40K Dark Heresy: The Recondite War
-
NecronLord
- Harbinger of Doom
- Posts: 27384
- Joined: 2002-07-07 06:30am
- Location: The Lost City
The prisoner looked at Jaevric, and twitched notably. He didn’t say anything, but he seemed rather nervous; exactly as anyone would be, when faced with a witch hunter.
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Darien smiles, slowly, more a baring of teeth than an expression of amusement.
"Here's the situation. I have a room full of bored witch hunters who haven't gotten to torture or burn a heretic in days. They wanted to work on the guy who gave you up, but he was smart and talked fast, so chances are he's going to end up with a bullet in the head or in a penal legion. Now, you can either give up enough information that I can keep my men distracted with the possibility of getting to kill a lot of heretics instead of just one, or you can decide to show us how tough you are. In which case we'll still get the information we want out of you, it'll just take a little longer and you'll be in no condition for a penal legion when we're done. Though I'd imagine you'll still burn very nicely."
Pausing a moment to let that idea sink in, he finishes, "Personally, I hope you decide to resist. My companions get cranky when I shoot prisoners instead of giving them up to the fires, and we're not in that much of a hurry."
"Here's the situation. I have a room full of bored witch hunters who haven't gotten to torture or burn a heretic in days. They wanted to work on the guy who gave you up, but he was smart and talked fast, so chances are he's going to end up with a bullet in the head or in a penal legion. Now, you can either give up enough information that I can keep my men distracted with the possibility of getting to kill a lot of heretics instead of just one, or you can decide to show us how tough you are. In which case we'll still get the information we want out of you, it'll just take a little longer and you'll be in no condition for a penal legion when we're done. Though I'd imagine you'll still burn very nicely."
Pausing a moment to let that idea sink in, he finishes, "Personally, I hope you decide to resist. My companions get cranky when I shoot prisoners instead of giving them up to the fires, and we're not in that much of a hurry."
-
NecronLord
- Harbinger of Doom
- Posts: 27384
- Joined: 2002-07-07 06:30am
- Location: The Lost City
This enforcer’s babbled reaction was much the same as the other’s, citing a mixture of bribes and threats, and incriminating as the agent who had persuaded them to release the psyker ‘The young lord Kinge’s man…’ It wasn’t clear whether he knew anything more than the other man, or not, but one thing he did seem, was terrified.
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"Damn, I was afraid you'd talk that easily." Turning around and leaving the cell, Darien can't quite resist the urge to say very loudly as the door closes, "Okay, gentlemen, the bad news is the bastard talked. The good news is he gave up the guy he was working for, and if it turns out he lied to us we can always burn him later."
As the door clanks shut, Darien turns to Mithras and says, "You've been on-planet for a while. Do you know who Lord Kinge is?"
As the door clanks shut, Darien turns to Mithras and says, "You've been on-planet for a while. Do you know who Lord Kinge is?"
"Yeah," replied the Guardsman. "He's the current Minister of the Revels, an important position in the local government. If he's involved in this," Mithras shook his head, "then this whole thing just got kicked up a notch."
'Ai! ai!' wailed Legolas. 'A Balrog! A Balrog is come!'
Gimli stared with wide eyes. 'Durin's Bane!' he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
'A Balrog,' muttered Gandalf. 'Now I understand.' He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. 'What an evil fortune! And I am already weary.'
- J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Gimli stared with wide eyes. 'Durin's Bane!' he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
'A Balrog,' muttered Gandalf. 'Now I understand.' He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. 'What an evil fortune! And I am already weary.'
- J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
-
The Yosemite Bear
- Mostly Harmless Nutcase (Requiescat in Pace)
- Posts: 35211
- Joined: 2002-07-21 02:38am
- Location: Dave's Not Here Man
Darien grunts, expression thoughtful. "Obviously, simply walking into his office and shooting him is out of the question, even assuming Troveo was telling the truth and that Lord Kinge knew what 'his man' was doing."
Frowning suddenly, Darien admits, "We need to question the prisoners further. Find out exactly who 'Lord Kinge's man' is, what kind of resources the man had, and how they got the witch out of here. They either know the man's name or he had some proof that he works for Lord Kinge, or they were stupid enough to just take his word for it. Let's question them separately and see if they tell us the same details."
Frowning suddenly, Darien admits, "We need to question the prisoners further. Find out exactly who 'Lord Kinge's man' is, what kind of resources the man had, and how they got the witch out of here. They either know the man's name or he had some proof that he works for Lord Kinge, or they were stupid enough to just take his word for it. Let's question them separately and see if they tell us the same details."
-
The Yosemite Bear
- Mostly Harmless Nutcase (Requiescat in Pace)
- Posts: 35211
- Joined: 2002-07-21 02:38am
- Location: Dave's Not Here Man
"Minister of Revels, Eli thought that sounded distinctly like cultists masquiradind as proper scions of the Imperium. Sure he remembered the warnings at teh official Carnivales, about excess, for excess led to damnation rather quickly....
The scariest folk song lyrics are "My Boy Grew up to be just like me" from cats in the cradle by Harry Chapin
"I don't think it's necessarily the case that this Kringe fellow had to prove that this witch was with him. I mean, you slap a heretic a satchel of thrones in his hand, I don't think he'll care about the who's and why's..."
He was reminded of the reason for the ease of bribery, wondering if this planet had food. It certainly looked unspoiled enough. He then came to the conclusion that he was quite hungry.
"Mmrmph. Warp blast, when did we last eat? Look, do you have any foodstuff cubes? I wouldn't say no to some fruit either..."
He was reminded of the reason for the ease of bribery, wondering if this planet had food. It certainly looked unspoiled enough. He then came to the conclusion that he was quite hungry.
"Mmrmph. Warp blast, when did we last eat? Look, do you have any foodstuff cubes? I wouldn't say no to some fruit either..."
Jupiter Oak Evolution!
-
NecronLord
- Harbinger of Doom
- Posts: 27384
- Joined: 2002-07-07 06:30am
- Location: The Lost City
The kitchen, Crom would find, contained a variety of plain enough foodstuffs, soups and breads were prevalant, and in one cupboard, bricks of relief rations were packed, sealed in foil containers incase the witch-keep was ever cut off for months at a time.
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"So how did the witches get out? Where were they taken? What does this man look like? Did he hold anything identifying him as a retainer of Kinge or did you simply take his word? How was payment arranged? Where was it recieved from? Were there any signals used to contact this man? I expect answers, dog, and maybe I'll let you live."
-
White Haven
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 6360
- Joined: 2004-05-17 03:14pm
- Location: The North Remembers, When It Can Be Bothered
A thought strikes the black-clad psyker, but before he does anything with it, he steps over towards the Proctor and asks in a low tone, "Just to verify...are there any psykers left here, now? Or, let me rephrase that, should there be?" He lets a small, cold smile play across his lips...let the official connect the dots and come up with the wrong answer by thinking the witch-hunter knows something hidden already.
Out of Context Theatre, this week starring Darth Nostril.
-'If you really want to fuck with these idiots tell them that there is a vaccine for chemtrails.'
Fiction!: The Final War (Bolo/Lovecraft) (Ch 7 9/15/11), Living (D&D, Complete)
-
NecronLord
- Harbinger of Doom
- Posts: 27384
- Joined: 2002-07-07 06:30am
- Location: The Lost City
“So how did the witches get out?”
“We let them go from the bottom of the keep. I don’t know other than that, boat, I figure.”
“Where were they taken?”
“Don’t know sir…”
“What does this man look like?”
“He’s about normal height, sand-brown hair, dark eyes, duelling scar across the chin, bit of an odd place for it. Offworld accent too. Bit like yours, actually…”
“Did he hold anything identifying him as a retainer of Kinge or did you simply take his word?”
“Well, he was in the Young Lord’s livery, so I assumed. Well, he had a coat on, but that had the crest printed on it too…”
“How was payment arranged?”
“Solid throne gelt, he said, gave us half a thousand each up front, said we’d get the rest afterward. Haven’t had a chance to get off this keep though since then.”
“Where was it recieved from?”
“In person. Said he’d find us after the deal, but to be honest, the up-front was good enough to not ask questions. I guess he was smarter than me, huh?”
“Were there any signals used to contact this man?”
“No.”
---
The Proctor looked at the black-coated ‘witch hunter’ with surprise, as if he’d been insulted, “Of course. There’s two. You can see them on the board, since the disappearance I’ve instituted half hourly visual checks on each of them too.”
“We let them go from the bottom of the keep. I don’t know other than that, boat, I figure.”
“Where were they taken?”
“Don’t know sir…”
“What does this man look like?”
“He’s about normal height, sand-brown hair, dark eyes, duelling scar across the chin, bit of an odd place for it. Offworld accent too. Bit like yours, actually…”
“Did he hold anything identifying him as a retainer of Kinge or did you simply take his word?”
“Well, he was in the Young Lord’s livery, so I assumed. Well, he had a coat on, but that had the crest printed on it too…”
“How was payment arranged?”
“Solid throne gelt, he said, gave us half a thousand each up front, said we’d get the rest afterward. Haven’t had a chance to get off this keep though since then.”
“Where was it recieved from?”
“In person. Said he’d find us after the deal, but to be honest, the up-front was good enough to not ask questions. I guess he was smarter than me, huh?”
“Were there any signals used to contact this man?”
“No.”
---
The Proctor looked at the black-coated ‘witch hunter’ with surprise, as if he’d been insulted, “Of course. There’s two. You can see them on the board, since the disappearance I’ve instituted half hourly visual checks on each of them too.”
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"Alright, I doubt they'd try to travel this far in a small watercraft, so whatever ship we're looking for has to be capable of long-distance ocean travel. A commercial vessel might be difficult to use for something like this -- we need to find out how much commercial ship traffic crosses near this location. A freighter carrying goods suddenly going considerably off-course would be suspicious; a personal yacht might be much less so, and if the Minister of Revel's private yacht wants to go somewhere fewer people will be able or willing to tell him "no." And of course a commercial vessel's crew might be less reliable for such activities than the crew of a private vessel."
Darien pauses a moment, considering, then says, "It would be foolish to assume that's the case, of course; we'll need to do some research to find out if Lord Kinge owns any commercial shipping interests or if he has or has recently leased a private ship. And find out which ports near here the vessel has docked recently. If it was a submersible we've got a whole different set of issues to deal with."
"As for our prisoners...can anyone think of any more questions to ask them? We can always leave them to enjoy the Proctor's hospitality for a while longer and finish up with them later, I suppose."
Darien pauses a moment, considering, then says, "It would be foolish to assume that's the case, of course; we'll need to do some research to find out if Lord Kinge owns any commercial shipping interests or if he has or has recently leased a private ship. And find out which ports near here the vessel has docked recently. If it was a submersible we've got a whole different set of issues to deal with."
"As for our prisoners...can anyone think of any more questions to ask them? We can always leave them to enjoy the Proctor's hospitality for a while longer and finish up with them later, I suppose."
"And if there are others among the guard here? No, we shouldn't leave them behind, we either cleanse them now, or take them with us. Perhaps they can identify this man for us, or if nothing else, make for an interesting conversation starter with Kinge." Turning to the prisoner Scar said, "On your feet dog, you will be coming with us."
"If Lord Kinge is behind this, he probably wouldn't leave any obvious tracks; you'll probably find his yacht was no where near the location at the time of the escape, and any commerical ships he hired would probably have been through a number of front organizations." He rubbed his left temple, feeling the onset of massive paperwork. "This investigation could take awhile."
He turned to face Scar as he got the prisoners up. "We only need one of them, the other can be left here or disposed of."
He turned to face Scar as he got the prisoners up. "We only need one of them, the other can be left here or disposed of."
'Ai! ai!' wailed Legolas. 'A Balrog! A Balrog is come!'
Gimli stared with wide eyes. 'Durin's Bane!' he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
'A Balrog,' muttered Gandalf. 'Now I understand.' He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. 'What an evil fortune! And I am already weary.'
- J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Gimli stared with wide eyes. 'Durin's Bane!' he cried, and letting his axe fall he covered his face.
'A Balrog,' muttered Gandalf. 'Now I understand.' He faltered and leaned heavily on his staff. 'What an evil fortune! And I am already weary.'
- J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
"True. Troveo seems to have been the more involved of the two, so if we're going to keep one of them around he's probably the best choice. Though I don't know how we're going to keep an eye on him; I doubt our transport has a means of securing prisoners.
"The real question is, a penal legion or a bullet for the other fellow? He did cooperate, after all."
Turning to the Proctor, Darien says, "The traitor was one of your men, Proctor. Do you have any preferences on how he'd disposed of?"
"The real question is, a penal legion or a bullet for the other fellow? He did cooperate, after all."
Turning to the Proctor, Darien says, "The traitor was one of your men, Proctor. Do you have any preferences on how he'd disposed of?"
-
NecronLord
- Harbinger of Doom
- Posts: 27384
- Joined: 2002-07-07 06:30am
- Location: The Lost City
The Proctor frowned, "It's up to you, I suppose, but he would be more useful to the Emperor in a penal legion than as a corpse no doubt... The Emperor's monies have been used in providing useful training to him before now, after all."
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Darien nods agreement. "My thoughts as well. His life will at least be of use to the Emperor in the penal legions even if it's only by soaking up a lasbolt that would have otherwise killed a loyal Guardsman."
Turning to the others, he says, "So, do we want to take Troveo along with us in case he might be useful? Keep in mind that he's a serious potential problem if he manages to get loose, so he'll have to be watched constantly."
Turning to the others, he says, "So, do we want to take Troveo along with us in case he might be useful? Keep in mind that he's a serious potential problem if he manages to get loose, so he'll have to be watched constantly."
-
The Yosemite Bear
- Mostly Harmless Nutcase (Requiescat in Pace)
- Posts: 35211
- Joined: 2002-07-21 02:38am
- Location: Dave's Not Here Man
-
White Haven
- Sith Acolyte
- Posts: 6360
- Joined: 2004-05-17 03:14pm
- Location: The North Remembers, When It Can Be Bothered
"We don't have the time or the attention to spare in properly securing a prisoner during our pursuit...but there's one prison I can think of that's had its staff swept for traitors quite...recently, is there not?" Ajax's lips pull up in a wry smile, which then spreads into a grin. "I admit I appreciate the irony of keeping our errant enforcer here, in one of the cells, where we can...reach him at need."
After a few seconds of thought, he nods to himself, "As far as security...the fine men who live and work here have already failed once. In this Imperium, I think that'd lead to quite amazing amounts of motivation."
After a few seconds of thought, he nods to himself, "As far as security...the fine men who live and work here have already failed once. In this Imperium, I think that'd lead to quite amazing amounts of motivation."
Out of Context Theatre, this week starring Darth Nostril.
-'If you really want to fuck with these idiots tell them that there is a vaccine for chemtrails.'
Fiction!: The Final War (Bolo/Lovecraft) (Ch 7 9/15/11), Living (D&D, Complete)
-
NecronLord
- Harbinger of Doom
- Posts: 27384
- Joined: 2002-07-07 06:30am
- Location: The Lost City
The Proctor nodded, "Assuming you don't have any more questions for the staff here, I'm going to be sending two of my better men in to make up the compliment here, and keep an eye on the other three for signs of any undetected trechery. They won't be going anywhere for some time to come. Shall I signal for your transport to return?"
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"Let's find Mercurius and see if he has any suggestions on arranging containment facilities for Troveo, first. I'd rather have him convenient if we have more questions for him, or need him to do something useful like identify a suspect."
With that, Darien goes looking for the Techpriest to see if the two of them can cobble together something that will be suitable for a holding cell.
With that, Darien goes looking for the Techpriest to see if the two of them can cobble together something that will be suitable for a holding cell.
Mercurius was still in the control room, coaxing whatever shreds of information he could from the tracking beacon telemetry, now translated to a standard Imperial coordinate system. When Darien walked in, the Techpriest glanced up to see who it was, a mechanical expression on his face. When he recognized one of his comrades, his stance eased up considerably.
"Ah, Darien. What can I do for you?"
"Ah, Darien. What can I do for you?"