GAME 2 - INVESTIGATION
Shortly after the first game of the campaign, we decided to kick off some Inquisitor games too. Starting with a plot line that could later influence the course of the war on the planet.
This first Inquisitor game leads our Inquisitors to an orbital relay platform.
This first Inquisitor game leads our Inquisitors to an orbital relay platform.
It was dark on deck 12. Only the weak service lighting was in operation, the glow illuminating tall storage structures and transport concourses, casting deep shadows below them. These lower levels of the Orbital relay platform were once used to hold huge quantities of promethium barrels and hydro containers held in storage ready to be shuttled to the planet’s surface below, but since the Kuantri invasion the imports from that system had ceased, and the re-supplies diverted from the Garuva Sector would likely take weeks if not months to arrive. In the meantime the population below was forced to endure ever-tightening rationing of both water and fuel, and in some areas manufacturing and other industry had halted altogether until the new shipments arrived. No wonder there was growing unrest on the surface. Several protests had been quelled by security forces over the last month, a full-blown riot broke out in Saviour’s Plaza last week, and just two days ago a PDF barracks had their armoury looted. Security detail on the orbitals was reduced to send extra personnel to secondment with the security forces, PDF garrisons and Arbites on the world below. That meant there was a skeleton crew on this, orbital platform sigma-two-five, leaving many decks deserted and just a few empty barrels and crates on the supply decks. Decks like deck 12.
Deck 12, however, was not deserted. Inquisitor Quintas Vaelor moved quietly through the shadows, following the white ‘blip’ on his bio scanner that indicated a life-sign. His works for the Ordo Hereticus had brought him to this world, where his investigations had revealed a curious, heretical possibility. Unrest and dissent among the population was bad enough - the Imperial Commander would need to answer some testing questions soon enough. But it seemed as if there was more to be uncovered – several apparently separate events were somehow linked. The Inquisitor was sure of it. Something or someone was lurking behind it all, a cancerous presence creating tensions, building unrest, aiding the protesters, supplying intelligence… but who? And to what end? These questions needed answering, and that had brought him here. The trail had been hard to find and track, but orbital sigma-two-five was connected. Vaelor wanted to find out how.
He had spent days onboard; staying out of sight, not alerting anyone to his presence, watching and monitoring the crew, pouring over data readouts, searching each deck in turn, but had found little to further arouse his suspicions. But then something strange had happened. A small shuttle had docked but did not appear in the orbital’s log. Then a life sign had registered on this deck – a currently unmanned, disused storage deck. Something was not right and it drew Vaelor here.
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Inquisitor Vaelor stalks deck 12.
He was close now, the auspex registered the life sign as within 25 yards. On these lower decks there was the ever-present noise of the orbital’s geo-stationary compensators and energy systems in constant operation cycles, but he still moved as stealthily as he could, treading carefully and ducking under platforms to remain in shadow. His bio-scanner indicated the life-sign was coming from one of the taller storage structures just ahead. Climbing up three rungs of a ladder he peered over the lip of a lifter platform to view the target tower, but he couldn’t make out anything in the gloom. Ducking back down under the lifter, he adjusted his auspex to narrow range, hi-def resolution. At this range the image on the screen resolved into a humanoid on the second level. Lifting himself up again Vaelor peered intently at the structure: there he was! A movement on the second level. There was definitely someone there – a briefest glimpse of pale robe and a man’s face. Vaelor needed a clearer view, and glancing around he could see a monitoring tower just behind him and to his left. From the top of that he would have an unobstructed view of the storage levels. A quick sprint would cover the distance to the tower, around the back of some air-recyclers. He would have to time it right to avoid being seen, so for several minutes he watched and waited for his chance…
Suddenly she was there. A gold-armoured female carrying a long power-stave walked into view from behind the mass conveyer to his right. Vaelor cursed himself, with his scanner on narrow range he had not known of another life sign approaching, and he was so intent on his quarry he had nearly not seen her approach at all. He vowed to himself to be more mindful of his surroundings in future. For now though the gold-armoured woman was climbing the structure towards the mysterious figure in the gloom. Vaelor whispered a small prayer of thanks to the Emperor that the shadows of the lifter platform had concealed him from the newcomer. There was a meeting about to take place – with all the noise of the platform’s operation Vaelor knew he would never get close enough to hear what was said, but he knew he at least needed to observe it.
He had seen the gold armour and power-stave before – it was the armour and weapon of an orbital security warden. The white sash she wore about her waist marked her out as a ward-secundus – in charge of a platoon of wardens and certainly the highest-ranking of the security personnel on the orbital platform.
The meeting had already started and Vaelor could delay no longer. Hoping the conspirators would be distracted by their conversation, he darted from cover and sprinted behind the air-recyclers. A quick check that he had not been detected, and then he dashed to the foot of the monitor tower, scrambling up the ladder two rungs at a time, and hurled himself prone on the top. Lifting his head just above the parapet, he had a clear view of the storage level where the two unknown individuals were in council. He had his first clear look at the mysterious male figure. He wore pale blue-grey robes and a dark chestplate, across which hung thick leather straps, holding a large sword and shotgun which he carried across his back, where a large book was also chained in place. His hair was a dark blonde, worn in a small top-knot, which partly obscured from view some kind of mechanical device on mounted on his shoulder. Whoever he was, he was well equipped. From his vantage point, Vaelor watched, and waited…
Inquisitor Aldous Dunhelm was growing impatient. He had been stood on this storage deck for far too long, his contact was over ten minutes late, and Dunhelm did not like to be kept waiting. Idly, he cast his view over the deck, unsure from which direction his contact would be approaching from. After several more minutes, at last she appeared, emerging from the gloom from behind a mass conveyor. She walked to the foot of the structure and climbed up with practiced ease. Dunhelm was not the kind for friendly greetings and informalities.
“Are the weapons here?” he asked as soon as the security warden had stepped from the ladder.
“Yes my lord” she replied. “They have been here now for nearly a week.”
Dunhelm acknowledged this with a nod. There was a chime in his ear, and superimposed over his vision a readout appeared. Strange – his mind impulse linked warp energy tracker had detected a warpspace residue signature from the warden. He decided to investigate this unsettling fact later, and dismissed the readout from his sight with a blink.“Is the deal still as agreed?” the warden asked.
“200,000 Imperial credits once the weapons are planetside, as agreed.” Dunhelm was not sure why a high-ranking security warden was risking her career and even her life simply for money, but she had never told him, and he didn’t really care. Money was not difficult for an Inquisitor with the right contacts to acquire without alerting any authorities to its absence or leaving a trail that could lead back to him. “Will the delivery be on schedule?”
An uneasy expression passed across the warden’s face. “No my lord, there has been a delay…”
“What kind of delay, timing is critical!”
“The shuttle took some engine damage en route. It is being serviced now, but I cannot get access to the hangar until the servitors have finished with it. It will be nearly a week.”
“But the records…?”
“Not a problem, I will delete all records as usual. No one will know the shuttle left the orbital, and the weapons will never have been here.”
“Good.” Dunhelm turned to leave.
“There is… something else.”
The Inquistor turned back to face here, his expression stern. “What is it?”
“The station has detected an unaccounted life-sign. It appeared shortly after the weapons got here.”
“A life-sign? You fool! You have come here to meet me, while for several days you have had an intruder! We must find out who or what it is – the whole operation could be compromised.”
“Yes lord, that is why I have analysed the sensor-logs. They are never very accurate with such a large platform to monitor for a single life-sign, but I have tracked the signal to this deck or one of the two above. I was going to continue my search as soon as our meeting was concluded.”
“So this intruder could be on this very deck! We must act quickly and find it.”
“Fear not, my lord, we will find it.” From a canister hung from her belt, the warden withdrew a servo-skull, and activated it. It hung in the air between them. “This is a search-skull. It has a short range but it will lock onto any nearby bio-signature and lead us to it.” She pressed a button on the top of the skull, it beeped three times, and then turned and shot off towards a monitor tower.
“The intruder must be close” cried Dunhelm. “Quickly, after it!”
“Are the weapons here?” he asked as soon as the security warden had stepped from the ladder.
“Yes my lord” she replied. “They have been here now for nearly a week.”
Dunhelm acknowledged this with a nod. There was a chime in his ear, and superimposed over his vision a readout appeared. Strange – his mind impulse linked warp energy tracker had detected a warpspace residue signature from the warden. He decided to investigate this unsettling fact later, and dismissed the readout from his sight with a blink.“Is the deal still as agreed?” the warden asked.
“200,000 Imperial credits once the weapons are planetside, as agreed.” Dunhelm was not sure why a high-ranking security warden was risking her career and even her life simply for money, but she had never told him, and he didn’t really care. Money was not difficult for an Inquisitor with the right contacts to acquire without alerting any authorities to its absence or leaving a trail that could lead back to him. “Will the delivery be on schedule?”
An uneasy expression passed across the warden’s face. “No my lord, there has been a delay…”
“What kind of delay, timing is critical!”
“The shuttle took some engine damage en route. It is being serviced now, but I cannot get access to the hangar until the servitors have finished with it. It will be nearly a week.”
“But the records…?”
“Not a problem, I will delete all records as usual. No one will know the shuttle left the orbital, and the weapons will never have been here.”
“Good.” Dunhelm turned to leave.
“There is… something else.”
The Inquistor turned back to face here, his expression stern. “What is it?”
“The station has detected an unaccounted life-sign. It appeared shortly after the weapons got here.”
“A life-sign? You fool! You have come here to meet me, while for several days you have had an intruder! We must find out who or what it is – the whole operation could be compromised.”
“Yes lord, that is why I have analysed the sensor-logs. They are never very accurate with such a large platform to monitor for a single life-sign, but I have tracked the signal to this deck or one of the two above. I was going to continue my search as soon as our meeting was concluded.”
“So this intruder could be on this very deck! We must act quickly and find it.”
“Fear not, my lord, we will find it.” From a canister hung from her belt, the warden withdrew a servo-skull, and activated it. It hung in the air between them. “This is a search-skull. It has a short range but it will lock onto any nearby bio-signature and lead us to it.” She pressed a button on the top of the skull, it beeped three times, and then turned and shot off towards a monitor tower.
“The intruder must be close” cried Dunhelm. “Quickly, after it!”
Vaelor’s eyes widened in surprise, and he swore under his breath. They must somehow suspect his presence, and a servo search-skull was heading straight towards him. He had little time to react, and there was only one thing he could think to do to buy himself some time. He drew his stub pistol and took aim. It was a small target and was moving quickly, but a good hit should put it down. He fired.
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The Inquisitors confront each other.
The shell struck the side of the skull and it swerved sharply to the left, but its gravitic motors compensated and it resumed its course towards him. He fired again. The shell struck the skull full in the face and it exploded, its remaining wreckage tumbling to the floor and skittering away into the darkness in trailing sparks. The two figures had reached the bottom of the storage tower and were running towards the tower Vaelor was hidden in. He couldn’t be sure if they had seen the muzzle flash of his shot or not, but the dramatic demise of the servo skull meant it was certain they knew he was here; it was only a matter of time until they found him. He needed to find a way out, but the gold armoured woman had closed the distance to the tower. As she ran near she looked up and saw him. Crying out in alarm, she raised her arm revealing a gleaming silver laspistol. The shot sailed past him harmlessly but she knew where he was, and he was trapped. He needed to escape the tower and fast. Holstering his pistol Vaelor drew himself up, planted his foot on the parapet of the tower and threw himself at the warden. As he left the tower a shotgun blast rang out to his right. He wasn’t hit but the second stranger was on to him. He struck the warden fully and they tumbled to the floor, the warden rolling away, and Vaelor landing awkwardly, his legs twisting beneath him. Pulling himself up he drew his weapons and turned to face the warden who was still lying prone. He took a step forwards. The shotgun rang out again, this time behind him and he felt searing pain through his right leg as it gave way beneath him. As he struck the ground a figure loomed over him, and the shimmering blade of a power falchion was held inches from his throat, the energy field scalding the skin of his chin.
“Hold!” an authoritative voice commanded.
The gold armoured figure came into view, advancing aggressively with her power-stave held in both hands, but the man gave her a look.
“Leave him to me, you must go and ensure the security of the… shipment”
With a nod and a shrug the gold-armoured woman turned and walked off into the shadows.
“Release me!” bellowed Vaelor. “I am an agent of the Inquisition!”
“You have no authority here, Inquisitor.”
“I have the highest authority! I have the authority of the Emperor!”
“I don’t think that will help you much in your current situation.”
The man raised his blade, quickly turning it in his grip to use the hilt as a club to render Vaelor unconscious, but it was all the opening he needed. He rolled out of the way of the blow, and again as the sword came down again, blade first this time, to strike the ground next to Vaelor’s head. He rolled onto his feet as his assailant roared out in frustration, and drew up his stub pistol, snapping of two shots on semi-auto. The shots flew well wide of the other man, but they were meant only as a deterrent and Vaelor run as quickly as his injured leg would allow away from his assailant. He used his good leg to hurl himself over a section wall and continued to run, firing stubber shots behind him as he attempted to make good his escape.
“Hold!” an authoritative voice commanded.
The gold armoured figure came into view, advancing aggressively with her power-stave held in both hands, but the man gave her a look.
“Leave him to me, you must go and ensure the security of the… shipment”
With a nod and a shrug the gold-armoured woman turned and walked off into the shadows.
“Release me!” bellowed Vaelor. “I am an agent of the Inquisition!”
“You have no authority here, Inquisitor.”
“I have the highest authority! I have the authority of the Emperor!”
“I don’t think that will help you much in your current situation.”
The man raised his blade, quickly turning it in his grip to use the hilt as a club to render Vaelor unconscious, but it was all the opening he needed. He rolled out of the way of the blow, and again as the sword came down again, blade first this time, to strike the ground next to Vaelor’s head. He rolled onto his feet as his assailant roared out in frustration, and drew up his stub pistol, snapping of two shots on semi-auto. The shots flew well wide of the other man, but they were meant only as a deterrent and Vaelor run as quickly as his injured leg would allow away from his assailant. He used his good leg to hurl himself over a section wall and continued to run, firing stubber shots behind him as he attempted to make good his escape.
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Vaelor fires shots to try to deter Dunhelm's determined pursuit.
Inquisitor Dunhelm roared in frustration. He had had his quarry captured at sword point, but he had avoided his attempts to restrain him and was getting away. Another Inquisitor! A ‘puritan’ too judging by his manner. These so called puritans were all alike. So narrow minded and self righteous. The deluded fool could jeopardise all of his plans. The only good news seemed to be that this stranger had not recognised him as being an Inquisitor himself, but if he escaped Dunhelm’s intricate schemes could be revealed and that could not be risked. He ran after the retreating man who had just lept over a section wall. He was wounded and slowed by his injuries so he should be easy to catch. Dunhelm jumped sure-footed onto the top of the section wall, but as he made to jump to the other side his fall was sharply arrested. His gun strap had snagged on one of the wall’s couplings. With a further roar of frustration he yanked the strap free and continued after the man who had put even further distance between them. Shots were fired back at him but they weren’t aimed; most flying well wide but a single shot missed his face by just a few inches, glancing off his shoulder plate. With no further obstacles between them Dunhelm closed the distance quickly, and just as the injured Inquisitor attempted to round a corner to get behind some fuel purification machinery, he ducked low and lunged, bringing his long blade round to take out his foe’s legs with the flat side of the broad blade. He caught the man on the foot, causing him to stagger but he remained standing. Dunhelm kicked out and connected with the back of the knee of the Inquisitor’s injured leg. With a cry he fell, and Dunhelm stepped in again, frustration rendering thoughts of capture lost from his mind, blade slashing down again to finish his foe. A chainsword flicked out desperately to parry the strike and a pistol raised up to snap off two more shots. Dunhelm jumped back to avoid the shots, and ducked in low to smash the prone man in the head with the hilt of the heavy sword. Unable to block the blow, the strike hit home, and with a slump the prone Inquisitor fell unconscious. Perhaps he could be captured after all…
After all, Dunhelm had questions for this Inquisitor to answer.