Investigating Empirica

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Inquisitorial Barge Toreandor

Three hours after the briefing, Inquisitor Auriga calls you all to the bridge again. This time, there is much more activity, as pilots and other personel move quickly about.
Inquisitor Auriga adresses you all, his hands crossed behind his back. "We will be boarding a small transport to land in a few minutes. This may be on of the most dangerous parts of the mission. If the Planetary Governor is hostile, we could be in a bad situation. We do have his assurances of welcome ... but they may mean nothing. A small force of Inquisitorial Storm Troopers will be landing first. If anything goes wrong, we will attempt to leave the surface immediately. If everthing goes smoothly, we will be taken to greet the Governor. Any questions?"

[Ghal Marak]

Nolt

Nolt stood at attention. "Sir, no sir." He felt rested and energetic from his nap. He didn't even have any nightmares this time. So he was in a pretty good mood, though he didn't show it. He just wanted to forget his past in battle and shoot some heretics, so he was unconcerned about the dangers of orbital drops.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius Sextus

As he had no questions, Demetrius elected to stay silent in lieu of stating the obvious. He stood like some sort of hunchbacked gargoyle in his oddly patterned robes that were much like the Inquisitor's own and patiently listened to any questions the others might put forth. Then, he made his way down to the transport that had been prepared for them with all haste. He was admittedly eager to be down on the solid ground once more. Emperor guide him, space and the horrors of warp travel tended to wear on Demetrius. Perhaps it was the feeling that so much was out of his control, that he was so close to that which he drew upon and feared as any sane person would when he was up there.

[Sepp]

Seriphius Decimus

"No questions, sir." Seriph says, calmly awaiting touchdown, his weapons at his sides.

[Stormkitten]

Kira Danusku

Kira just nods to the inquisitor, knowing there is nothing more she can do to prepare.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Inquisitorial Barge Toreandor

The Inquisitor noded. "Good."
He turned, and began to walk purposefully towards the exit. He led you down several ship corridors, and then onto the transport ship. The ship itself, though much smaller than the barge, was still quite formidiable. The interior was much the same as the barge- sparse and functional. The pilot stepped on a short time after you. He was wearing the normal Imperial Navy uniform, and had a long, rather pale face.
"Good morning Inquisitor." he said, with a nod. He then sat down to the controls and began the process of leaving the docking bay. Several minutes later, the Transport had left the barge, and was gliding down towards Empirica Major.

[Stormkitten]

Kira Danusku

Kira looks out of the viewport, not towards the planet, their destination, but out into the deep black. An unusual softness shows in her features as she contemplates the void.

Out here, she could almost feel it again. The full strength of the warp, dancing just out of reach, waiting for her to claim it...

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius Sextus

"I know that look." Demetrius said as he sat down next to Kira, looking past her at the black kept out of reach by a few panes of reinforced plastics. "When you look out into the dark like that, it's looking right back into you. When you touch it...something reaches out and tries to grab you as well." he said softly, turning his eyes to her as if he was afraid to look outside. "You know what it is that lies in the void...don't you?" he whispered, his eyes wide.

[Sepp]

Seriphius Decimus

Seriph glances over at the pair, then returns to staring straight at the bulkhead, the scenery outside either viewport of little interest after so many landings. He is just glad no one is trying to shoot them down... yet.

[Stormkitten]

Kira Danusku

"I know." She nods, slowly, turning to look at the psyker. "I was trained almost from birth, to sense it, to control it."
Her left hand trembles slightly, and she reaches for the hilt of her knife, seeming to take comfort from its presence.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"That...that isn't something you can control. It's very definition is the absence of control. No order to Chaos." he said, looking back out the window. The capital "C" was something everyone could recognize. It was why they were there after all. Demetrius's gaze shot down to the knife, then to Kira again, and he seemed to realize for the first time that he might have been invading her personal space. "Be careful." he said in parting before he left his seat and took another way in the back.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Imperial Transport

The Transport continues down through the planets atmosphere, the stabalizers reducing the turbulence to a low level. As the surface looms, the craft begins to slow. You can see the planet's surface. As the Inquisitor said, it is mostly water. There is a small continent, and you can see the Sylas Peninsula, you're destination. As you close in on the peninsula, Empirica City becomes discernable. It is quite large, but certainly not on the scale of the great hive cities of Armageddon or Terra. You can see two other transport ships ahead of you.
Inquisitor Auriga stares down as you come closer and closer to landing.

[Ghal Marak]

Nolt

Nolt looked out the porthole at the city that they were rapidly approaching, keeping an eye out for any sudden flairs of light that would give away any rocket or lascannon firing. After a few minuets of watching, he turned to look at Seriphius. "Heh, at least we are not using those damned Drop Pods you Space Marines like to use so much." Nolt then went back to looking for any attack without waiting for an answer. Inwardly, Nolt cursed himself. He knew he shouldn’t talk to the others. The less he talked with and got to know them, the less he cared for their lives. Ticked off with himself, he found his mind wandering once again. And like so many times before, Analtia leaped to the forefront of his mind. This time, however, it was happy memories. Sighing, Nolt cleared his mind and focused on the here and now.

[Sepp]

Seriphius Decimus

Seriph turns his head slightly to stare at Nolt for a long moment, as though seeing him for the first time."No. If we where, none of you would survive. And that would cause the mission to fail." he says in a monotone, before turning away. His mind returns briefly to his last drop, before he suppresses the thought, focusing on the mission at hand.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City

The Transports ahead land succesfully on massive platform, high above the street below. The Inquisitorial Stormtroopers begin to file out, about 50 of them in all. Technicians and servitors scurry about the the platform to deal with the ships. Some of the technicians are dark skinned, and wear looser, lighter clothing than their caucasion counterparts.
Finally, your Transport touches down on the platform. The Hatches open automatically after a few seconds, and the ramp extends to the platform's surface. Inquisitor Auriga nods to the pilot, and then begins walking down the ramp.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius Sextus

The psyker filed out with the others, putting the hood of his cloak up so that his features were obfuscated from casual observance. With his pack giving him that hunchbacked appearance he probably looked like some kind of sage or technoadept. He did this purposefully since those they went up against usually ignored the sage as a noncombatant in the face of one of the Adeptes Astartes like Seriphius. He took a place somewhere several places behind and to Auriga's left, detachedly surveying his surroundings.

[Ghal Marak]

Nolt

Holding his lasgun at the ready, Nolt followed the Psyker down the ramp. He scanned the area for any dangers as he waited at the base of the ramp. He noticed that not all the techies looked the same, but dismissed it out of hand. There was nothing wrong with that.

[Sepp]

Seriphius Decimus

Seriph follows them, his eyes adjusting to the bright sunlight. He takes in the techies, then steps back to stand beside the ramp, ready to use it for cover should trouble start.

[Stormkitten]

Kira Danusku

Kira follows them, dressed in her smart but nondescript clothing, looking like nothing more than an aide or administrator. Her weapons are hidden.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City

A pale young man with blonde hair and blue eyes walks up to Inquisitor Auriga.
"Good day to you, Inquisitor! My name is Derrick Karlau. I'm an aide of the Governor. I will take you to him. Before we go, I'd just like to warn you, there will probably be quite a crowd come to see you. Knowledge of your arrival was leaked from our office, and the press have had a field day. We haven't had a proper Imperial Official visit in many, many years, you see. We have the PDFs on the streets, to keep things from getting out of hand."

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City

Inquisitor Auriga frowns, obviously annoyed, but follows Derrick to an elevator platform. The elevator decends quickly, to the level of the street, where you are greeted by quite a sight.
The streets are crowded with people, both dark and light skinned, just as with the technicians. There are barriers in place around the street, and both the Adeptus Arbites and the PDFs are in view, crowded at the edge. Their weapons are very visible.
As the crowd sees, the Inquisitor decending, a great deal of noise erupts from the street. The din is staggering, and in some place the PDFs and law enforcement officers are nearly swamped in the crowd.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius Sextus

The hooded, hunched psyker stood behind the Inquisitor with a newly developed tick in his right eye. The voices, audible and psychic, pounded at his mind unrelentingly, making it hard to focus. He put two fingers to his right temple and tried to screen most of it out. Still, the fresh air was doing him wonders, and even the loudest mind out here was nothing compared to being in a cramped space with an astropath or two.

"All this attention isn't going to help the investigation. Our movements will be very restricted if everyone knows who we are, my lord." he said, pulling his hood down a bit more.

[Ghal Marak]

Nolt

Nolt eyed the crowd obvious trepidation. He half turned and spoke his voice full of tension. "Sir, I think the Psyker is right! Plus it would be all too easy for this crowd to turn into a lynch mob. Not to mention that there could be snipers. We need to leave as fast as possible." He didn't raise his weapon, but he did keep his hand on his sidearm at all times. He nervously glanced across the roof tops, taking special interest in any open windows.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"I know we're not good friends, Master Nolt, but my name is Demetrius. I'd rather not like to advertise my talents to the general public if you don't mind." he whispered to Nolt, a small smile showing underneath his hood as he tugged it down a bit more. He shuffled in place as Father, the hovering skull orbiting his head, seemed to take interest in the crowd. A light in one of its empty orbitals glowed on and blinked a few times before it swiveled towards Nolt.

[Sepp]

Seriphius Decimus

Seriph nods in agreement with Nolt, and moves to flank the investigator, a hand near his chainsword. "Agreed. We need to get inside as soon as possible." He scans the crowd, particularly the areas where the PDF is seeming overwhelmed.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City

When Derrick hear's Nolt's comments he turns to him, his face angry."A lynch mob! Sir, our citzens are loyal Imperial subjects, they would never attack an Imperial official! Crowd him, and pester him, and slow him down, they might, but they would never attack him!"

[Stormkitten]

Kira Danusku

Kira scans the crowd, not looking too long at any one person, instead relying on her instincts to guide her attention to any potential troublemakers. Walking a few paces behind the main group, she does her best to project an aura of unimportance.

At Derrick's words, her intense gaze flicks to him for a long moment, trying to sense the veractity of his effusive statement.

Spoiler

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Intuition/Danger Sense (Will save DC 15) - Roll: [roll0]
Disguise and Bluff are both 2, so a 'look unimportant' check (2) - Roll: [roll1]
Sense Motive on Derrick (9+3 Empathy bonus) - Roll: [roll2]

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City

Responding to Derrick's outburst, Inquistor Auriga says "Be that as it may, we should get moving. I assume you have transportation?"
Derrick nods and steps off the platform, as two large black cars, of premium make pull up. He motions toward them.

Spoiler

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The cars are wheeled, by the way. They look similar to a classic Rolls Royce. There is space for up to four people in each car (plus the drivers), but things will be more comfortable with three per car. You can decide who's going with Derrick and who with the Inquisitor.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

The psyker stepped past the guards and into the car with Derrick, his curiousity about the planet and its happenings getting the better of him. Father floated aimlessly around the vehicle for a moment before slipping in as well. The robed magos kept his hood up and his features masked for the time being until the car had safely pulled away. He didn't want anyone in the crowd to be able to recognize him had he the need to go out in public during the investigation, and the millions of pictograph flashes going on outside of the vehicle were sure to catch him if he wasn't careful.

"So, Mr. Karlau," he said once everyone had chosen their cars and the doors and windows were closed, "What exactly was it you were told in regards to why my Lord is here on Empirica?" he asked innocently enough as he pulled his hood down to rest on his shoulders.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City

Derrick looks slightly puzzeled at Demetrius' question. "I was told this is a fairly routine vist- just checking things here, to make sure we're all serving the Emperor loyaly. Why? Is there more to it?" Derrick's eyes light up, and he is obviously excited by the prospect.

Spoiler

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Wasn't your speach-colour grey before, Chronic? That's why I changed NPC text to red in the first place. I don't care either way, but please pick one and stick with it.