship I think I should be able to work something out.'
While working through her evidence board Anika is becoming increasingly convinced that the Stalker murders may somehow be tied to some inscrutable point of noble etiquette. If there was some connection to the hosting of parties that she wasn't quite seeing she will try to make some calls among those members of the Scintillan highborn that she was still friendly with. How well regarded were the parties that were hosted by the victims of the Stalker? Did anything stand out about them to someone who might have attended them?
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Inquiry test vs. Fel 47 (+10 Peer Nobility)
[roll1]
There was also a second point she could follow here. Other then those able to hide out in the Lucid Palace, were there many members of the Scintillan highborn that were known to be prominent hosts of parties that were still alive? She didn't need the logis device to tell her that anyone of that sort seemed like a likely future victim.
Ravia
'Who needs formal training.' Anika replied absently referring to herself. 'You read enough translations of the right texts and you can pick up the basics.'
On Hereteks, 'My understanding is that Tech Hereteks tend to be either highly motivated laymen (who I can't honestly see having the skills to do this), or the sort of scary and capable types that the entire sector will hear about eventually. I would be quite in favour of letting Macharius deal with the latter sort but I would expect them to be quite able to hide themselves from anyone who might be looking for them.'
Anika will pass Ravia a dataslate containing the collected autopsy reports, 'I don't why you know how the human body works, but it is a gap in my education. I would appreciate you taking a look at this at some point.'
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Leon
See the ooc. Anika needs the help of someone with medicae just in case
Etula Hax
Anika will pass on what data she had on the Stalker's movements in the hope that it gave Lady Hax an alibi. 'It's the least I can do after you humoured us at the Kindjal party. I don't expect it to entirely stop the accusations but it might suppress them a bit.'
Friends in low places
Anika will make some enquiries if anyone in the Kasballica knew anyone who was capable of hacking the security systems in a house.
Spoiler: ooc
Show
Inquiry vs. Fel 47 (+10 Peer Underworld)
[roll2]
Spoiler: Rax and Destro
Show
'I think he owes someone a favour. The Telepathica wants someone trustworthy to take a look at the place. Regardless of his reasoning, I wouldn't want those people to be irritated with us by not living up to our end of a bargain.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Haval
Show
"True enough," Hannabel agrees.
"So, besides the Countess suddenly finding religion, did anything else interesting happen at the party? And when do we fill the Lord Commander in on the fact that both the Inquisition and the Adeptus Mechanicus are spying on us?"
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Party
Curious. We shall have to investigate these "pilgrims" more closely. Wouldn't do to be bringing xenos onboard.
Investigations
Macharius considers Anika's findings. Quite the deduction! It would be rather funny if this was all about being snubbed at parties, would it not? A touch macabre, but still rather humorous. I wonder if there's anyone who wasn't invited to those parties who could have had some expectation of going? If you find that some hosts are still alive, see if we can compare guest lists from the surviving hosts and the decedents.
We may also be able to bait the blighter more easily with this information. Williams! Begin organizing a party. A celebration of House Absalom and Scintilla. He looks rather pleased by the prospect.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Haval
Party
'I don't why you know how the human body works, but it is a gap in my education. I would appreciate you taking a look at this at some point.'
++Certainly++
++It is probably for the best you don't know how I know how it works++
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Rax
Show
'About that. The auspex picked up something unusual while I was in the bathroom. There was something xenos in the Kindjal household for all that it seemed to be keeping out of sight. I don't suppose you can shed any light on that?'
'As for the other thing, I'm frankly torn between getting Macharius up to the Sting for a quick chat and leaving that until we're leaving here. Whenever we have that conversation I would appreciate you being in the room.'
Macharius
'I'll look into it. If that is the Stalker's motivation I'll have no problem handing them over to the Inquisition.'
Ravia
'You are probably right.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Haval
Show
"You brought your auspex with you when you went to the bathroom? And found a xenos? Are you sure it wasn't something you ate?" Hannabel smirks, trying to keep a straight face.
"I'm not aware that the Countess had any particular fondness for xenos before, but her great goal has always been just to keep on living. I know she used to consort with hereteks - perhaps she's moved on to xenos," Hannabel speculates. "As for the surveillance business, I'll be there when you feel it's safe to broach the matter."
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro and Rax
Show
'I feel like you never know when you might need it, and my bag is very spacious.' Anika grins at Hannabel amusement. 'In any case, I have the readings recorded. Just in case we ever want to send it along to the Ordo Xenos and let them tell me what the hell it was.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Party
Anika walked around a little, but couldn't easily get the auspex back out where people could see, and didn't notice anything odd in the accessible parts of the estate, which made sense. If there were hidden xenos somewhere about the place, they'd be in the cordoned off parts of the house, not the ones full of guests.
Investigations
Chasing down leads amongst the nobility, Anika got a lot of answers that were perhaps at odds with what she'd expect. None of the parties had been disasters - many had been fairly standard, with nothing special about them, but nothing especially bad, either. Nobody she talked to could remember any consistently terrible interactions, though there was of course the usual set of petty grievances and sniping back and forth, there hadn't been any big scenes. The one place there had been, was at an event thrown by one of the people who lived in the Lucid Palace, and was thus still alive.
She did find an extremely likely future target, though. One of the habitual party animals, who was still alive, had a house within the confines of the geographic predictions Anika had already made. Ma. Ord. Edmund Hamsha (ret.), formerly of the 134th Scintillan Fusilliers, had yet to be targeted. He had hosted hundreds of events, generally inviting just about everyone who was anyone, but with a special regard for other former military comrades. Many of his guests were also retired guardsmen.
Ravia
Ravia was able to identify the weapon, based on the reports and the description of injuries. Or weapons, rather. There were at least two. The majority of the injuries did come from a sword, likely a double-edged dueling blade similar to the one Etula carried, but by no means unique to her. The peculiar post-mortem head wounds came from a hollow-tine. Normally this was an agricultural implement, useful for caring for large grounds, but it seemed to have been repurposed here for some reason. An ice pick would have been much simpler to acquire and use, and the improvised nature of the object was at odds with the bespoke nature of the rest of the Stalker's gear.
Etula
The timing on the images turned out to be useful. Etula told Anika that on at least one of those instances, her own location could be confirmed by half a dozen others who weren't directly employed by her or her uncle. It might not entirely get rid of the rumours - Anika was correct in thinking that was unlikely - but it did give Governor Hax considerable ammunition to use as denial of his niece's involvement, and in terms of the investigation, it meant she was no longer a suspect.
Spoiler: Anika Only
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From her friends at the Kasballica, Anika got back a list of twenty reliable tech-adepts that could be counted on for discretion and quality. Scintilla had plenty of people capable of doing the work that had been required, as was to be expected for a city of its size, but the Kasballica knew who was the best. The list came annotated with recommendations for the top five. Lady Charuv was a noble scion herself, who had engaged with the Kasballica before, and picked up a wide array of technical knowledge through personal study. X-864 was a renegade of the Adeptus Mechanicus, stripped of everything except a designation, who hid amongst the industrial refuse of the lower hive. Delphium Thule aspired to be a techpriest, but had never been formally inducted - he took the famous Magos Thule's name as a form of self-aggrandisement, but by all accounts was quite skilled nonetheless. There was a note on his file saying he'd been hard to contact recently, so maybe try the others first. The Auditor was a mysterious one, who nobody had ever actually seen, as they preferred to work through intermediaries. They had come from Gunpoint a few years ago, and had connections to the underworld there, but beyond those scant details little was known. The final name on the top-five list was Harmon Gex, an extremely secretive techpriest who was, officially, still a member of the Adeptus Mechanicus. He had control over some minor processing station deep in the hive, and was known to have accepted the odd side job. The Kasballica thought it was because he chafed at his own lowly position within the Adeptus.
Macharius
Williams was an obediant servant, and began preparations immediately. He was also a man of the dynasty, however, and warned Macharius that it might take some time to put a proper event together, and with recent heavy spending the dynasty's liquid assets were not so great that they could afford to leave the flagship in orbit around Scintilla, not making any money, indefinitely.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
I see. Perhaps we are better off attending this other party, then. Williams, we can delay the party until we've caught the AAtalker. Scintilla may foot the bill then, hoho! Macharius himself will make the social circuit, to ensure that his name is mentioned in the right places to get an invite to the party.
Spoiler: OOC
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Charm to make a good impression and finagle an invite.[roll0] vs 122 (Peer Military or Nobility)
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Party
Anika is on edge but there was only so much she was willing to do to call attention to herself at the moment. She will hang out with Macharius for the rest of the evening.
Spoiler: ooc
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Nothing more to add at the party because I don't want to try asking the Kindjal's guards to take Anika to the Xenos.
Anika will pass all this onto Macharius when they aren't in public.
Investigations
'At the very least it's worth going to see this Hamsha person to give them a friendly warning.'
Ravia
To Ravia, 'How knowledgeable are you about gardening? That does rather sound like the Stalker is taking something after the victims are dead.'
Everyone
Over the command channel, 'I may be obliged to do something slightly illegal. I will probably need Ravia to accompany me for moral support. The rest of you are free to come along as long as you promise to dress down.'
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Haval
Spoiler: Destro and Rax
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'I feel like you never know when you might need it, and my bag is very spacious.' Anika grins at Hannabel amusement. 'In any case, I have the readings recorded. Just in case we ever want to send it along to the Ordo Xenos and let them tell me what the hell it was.'
Spoiler: Destro and Haval
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"Was the trouble that you couldn't get a clear reading or that you couldn't make heads nor tails of it?" Hannabel asks. "Because Galimina and I could take a a look at the readings if it's just a matter of interpreting what you found," she suggests.
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Re: Sea of Stars - IC III
Spoiler: Destro & Rax
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'You're welcome to take a look. There's always a chance I could have learnt more if I got closer, but getting out my auspex in public seemed like a bad idea. Whatever it was, it was not something that I'm familar with, which does rule out a lot.'