No, Acolytes, YOU are the Xenos (IC)

[an kobold]

It's been roughly a month you've learned of your assignment to Inquisitor Harrington, during which you've been under orders not to stray far from his personal headquarters in Hive Tarsus on the planet Scintalla, a vast gothic building, complete with its own launchpad and a dormitory housing several acolytes and just as many locked doors. . .

For that month, you have not seen one hair on Inquisitor Harrington's head, though several times you saw his servitors moving crates full of Emperor knows what that month. His landing pad has seemed to be in constant use, though. Which is why the following letter, slipped under all of your doors the night before, might have been the cause of some excitement when you discovered it upon waking.

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My esteemed acolytes!

It is to my sorrow I have yet to greet you officially into my cadre, but preserving the Imperium comes first before such petty civilities. I hope my abode and the surrounding area has served as adequate housing for such servants of the Emperor as yourselves. I know how boring the company of servitors can be. You should have met them before I had them commissioned.

But rejoice! For your chance to serve has come. Rumors have trickled across the sector of xenos involvement on the planet Huma. Be at the landing pad by midday, all will be explained in time.

The Emperor's Servant,
Inquisitor Harrington, Ordo Xenos

Midday comes, and all of you are present at the pad, though it's clear that Inquisitor Harrington is not. Instead, you are greeted by the sight of an almost derelict Arvus lighter, its fading red paint giving way to cold steel. Standing next to it is a rather lanky man in a ramshackle pilot's uniform who begins to speak as he notices you.


Are you the blokes old Harrington wants shipped off to Huma?

[Terraoblivion]

Lyra was standing at the edge of the group, clearly with the rest but not really interacting with them. As the man speaks she sends a side-ways glance to Alaric to see if the young cleric is going to speak for them, her blue hair shielding most of her face making it likely that none of them even saw the glance.

[Voth]

Vex

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I gave the scene weather by accident. I'll edit it out if its needed. Sorry >_<

The rain slides off of Vex's coated figure, as he stands unflinching staring out at the scene before him. His cat like eyes glinting in the darkness of his hood. He spies the others apart of his group, together with the group and yet Vex is separate. Just how it was in my regiment. Vex thinks, feeling comfortable with the weight of his las pistol and his las rifle strapped to his waist and back respectively.

[Rayzin]

Are you the blokes old Harrington wants shipped off to Huma?

I move to the front and then talk to the man.
" The Emperor's Servant,Inquisitor Harrington of the Ordo Xenos, has requested that we arrive at the landing pad at midday. I had the idea that the Inquisitor would have meet us here, do you have any idea about it?"

[Thorn14]

Kalta crosses her arms and smirks to herself when the inquisitor fails to show, how surprising.

She listened to the lanky man speak and rolled her eyes without being seen.

"Were flying on that?" She said to herself, silently enough as not to be heard, of course.

She leaned on her staff a bit for no particular reason. The rest in her 'field' were all a strange, crumbled sort, so she had no real reason for the staff, still, if need be, it could crack a few noses.

Although from the looks of that Arvus, she might not even make it past the evening.

[ArtifexFelicis]

"Or what we're going to be doing? We've had a bit of time to do everything but what we were hired to do," Cat complained as she shifted from foot to foot. It felt awkward to be be in her tight bodysuit again. Not the best sign, she might be rusty. She played with her knife, careful not to offend it by drawing him without reason. It was almost likely juggling as she passed it from one hand to another without ever actually holding it. She was leaning against one of the wall, waiting for everything to finally get moving after a month of nothing but card games and a target range.

[an kobold]

The man steps forward through the rain to get a better look at you. He takes a data-slate from one of his many pockets and takes several quick glances between your group of acolytes and the screen.

He, frankly, looks not much better than the Arvus behind him. His black hair is patchy and it's clear he hasn't tended the bush you might tentatively call a beard. You could swear most of the mass on his body comes from the outfit he's wearing, which upon closer examination looks like it could be a tattered guardsman uniform.

Umm. . .Acolyte Alaric, I'm guessing? Well, I'm sorry to be a disappointment, but Inquisitor Harrington said he was detained. Didn't right say what with. Instead you got old Plex here, sent to whisk you young uns away to your transport to Huma. As for your question. . .uh. . .He quickly looks down at the slate in his hands, needing to wipe off rain from the screen.Acolyte Cat? Inquisitor Harrington called in a few favors with my boss, that's Mister Zoab, to get you to Huma asap. Something about Xenos in the ruins. Course, part of calling in the favors was that Harrington knew we had use of you up on the Tarrier. Now if you don't mind, we best get going. Neither Mister Zoab or Inquisitor Harrington are men to keep waiting.

Without a further word, he gets back in the Arvus, begins to go over the Holy Rituals of Takeoff, and ushers for you to join him in the rickety tin can.

[Thorn14]

Looking at the wretched man, she sighs, another great looking person on this hive.

Ever since moving to this hive, she's felt like she's had to take a bath every step she's taken. Well, she was told she lived in the 'spoiled' sector of the Imperium.

Either way, she took a glance at the ship, to see if it indeed can move them safely.

(Gonna do first roll, intelligence, common lore, technology)

(1d100)[58]

(Which is a failure i think)

[Voth]

Vex

Sigh. What fun! Vex thinks to himself, while calmly following the man into the Arvus. Xeno's Ruins? Interesting... Walking towards the man, Vex calmly waits until he has finished his rites before speaking. "Hello. Might I ask your name? I'm at a disadvantage as you seem to know all of ours."

[Terraoblivion]

Looking warily over the rickety thing, Lyra muttered a quick prayer to Saint Vaclav to intercede on their behalf and deliver them from certain death in space. Man was not meant to go on such things and only his benevolence allowed them to...still his benevolence was helped by good pilots and ships as he looked to man to help himself.

Still they were doing his holy work so even this thing and this ancient man would serve their purpose.

Even so she made sure to find something to hold on to firmly during the holy ritual should it fail and the structure collapse around them.

[ArtifexFelicis]

((Failures are over your limit. So rolling a 41 on a score of 40 is a failure. ))

The man's words would have been comforting if Cat didn't dread flying. It was an odd sentiment, considering she had been doing so for some years now, but it didn't stop being scary. It was more wholly terrifying to not be able to control her own fate in a bouncing ship then to pull the trigger on some unsuspecting fool.

Still, she entered into the rickety looking thing, though a bit more agitated then she would have ever liked to admit.

[an kobold]

The scraggy man turns around in the cockpit to face Vex.

Oh, my name? Heh, you can just call me Krak. It's what things tend to around me, they "krak" up. Naw, I'm just messing with you, Krak's my real name but you got nothing to worry bout this old lady. You just caught her without her makeup on, that's all.

He turns back to the controls to make a few other adjustments before turning around, speaking over the engines for a second time.

Now, you better tell the rest of you to group to get on. Merchants along the likes of Mr. Zoab have tight schedules to keep, you know.

[Voth]

Vex

Surprised by the foreign concept of being acknowledged as part of a group, Vex hesitates a moment before going back outside. "Umm... Krak says you guys should probably get in now." Vex calls out to the group, uncertain as to how they will respond.

[Terraoblivion]

Krak's reassurance did nothing to cheer Lyra up as she looked around the dismal interior of the ship. She sent another side-ways glance at Krak, as if to confirm her doubts about his skill at flying this thing, before glancing back towards the door to see when the rest were to enter so they could get flying and get this over with.

[Rayzin]

"Umm... Krak says you guys should probably get in now."

Alaric climbs aboard the ship then looks at the rest of the acolytes, seeing the dreary mood of the ship he thought for a second. Deciding to try to cheer them up. " I'm betting that Lyra could fly this ship better than our friend Krak." He joked hoping it would lighten the mood that had recently slumped.

[Thorn14]

Being second to step in, she took no care for the message to get in, sighing a bit she looked around.

"Well...looks aren't everything I guess...."

She says as she looks around at her group, nodding to herself.

[Terraoblivion]

Upon hearing Alaric's joke, Lyra sent him a scared sideways glance, the priest's words clearly not cheering her up in the slightest. "But...i don't know how to use this sacred machine. I just pray that saint Vaclav will intercede on our behalf." As she speaks she grabs on to the seat more tightly as if to verify her fear.

[an kobold]

As the last of you step on board the hatch closes behind you. With one last "Hope you're all strapped in," Krak takes the Arvus off the pad and into the empty air above the Hive. Despite its appearance, the lighter runs amazingly smooth; the only serious jolts come from exiting the atmosphere.

Krak's idea of small talk is scarier by far. Before you can object, he launches into the stories of his youth, which mostly consist of crashing all sorts of vessels for the Imperial Navy and the shenanigans that went on in the pilots' barracks. For most of the ride, he ignores you other than the fact you are a captive audience.

What little you can glimpse from the view port not blocked by Krak's lanky frame is breathtaking. The space above Scintilla is saturated with space faring vessels of all kinds. Before long, it becomes apparent that the Arvus is bearing towards a peculiar looking ship that's obviously been custom made. Relatively small compared to the other vessels, it is large nonetheless, with a central hangar dividing the ship into clear fore and aft decks. As you approach closer, the hangar doors begin to open, splitting the crudely painted word on them. Tarrier.

Before long, the Arvus has landed on the deck which rumbles as the massive doors close. After powering the craft down, Krak stands up and moves down the aisle between you to the rear hatch, muttering something about a darn thing being stuck again. Through the now unblocked view port you are offered your first real glimpse of what will hopefully give safe passage to Huma.

Perception test rolls, please.

[Rayzin]

Attempting to, as enthusiastically as he could, talk to Krak about his past. As subtly as he could he attempted to change the subject to Huma.(Could i make an Inquiry check?)

Roll

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(1d100)[100]
God better give me a good roll... God hates me.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

Roll

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[roll0]
God better give me a good roll...

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I know this isn't my thread but I can't resist. This must mean god hates you, just FYI if I ever meet you in RL I'm going to avoid standing near you when outside, lest I get hit by lightning as well

[Terraoblivion]

Krak's stories does nothing to reassure the frightened psyker, though she seems to be able to handle the short flight as she glances to see if the others are having an easier time dealing with it. The passage of time aboard the Arvus seems to calm her down, as she sinks into a seemingly meditative state as she fingers a sacred icon she fished out of her robes, as if trying to block out thinking about where she was or what Krak was saying.

As the Arvus approach the larger vessel she snaps out of it, looking out the window past Krak at the approaching ship her eyes widening as she takes in the sight.

(And the roll (1d100)[21]. And it actually manages to succeed against my perception of 25.)

[ArtifexFelicis]

Cat did her best to ignore their pilot as they flew, but it was hard for her to imagine anything but horrific crashes, hardly helped by his stories and the fact she knew what a krak granade was. Still, her gripped relaxed considerably when the ship finally stopped moving, and she watched as Krak went by, though her eyes caught something outside the window that Krak's form had so recently blocked.

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(1d100)[13]
Going for 31!

[Thorn14]

Shut up shut up shut up shut up Shut....Sigh.

She gives up on trying to be annoyed, it was too tiring, luckily, it was over, probably

(1d100)[72]

[Voth]

Vex

Sitting quietly, Vex leans against the wall of the ship as it is in flight.

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Perception Test! (1d100)[24]

Out of the corner of his eye, he notices something odd.

[nothingclever]

Roth
By Neptune's great ghost!(tribal superstition ) Boy am I lucky that I conveniently managed to board this ship on time without any of you noticing me previously. Truly the Emperor must be watching over us.

[an kobold]

Krak takes out a few tools and begins to work on the stuck door, now talking about Huma. It's a funny little place, alright. Might be something if it didn't keep blowing itself up. And boy does it blow itself up. I hear there's hundreds of skeleton cities out in the desert where people can't live no more cause of the wars. But it keeps building itself right back up.

The Arvus lies opposite from a guncutter, a ship popular in the service of rogue traders. Between the ships is a painted path of yellow lines connecting two doors, one leading to the fore deck and the other leading to after deck. A few containers are piled in a far corner next to a dormant lifting-variant sentinel. Vents line the two interior walls, now venting oxygen back into the hangar, and wires and catwalks line the empty space above your heads. Interestingly enough, a small barricade has been erected around the entrance to the fore decks, complete with a mounted heavy stubber. Other than that, it's a seemingly normal hangar. . .

For Alaric only:

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As Krak moves past you to get to the hatch, you turn your attention to him, hoping to be enlightened about Huma. Instead, you see a sight that has plagued mankind since before the Emperor. . .you see spacer's crack

For Kalta:

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You notice nothing unusual except for the stubber.

For Lyra, Vex, Roth, and Cat only:

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Something is off, but you notice it quickly enough. Fresh casings from the stubber glitter on the floor (how did they not get sucked out into vacuum? 40k SCIENCE!). Multiple vent covers leading to the aft-decks have been forced open, some in, some out. And dried blood is on both the sentinel's seat and its manipulator claw. . .

For Cat and Roth only:

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You could swear that there was a pair of red eyes and a purplish glint in one of the vents leading to the aft decks. But only for a second.

Suddenly, Krak sprawls backwards into the aisle as the door opens. He stands up and sheepishly dusts himself off.

Got it. Um. . .guess you want to meet Mr. Zoab now. He knows more about what you're going to be doing than me.

And with that, he steps forward to exit the Arvus.

[Voth]

Vex

Resting his hand on his las pistol for a split second, Vex wonders if it was such a good idea after all to come. Well, I'm here now. Somethings off. I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open. Silently and cautiously, Vex follows Krak.

[Terraoblivion]

Lyra got up, one hand sliding to her sword the other two her revolver, it might not help much but at least it was something. She got up and followed the dominating guardsman and the tattered old fellow, looking warily around for whatever had caused what happened in the hangar.

[Thorn14]

Kalta shifted her glance as everyone began to look somewhat worried, (For different reason) Only she saw the stubber. Still, when a Psyker pulls out a gun, you do too. Clutching her staff in her hand tightly, she pulls out her las pistol, something she learned to shoot at her home world, and looked arround.

She asked lowly as everyone began to look arround. "Whats going on?"

[Rayzin]

Oblivious to the others, Alaric also steps out of the Arvus.
"Krak, where do we go to meet Mr. Zoab?"
Alaric looks around the hangar noticing nothing strange but the stubber which he dismisses instantly as not important. Turning around to see what the other acolytes were doing he sees them taking out weapons."Umm, did i miss something?"