Evervigilant 41

<Vigilant_GM> IT IS THE 41ST MILLENNIUM...
<Vigilant_GM> Dozens of square kilometers are dedicated on board the Oath Unspoken to the transportation of corpses to the cemetery world of Thaur. It is here that cult members have been seen to withdraw into.
<Vigilant_GM> With the support of Lord-Captain Anzaforr, the ship's Seneschal provides Velam with the necessary authentication glyphs to gain entry into the corpse-holds below.
* Velam bows to the Seneschal as he accepts the codes into his dataslate. "I shall guard them in vigilance, sirrah."
<Vigilant_GM> Armed with all that is necessary, the Acolytes follow Tony down to the corpse-holds, taking passages deemed secure, or at least discreet enough. It is thus that the Acolytes find themselves standing before massive ancient doors, locked by primitive lock-mechanisms.
* Karpath checks his Boltgun, making sure its loaded and ready for battle, his New Storm Bolter now sits in his backpack and ready for use.
<Tony> "Alright, so we want to do this loud and Proud? Or draw as less attention as we can?"
* Tony as He looks to party for a answer
* Thesse holds her chainsword and hand flamer up and says a prayer to the Emperor.
<Velam> "I believe our chances would be better if we were quiet as long as possible."
<Vigilant_GM> Even on the outer side, traces of frost line the edges of the doors, melting into shallow puddles that slowly roll across the walkway.
<Baird> "The element of a surprise will behoove us here. Tony take point and keep your eyes sharp."
<Tony> "Alright then"
* Tony as he pulls out a Suppressed Autopistol
* Karpath nods, he has his lucky Shock Maul on his hip for necessary stealth actions as need.
<Vigilant_GM> Reality itself seems to bend and twist for a moment, before snapping back to normality.
* Velam feels his stomaach turn as reality bends and warps for a moment, the worst part of journeying on a void vessel were such moments as these.
<Vigilant_GM> On the end of the vast frame, a console lights up.
* Tony As looking wary from side to side for danger, as if he expects something to happen, as he takes point moving quietly.
<Vigilant_GM> A single box displays, input tray jutting out.
<Vigilant_GM> A series of hurries steps echoes, closing fast along the walkway.
* Tony gestures his hand up as he points to behind the party
* Karpath moves back into the hall way they had came from.
<Baird> "Everyone back into the passageway we came from, we'll try and catch whoever that is by surprise." Baird whispers quietly.
<Vigilant_GM> The pattern of the stomping steps against the deckplate are awkward, and irregular. Somewhere between those of a squad of men in regulation naval magboots, and a hooved beast.
* Velam scurries back behind the group.
<Vigilant_GM> Then, the shallow puddles in front of you are disturbed violently before a loud thump against the corpse-hold doors.
<Vigilant_GM> As suddenly as the steps came, they disappear. The shallow puddles still, and unmoving.
<Karpath> "Well that was interesting." he says quietly.
<Baird> "Indeed. Let's get moving."
* Tony looks around quickly and looks up checking they are clear
<Vigilant_GM> Your senses tell you that you are alone.
<Tony> "Alright keep a eye out." Tony Whispers quietly
<Tony> "Alright hold up."
* Tony As he grabs a bolt and throws it ahead of them
<Karpath> "What is it Tony?"
* Velam creeps up next to Tony. "What is the point of that?" He whispers.
<Vigilant_GM> The rusted bolt bounces and rolls, settling at the border between water and frost against the large closed corpse-hold doors.
* Tony He remains quiet and watches closely
* Karpath watches intently to see if something happens.
<Baird> "Satisfied Tony?"
<Tony> "I have a uneasy feeling, we are being watched."
<Thesse> "We are always watched, Tony. The Mighty Emperor watches us all."
<Karpath> "Could be that there are cameras in this area, though I'm not really sure about that."
<Vigilant_GM> Suddenly, the ancient lock mechanisms begin to turn, grunting and scratching as the forst-line begins to shatter and give way to the massive doors opening.
<Baird> "It's more than possible but that doesn't change our mission. We continue on."
<Baird> At the opening of the hatch Baird drops his hands to his holsters.
<Velam> "Find cover." He whispers to his compatriots.
<Vigilant_GM> They slowly slide into their bulkhead frames, revealing a poorly-lit figure covered in furs.
* Karpath moves into cover behind one of the hallway arches.
<Vigilant_GM> With the strike of a match, you can make out his face, mostly covered by thick, framed eye-protectors.
* Tony sticks close to the shadows observing the figure in question
<Tony> "Your call Raolin." He Whispers
<Vigilant_GM> He takes a draft of a lho-stick before becoming almost entirely motionless for a brief moment, after which he runs to disappear behind the side of the frame.
<Baird> "This doesn't change our mission. Just watch for an ambush. That's all we can do. Let's go."
<Velam> "Oh dear. Emperor protect us."
<Vigilant_GM> The doors stop their traverse, and slowly begin to close once more.
<Baird> "Quickly, before it closes."
* Tony moves up to try and slip in though the closing doors
* Karpath moves up with the rest of the group.
* Thesse follows behind Tony.
* Velam brings up the rear, scrambling through with his servoskulls floating just in front.
* Karpath pulls out his Auspex to scan for the thing that disappred, to his surprise there is a remnant heat signature by the door frame it ran behind, almost as if it vanished into thin air.
<Karpath> "Well that is interesting."
<Vigilant_GM> The vast, dark chamber extends before you into the unseen distance, condensing air falling from vents above. The chill of the room slowly sinks into your bones, your breath frosting before you. All along the sides are the stacked corpses of the devoted, uncountable thousands of them kept here as they journey to the cemetery world.
<Vigilant_GM> The doors close behind you, the aged lock mechanisms groaning into place.
* Karpath moves up to Baird, "That, thing seems to have vanished when it went behind the door frame."
<Baird> "Well you can always turn around and inspect the frame."
<Vigilant_GM> A small object flies through the air, landing with a metallic thud by the Acolyte's feet.
<Vigilant_GM> With a cacophanous blast, a diameter seveal meters wide is instantly filled with a thick, pungent gas.
* Thesse puts on her rebreather.
<Vigilant_GM> A second object flies through the air, but falls well short of the Acolytes.
* Velam with practiced ease he slaps his rebreather on.
<Vigilant_GM> It, however, does not detonate; it is a wrench.
* Karpath back up and moves into cover.
* Karpath scans for what ever is throwing the items, behind a punch of corpes, he picks up a sign of a being there. +There is someone behind the corpuses over there.+
<Karpath> +About 20 meters.+
* Nitrous draws his rifle
<Baird> "Come out from behind the corpses and lay down your weapons!"
<Vigilant_GM> The sounds of metal objects falling on the deckplate are followed by a pair of arms raised high above the stack of corpses.
<Vigilant_GM> Slowly, a man emerges, covered from head to toe in thick furs.
* Tony trains his Lil Friend on the man
* Nitrous aims at the man
<Baird> "Now step over and identify yourself. Slowly."
<Velam> "Well, that was easy." He mutters to himself as he trains his pistol on the man.
<Vigilant_GM> His breath obscures his face as it rises through his mask. "Welch... Technomat 21004," he says approaching cautiously.
<Baird> "What are you doing in here Welch. Surely you are aware of the situation of the ship."
<Vigilant_GM> "There was unauthorized access. I am here to ensure the cooling systems have not been damaged."
<Velam> "He appears to be telling the truth, if you ask me."
<Velam> "Perhaps we could have him assist us, Raolin?"
<Vigilant_GM> He nods to Velam at this.
<Baird> "Who ordered you to check the cooling systems Welch, I reiterate that surely you must know the situation on the decks above. Certainly not the time to be fiddling about down here."
<Vigilant_GM> "Who? I don't understand. The rotation tables assigned me here."
<Baird> "Alright Welch. Well unless you can help us navigate down here and lead us to the intruders then you need to get out of here. We cannot guarantee your safety."
<Vigilant_GM> "May I lower my arms?"
<Baird> "That will be fine Welch.
* Tony lowers Lil Friend seeing all is well now
<Vigilant_GM> He nods, lowering his arms and reaching into his pocket for a small chip on a key-ring.
<Vigilant_GM> "I can review the alarm data. Security terminals were tampered with."
<Baird> "Your assistance will be appreciated in this matter Welch."
<Vigilant_GM> He nods, approaching a console.
<Vigilant_GM> As he interacts with it, a small blip blinks on the corner of the screen. "Apologies. I did not mean to shut the door on your comrades," Welch comments pressing down a rune.
<Baird> "Comrades?"
<Vigilant_GM> The lock mechanisms begin to disengage on the doors.
<Vigilant_GM> He nods, searching through the security data.
<Velam> The savant has a very bad feeling about this.
<Velam> "Welch, rescind that! Close the gate!"
* Nitrous reaims his rifle
* Karpath turns to face the door, his Boltgun raised and aimed at the gate.
<Vigilant_GM> "Here it is. Intrusion not an hour ago. Coordinated. They reached the--" he looks up to the Savant before shielding his eyes in pain as a photon-flash grenade goes off.
* Velam dashes into cover as the photon-flash is rendered harmless by his photo-visors.
<Vigilant_GM> In rushes a large mutant wielding a shotgun of some variety. He instantly turns to fire, hitting Sister Thesse in the arm.
* Nitrous takes cover
<Karpath>  /me takes aim at the mutant firing on the sister, the but creature is able to avoid getting hit.
* Karpath takes aim at the mutant firing on the sister, the but creature is able to avoid getting hit.
<Vigilant_GM> The shots go wide, striking two corpses that are violently mutilated by the blasts.
<Vigilant_GM> A second of the mutants enters, returning fire against Karpath, the deadly blast striking against a cooling line some 30 meters away, the escaped gas shooting up in a cone in the middle of the chamber.
<Vigilant_GM> A well armored man bursts in, exchanging fire with Tony before diving into cover.
* Baird draws his bolt pistol and his sacristan and unleashes a series of bolts at a mutant turning it into a gory mess.
<Vigilant_GM> When another gunman runs into the holds, he instantly fires at Baird on his way to cover.
* Thesse screams at the enemy and moves up into cover.
<Vigilant_GM> The last of the gunmen enters the room, firing at Velam. Instead, he unceremoniously drops dead with a plasma shot to the head.
* Nitrous takes a shot at the mutant
<Vigilant_GM> The shot does terrible damage to its flesh, but its unnatural form permits its continued survival. That is, until Velam's plasma shot finishes it.
<Velam> "How am I doing that? Emperor, is that your hand guiding me?" His servoskulls seem to shake their heads in disagreement as he voices the question over the loud booms of gunfire.
* Karpath takes aim with his boltgun at one of the gunman, firing on single fire, he hits the man in the body killing him as the body is now also on fire from the Inferno round that hit him.
<Tony> Unloads a Full Auto Burst at the guy behind cover spraying everywhere around him
<Vigilant_GM> The rounds kick up a mist of blood and gore from the bodies that slowly crystalized mid-air. Through this cloud, a grenade is hurled.
<Vigilant_GM> The blast goes off, destroying Sister Thesse's cover as she and Baird dive out of its radius.
<Baird> Seeing the trash fire of a human that just tossed a grenade at him sitting pretty behind cover Baird quickdraws his plasma pistol and melts him with two shots of burning energy.
<Vigilant_GM> When the firing stops, the technomat rushes off to the center of the room, tools in hand.
<Velam> "Well, that was a bit of overkill wasn't it?"
<Nitrous> "Worth it."
* Baird turns and looks Velam dead the face and raises his plasma pistol slightly. "You have no room to talk when grenades are involved."
<Karpath> "No better overkill like overkill with plasma."
<Velam> The older member of the inquisitorial cell laughs nervously and raises his hands up to try and relax the pissed of desperado.
* Tony goes over to the one of the assailant that is not, had their face destroyed
* Baird holsters his pistols and claps Velam on the shoulder. "Just stay away from grenades and all will be well."
<Velam> "Why do you think I only carry the odd flash grenade?"
<Thesse> "I was hoping to slice that mutant up."
<Baird> "That is for the best my friend."
<Tony> "I have seen this man before, I seen him in the Drunnels, a Hired Gun for sure."
* Karpath looks to Tony, "They where there?"
<Velam> "Most perturbatory." He says while rubbing his beard in thought.
<Tony> "These Hired Guns, they must of been hired by The Inheritors, and now they are coming down here to meet with their employer, everyone that got hired will be coming as well."
<Baird> "The Lord-Captain promised the help of his men. If we can get a message to them we'll have his men post up at every entrance and capture if possible, if not then kill, anyone trying to enter or exit who isn't us."
<Baird> "Welch, do you have a secure line to the bridge?"
<Vigilant_GM> He tightens the pass valve on the coolant, and gets up. "Bridge? No, of course not."
<Tony> "Do you have any other ways of contacting anyone?"
<Baird> "Can one of these consoles be used for that function with the correct credentials?"
<Vigilant_GM> "High-grade authentication glyphs," he shakes his head. "Nothing I could procure."
<Baird> "Welch we have the codes. Guide Logen through the process and help him contact the bridge. Everyone else try and set up a defensive perimeter in case we get more visits from the mutants and mercs."
<Vigilant_GM> "With the codes, I could seal the corpse-holds indefinitely," he says walking to the console.
<Karpath> "Should we close the door as well?" he asks Baird.
<Tony> "Jack quickly lets set up some cover by the door, and set up a kill zone."
<Vigilant_GM> "I have the security data. There are chambers of maintennance tunnels and chambers used mainly by servitors. Two levels deep," he presses a rune, and the doors begin to slide closed.
* Thesse starts reciting prayers to the Emperor.
<Velam> "My good man, I have these glyphs, show me to your console and I'll get to work, with your assistance of course, Technomate."
* Nitrous starts settung up defenses
<Tony> "I guess around our perimeter then, allow them no cover."
* Tony As he helps in setting up cover around the party making sure their is little cover else where.
<Vigilant_GM> The override immediately takes effect. Welch is able to send a priority message through the security channels, reaching the Master-at-Arms directly.
<Velam> "Well done, lad."
<Vigilant_GM> "Sealing the holds," he says with another command.
<Vigilant_GM> A rough mechanical chattering sound begins by the console as a length of parchment slowly emerges from a slit.
<Vigilant_GM> "Instructions to the suspected segment," he rips it out and hands it to Velam.
* Velam takes the length of parchment and looks it over with a distant thank you, his eyes quickly scanning over it.
<Velam> "Alright, technomat, here's a channel you can contact us on the vox. Stay vigilant and monitor however you can. Until we finish this no one is entering or leaving." He rejoins the group and shares the directions they'll need to head to. "Tony if you wouldn't mind leading."
<Tony> "Sure, One moment."
* Tony As he turns to Welch
<Tony> "I would pick up one of those Shotguns if I were you."
<Tony> "Alright lets press on."
<Vigilant_GM> He nods.
<Vigilant_GM> Following Technomat Welch's instructions, the Acolytes make their way through the frigid cold holds with endless rows of stacked corpses.
<Vigilant_GM> Soon, they reach the marked maintenance tunnels, a defunct servitor laying uselessly nearby.
<Vigilant_GM> Within, bedrolls, cots, lanterns, and even tents lay. Sculptures of vermin and human bones are found by dark parchment, fabric, and flayed skins with runes and cryptic writings in a viscous purple ooze, flecked with luminescent dots.
<Velam> "Disgusting."
<Thesse> "All /this/ should be burned."
<Velam> He says as he takes notes on how uncivilized these cultists must be.
<Tony> "Might want to be a little sneaky now." in a Hushed tone
<Baird> "We can purge this place thoroughly once our work is done sister. For now we focus on our objective."
<Karpath> "Aye." he says quietly.
<Vigilant_GM> Then, a series of gunshots ring out.
<Vigilant_GM> They are distant, but travel far through the tunnels.
<Tony> "Sounds a bit farther in." He whispers
<Velam> "Lead on," he whispers.
* Tony takes point leading everyone between the shadows and cover as they delve deeper.
<Vigilant_GM> Moving as quick as their feet will carry them while maintaining a low profile, the Acolytes arrive at an open bulkhead. Amidst a low-ceiling chamber lit by flickering electro-candles and sputtering lanterns, you spot a scene of violence. One man fires his weapon at a group of dark-robed figures, killing two before three others press their charge. Falling upon him, they stab and shoot
<Vigilant_GM> him multiple times.
<Vigilant_GM> They fall back to drag several of their fallen comrades out through an adjoining tunnel.
<Vigilant_GM> They shuffle as they adjust the weight of the bodies, and collect weapons.
<Baird> "Take them down."
<Velam> +Wait, I recognize the downed gunman, he's much like the men we fought in the Desoleum wastes. One of the smugglers I believe. The rest are definite hostiles.+ He softly says over his commbead.
* Karpath readies his Boltgun.
* Tony Fires into the group spraying down some of them
* Karpath watches as the rest of the group kills all the robed figures.
* Nitrous kills a target
* Velam somehow manages to hit one of the cultists with a bolt of plasma.
* Baird drops the last cultist with two well placed bolt rounds.
<Vigilant_GM> Caught utterly off-guard, the group of Inheritors is gunned down without mercy. So absolute is their destruction, that when the groans of a man are heard, the Acolytes know it doesn't come from the heretics just gunned down; their victim lay on the ground stabbed and shot, still clings to life.
<Baird> "Let's check on the smuggler, he seems to be still alive somehow."
<Vigilant_GM> The room is full of bodies, few of them Inheritors. Whatever you walked into was a scene of violence and death even before your arrival.
<Karpath> "Oh ok, though they killed him." He rushes over to where the smuggler lays.
<Velam> "My word, he is."
* Tony sets up behind the party covering the rear
* Karpath begins checking on the man's status, looking over his stab wounds.
* Nitrous checks over the equipment on the thugs
<Vigilant_GM> Barely clinging on to consciousness, he eyes Karpath with distrust.
<Nitrous> "Got some.... Heretical stuff?"
<Nitrous> "Artefacts, purple liquid, and bone coins."
<Thesse> "Burn it."
<Vigilant_GM> "Who... the fuck... are you?"
<Nitrous> "Boss?"
<Karpath> "I'm the doctor that is gonna save you, so don't move." He then begins treating his wounds to at least stabilize him.
<Baird> "We leave them for now. Once the root of this heresy is dealt with we can properly purge this place."
* Nitrous nods
<Nitrous> "Tony we need to hide stuff and I don't wanna touch the artefacts."
<Tony> "Cover the rear, I will deal with it."
* Nitrous goes into overwatch
* Tony goes to rips off some cloth off some of the robes and goes to wrap the Artefacts up in the cloth, being careful not to touch it.
* Baird squats down next to the barely stable smuggler and looks down at him. "Seems you had a falling out with your clientele."
* Velam assists Tony.
<Vigilant_GM> "Sump-sucking fanatics," he curses them wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
<Baird> "Anything you'd like to tell us they may help us exterminate them? Think of it as a way to get your revenge."
<Vigilant_GM> "Fuck it. No point in keeping my mouth shut," he grimmaces before coughing up a wad of blood.
<Tony> "Right Sister.. could you.. Pile up the bodies real quick, so we can get rid of these properly."
<Vigilant_GM> "Bone-worshipping cunts turned on us, killed my men... knew we couldn't trust 'em but the money was too damn good to pass up."
<Vigilant_GM> "They knew we wouldn't go along with their damn insane scheme this time, that's why they did it."
<Vigilant_GM> He goes into a bloody coughing fit, his hand fully covered in blood as he brings it back down.
<Baird> "What scheme is that?" Baird asks anxiously, hoping the man can answer before he croaks.
<Vigilant_GM> "I overheard them as they gathered up the two I shot down," he continutes, stopping to grin for a moment then wiping away another trickle of blood from his mouth.
<Vigilant_GM> "They said something about taking control of the ship. Sacrificing it to their damned god. I want to go knowing they don't get the satisfaction."
<Baird> "They won't succeed. They'll all be dead even if it means dying to ensure that happens. That I can promise you."
<Vigilant_GM> "Izumat..." he spits with a look of disgust on his face.
<Vigilant_GM> "They worship it. Some sort of ancient god. Older than the Imperium itself, can you believe that shite? They mean to awaken it."
<Tony> "Got a idea where they are performing this grox shit?"
<Vigilant_GM> He nods, coughing up more blood.
<Vigilant_GM> "Thaur. The web goes deep in Thaur."
<Baird> "Well for now we exterminate this filth on the ship. Then we settle things on Thaur."
<Vigilant_GM> "Fuck this. Hand me my gun."
* Thesse looks extremely concerned and is internally screaming.
* Baird nods and passes him his hand cannon.
<Vigilant_GM> He takes it with an appreciative narrowing of the eyes, presses it upward against his lower jaw, and fires.
* Baird stands and settles himself, mentally preparing for the trials ahead.
* Karpath see the man take his own life, he then stands and puts away his medkit.
* Velam prays for the smuggler's soul.