House of Glass (Dark Heresy IC)

[Kaptin Keen]

Spoiler: OOC

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It's been so long I only now discovered Phaella is the one character I still haven't recovered since the Myth Weavers crash. I'll roll some rolls, and let Destro guage results. Then I'll get to work recreating our Legate Investigator.

Phaella is nothing but thorough in her work. She starts out by marking the boundaries of her access: What precisely did the inquisitor do? Did he simply move the required files into a folder the team can access - or did he fiddle with access levels directly. The latter is often easier, but might also give unwanted access.

Then she scans through all the material available.

Then she does cross searches.

Then, finally, she sits down to actually comprehend what she's found.

Spoiler: OOC

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Rolls might include:
Logic: (1d100)[43] Understanding stuff
Tech Use: (1d100)[84] Finding loopholes
Copyist (which I think she actually has(d): (1d100)[67] Analysis, who wrote what, that sort of thing
Maybe some Forbidden Lore (she has cults, mutants, psykers, heresy): (1d100)[10] - I need to check if she had points to buy all of them?!

[UncleWolf]

Joss and Mouse

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"There doesn't seem to be much evidence pointing to the possibility of soulstones influencing people, but that is only with the information we have been cleared for. However, given their mysterious nature perhaps it wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibility. Perhaps we can have the conclave issue a detention of Remus until his mental state and stability is determined. It is a long shot, but given the nature of the blade he's carrying I can see a few minds swinging our way. "Just in case", you know?" She says, leaning back in her chair again as she thinks.

"The other potential idea is that we could have the Conclave confiscate the blade. Not to take it away from him as punishment, but because of its potential worth. If souls are indeed inside those stones, and the Eldar try their damnedest to get them back, then what might we get in trade for such an artifact?" She wonders aloud.

[Artemis97]

Spoiler: Joss and Mouse

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"Determining his mental state would be a good idea. If he isn't of sound mind, then the trial is pointless." Joss decides. "I don't think trying to trade the blade would go over well. More likely to get us betrayed and people killed by the Eldar."

[Destro_Yersul]

Joss and Mouse

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In all previous accounts they had access to, the Eldar's damnedest was to shoot first. They took these things back by force - but then, nobody had tried to trade one back before. It didn't sound like a good idea, in any case.

Annie and Phaella

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As far as Phaella could tell, everything in the folder had been written by the same person, probably Magos Moreus. The problem was mostly that he had been messing around with proscribed xenos specimens and genetic engineering. Whatever the purpose of the eradicae was, their creation was definitely heresy by a strict definition. There hadn't been any attempt to make them smarter, as far as she could tell - there was a lot in here about splicing and engrammatic programming that she didn't understand. She ran a search on Moreus and found that he'd been more or less excommunicated by the Lords Dragon some time ago, for forbidden research. Old habits apparently died hard. About the one thing the notes didn't cover was what he had been making these things for. It said they were a weapon, but it wasn't made clear anywhere precisely who he had intended to give them to.

Arcturos, however, had been providing the financial backing, so he was the logical benefactor. What, then, did the Inquisitor want them for? He'd been an ends-justify-the-means sort on Landunder. Maybe they were intended to fight chaos?

[Kaptin Keen]

Phaella looks towards Annie: See all this? Apparently, magos Moreus was ... building some sort of mutant-xenos-super-soldier-thing. Or something - it's actually way outside my field. But he was definitely modifying xenos for use as ... bio weapons? And Arcturos seems to have been footing the bill.

That is ... way outside the limits of what's allowed. I think.

[LeSwordfish]

Annie whistled, with more than a little admiration. "What did 'e want 'em for then? Was 'e plannin' on givin 'em to the guard or... when we met'im 'e was 'untin a daemon. What, was 'e just gonna chuck them at a daemon, see what append?"

She was impressed though. "Can we look at 'I'd service record? Find out why 'e was fundin' this? Was it 'is idea or the magos' idea?"

[UncleWolf]

Mouse and Joss

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"Perhaps, but it is still an avenue of approach that we should suggest. Besides, it lets us determine just how much one of these is worth to them. It gives us something to hold over the Xenos in the future if we get another chance." Mouse points out before she starts digging further to try and actually translate the language on the sword into Gothic.
With some luck it'd be something truly unique and telling, perhaps worth enough to have it confiscated from Remus no matter what else happened.

[Destro_Yersul]

Joss and Mouse

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If Mouse knew the language, a translation would have been fairly trivial. As it was, she had to search for some time before she found a lexicon she (barely, as it happened) had clearance for. From there, it was a matter of figuring out what the runes that Joss remembered meant. They got as far as a general impression, flipping through things and asking if that one had been on the sword or not. The runes were, probably, a history of the weapon. Who had made it, where, names of the assorted bearers... none of this was for certain, of course, and they'd need to see the sword again to check. It was a Xenos weapon, of course, and that might be enough for the more puritanical of the Inquisitors present, but it didn't seem likely that it was conclusive on its own.

Annie and Phaella

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The Magos' previous work - the work that had got him kicked out of the Mechanicus - had all been on bio-engineering xenos beasts. Based on that, the idea was probably his, and the question became what Arcturos thought they'd be good for. It took some reading between the lines, but it looked like throwing them at daemons to see what happened had been his plan. Most daemons were close-quarters fighters by necessity, and the acid blood could have been an attempt to counter that. It was beyond what most puritans would like, certainly.

[Kaptin Keen]

So ... ok. Personally, I don't have a lot of issues with fighting the warp spawn with most things available to us. Who do we go see about this? Arcturos? Valle? .... both?

[Artemis97]

Spoiler: Joss and Mouse

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"It seems to just be makers marks. How...conventional." Joss comments with a frown. "At least the runes we have confirm it's an Eldar weapon. Something he shouldn't have."

Unable to think of anything further to investigate about the blade, Joss suggests. "Should we see what the others are up to?"

[LeSwordfish]

So ... ok. Personally, I don't have a lot of issues with fighting the warp spawn with most things available to us. Who do we go see about this? Arcturos? Valle? .... both?

"Can we get a copy'f this? Then we take it to Valle. I mean, like, I'da done the same thing but I ain't on trial 'ere."

[Kaptin Keen]

Absolutely. But ... aren't you curious to hear what Arcturos might have to say in his defense?

I mean, we might hear that at the trial. Look I don't know - I'm new, I believe it's prudent that you make the decision. I'm disposed towards keeping all my options open for as long as possible, which may be a liability in this kind of circumstance. For all we know, that's what Arcturos was doing.

[LeSwordfish]

"I mean yeah I'm curious but I ain't intendin' on tippin' 'im off. You wanna go shove this in 'is face an' ask what 'es plan were, then go ahead but if i were you I'd talk to 'er in gold instead."

[Kaptin Keen]

... no? Not really, but I'm also not warp bent on proving him guilty. I'm mainly interested in the truth. If the truth is he's guilty,
then he should be sentenced. But only then.

But you're right, the decision of right or wrong isn't ours to make. I propose you take our findings to Valle - and I keep digging, see if there's any more to uncover. Agreed?

[UncleWolf]

Mouse and Joss

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"Perhaps it is enough..." Mouse says with an uncertain frown before freezing as an idea hits her. "You go on ahead if you wish, but there are three last things I need to look for. Namely the security regulations for willingly and knowingly bringing an undocumented xenos into this facility, the regulations as to the response for possible wireless security taps and/or unintentional sharing of classified information(and the punishments involved), and finally the process as to how a xenos may become an Imperial Citizen, if possible." Mouse rattles off before digging in to try and find all relevant information. The first two should just be in standard security protocol information packets, but the last one was certainly new territory for her.

She had a Plan and it involved smothering Remus in red tape.

[Destro_Yersul]

Joss and Mouse

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Regulations were easy to find; If there was one thing the Inquisition had in abundance, it was rules. It was not possible for a Xenos to become a citizen - such a thing was unthinkable to the vast majority of the populace. What was possible was for a Xenos to be sanctioned, though it was a rare service usually only performed at the request of a Rogue Trader or other such highly placed official sponsor. The Xenos in question would recieve a mark in the form of a tattoo, or brand, marking them as allowed to set foot on Imperial worlds and do business with the Imperium, provided their sponsor was present and carried their official identification papers. There was an entire stack of forms, and part of the requirements included an interview with the patron present... but it all had to do with Xenos that were still alive. Whether or not spirit stones counted had, apparently, never come up before. There was also a long list of rules for bringing Xenos - captive or otherwise - into Imperial held facilities. The Inquisition had, at some point, come up with a set of numerous and tedious protocols regarding what Xenos were allowed to see, standards for identification, what counted as sentience, what was to be shot on sight and studied once it was dead... this last category was full of things Mouse had never even heard of. Probably for the best, considering.

She kept looking for a while, but only ever found regulations pertaining to living Xenos. Xenos artifacts and dead Xenos specimens were less heavily regulated, but nobody had seen fit to decide which category spirit stones fell into, at least not officially.

Annie and Phaella

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Another brief spate of digging didn't turn up anything more than what they already had, at least in terms of the Xenos creatures Magos Moreus had been breeding. Looking around for other files returned a few of the other extracurricular activities Arcturos had engaged in, though these were all referenced in Valle's call to conclave.

[Kaptin Keen]

Alright ... alright. We've dug as deep as this new access will allow. Let's go see Valle.

[LeSwordfish]

"Makes sense." Annie said. "I'll go check if Mousey an' Joss 'ave anythin' to report."

Heading along to Mouse and Joss' room, Annie rapped her knuckles smartly on the door. "You done with Things Wot Man Woz Not Meant Ter Know in there?"

[Artemis97]

Joss answered the door when Annie knocked.

"I've rendered all the help I can," the assassin reported. "Now Mouse is looking up something to do with security rules and Xenos...I don't quite follow her logic, but I'm sure it will be useful. How did the magos' notes turn out? Anything useful there?"

[LeSwordfish]

"E' was workin' with Magos Moreus - that'd be your old friend, aye? - to build monster-things. E' provided the money an' Moreus ****ed with xeno genes until it were a great big gribbly monster."

[UncleWolf]

After a bit of reading and taking notes, Mouse returns the requested tomes before exiting the chamber to join the others. "I have discovered a variety of ways to make ourselves a complete nuisance, but I have no way of guaranteeing whether or not we will be capable of taking the sword from him. However, I might be able to paint him as incompetent or untrustworthy. That should be enough to turn people away from him in part."

[LeSwordfish]

Annie nodded. "I can help with that, good at smearin'. Incompetent and untrustworthy's what I do best."

[Destro_Yersul]

The acolytes found Valle still in her chambers, looking over a stack of papers. She bid them enter without looking up, clearly expecting them to report while she worked.

[Kaptin Keen]

Feeling uncomfortable for speaking first, Phaella says:

So far we've dug up a lot of details on his team - service records, and so on - and some on Arcturos too. It seems he and Moreus bred some sort of half-xeno monstrosities for use as bio weapons.

I think the others have more, but what some of the information is on here.

She hands over a pile of slates with all the findings she's recorded.

[Artemis97]

Joss stands near the door, guarding it, but does speak up.

"Mouse and I researched the sword Inquisitor Arcturos carries. It's an Eldar weapon bearing something known as Soul Stones. Mouse has plans that could make his life... difficult."

[Destro_Yersul]

"I recall," Valle said, with a glance at the slates. She placed the stack next to her on the desk and continued. "They were bioweapons? I did not see that in the original notes, though it may have been in one of the reports. It does not matter. What he wanted them for is irrelevant, the act of creating them is enough to damn him. It at least explains why he would finance such a thing, though. I shall add the information to my opening statements."

The Inquisitor looked up then, fixing her mask's eyes in the direction of Joss and Mouse. "You have made good use of the extra clearance. Though, I correct you, they are called Spirit Stones. What are the plans you mention?"

[UncleWolf]

Mouse shifts a bit under scrutiny, feeling a bit unsure of her potential plans now that she had to voice them to her superior. "They are not good plans, Mistress. Nor are they likely to get much accomplished in regards to getting that sword taken away except for a possibility to paint Remus as incompetent, dishonest, or untrustworthy." She admits, finally steeling herself somewhat. "The first, and simplest, is that the blade he wields is worth far more than what it appears. I ask, "What is a human soul worth?". I don't want an answer, but keep that in mind for the next question. What do Eldar think their souls are worth? Remus holds several of them in his hands if the research on Spirit Stones are to be believed. That sword is worth far more as a potential bargaining chip or for trade than it is as a weapon or trophy." Mouse explains before pausing a moment when she realizes what she might have implied.

"Not that I would suggest that anyone here has dealings with Xenos or seek them out of course, but I do suggest that they might know where human relics or artifacts or lost technologies may lie. The sword is of course proven to be valuable in its effectiveness in dispatching entities from the Warp." She says, still refraining from calling what was encountered in Landunder a daemon. "Though, I should point out that if he were truly pious, his belief in the God-Emperor should be enough and a Xenos blade should prove no difference." The Saboteur adds carefully, knowing that this was most definitely ground to be tread carefully upon.

After her thought, she almost continues but stops herself as she reaches up to idly rub one of the ports implanted in her skull. "Though that does bring up the query of why an Inquisitor from Ordo Xenos seems to have a past with a possible fell being, even if it is a hostile one. We should check if he ever made a report to Hereticus or Malleus of prior events if possible." She says, making a mental note to do so as well before continuing with her rambling.

"The next idea is...childish perhaps, but could prove to make Remus' life most frustrating with a large pile of distracting paperwork that might just serve to prove him incompetent in the eyes of those who hold procedure and rules in high regard. I highly doubt he had declared that he holds that blade in his possession to anyone that heads the Palace's security, much less that he harbors a multitude of the xenos himself." She explains with a small, if sheepish, smile. "It has not been declared one way or another whether the spirit stones themselves count as a Xenos too. Nor have I found any detailed explanation on how they seem to work. That leaves two choices. Either they ARE Xenos, and should go through the process of Sanctioning(which I imagine would require signatures that would be impossible to retrieve) in order to be allowed within this secure facility or otherwise lawfully employed by the Inquisition...or they are xenos artifacts that harbor souls within through a means we can neither deduce nor detect. They have been declared "safe" it seems, however I could see an argument in sealing them away regardless because I could find no detail on how they were declared safe, or why. Simply that they seem benign to human testing. The last thing we need is someone unknowingly toting about a semi-conscious xenos psyker, or several of them, throughout one of the Imperium's most secure facilities."

After her explanation of her ideas, she settles down a bit and inclines her head a bit out of respect even as she blushes slightly at her rambling. "Ultimately, the best course of action would be to destroy the stones before they leave this place, but that is not for me to decide even if I find myself heavily knowledgeable and opinionated when it comes to matters of security and how to circumvent them."

[LeSwordfish]

Annie, who had grinned gleefully at the prospect of a "childish" option, looked steadily more disappointed as it turned out to be complicated and legal. "You need someone who is also good at destroying stuff to 'elp with the sword, say the word."

[Kaptin Keen]

Phaella - visibly impressed with Mouse's cunning - actually giggles and says: Wow - that's wonderfully round-about. I love it.
I ... uh ... while I have no doubt Arcturos' actions are highly illegal, I would like to know his reasons. Unspeakable horrors assail the Imperium,
and I confess some fears as to what might have driven Arcturos to this course of action.

I have a ... kinda-sorta plan for that. I've made every effort to portray myself to our opposition as an incompetent fool. Assuming they bought that -
and assuming they have surveillance of our rooms - they will know where to find me, alone, tomorrow.

Of course, it may very well come to nothing. With your permission, Inquisitor, I'd like to see who comes, and what I might learn.

[Destro_Yersul]

While Mouse made her case, the Inquisitor remained silent. Once the saboteur had finished speaking, she let the words hang in the air for several moments before responding.

"The Eldar," Valle began, "are not to be trusted with anything, bargaining or otherwise. They are perfidious creatures, beholden only to their own ends. Their stones are, perhaps, better declared inert than safe. Much testing has been performed. I do not recall this specific point having been brought up before, but it is not my field. I must research this. Palace Protocols are decidedly more particular about living Xenos than they are about the remains of dead ones. Sanctioning is not something I approve of, and I do not believe it would be appropriate here in any case. Do not pursue that line of thinking." The mask was inscrutible, and the synthesized voice lacked tone, but the order still carried weight.

"It will be brought up. At the very least, his concealing of a Xenos weapon on his person is evidence of heretical tendencies. All will be decided by Conclave, as is the right. The Conclave will convene tomorrow afternoon, and I expect you to attend for my opening argument. Until that time..." she turned her head, the eyes of the mask pointed at Phaella... "pursue what course of action you believe best."

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That'll just be Phaella's balcony visit, unless someone else has something they want to do. Let me know, and I'll run that and Phaella's thing, and then we can get out of this intro and into the fun bits.