Evervigilant 4

<Vigilant_GM> IT IS THE 41ST MILLENNIUM...
<Vigilant_GM> Acolyte Cell Valerius-Sigma finds itself in the apparent center of operations of one Zax Holthane, a trader in the forbidden and defiled, and source of the artefact found by the late Hans Guljian. In his own office, Holthane lays restrained. Unsure of who you are or what your motives might be, he seems ready to accept death, should that be his fate.
<Baird> "We can guarantee your safety however you'll need to leave with us so that we can verify your..information of worth. I trust that won't be an issue Mr. Holthane."
<Vigilant_GM> He looks at Baird, searching for something. The glance shifts to every acolyte in the room as though to confirm whatever it is he is looking for.
<Vigilant_GM> "Take me where?"
<Baird> "A more secure location..for your safety of course."
<Velam> "I would suggest you cooperate with us," Velam cuts in after some paper-shuffling and cogitator scanning. "You are a smart man, Holthane, Arbitrators wouldn't just disarm you like this, or try to plug you for information. You know who we work for, or I should say what organization. You have two options, cooperate to the best of our ability and you could be an asset. Do not, and you will feel every second of the full wrath of
<Velam> our 'employer.'" He says so in a clerical turn, with no malice or hate in his voice.
<Velam> Velam then steps up to Baird and whispers to him. "This man is deathly afraid of the big I, who we work for essentially. His personal writings damn him in this regard. Use it to the best of your ability."

<Velam> The adept then goes back to the desk and starts collecting all the journals, papers, notes and data-slates for further sifting once they leave.
<Baird> "So what's it going to be Holthane. Cooperation? Or..a visit to our employer..?"
<Vigilant_GM> "Your... employer," he repeats, eyes unblinking on Velam as though both coming to a realization and desperately trying to suppress it all at once.
<Vigilant_GM> "You... you can't prove it. This is a sick joke. Sick!"
* Shiv leans in and whispers to Baird "I was gonna recommend one of Aldus' warehouses, but coppers are probably watching it."
<Vigilant_GM> "Even speaking these words would doom the business for us all! Tell me who you work with, and I can cut a deal... one of the Merchant houses? I'll give them... 25%. Half!" Holthane begins to lose his cool.
* Baird whispers quietly to Shiv in response. "Most likely Shivvy." Turning back to Holthane, "Come on man you're not dense! If we were a rival we could've just killed you and taken your operation. And like my compatriot said if we were Judges we would've just busted in and you'd be on your way back to the precinct."
<Vigilant_GM> His biological and mechanical eyes both dart around the room. At the exit, at each of you, at his failed security system...
<Vigilant_GM> he empties his bladder.
<Velam> "Well, I can't blame you Holthane, that was my reaction about a year ago."
<Vigilant_GM> "Wait... Wa-wait, Wait!"
<Vigilant_GM> "Listen. Listen..."
<Baird> "We are offering your safety Holthane."
<Baird> "But you have to cooperate,"
<Baird> "Otherwise...."
<Vigilant_GM> "I-I... I know why you're here. I'm sorry. I am sorry. I have never been involved in trading anything like that shipment before! I swear. You must understand. Tell your Master. It's... It's the truth!"
<Baird> "Think very carefully before you speak again."
* Karpath stands off to the side waiting.
* Shiv holds a knife up and plays with it.
<Vigilant_GM> "I knew so... I told them... the risks! The Inquisition breathes down our necks..." at this stage he seems to say this to nobody in particular.
* Karpath looks over at Shiv playing with his knife and rolls his eyes.
<Baird> "Holthane! Focus!"
* Nitrous reloads his shotgun
<Vigilant_GM> "The shipment.... Yes. Yes, the shipment!"
<Vigilant_GM> "Gyre Voidport!"
<Vigilant_GM> "But..." he looks to his shattered wrist chrono.
<Karpath> "Interesting, most interesting that would make sense."
<Vigilant_GM> "But... no. No, no... you'll be late! I'm sorry... I am sorry."
<Baird> "A location..hey that's a great start.." Baird claps a hand down on Holthane's shoulder. "But we need names friend."
<Shiv> "Anything you want, it's yours at Gyre."
<Vigilant_GM> "I can't give you a name. I don't know it. The Port Gyre Auctoriate has easily-bribable sorts. He covers for the shipments!"
<Vigilant_GM> "Let me go, and I will leave it all behind. Disappear!"
<Velam> With everything loaded Velam whispers to Baird again. "I think it's time we started to become scarce, gunslinger." He then lets the cloak rest easy over his body, hiding what's under it.
<Baird> "Excellent. You've very helpful Holthane. But if we let you go our employer would be very displeased, but you come along with us and you get protection. Sounds a lot safer than being on the run for the rest of your life..looking over your shoulder at every turn..just leave here with us and you can begin to put this behind you."
<Vigilant_GM> The man looks at you with a conflicting set of emotions expressed on his face.
<Vigilant_GM> "Where... where are we going?"
<Baird> "A secure location. Much more secure than a warehouse you're known to own yeah?"
<Baird> "I mean where would be one of the top places to look for you?"
* Shiv leans in towards Baird and whisper "I may have an idea."
<Vigilant_GM> "I wouldn't want to trouble you, or your Master..." he answers nervously.
<Shiv> "It's a vehicle depot where I worked in. Aldus had me fixed up that one truck before I got arrested."
* Baird nods at the idea and quietly whispers to Shiv. "Sounds better than staying here Shivvy."
<Baird> "That mean you'll cooperate Mr. Holthane?"
<Vigilant_GM> He nods with some hesitation.
<Vigilant_GM> It's the sight of a man who has agreed to allow the reaper to escort him to his own death.
<Baird> "Good! Now we'll need to exit without interference from your guards. It'd be shame to have worked all this out only to have us die and you lose your life because your hired muscle wanted to play hero."
<Vigilant_GM> "I will require access to my terminal."
<Velam> "Mr. Holthane, you seem to be holding something back. You know very well how damning it would be to try anything stupid." Yet again Velam goes into clerical mode and says this is all in a very mild, logical tone. "Our employer knows where we have gone, and if we do not return in the near future he will have quite the trail to follow. Think very carefully about what you want to do." He then pats one of his servo-skulls.
<Vigilant_GM> "If you prefer to kill them, I will not protest."
* Nitrous unties Holthane and unlocks one of the manacles and attaches it to me
<Baird> "If you have a quick and quiet way to dispose of them that would fine. But given the time table we don't need a drawn out firefight."
<Vigilant_GM> He lifts his arm, "This will not do."
* Nitrous moves him to the console uncuffs the manacle back to Holthane
<Vigilant_GM> He shifts over to the terminal, and begins to interract with the security system.
* Karpath watches his shock maul at the ready but at ease.
* Velam shuffles a little to the side.
<Vigilant_GM> In a brief moment, the power of the entire facility is shut down, the door to Holthane's office is covered by an interior blast door, and a panel on the side begins to collapse.
<Vigilant_GM> Once it fully does so, a narrow escape tunnel is revealed lit by the emergency lights that struggle to come on.
<Velam> "Huh."
<Vigilant_GM> He takes the lead.
<Nitrous> "Hrm"
<Baird> "Nitrous stick with him and make sure he doesn't take off."
<Vigilant_GM> "Not... a comfortable fit. Mind your head," he says as he makes his way into it.
<Nitrous> "Understood"
* Karpath looks over to the exit that has revealed it self, he then begins following through the escape tunnel.
<Baird> "Everyone follow suit I'll bring up the tail end."
* Shiv moves up and stays close.
* Velam follows in, bringing his servo-skulls close so they don't scrape the narrow tunnel.
* Nitrous follows behind Holthane
* Baird shoves Uriel through the escape tunnel and follows behind him down the escape tunnel.
<Vigilant_GM> The low glow of the tunnel feels awkward to your eyes, and you soon reach the bottom.
<Vigilant_GM> Holthane waits for you, and leads the way down the rest of the less narrow way ahead.
<Vigilant_GM> You realize this must be an abandoned transport tube for all sorts of supplies that once fed this section of the abandoned hive - rails run along four lines above and below you; neglected, rusted.
<Velam> Velam is a little impressed, and feels like he's in one of those popular thriller holo-vids he's watched a dozen times.
<Vigilant_GM> "Never got the opportunity to finish it," he says, voice echoing forward and back for hundreds of meters.
<Baird> "That's life. We rarely complete or achieve the things we set out to do."
<Vigilant_GM> Up ahead, you can see what he means. A sort of checkpoint, at the end of which is a small vehicle with wheels aligned in a half-circle below and around the chasis, in order to grip the tunnel's side.
<Shiv> "OHH."
<Nitrous> "It's time criminal."
* Shiv moves to the transports and starts examining.
<Shiv> "Let me have this moment, lawman."
<Vigilant_GM> Holthane approaches a side panel, and a generator comes to life.
<Shiv> "Oh, interesting."
<Vigilant_GM> The rear compartment of the vehicle slowly opens up.
* Karpath looks towards the opening compartment.
* Baird lowers his hand to a pistol not trusting Holthane.
* Nitrous preps his shotgun
<Vigilant_GM> A sudden bright white flash fills the tunnel suddenly, assaulting your senses. In a split second, Holthane is jumping in the vehicle, whilst a servitorized bodyguard jumps out, firing at Velam.
* Shiv "MY EYES, FUG"
* Karpath breaks into a charges at Holthane, he fails to strike and hit him but brings him into melee combat.
<Baird> Drawing two of his hand cannons Baird fires off two shots the first going wide but the second finding purchase in the servitors right arm.
* Nitrous takes a shot at Holthane, but he dodges
<Vigilant_GM> The servitorized warrior reacts to Karpath's attack, ignoring the gunslinger's shot as he turns to strike with its chain weapon limb.
* Karpath sees out of the corer of his eye the chain weapon coming at him, he quickly is able to duck out of the way.
<Shiv> "MY GODDAMNIT EYES! FUCK YOU. FUCK THAT FUCKER."
* Velam draws his laspistol in a shaky hand and gets off a burst of lasbolts, but alas, misses both.
<Karpath> Now stuck in combat with the Servitor he tries to swing his shock maul but fails to hit. finds purchase in his back.
* Nitrous aims his sniper rifle and shoots the head
<Vigilant_GM> The round rips through Holthane's left cheek, in a spray of blood and torn tissue.
<Vigilant_GM> The servitor tries once more to slash at Karpath.
<Shiv> "I HATE YOU ALL."
<Shiv> "FIRST MY ARM, NOW MY ARM. FUG."
* Karpath dodge to the down and to the right as the servitor tries to hit him again with the chain weapon.
* Velam tries to aim this time around, but Velam was never known for his marksmanship despite all the practice. He misses yet again, the lasbolt spanking the tunnel to the upper right instead.
* Karpath takes a moment of opportunity and swings his shock maul right into the head of the servitor.
* Baird raises both hand cannons and fires both into Holthane, true to form he dodges out of the way of the first shot but the other shot hits.
<Vigilant_GM> The shot tears through the side of Holthane's neck. The man drops as he tries to climb up to the operator's seat, body slumped and motionless.
<Vigilant_GM> The combat servitor now strikes low, tearing through his leg, gore and blood splattering several meters out, and onto the vehicle. The pain overwhelms the Acolyte, and he loses consciousness, as he begins to bleed out.
* Shiv draws his pistol in a panic and shoots the servitor in the left leg.
<Velam> As if using Shiv as a guiding light, Velam is able to get another lasbolt off, and it actually hits!
<Baird> Turning and seeing Karpath on the ground Baird fires his hand cannons at the servitor the first taking the servitor in his chest the second hitting his left leg. Both shots in quick succession it overwhelms the already damaged servitor and it collapses from it's numerous wounds.
<Shiv> "Well, shit. Shit... shit."
<Vigilant_GM> The servitor twiches on the floor, uselessly, as Holthane's corpse continues to pour blood into the vehicle.
<Velam> Velam shakes Shiv around and guides him to the bleeding Karpath, they're going to try and staunch the flow of blood.
* Shiv runs over to Karpath.
<Shiv> "I never had to do something... like this." He examines Karpath's leg.
* Shiv uses Velam's medikit and he stops the bleeding.
<Shiv> "Well, I may need help."
* Baird drags his body out of the vehicle and stips the body armour off of him and searches for further items we may have missed in the initial search.
<Velam> Once that's done Velam stands and walks towards the esacpe vehicle, shaking a tad as he reides off the adrenaline. "Feck, I am not built for combat."
* Shiv reeves his chainsword and approaches Holthane's body.
<Nitrous> "I found bionic arm criminal"
<Shiv> "Move. Lawman."
<Nitrous> "All Yours"
* Nitrous takes the flak armor
* Shiv start hacking the right arm of the body.
* Shiv leaves a bloody mess and holds the right arm "IT"S MINE! ALL MINE!"
<Velam> "You keep odd friends, Baird."
<Shiv> "Beard man, I got a sweet new arm."
<Vigilant_GM> At last, the servitor ceases all movement, powering down for good. Your enemies lay motionless, defeated. The escape rail vehicle, however, still hums idly as the generators feed its systems.
<Shiv> "Shall we leave?"
<Nitrous> "Yes"
<Velam> "Yes, please. I feel as if I could sleep for a millenia."
* Shiv sits in the driver's seat.
<Nitrous> "Shotgun"
* Velam climbs aboard once the corpse has been removed.
* Nitrous takes the shotgun seat
* Baird climbs into the passenger seat.
<Shiv> "I am not sure how this works."
* Shiv starts playing with the runes and it starts to move. He thinks he got it. he screams "I AM A GENIUS!"
<Nitrous> "Does the criminal want a treat?"
<Vigilant_GM> The dozen or so wheels screech as the vehicle accelerates. It picks up speed slowly, steadily.
<Shiv> "SHUT UP, COPPER."
<Vigilant_GM> After a few kilometers of travel, a green rune lights up on the operator's console.
<Velam> The scribe uses the ride time to record all that's happened in his trusty data slate.
* Shiv presses the green rune.
* Nitrous has quit (Client exited)
* Nitrous ([email protected]) has joined
<Vigilant_GM> In the span of three seconds, you accelerate to more than ten times the speed at which you were traveling previous. Baird, is caught off-guard as he works to unjam his weapon, and is launched to the back of the vehicle, slamming into the closed hatch with head, shoulder, and elbow. Perhaps most disturbing, is the unconscious body of Karpath, which flies like loose luggage in the same
<Vigilant_GM> direction.
* Shiv screams "OH, NO!"
<Baird> "FETHING DAMNIT SHIV!"
<Vigilant_GM> The hum of the vehicle becomes louder and louder.
<Velam> Luckily for the adept, there seems several rope loops for tying stuff down he supposes, and is able to grab onto it as the acceleration smashes into them.
<Vigilant_GM> Eventually, a rapidly repeating beep fills the cabin.
<Vigilant_GM> Ahead, light begins to fill the tunnel.
<Vigilant_GM> An opening, you realize.
<Vigilant_GM> The same rune now lights up in bright blinking red.
<Baird> Following Velam's example Baird secures himself via a few rope loops.
* Nitrous secures himself
<Nitrous> "STOP THE TRAIN"
<Nitrous> "He never finished the tunnel!!!"
* Shiv press the red rune!
<Vigilant_GM> Rockets on the nose of the rail shuttle fire, counteracting your forward movement. The desceleration is painful, as the straps that hold you to your seats dig into you, while any gear that wasn't safely secured flies to the front, cracking the windshield, denting the framing, and destroying the control panels... but mercifully bringing you to a stop less than fifty meters from the
<Vigilant_GM> end of the tunnel -  a precipice that would have ejected you out of the hive altogether.
<Nitrous> "What a fun ride criminal"
<Shiv> "I think I shat my pants."
<Nitrous> "Indeed"
<Velam> The ride was violent enough that Velam loses his lunch, the moment he exits the vehicle.
<Vigilant_GM> The wind from the outside rushes in, as evidenced by the dust and fumes that blow into the tunnel.
* Baird begins swearing quite a lot at Shiv while un securing himself with the rope loops.
* Shiv unhooks his seat belt.
<Shiv> "At least we are alive, bread man."
<Vigilant_GM> To the side of the tunnel you see another access hatch on the ceiling lit similarly to the escape way under Holthane's office.
<Baird> Unsteadily clambering out of the damaged transport Baird begins moving towards the hatch.
<Baird> All the while still cursing at Shiv
* Nitrous follows suit
<Shiv> "Hey, Hey, HEY. FIRST TIME!"
* Shiv continues to follow and argue with Baird.
<Vigilant_GM> The feudal worlder carries the critically-injured Karpath, whose stumped wound has begun to bleed through the wrappings applied by Shiv.
<Baird> "That you've crashed?!" You and I BOTH know that's shit!"
<Shiv> "BLAH! Next time you drive with one arm, Mister 'I work for Governor or some shit'."
<Baird> Turning towards the group Baird addresses them, "Alright so who wants to be the brave soul who goes through the door first?"
<Shiv> "When did you start working for the law anyway?"
<Shiv> "Some cloak and dagger bullshit."
<Baird> "Some of us don't have any choices Shivvy."
<Velam> "Let shiv exit first," Velam says with a pale face.