Dark Heresy Campaign [40k] [IC]

[sazzer]

You hear a banging and scraping of a chair, and then the door swings open to reveal an older man wearing the same uniform as the rest of the crew, but smarter than the men from the mess hall. I've been told by the captain that you were here and may come by. Please, come in. Make yourself at home

[Manticorkscrew]

Looking around for an off-duty crew member, Gavid plastered a sheepish grin over his face and tried to act deferential as usual. 'Hey,' he said, when he'd found someone who didn't mind talking to him. 'Whoa, this starship is immense! I feared I was gonna be lost forever...'

He shook his head and sighed. Once again he'd taken on the role of clueless-but-enthusiastic newcomer. It was a useful persona he'd created for himself. Most people were inclined to be helpful to the naive idiot so long as it didn't cost them anything.

'Is it just that I don't know my way around yet?' he guessed, looking thoughtful. 'What do you think?'

[Teivel]

Gavid

Gavid makes it back to his quarters without any more trouble

Severus / Trenton

After receiving directions, you head off and find your way to the security office without any complications. When you get there, you find a closed steel door with simply the word "Security" printed on it.

Trenton followed The Arbitrator as they made their way towards the security office. As they walked he spoke relitively quietly.

"This would be your area of expertise." He thought for a moment. "Or should i say, Tempest wishes Shield, Tempest receeds before echoes of home, ever watchful"

He fumbled slightly as he tried to form a cohearant sentence based on the Troopers Lexia system. He hoped he had done a decent job of improvising a comment that acnowledged that Trenton would deffer to Cain's background and simply watch his back unless called to do otherwise.

"Trooper Cain Severus, esteemed member of the illustrious Adeptus Arbites of the Imperium. Requesting an audience with the current security commander of the ship".

You hear a banging and scraping of a chair, and then the door swings open to reveal an older man wearing the same uniform as the rest of the crew, but smarter than the men from the mess hall. I've been told by the captain that you were here and may come by. Please, come in. Make yourself at home

Trenton was plainly surprised by the Security man's casual manner, it did not seem becoming for one that could at any time be charged with defending against an onslaught from the warp. He did however, supress a vissible response, reasoning that things here would reaonably differ from the tight standards of the fleet acadamies and brutal disciplin of the scholastica psykana.

Noding, Trenton waited for Cain to continue the conversation, ready to speak if introduced or if it was clearly appropriate but otherwise willing to let the Trooper smooth out this initial contact.

[sazzer]

Gavid

You're new on board, aren't you? You get used to it, not too bad after a while...

[Manticorkscrew]

You're new on board, aren't you? You get used to it, not too bad after a while...

'I can only hope I've got the time,' Gavid said, a little sadly.

He sighed, gesturing down at his poor and ragged clothes. 'I'm s'posed to go to Requisitions and pick up something better to wear. But I don't quite know where that is. Can you help, perhaps?'

Turning his head, he looked up and down the corridor. 'Which way is Requisitions?' he asked.

[sazzer]

Gavid

Hope you've got time? How come?

The man gives directions to the Requisitions section

[Manticorkscrew]

Hope you've got time? How come?

'Well, I'm only a passenger,' Gavid said, sticking to his story. 'Your Captain has been well paid to take me as far as Ornsworld and then...' He shrugged. 'It doesn't much matter after that.'

The man gives directions to the Requisitions section

Walking briskly, Gavid followed the directions he'd been given, looking out for the Requisitions section. He most certainly didn't want to get lost again.

[Kiranvonstrom]

OOC:

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I switched to third person, because writing first person was starting to give me headaches...

Cortez had tried focusing on writing a sermon, but there were a few lingering questions that he had bouncing around in his head. Why had the captain greeted them in person? True, that could have been explained by a low crew complement, but it could also be the actions of someone trying to hide something by appearing to have nothing to hide. And the lack of regular masses was simply appalling. Not only did it offend him as a cleric, but it also raised questions about the men's respect for their own souls. The longer he thought about it, the odder the place seemed.
He should have thought to use the skills he had learned on his travels, interrogating and otherwise getting information out of the feral-worlders. And he knew where that had led.
It could just be nothing, and he was just being paranoid. But given his line of work, and that paranoia had thus far proved to be a survival trait, that might also not be the case. It would always be good to be certain, at the very least.
Cortez stood up, slipped Castiel back into it's holster, (he had been polishing it) and walked out of the room, intending to find the nearest crew member and find out about the ship's history, and, perhaps more importantly, the history of it's captain.

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I see heretics...they're everywhere...and they don't even know they're heretics. (Ecclesiarcy mindset. Go figure. <shrug>)
Anyway, it's time for Cortez to start using that Inquiry ability...

[Calimos]

Cain nods to Trenton and then enters the room, greeting the older security officer with respect. His kind way, smart look and the apparent absence of utter adherence to rigid protocols, remind him of his own mentor, making him develop a friendlier attitude towards the security officer. After all to have survived as the head of a ship's security detail and still maintain your wits is a considerable feat and Cain always showed respect to those deserving it.

He sits comfortably, thanks the officer for accepting them and introduces himself and his companion once again properly. Then, he offers him his flask of amasec, remarking that it's matured to perfection and one of the few things he occasionally enjoys after a long day of duty in the service of the Imperium.

"It's good to meet you sir. Indeed we told the captain that we would probably look for you at some point during our journey. As a member of the Adeptus Arbites of Gothic Sector, i am somewhat familiar with the responsibilities and the tasks on your line of duty but still spaceships are entirely new territory for me and i would be interesting in finding out straight from the source, the ways of maintaining order and discipline aboard a star-vessel as well as any useful information on improving my personal capabilities as a tool of the Emperor's justice. You know being young and all, i tend at times to be idealistic and perhaps hearing a more pragmatic opinion could help.

Also, if you've heard, by merit of your post and possible connections on the security forces in the Sector, anything regarding the situation, from a law-enforcement related viewpoint, on Ornsworld, our destination that is".

[sazzer]

Cain / Trenton
OrnsWorld? Ah yes, the captain mentioned we were dropping you off there on our way to Fenris. Quite a change of schedule, but he has his reasons I'm sure. Most likely come from his Inquisitor friend I'll not doubt. Well, I said Friend, but....
Where was I? Ah yes, Ornsworld. I've not heard anything unusual from out that way I'll admit, but if I do hear anything I'll be sure to let you know.

Cortez
There's a couple of crew members around that you can talk to

Gavid
After following the directions given to you, you find your way to the requisitions hall, where you see two men who are presumably in charge.

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez walks up to the nearest crew member, doing his best to smile politely. It's not easy on on a face that looks like it just came off a war-world.
Could I trouble you with a few questions? As an traveler with very little experience with void travel, the ship's traditions come off as somewhat confusing, and I'm sure you can enlighten me about them.
He knew he wasn't the most charismatic in the group, but he did know how to start gathering information. The fact that he didn't really know how to address a crew-member might be as slight obstacle, though. He had known how to address a feral worlder, but these people probably used different conventions.

[Manticorkscrew]

Devin stepped into the Requisitions hall and walked over to the main desk, looking a little awkward and hesitant, smiling nervously. 'Er... Jakey from Requisitions?' he said, eyeing up the two men carefully. 'Is that you? Or you?'

He flushed red with embarassment. 'Please tell me I'm in the right place,' he said, forlornly.

[sazzer]

Cortez
You're one of the newcomers? I've heard talk of you... What is it you're wanting to know then?

Gavid
The man closest to you speaks up. Yea, this is requisitions and
I'm Jakey. Who're you then?

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez frowns in a concerned, yet not threatening way. He tends to do threatening a lot better.
Truth be told, sir, it's the masses. Or apparent lack therof. I'm just wondering why you don't have them more often, given the nature of the dangers facing you, isn't it better to have all the protection you can?
The Crewman's response sent little alarm bells up in Cortez's brain. If the crewman had heard tell of them, if they were already a major item of gossip, how often did this ship take passengers? It couldn't be often, or at least not in large quantities, or they would care about it. Of course, Gavid had been socializing in the mess hall, which might have contributed to the gossip. Cortez had noticed he had a way with people, and people that charismatic tended to get noticed.
How often do you take passengers? If you've heard tell about us, you can't be taking them all that often, can you? Not that I mind the help, of course. He smiles. A good impression and faith in the Emperor could do wonders, even among people Cortez suspected were heretics.

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Should I try making inquiry tests?

[Manticorkscrew]

'I'm new 'round here and I don't know everyone yet,' Gavid said, hurriedly. 'But you can call me Gavid.'

He gestured down at his shabby old clothes, grimacing shamefully. 'As you can probably see, I'm in need of something better to wear. Nothing fancy. Just some overalls or a standard uniform if there's one going spare.'

Scratching his chin, Gavid looked pensive. 'I met a man- Lucas- one of the ratings- he's a friend of yours?' He looked questioningly at Jakey for a few seconds and then decided to press on. 'Well, Lucas said that you might be able to help me. And I'd be very grateful if you would. What do you say?'

[sazzer]

Cortez

The man looks quite shocked that you're asking such questions We're not Imperium, but we do the best we can. We don't do formal masses only cause we don't have anyone to lead them. Everyone sees to themselves though...

No, we don't carry passengers. Hardly ever. We're a cargo transport, and under-manned at that. Extra hands on board that don't pull their own weight don't help any and just make things harder... Then, eyeing the cleric's holster No offence meant to yourself, of course...

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez does his best to look apologetic, while inwardly fighting down his desire to shoot the man on the spot for direspecting the Emperor. Not having time for worship?! What next, no time to breathe?
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure neccesity is probably more important, particularly for an under-manned ship. When I get back, I'll talk with my order, and see if I can set your ship up with a priest. Cortez smiles genuinely.
Thank you. Is there a ship archivist of some sort, or failing that an archive? As a missionary, I'd like to know a bit more about the place I'm being sent...

[sazzer]

Cortez

You've not worked on a ship before I take it? Yea, worship is important that goes without say, but sometimes there are other things that need to be done too. Void shield goes down, that must be fixed there and then or else the entire crew dies, if you hear what I'm saying...

You not have an access terminal in your quarters? Well, there's an access room you can probably use, I'm sure. Not sure how much you'll be able to find, though can't hurt to look I guess

The man gives you directions and then hurries off...

[sazzer]

Gavid

Lucas? That ol.... Yea, I'm a friend of his, I guess you could say... Yea, I'll sort you out...

The man ducks around a corner, and a few minutes reappears with a ships uniform It's probably a bit on the big size, and you make sure you don't damage it at all, but here see if this'll do. And make sure you tell Lucas that we're quits now. I owe him nothing now...

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez frowned again. That could certainly have gone better. Of course, that had probably been mostly his fault.
In any case, he probably should start looking for an access terminal. It was unlikely that he could find anything about the captain on there, but but it was possible he was careless enough to leave information lying around where anyone could find it. In either case, perhaps he could find out more information about past passengers or Ornsworld there.

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He'll check for one in his quarters first.

[Manticorkscrew]

'Thank you,' Gavid said, grinning. 'Yeah, sure. I'll be glad to pass on the message.'

He bowed respectfully, picked up his new uniform and hurried off in the direction of his quarters. It was unlikely that any of his teammates would be there, which was a pity; Gavid was keen to show off his new "acquisitions".

Well, actually, it would be good just to feel clean and (fairly) smartly-dressed. Back home, down in the Underhive, Gavid had never worried about what he was wearing, but here he felt the need to fit in.

[Teivel]

Cain / Trenton
OrnsWorld? Ah yes, the captain mentioned we were dropping you off there on our way to Fenris. Quite a change of schedule, but he has his reasons I'm sure. Most likely come from his Inquisitor friend I'll not doubt. Well, I said Friend, but....
Where was I? Ah yes, Ornsworld. I've not heard anything unusual from out that way I'll admit, but if I do hear anything I'll be sure to let you know.

Trenton listened intently as the ageing security chief said his part. When he casually dropped the inquisition into the discussion it took all the sanctionite's will to avoid a clear and visible emotional response. This was a ship of dichotomies it seemed, combining infrequent worship with casual knowledge of the Inquisition and its apparent oversight.

Of course he was still new to this and making any inferences from such things were beyond his skillset. Quietly he allowed Cain to continue the conversation, deffering to the Troopers familiarity with men such as these, while he subtly scanned the room.

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Not much else to do other than make an untrained per roll here.
Anything unusual about the room, this guy etc. Or (and this is probably sepperate from the per roll) getting an idea of whether there are any arms/equipment lockers and the like in the security section and how the door through which we entered is opened from this inside.

(1d100)[46] The roll is vs 16

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez had taken awhile, but he did manage to find a nearby dataport to begin hs research in. After punching in a few of the runes he remembered to activate the search, he managed to turn up an archive datafile on Ornsworld.
--
Ornsworld:

Ornsworld is an Industrial world in the Gothic Sector of Segmentum Obscuras. It is the home world of the "Ratling" abhuman species, but most of those were wiped out by the Chaos attacks in 6990999.M41. Some survived however, and there is still a Ratling colony on the planet, but these days most of the population are humans that have moved there from elsewhere in the galaxy.

Ornsworld is a Manufacturing world that produces various parts that are used by the imperial navy in the maintenance of the imperial fleet. Most of this work is automated, but not all of this is possible to automate, including the general overview of everything. Most people employed by the manufacturing works are either overseers or else very low level, maintaining the automated systems.

The population of the world is separated between four small hives, similar to those you would find on a hive world but much smaller in scale. Each of these exists as an offspring of a major hive that is the manfacturing plant itself. One of these hives is considered Hive Majoris and is the primary ruling hive of the planet, where the ruling class of the planet resides. Each hive has an individual security force that is used to govern the population of that individual hive, and reports to the security force of Hive Majoris.

Gangs are a growing problem in the hives, but still very much in it's infancy simply because of the low population of the hives. It is certainly nowhere near the scale that exists on some of the more densely populated hive worlds, such as Necromunda.

Ornsworld is considered to have a Tithe grade of Exactis Prima, being important for the maintainence of the imperial fleet but not essential and not involved in the production of new ships, and not typically required for maintainence or production of Imperial Army units.
--

Although it could be helpful, Cortez quickly found that any queries about the captain and the passanger history seemed to not exist. Mentally filing this under 'odd', Cortez set out back to their chambers to see if he could find one of the more technologically adept team members to help him.

[Calimos]

Cain listens intently to the veteran security officer, then goes to discuss at length security practices and procedures as dictated by the Adeptus Arbites regulations, asking him to compare them to those that are adhered to and enforced onboard star vessels.

"I can understand that certain axioms of maintaining order can be the same everywhere - more or less - but i would be interested in finding out anything special regarding riots aboard ships, how they are handled and what judicial procedures are later used to mete out the Emperor's justice on the perpetrators.

You see, i realize that even though there is always an impact on societies from such unfortunate incidents, that impact may very well be much greater in the closely-knit and hierarchically structured society of a star vessel, therefore i presume that special care must be taken for things not to get out of hand.

By the way, given your status and rank as a senior officer of the Security department, have you witnessed such riots aboard the ship, or on others previously during your active service, and if so how did things unfold?"

[sazzer]

I will be glad to talk to you about such matters later, after we jump maybe? For now, whilst on duty, I understand you had some questions for me pertinent to your job?

[Calimos]

"That's true sir. I always try to learn from the accumulated wisdom of those more experienced than me, in my chosen field of expertise. Would you have in mind any investigation tactics that could be useful or more suited to the idiosynchracy of Ornsworld's population? Would you think that - based on your own experience - the locals tend to respond better when one presents himself directly as a member of the Arbites or when he follows the route of undercover infiltration? That is are they more prone to respond to fear stemming from the Emperor's Justice or rather to disclose information to those they regard as non-threatening but rather friendlier individuals?

Other than that i just wanted to get your personal advice, on how quickly should an investigation escalate to violence, provided that it hits a dead end and more extreme measures are called upon. Should i try more often to assess the available information once again or resort to shock and awe tactics - for example publicly arresting an alleged perpetrator - in order to stir some reaction that would reveal to us more clues? Would it be worth the risk or the resulting unrest would close more doors than it would open?

Oh and something else. Regarding interrogation tactics, what is your personal opinion and which method do you believe to be the most "persuasive" and effective? Should one use the good arbite - bad arbite technique, resort maybe to support from other Adepta, utilizing psychic probling for example in special cases and how should the severity of interrogation methods escalate, until say we reach the excruciator utilization level? Violence right away? Maybe offer for cooperation in exchange for information or something else? "

[sazzer]

"That's true sir. I always try to learn from the accumulated wisdom of those more experienced than me, in my chosen field of expertise. Would you have in mind any investigation tactics that could be useful or more suited to the idiosynchracy of Ornsworld's population? Would you think that - based on your own experience - the locals tend to respond better when one presents himself directly as a member of the Arbites or when he follows the route of undercover infiltration? That is are they more prone to respond to fear stemming from the Emperor's Justice or rather to disclose information to those they regard as non-threatening but rather friendlier individuals?

I don't know Ornsworld myself so I couldn't say really... I guess it depends on exactly what it is you're after as to how they would react to Arbites being present...

Other than that i just wanted to get your personal advice, on how quickly should an investigation escalate to violence, provided that it hits a dead end and more extreme measures are called upon. Should i try more often to assess the available information once again or resort to shock and awe tactics - for example publicly arresting an alleged perpetrator - in order to stir some reaction that would reveal to us more clues? Would it be worth the risk or the resulting unrest would close more doors than it would open?

Again, that would be dependant on the situation at hand. Violence is a useful tools in the right hands, but in some situations relying on it too heavilly can be... unwise, shall we say?

Oh and something else. Regarding interrogation tactics, what is your personal opinion and which method do you believe to be the most "persuasive" and effective? Should one use the good arbite - bad arbite technique, resort maybe to support from other Adepta, utilizing psychic probling for example in special cases and how should the severity of interrogation methods escalate, until say we reach the excruciator utilization level? Violence right away? Maybe offer for cooperation in exchange for information or something else? "

That depends on the tools available. A good psyker probing is without doubt the easiest and quickest way to get information out of an informant, but can on occasion leave the informant less than useful for future work... I tend to find that offers of cooperation leave them thinking you are soft and trying to play you, which is never good for anyone involved. Show them you mean business and they will respect you for it, or else suffer for their lack of respect...

[Manticorkscrew]

Gavid was somewhat surprised and relieved to find that he'd made it back to his quarters without further mishap. Having spent such a long time traipsing through the corridors of the starship he was starting to get a feel for the layout of the place; it was just as well.

In the shower, he did his best to scrub himself clean, washing off the encrusted layers of ground-in dirt, rinsing with cool water (in the end he figured out what he was meant to use the soap for). Dressed in his new clothes he looked like a fresh-faced young rating with blandly forgettable good looks. He'd even made an effort to shave off his beard and trim his unruly mop of hair.

He doubted if even his friends and teammates would recognise him now. He was anonymous. Faceless. He could go anywhere on this ship and do anything and never be recognised. At least, that was the dream.

It was a heady fantasy. Just for a second, Gavid was filled with a surging sense of pride and self-confidence. Then he came crashing back to reality with a painful thud. Yes, he'd caught the eye of the Inquisitor but he had yet to prove himself worthy.

And- lest he forget- he'd given himself a bad scare and got himself horribly lost on his way to Requisitions- not even when he was in any danger- just on the way to get some new clothes. He couldn't even do that right. All he'd proved so far was his incompetence. He knew he must do much better in future.

With a sigh, Gavid set about tidying up the mess he'd made, sweeping the clumps of hair into the waste disposal and mopping up the spilled water on the floor. He looked at his raggedy old clothes and thought about throwing them away, but he changed his mind about that and he decided to keep them; he might need them later.

[Calimos]

"Thank you very much for your insights regarding those matters, sir. I am sure that they will benefit me in my service one day. As for now, i think it is time to leave you now, since translation procedures are under way and your attention may be required elsewhere on the ship.

As a matter of fact, this brings us to something else. We would be more than willing, me and my comrade here that is, and probably the rest of our team as well, to assist in any way you see fit during the ship's transition to the Warp. We are aware that sometimes incidents tend to occur and it is our duty as servants of the Emperor to deal with them. I understand that you are more than qualified for the task and that you are most experienced in this department, but if there was anything we could do to help, we'd really appreciate it".

[sazzer]

As you say, translation is a difficult and potentially dangerous time. However, the captain has made it clear that he would prefer not to have untrained men working the ship, for safety reasons more than anything else. However, if you were to be needed we will certainly call upon you.