Imperator Non Inridetur

[Vexing]

Spoiler: Mortuarium

Show

"I'm not certain. Did you find one on him, when you examined the body?", Anna asks sheepishly. "The scan hasn't picked on up in his clothing." As Haka begins speak, she refocuses on the task at hand, a confused expression on her face as she pauses the scan, resets some parameters in glowing yellow lines of code, and then resumes the process. "I'll check the other body in just a moment, friend Gaius." Absentmindedly, she connects a few trailing wires and needle-bearing tubes to the current cadaver, now totally lost in her little assignment. She's driven now more than before, for whatever reason.

"I agree with...you," Officer Henai adds somewhat lamely, realizing he still doesn't know Akadia's name. Perhaps that's safest, with the Inquisition. "I mean, about going in swinging. The more you explain the less I'm liking--we could have a full scale uprising on our hands, and we don't have enough officers to stop it without the AdMech's help. And if they're involved, like you suspect, then we're screwed. No two ways about it."

Key speaks up anew: "Even if we made a raid on CED-7, I'd prefer that we have some back-up. And Yosuun would want to know why we needed it, and for what. I'm just not sure how quiet about this you all need to be, Lord and Ladies." Kal nods slowly, starting to adjust to this frightening new reality as assistant to an Inquisitorial Cell.

A loud, harsh tone echoed from the medicae equipment. As the officers turned to see, everyone could pick our Anna's white knuckles as she clutched the console like a drowning woman, staring in disbelief at the faint readout scribing itself across the monitor. Face ashen, she turns. Regarding the bomber's body, her voice catches in the back of her throat as she manages to croak out her findings.

"He's not dead. He's drugged!", she hisses. "There's some sort of...natural compound he took. Your sample is a processed, a processed...something." Beginning to shake with emotion and fear, she backs a few feet away from the examination table in horror. "Holy Throne!"

Spoiler: Shuttle

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"I'm not entirely sure myself. This isn't usually my task, so I'm not certain who's in these." Pointing a slim finger to the roof of the shuttle, she shrugs. "We're directly beneath the Mortuarium. Since any body that's spaced for burial has to go through a triple-seal of chambers to get voided...there's usually enough time to collect our brothers and sisters before they're lost."

One of the thugs pipes up at her words. "I think these were from the riot, earlier. Not sure if He selected anyone to be seeded." Fenria raises an eyebrow before shrugging again, letting the comment slide.

[runestone]

Gaius reaches for his hammer with one hand and his aquila pendant with the other. "Not dead? What witchcraft is this?"

[ArcturusV]

Haka immediately looked towards the Arbiters, with the proclaimation of 'not dead', she made a little motion like slapping a maglock cuff on her wrist, and tossed her head towards the 'corpse'. Meaning was plain, she wasn't sure if he was 'not dead' what he could, or couldn't hear. But she thought it smart that the Shepherds go and restrain the man before he came to.

[qechua]

"Wait, not dead, as in, 'not dead'?"

Akadia realised the utter stupidity of the statement the moment it left her lips, although given the situation she doubted if anyone would question her on it. While she wasn't next to it to begin with, she still backed away from the 'corpse' putting as much distance as possible between herself and the body. She felt a sudden pain as she realised her left hand was pinching the inside of her right wrist, as if she was trying to wake herself up. This was followed up with her back finding itself in contact with the far wall of the room. While she became more aware of her physical efforts, her mind was still far too busy to provide any help in forming coherent sentences and she slowly shook her head as she spoke again

"How? Why? What? How?"

[Vexing]

Spoiler: Mortuarium

Show

With only the barest hesitation, Officer Henai strides forward to roughly clasp magnacles on, if Anna is to be believed, a very live man. All the while the officers and Kal bear confused, fearful expressions; some witchcraft, perhaps? Surely nothing "natural" could cause such a condition? Acting cautiously, Officer Key takes his place alongside the body of Arreus as well. While the barkeep was shot, rather than drugged, one could tell that he was taking no chances.

The distraught novice took several shallow breaths, trying to master herself quickly enough to answer. "There's no match. The machine spirits are unable to identify the source of the toxin, but the man is alive. His heart has a current beat of," she pauses quickly to check the screen before turning back, "once every ten minutes, but there's no activity in his mind. His vital humours should long since have putrefied and his organs failed, but he lives. No breathing, near to no heartbeat--"

She pauses, paling again. By now, the poor girl looks white as the proverbial sheet. "Oh Throne. Wh-What if all the dead have been this way? I've spaced live men and women!" She immediately begins to hyperventilate, once more.

[ArcturusV]

Haka frowns, "Then they probably still live," she pointed out to the Holy Hooker's question, "They all know what you do to bodies, right? They know they would be considered dead. Could they be 'spaced' and recovered by someone like that? Right now someone waiting with shovels to carry him off soon as you are done?"

[LeSwordfish]

"And how does... He select them?" Annie asked, raising an eyebrow.

[qechua]

Seeing the poor girl in need and the still barely living bomber shackled, Akadia steeled herself to cross the room again, but her legs refused to co-operate. As she saw the young priest exhibit all the signs of a breakdown, she tried again, and she forced herself back across the room and beside the clearly distraught novice. Akadia placed her hand on the priest's opposite arm, acting to comfort her and simultaneously support the girl in the event she fainted

"You couldn't have known they were still alive, there was no way to do so until we brought that sample here. Besides, as our friend here pointed out, they are probably still alive somewhere. Why go to the trouble of faking your own death if you are going to get thrown out an airlock? It doesn't make sense, unless someone recovers these people between you committing them and them reaching the void. Given the enthusiasm for schedules around here, I'd guess some mystery person is round about here somewhere waiting for their next delivery."

[runestone]

Once man has been restrained, Gaius lets go of his hammer. "I guess this explains why people have been seeing ghosts." Then he goes to Anna, and holds out his Aquila pendant. "Remember your training, Anna. Remember your faith. This man cannot harm you, and the fate of the others is not your burden to bear. You must conquer your fear." He holds out his rosary, and starts chanting the litany against fear:

"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing....only my faith in the Emperor"

Hoping that a measure of calm has been restored to the novice, Gaius proceeds to question her. "Now, how many of these bodies have you seen before, Anna?"

Then he taps his micro bead and starts giving Annie a report of their discoveries.

Spoiler: OoC

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The litany against fear is, of course, shamelessly stolen from Dune by Frank Herbert.

[LeSwordfish]

"Wait." Annie said. "You're in the morgue? I think we're near there, hold on." She turned to Fenria "How urgent is it that we get where we're going? My team is nearby."

[Vexing]

Spoiler: Mortuarium

Show

"Only a handful at any one time. Adept Serghar usually tended to them and had them spaced; he determined that anyone who died in such a way during the riots ought to be given to the Void rather than rendered into corpse-starch, and I'm only a novice, so I agreed. When he disappeared only seven days ago, I was assigned to take over the Mortuarium until a replacement could be assigned. This is the first I've seen when I've been on my own", Anna admits, leaning on Akadia for support. "...You don't think Serghar knew, do you?"

Spoiler: Shuttle

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Fenria taps the side of the shuttle loudly, perhaps signalling the pilot to cease pre-flight preparation. "Time is of the essence, since we've put our supporters on the platforms into action. We have only one full cycle until we'll be ready to move. Is your team sympathetic to our cause? Can you guarantee that you will be responsible for their behavior? The Inquisition could be a mighty ally when the time comes to strike at the AdMech."

"How many of you are up there? We can only fit a few more before we compromise on air."

[ArcturusV]

Haka, with the bluntness that she had shown so far, asked, "You SEE guy bury the bodies?" Because yes, that would be a key bit of information, and the simplest explanation for how the bodies were actually recovered, not being buried in the first place.

[runestone]

"Yes, I think Serghar knew, and he's probably with the rest of them now."

"Our associate is nearby, and she might require our assistance. We should remain here until she contacts us again. Anna, could you try examining the bomber's arrow charm with the cognomen scanner while we wait?"

[qechua]

"I'd agree with my colleagues here, and say that not only did Serghar know, I'd say he trusted you enough to quite literally put his life in your hands. He knew you would do your duty, as you did, and as such he was able to leave the station. What happened next is speculation, but given this mans connection with the resistance, I'd say Serghar joined them."

[LeSwordfish]

Annie considered for a moment, and then shook her head. From the sound of things, Akadia and the others were likely to wander into what she'd discovered, if they were headed to the station- bringing them into Fenria's ship could well cause more problems than it solved. "Nah. They're following their own thing, i'll stick with you."

She gestured vaguely in the direction of 'The rest of existance.' "Ready when you are."

[Vexing]

Spoiler: Mortuarium

Show

"I personally assisted Adept Serghar in placing the bodies into the Exhumator, but I never helped him prepare them", she answers Haka. "It's possible he switched the drugged Adepts for other corpses. As for their disposal, we don't bury bodies that would potentially corrupt the supply of corpse starch used to stretch rations; we space them. You're right. Someone must be taking them prior to their being spaced, but how? And " Recovering somewhat, she leans away from Akadia again to fulfill Gaius' request by scanning the arrow charm. With something finally to go on, she's feverishly bouncing between interest in the mystery unfolding before her and her new task, grateful that the Adept in laborer's clothing has made her feel more welcome.

As the scan concludes (simple scrap metal, nothing more), the Arbites begin outlining a plan. "We could gather a full squad for Field Interrogation. If these riots are being caused by a group of rogue quill-pushers, we shouldn't have all that much trouble putting the rebellion down." Key gestures to the Cell. "With your assistance, even their preparations should be of no consequence! What resources can you all draw on? There are more of you, yes?"

Henai interjects: "If they've been collecting themselves like this...we may need to be better prepared. This is almost too sophisticated. Who knows what else they've managed to throw together? I'm all for informing the Investigator and having him drum up more official support from the Adeptus Mechanicus." Pausing, he shrugs and spreads his gauntleted hands. "We're at your disposal, Lord and Ladies. Ready to serve Him On Terra, as you require it." The three of them, even the silent and nervous Kal, seem zealous and prepared to assist.

Spoiler: CED-7

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Another shrug. It seemed Fenria had a flippant penchant for them, or was responding to Annie's lack of decorum in kind. "As you wish." Another slap to the metal of the shuttle, and the crude door closed. The engines coughed and sped the metal cage off into the Void...

The trip was long and exhausting, with the air thinning almost maddeningly before a pronounced shudder marked the last stop. A seal was formed between the junky shuttle and this new platform, the mysterious CED-7, opening onto freshly cycled air and harsh lighting. Cheerful greetings echoed into the shuttle as men and women clad in rags flooded the small space, helping to gather the wrapped bodies from the Mortuarium; all of them take time to clutch at Fenria's garments or to touch the bare skin along her hands and forearms, as if she were a saint herself. A more pious soul might have rankled at this obvious failure of the true Creed, but it likely doesn't trouble Annie a whit as the Adept shoos the underlings away. Motioning for Annie to follow, she exits the shuttle along with her bodyguards.

The whole of the space without the shuttle was immense, obviously the interior of an orbital station. Where there had once been walls, however, and segmented portions, only las-burned stumps and crudely cut metal edges remained, making the area almost a single cavern of steel. The scene that awaited directly out of the leaky vessel wouldn't have been out of place in the Underhive of any city. Small groups of dirty wretches huddle around heating-lamps and mutter amongst themselves, their thin frames speaking of a life lived in low gravity; a squat man in Ministrorum robes atop a large metal crate hands out blocks of off-white corpse starch to crowding masses, who cry thanks and prayers to the figure; glow-globes are being repaired and traded off by the more technically minded refugees.

Sprays of sparks and the stench of burning metal, however, draws the gunslinger's eye and ears before too long, all too similar to the din of Gunmetal City. The scrap left from picking apart the station's interior is being used in the creation of guns, from humble single-shot pieces that barely looked fit to shoot, to massive scrap-cannons and piling-launchers. These last were easily identifiable to the hive native, the weapons of cut-rate gangs or desperate mobs rather than real warriors. The idea that any of these pathetic examples of humankind might stage a rebellion against the AdMech with what amounted to popguns and black powder was laughable, but the energy of the place belied the gunsmiths crudity and the zealots inexperience. Here was a group of people dedicated religiously to their cause, and every neck or wrist bore an arrow charm.

"Well. Will you rest, for a time? I've some things to attend to, but if you believe you should press on, I can see to bringing you to Him. He's very weary these days from communion and planning, and this sudden acceleration has taken its toll." She mutters this softly, careful to ensure only Annie might hear her, even amongst the press and the noise. There must be almost a hundred people in this cramped metal bowl, hovering in space.

[qechua]

"Hitting these people hard will only serve to delay the action. You can't guarantee arresting them all, and those you miss will come back in a few months having learnt from this. Likewise with spreading the word to other Arbites or to Investigators. These people aren't the cause of the problem, simply a symptom of something else, and once we deal with that something else, the riot problems should disappear. You can dig up and replace malnourished crops all day and night, but if the ground isn't good for growing, you'll never get the harvest."

Akadia paused briefly, letting the words settle while she contemplated her next.

"I think the best thing you three can do is keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground. Anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, pass it on to us surreptitiously. If things do start getting out of hand, try to get the Arbites to keep the people safe. From what I've heard, and I'm sure you've seen, the Mechanicus has no qualms about opening fire on civilians to get their target, and you guys don't stand much of a chance against their killing machines. I have every confidence that you can keep the general population out of harm, and we'll be able to our job much better knowing you've got it under control."

Pausing again, Akadia looked at each of the Arbites in turn and smiled. Despite everything that had happened, today was starting to turn into a good day.

[ArcturusV]

"What about Time?" Haka asked Akadia bluntly, "Things get bad ya? Might need a purge to buy time for cure. Sometimes you hack off arm to give time to heal body before sickness spreads too far. They at point of killing Shepherds and Metal Men. May need to scatter them, make them run a bit before next attack."

She looked over at the Arbiters, to see what their expert opinion on the status of the Scum and Dregs might be. If they could wait, or if they needed to be disrupted ASAP.

[runestone]

"The investigator must be told that he is not facing a skilled and motivated enemy, not a leaderless mob." He turns to the arbitrators "One of you should report part of our findings to him immediately. He should be told about the poison, the removed cognomen, and the fact that the missing adepts are almost certainly aiding the arrow cult. This is all something we have deduced from investigating the bomber, so it doesn't compromise our secret. I fear that these people have strayed so far from the light of the Emperor, that we will not be able to sway them with words, and we must prepare for the worst."

[LeSwordfish]

The arbites are going to go through this like a hollowpoint through skeeperskin.

"I'd like to speak to 'im, whoever 'e is." Annie said, thinking of her friends and the raid they were preparing. "Probably straight away, if that aint no trouble."

[qechua]

Swinging her gaze to the Feral, Akadia opened up from behind a stern expression

"And what exactly do you do when all the limbs have already been, as you so eloquently put it, hacked off? Move onto chunks of torso? Maybe take out a lung, or a kidney? At what point are you moving away from stalling and onto killing? I'll tell you what point. This point. Right here. Right now. These people have been starved; the situation is only getting worse. These people want to be fed properly so they can do the work of the Emperor, yet apparently that is the most heinous of crimes around here. Maybe we are beyond the point of talking, but that's only because these people have been pushed that far by their environment and these horrific reprisal attacks. OK, so they've gone about it the wrong way, but what exactly is the right way? Go talk to the Ad Mech? You either won't get past the gate, or you'll find yourself added to the rations. Arbites? They have no control over the food supply. Priests? Individuals get short term solutions, but the population still starves. Station commander? Ad Mech, so that ain't happening. Call offworld? Ad Mech controls the comms. What options are left? Discontent, rioting, attacks. Know why we got called here? Productivity is way down, and has been for months, pretty much the only message the Ad Mech can't control, and one the populous knows will be responded to."

Her legs beginning to shake, both from the confrontation and from the cold, Akadia then turned to Gaius

"You remember what our illustrious Inquisitor told us at the start of this? Both the Ad-Mech and the Ecclesiarchy are under suspicion for the disturbance here. Each blame the other for what is happening, and yet here we are blindly trusting both sides. No, apparently, the entire fault lies with the general populus, not the Ad-Mech for gunning down sizable chunks of loyal and dedicated workers, nor the Ecclesiarchy which allowed this 'cult' as you keep calling it to come into existence. No, the general populous should apparently be left to starve and die pointlessly while showing praise and thanks for the situation, and when our armies and navies fail to stop the tide of destruction because this station didn't meet tithe, it will of course be the peoples fault for not working hard enough despite the notable handicap of being dead! These people are still loyal to the Emperor, they simply see no point in starving and dying when they could be working and helping!"

She walked over to one of the walls near the door, propping her elbows against the wall and resting her forehead against her hands while she closed her eyes and waited for the response. She wasn't entirely sure whether that response was going to be verbal or a pair of manacles, to be honest it didn't really matter. She whispered a small plea under her breath, too quiet to even be heard by her own ears

"Emperor, there is a peaceful solution to this, please help my friends see it"

[runestone]

"I remember well what the Lord Inquisitor told us. There is a rot in these stations, and by the grace of the Emperor we will cure it. It is true that we should not resort to a violent confrontation unless we have to, but it is our duty to prepare for the worst. Right now, that means giving the Investigator the information he needs to defend the stations effectively in case the situation escalates."

[Vexing]

Spoiler: Mortuarium

Show

The tension could've been cut with a knife and served as substitute rations, thick as it was. Unsure about how to appropriately deal with the division in the Cell, the two Officers keep their mouths shut and their ears wide open for a firm instruction. Anna Trager sinks down into her own melancholia, too wrapped up in her own private miseries to contribute overly much even as a listener. A proper Ministrorum Adept would be reminded that Doubt and Sloth were pernicious devils indeed, twining sinuously around the thoughts of men to paralyze and mislead.

It's a surprise when the faint cough breaks the silence, and the reedy Junior Arbite's voice echoes into the chill air. "I can go tell--inform--Investigator Yosuun. If you all would still want me to." Taking initiative for the first time, Kal slowly looks about for some sign of approval; the quiet words sound stifled, working their way through a jaw locked by apprehension and fear. "If we don't do anything at all, we're all going to get stabbed or spaced pretty soon. I want to live. How and what should I tell him?"

"Are we even allowed to tell anyone about you three? All the stories say that you just kill people like us anyway. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to avoid that." Swallowing nervously, he straightens himself tries to adopt a readied stance.

Spoiler: CED-7

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"As you wish. Don't do anything foolish."

It's almost painfully anti-climactic; a relatively short walk through the gathered throngs of people and towards the far end of the great chamber leads to a lone pressure hatch marked with gratified prayers and guarded by two men in Adept's robes. Doubtless more of the 'missing', they don't bat an eye as Fenria leads Annie through the hatch and up a short spiraling stairway. A few breathless, wordless minutes later the two emerge in what might have once been the station's monitoring chamber. Banks of rusty cogitator banks lie dormant and still, their screens dusty and unused. The lingering odor of battery acid and that peculiar rot of old industry seems to have the entire chamber in its thrall, but a more organic scent tickles at the edge of the gunslinger's mind. Curiously, the cramped space is illuminated not by glow-globes, but by candlelight; the sheen of their synthetic wax pairs eerily with the glimmer of fire reflecting from glass and steel. Taking reverent steps across runaway wiring and rusted gaps in the plating, the Adept offers one last piece of advice to her charge: "Don't speak too loudly. And...try not to stare. It hurts him, I think, even if he won't say."

Making her way to the edge of a small overlook in the command quarters, she gestures below with a trailing arm. Down maintenance ladders and short ramps lie a pit that was once used for holographic displays and mapping; now a pile of filthy bedding lies sprawled in the depression like the den of a great animal, twisted and matted. Scores of candles light this place, their melted leavings deforming the harsh lines and corners of this space. Seated several meters from the pit are several more of the missing Adepts, murmuring in surprise and pointing above at the newcomers.

"I have things to attend to. I'll leave you here." Without a backward glance she began her trip back to the crude forges and petty shrines, leaving Annie to make the descent on her own. Easily done and swiftly traversed, the organic smell from before finally identified itself to her senses, a familiar stimulus in the underhive of Gunmetal--death. Infection. Sickness. None of the attendants move to stop her, appraising her with cold stares and palpable disapproval. As she finally approaches the makeshift sleeping area, a lump of cloth shifts and twists at the sound of her footsteps, raw skin glistening in the light as Annie meets the face of the insurrection's leader.

Once, perhaps, it would have been appropriate to describe the figure as a human. Once, but no longer. This ruin of humanity, perhaps reminiscent of the Habkeeper Graucus, is made all the more terrible by what it's recent past had clearly been. Irregular tufts of white-blonde hair stand from a patchy, blackened scalp; healing burn scars pock all exposed skin, leaking clear pus and soiling the cloth swaddling him; only one bright green eye meets Annie's gaze, the other sealed shut underneath a mass of baggy flesh. The skull of this unfortunate is noticeably deformed, as if a great weight pressed the right hemisphere out and cracked it, never quite allowing it to heal. All the flesh of the man's neck and face is subtly twisted towards this point, the worst of the burns and weeping tears congregating along the ridge of his jaw and the entire affected side of his head. Nothing else can be seen, the rest of the figure concealed.

Its lips slip open gently, and a quiet rasp seizes the ex-ganger's attention as assuredly as the zealous light in its remaining eye. "Wel-come. I," a wracking breath gives pause, "am Hastus." A trickle of dried blood at the corner of his mouth cracks gently as the man attempts a smile. It's one of the more horrifying things Annie can ever recall seeing.

[LeSwordfish]

Don't stare don't stare she said don't stare and also don't throw up.

Bowing- more to tear her eyes away than anything else- Annie approached the ruined man.

"Hastus Vel Doren" she said, in tones aimed at reverence. "You're looking well, fer a dead man."

She extended a hand to shake - you're going to have to touch him! - and continued talking. "My name's Annie Lee. I'm investigating the cogboys here. I'm told that you're the leader of these revolutionaries, and I wanted to hear your story."

OOC

Spoiler

Show

While i've got a lot of questions for Hastus, i'm curious to hear what he says in response to such a vague opening line, so the big list can wait.

[qechua]

Not moving her head from her impromptu cradle, Akadia broke the silence, a combination of frustration and exhaustion lacing every word

"We aren't going to kill you. You'll either do a good job, at which you'll have proven your worth, or you won't, at which you'll probably die standing side by side with your fellow Arbites. In both cases, it's your actions which decide your fate, not ours."

Taking a deep breath in, Akadia managed to supress the slight tinge of pain from her ribs, before exhaling again

"The way I see it, there are two possiblities on the station worth entertaining. First is that there are only 20 or so people over there, at which point going in with any more that a couple of people will just scare them. Any chance we have of solving this fails with that. Second option is that that station is a veritable hornets nest, at which any more than a couple of people will cause many deaths, including probably ours. As such, going to the station in small numbers is our only viable option. We could tell the investigator, but given what I've seen of him and heard of the Arbites in general, I'd say he'll go with a first strike, trying to hit these people before they are ready."

She picked herself up from the wall, scanning around the faces before her

"Irrespective of what awaits the invaders, we end back with our two bad outcomes; we don't solve the problem and potentially a lot of people die. The only way this ends well is if we persuade the Arbites in command to not charge in with mauls and shields, and to simply wait on the inhabited stations for the unknown. Ultimately, how likely is that?"

Her gaze had ended in the direction of the Arbites. The question, which sounded surprisingly genuine, was aimed to everyone, yet clearly she expected an answer from the three men in front of her.

[runestone]

"No, we do not kill people like you. We kill heretics, and we do so gladly while praising the Emperor, but killing loyal and useful servants of the Emperor would be a waste and a sin."

He makes a gesture to Akadia "A word in private, if you please."

Spoiler: What Gaius wants to say to Akadia if she agrees

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"Your words sound like wisdom, but I fear they may not lead to salvation for these stations." He wets his lips before continuing. "Earlier today, my pride led me to attempt to apprehend the spy on my own, and that brought only death. We must make sure that this doesn't end like that. I think we should at least tell the investigator everything except the location of the rebels. That will allow him to prepare, but prevent him from doing anything rash. The investigator is expecting us soon. He may well become suspicious if we just send one of the arbitrators back to report, but that is probably our only chance if we want to go to CED-7 tonight without involving him."

"Alternatively, we report back as instructed, tell him everything we know about the rebels, and attempt to convince him to allow us to negotiate with them while the arbitrators gather their forces. Guided by the divine will of the Emperor, we have uncovered things that have been hidden from the arbitrators for many cycles. If we convince him of this truth, he may allow us to go."

"Either way, we need to present these people with a plan, or they'll loose faith in us. "

[qechua]

Stepping aside with Gaius and turning with her back to the others, Akadia listened to the priests words. After his conclusion, she paused for a few moments, before responding

Spoiler: A quiet word

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"We can't take a chance on a maybe, not now. We need to get to CED-7, and we can't have the Arbites, or anyone, following us. That leaves only option 1, they go back, saying everything except our destination, and we go to resolve this situation. Hopefully us getting everyone at least around the same table will go some way to making our disappearance now more acceptable and less incarceration-worthy."

[Vexing]

Spoiler: Mortuarium

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"I don't think the Investigator can't be convinced. He's supposed to minimize casualties, after all. No workers means no tithe." Kal quietly calls out, trying not to seem overly eager for a detailed answer. The other officers keep a watchful eye on the the two conferring individuals, occasionally peering at Haka cautiously. The feral was clever, but certainly wasn't fully civilized by any stretch of the imagination.

Spoiler: OOC

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Kal, Henai, and Key will wait on your instruction. It looks like you two have a fairly good idea of what you want to do, but I don't want to post their reaction and the like without being absolutely certain. Just throw it up and I'll have a lengthy follow-up post tomorrow.

Spoiler: CED-7

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A shaky, pale hand reached out to paw ineffectually at Annie's outstretched mitt. It's contorted into a claw, tendons straining as the fingers arch unnaturally, but seems fairly normal aside from the smell and greasy touch that accompanies it. "I have much to prepare, through my comrades and their contacts. On whose authority", he pauses to hack up discoloured looking phlegm into a nearby rag, "do you investigate us? Have you felt called to our cause? Fenria would have known better than to lead you here otherwise. We all feel called." Though his body is weak, his rambling does seem to carry the weight of conviction; as if to reinforce the gravity of the situation, his lone eye never breaks contact with her own.

"We are not...revolutionaries. We are an army. We are the Hammer. Crusaders for the Emperor, we will bring justice to this lawless place and ensure the dignity of our charges. It is painful to me that we must do this through force, but did not Saint Ephedia preach that our duty is often stained with the blood of the faithless?" Small pauses and coughs mar his proselytizing, but the attending adepts nod and murmur catechisms in response. "I cannot allow you to interfere in our mission. Please, s-sit. Tell me what you would know. I will tell you all I can, to enlighten you."

[runestone]

Gaius looks Akadia in the eyes and makes the aquila. "Very well, we'll do as you suggest. The Emperor protects."

Spoiler: OoC

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I'll let Akadia give instructions to our allies.

[LeSwordfish]

"I've bin called in my duty to the emperor." Annie said levelly. "An i assure you me authority is the best. Shan't be naming no names, though, not in... Mixed company." Her eyes flicked to Hastus' retainers.

OOC: Questions OOC