This is a continuation of Acolyte (40k), you may want to start there to catch up.
Interrogator (40k)
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This is a continuation of Acolyte (40k), you may want to start there to catch up and big thanks to Arratra for betaing this one.
Now, on with the story!
____________
I ran, my laspistol clenched in my hand.
Not even sure why, not like it was of much help. Sucking in air as I breathed hard, I vaulted over a fallen tree almost a meter thick.
Rolling over it, I landed on the dirt and breathed heavily, listening hard for a second.
Quiet.
None of those large chirping insects. No wonder, they were likely bright enough not to draw attention to themselves.
I listened.
*Crack*
Popping out, I didn't bother aiming, I just pulled my trigger as fast as I could, the lasfire crackling through the air as I emptied my powercell in the general direction of the sound before I turned and scrambled back onto my feet.
I ran for it, dropping the powercell with a muttered apology to the laspistol's machine-spirit as I pulled a fresh one from my belt, slamming it into place.
Barreling through a brush, I found myself almost running face first into a group of Tau.
Likely surprising them as much as they surprised me, but I didn't bother slowing down, "Run you blue frack heads! Run!" I yelled at them, shouldering what must have been their Shas'Ui from the markings on his armour and helmets out my way without stopping, I booked it straight through their squad before they could do more than let out yells of surprise.
Plasma bolts Pow-Hissed through the forest around me, but most went very wide.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
The ground fell away and I jumped, landing on my back and going skidding down the hill. I hit hard, driving the air from my lungs.
Even as I raised my hands as the brush tugged at my hair and face, thorns dug in through my clothes and sinking into my flesh, the air behind me filled with the sound of pulse rifle fire… and then screams of pain.
I finally rolled twice, went over a ledge and landed in a small stream with a blash.
Gasping for breath, I struggled onto my knees, the ice cold water hitting me like a mallet. Spitting and coughing, I froze for a second.
The forest was quiet again.
Struggling onto my feet, I risked a glance up along the slope.
Nothing. No movement, no sound.
I didn't trust it. Slowly I started to move again, careful not to splash in the water as I crossed the small stream, I climbed back onto the bank again.
Climbing up with the help of a tree root, I moved up around the tree, putting my back against it as I checked my lasgun.
It didn't seem overly bothered by getting dunked, the small indicator light showed a happy little green light.
I shook it off the best I could anyway, doing my best to make sure that the dangerous end was clear of mud before I risked another glance around the back of the tree and froze.
Something moved along the top of the ridge.
I couldn't see it clearly, but there was definite movement. It wouldn't take a genius to follow my tracks, I needed to move.
Now!
Slowly ducking down, I started to move away into the forest. They seemed to have lost me for the second, but that wouldn't last.
But the longer they didn't have a fix on my position, the better.
Think quiet thoughts.
I'm not here. I'm a shadow, a forest animal, a little mouse. I'm not here. I'm not here.
A tree trunk right next to me came crashing down as a torso sized chunk of it suddenly disappeared with a hissing sound.
Breaking into a run, I raised my forearm against the branches.
Vegetation hissed behind me.
Something caught my eye and I changed course, running towards what looked like imperial construction. The rockcrete was old and cracked, overgrown by local vegetation, but it was clearly Imperial Construction.
Four rockcrete structures, prefab buildings on a wide and thick slab of the same material, clearly some sort of landing platform.
Fuuuuck, none of those help. Not unless somebody forgot a Sentinel or something when they packed this place up.
Still, it was the best chance I had.
Not bothering to slow down, I ran as hard as I could across the rockcrete surface towards the closest building.
The door was closed, but opened when I gave it a tug, the heavy metal moving with a slight creak and I pressed through the gap, pulling it closed behind myself the best I could.
Trying to breathe as quietly as I could, I felt my heart thump in my ears, overwhelming any other sounds, but I moved as quietly as I could.
Needed to hide. Just getting inside wouldn't be enough.
Needed to hide. Needed to…
There. A hatch with the mechanicus seal on it. Not large, but maybe…
Grabbing the handle, I slowly started to lift it, trying my best to do it quietly. The hatch made a slight squeaking sound and I froze before lifting it a bit higher again, going even slower until it was high enough for me to holster my lasgun and very carefully slip inside.
The area inside was cramped, maybe two meters in each direction and seemed to contain a junction box and a small mechanicus shrine to the junction box.
I would be trapped like a rat, but I literally couldn't run any longer. It was just a question of time until they caught me.
I had to hide and hope they didn't find me.
Lowering the hatch fully into place, I took the two steps more down the short ladder and turned around, finding myself staring into a pair of slightly luminous eyes, the beings head covered with some sort of dreads or quills. He was muscular, slightly taller than me and his jaw somewhat beaklike.
His clothes looked a mix of primitive and advanced, made up of leather and some sort of ceramic from what I could see, a short staff/rifle combo held in one hand.
The Kroot didn't move a muscle, just staring at me silently.
There was the sudden Clang of metal against metal somewhere above and I froze, glancing upwards before back to the Kroot.
Slowly, very, very slowly, I carefully raised my hand and put my finger to my lips.
The Kroot slowly nodded once.
Now, on with the story!
____________
I ran, my laspistol clenched in my hand.
Not even sure why, not like it was of much help. Sucking in air as I breathed hard, I vaulted over a fallen tree almost a meter thick.
Rolling over it, I landed on the dirt and breathed heavily, listening hard for a second.
Quiet.
None of those large chirping insects. No wonder, they were likely bright enough not to draw attention to themselves.
I listened.
*Crack*
Popping out, I didn't bother aiming, I just pulled my trigger as fast as I could, the lasfire crackling through the air as I emptied my powercell in the general direction of the sound before I turned and scrambled back onto my feet.
I ran for it, dropping the powercell with a muttered apology to the laspistol's machine-spirit as I pulled a fresh one from my belt, slamming it into place.
Barreling through a brush, I found myself almost running face first into a group of Tau.
Likely surprising them as much as they surprised me, but I didn't bother slowing down, "Run you blue frack heads! Run!" I yelled at them, shouldering what must have been their Shas'Ui from the markings on his armour and helmets out my way without stopping, I booked it straight through their squad before they could do more than let out yells of surprise.
Plasma bolts Pow-Hissed through the forest around me, but most went very wide.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
The ground fell away and I jumped, landing on my back and going skidding down the hill. I hit hard, driving the air from my lungs.
Even as I raised my hands as the brush tugged at my hair and face, thorns dug in through my clothes and sinking into my flesh, the air behind me filled with the sound of pulse rifle fire… and then screams of pain.
I finally rolled twice, went over a ledge and landed in a small stream with a blash.
Gasping for breath, I struggled onto my knees, the ice cold water hitting me like a mallet. Spitting and coughing, I froze for a second.
The forest was quiet again.
Struggling onto my feet, I risked a glance up along the slope.
Nothing. No movement, no sound.
I didn't trust it. Slowly I started to move again, careful not to splash in the water as I crossed the small stream, I climbed back onto the bank again.
Climbing up with the help of a tree root, I moved up around the tree, putting my back against it as I checked my lasgun.
It didn't seem overly bothered by getting dunked, the small indicator light showed a happy little green light.
I shook it off the best I could anyway, doing my best to make sure that the dangerous end was clear of mud before I risked another glance around the back of the tree and froze.
Something moved along the top of the ridge.
I couldn't see it clearly, but there was definite movement. It wouldn't take a genius to follow my tracks, I needed to move.
Now!
Slowly ducking down, I started to move away into the forest. They seemed to have lost me for the second, but that wouldn't last.
But the longer they didn't have a fix on my position, the better.
Think quiet thoughts.
I'm not here. I'm a shadow, a forest animal, a little mouse. I'm not here. I'm not here.
A tree trunk right next to me came crashing down as a torso sized chunk of it suddenly disappeared with a hissing sound.
Breaking into a run, I raised my forearm against the branches.
Vegetation hissed behind me.
Something caught my eye and I changed course, running towards what looked like imperial construction. The rockcrete was old and cracked, overgrown by local vegetation, but it was clearly Imperial Construction.
Four rockcrete structures, prefab buildings on a wide and thick slab of the same material, clearly some sort of landing platform.
Fuuuuck, none of those help. Not unless somebody forgot a Sentinel or something when they packed this place up.
Still, it was the best chance I had.
Not bothering to slow down, I ran as hard as I could across the rockcrete surface towards the closest building.
The door was closed, but opened when I gave it a tug, the heavy metal moving with a slight creak and I pressed through the gap, pulling it closed behind myself the best I could.
Trying to breathe as quietly as I could, I felt my heart thump in my ears, overwhelming any other sounds, but I moved as quietly as I could.
Needed to hide. Just getting inside wouldn't be enough.
Needed to hide. Needed to…
There. A hatch with the mechanicus seal on it. Not large, but maybe…
Grabbing the handle, I slowly started to lift it, trying my best to do it quietly. The hatch made a slight squeaking sound and I froze before lifting it a bit higher again, going even slower until it was high enough for me to holster my lasgun and very carefully slip inside.
The area inside was cramped, maybe two meters in each direction and seemed to contain a junction box and a small mechanicus shrine to the junction box.
I would be trapped like a rat, but I literally couldn't run any longer. It was just a question of time until they caught me.
I had to hide and hope they didn't find me.
Lowering the hatch fully into place, I took the two steps more down the short ladder and turned around, finding myself staring into a pair of slightly luminous eyes, the beings head covered with some sort of dreads or quills. He was muscular, slightly taller than me and his jaw somewhat beaklike.
His clothes looked a mix of primitive and advanced, made up of leather and some sort of ceramic from what I could see, a short staff/rifle combo held in one hand.
The Kroot didn't move a muscle, just staring at me silently.
There was the sudden Clang of metal against metal somewhere above and I froze, glancing upwards before back to the Kroot.
Slowly, very, very slowly, I carefully raised my hand and put my finger to my lips.
The Kroot slowly nodded once.
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- Location
- Washington DC
Something tells me that this has something to do with the Tyranids once again.
I am really curious to know how the heck he managed to get into this mess. Running around alone with nothing but a laspistol and some Tau forces between him and a grizzly death has got to have a tale behind it.
I am really curious to know how the heck he managed to get into this mess. Running around alone with nothing but a laspistol and some Tau forces between him and a grizzly death has got to have a tale behind it.
- Location
- france
Plasma bolts?
Those were from the Tyranids, right?
The writing almost suggested that the Tau were firing and they use railguns, not plasma-based weaponry.
Grey Rook
Genuine Nerd
- Location
- The Quantum Foam
AFAIK, Tau grunts carry plasma guns, while railguns are restricted to snipers and anti-armour units.
bobnik
Memetic Warfare Specialist.
Yeah, Tau infantry rifles fire a small bolt of plasma, as do Kroot rifles if they have Tau ammo supplies. Neither one is anything like a full up Imperial plasma gun. Rail guns are on vehicles and some battlesuits.
Now to go back and reread the first one.
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
This is a shot from whatever was chasing him. Not a bolter or tau weapon I think, not sure what it is.
- Location
- Belgium
Ah yes! We are back in space hell baby! And yeah Tau pulse rifle are in fact plasma rifle, while they are slightly weaker then imperial plasma weapons (and they made up by the fact they are less prone to blow up in their user hands) they are still some of the most deadliest weapon used in 40k, dealing even more damage then a space marine bolter on soft target.
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Grey Rook
Genuine Nerd
- Location
- The Quantum Foam
What? I'm pretty sure that Tau Fire Warriors are better equipped than most Guard regiments, partially because every grunt gets a plasma gun.
...of course, that might have been retconned in later editions, since I got into the franchise with Dawn of War, where the Tau will outshoot just about anything.
That sounds like a Necron Flayer to me; making things just disappear seems to be how they're usually depicted.
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he said Tau Plasma guns are better than Imperium plasma guns, the Guard mostly uses Lasguns. Impy Plasma weapons do a LOT of damage and have very good armor penetration but do a point of damage to the user if you roll a 1 to attack, the Tau versions do less total damage/easier stopped by armor but don't kill their wielders accidentally. Tau Pulse Rifles are waaaay better than Lasguns though.
Ehhhh, define better. Yes, they shoot harder. But Lasguns are a lot less finicky and are literally made to be able to be used by illiterate feral world farmers. They can take one hell of a beating and you can even in a pinch recharge the packs in a campfire( it degrade the lifespan but it works).
TheExChipmunk
URoRRuRuRRoR`Ru`R
- Location
- Jundland Wastes, Tatooine
Well, I would guess on two possibilities. One is worse the other is worst. Either its Tyranids using acid projectiles, the other is a Gauss Flayer.
Valid points. I was thinking better range and penetration (and Damage? not sure about the last) The Imperial Guard likely outnumbers the entire population of the Tau by at least an order of magnitude, making sufficient masses of even a mediocre weapon for that sort of numbers is an impressive feat.
Grey Rook
Genuine Nerd
- Location
- The Quantum Foam
Oh, I guess that makes sense.
Basically with Lasguns you can operate effectively without a reliable supply line. Pulse Rifles are probably more delicate.
Iridium Flare
Cyborg Commando
- Location
- AC-130 Gunship circling overhead
Could be Eldar or Deldar too, though if that were the case it seems much likelier that the MC would've been cut down nigh instantly by some kind of razor shuriken gun, or whatever anime junk they use.
He ran through a bunch of Tau while something shot plasma bolts at him and yelled at them to run; shortly afterwards there was pulse rifle fire followed by screams of pain. Then something disintegrated a tree trunk with a hissing sound.
So there's two groups shooting, the Tau and whatever's chasing him. And whatever's chasing him is unfriendly to the Tau as well as him.
Much earlier
Sipping my tea, I sighed softly and turned the page on my dataslate book. The sun shone bright above and a local bird flew past above on buzzing dragonfly wings.
The cafe was moderately busy today, the serving servitor delivering food and drinks at the direction of the hostess.
Sipping my tea again, I put the cup back down and went back to my book.
Out of all missions, this was the best one I had so far. Maybe not the most challenging really, but by far the nicest.
There was a slight scraping of the chair against cobblestone street next to me as the man sitting on the next table got up and put some Thrones on the table for his bill, moving to leave.
I sipped my tea again and pressed the 'go back' button on my dataslate three times rapidly, sending the signal.
I really should get some of this blend, I couldn't help but think as I considered my tea before putting the cup back down and yawning. A bit sharp in the aftertaste, but really quite pleasant.
I should go by here at least once more before we head offworld and see if I could buy it in bulk or at least get the name of it. Or at least send somebody for it.
Getting up, I dropped a couple of Thrones on the table before picking up my jacket and slipping it on, putting my dataslate in one pocket before wandering casually along the street.
This really was a rather nice world compared to most I've seen.
Clean streets, cleanish air, only a minor population of mutants in the sewers. All in all, especially in the capital it was nicer than most cities back on Terra from my time. Less pollution at least.
It was just too bad that it was relatively close to Tau space. It could have been a lot worse of course, the Tau maybe a special kind of insidious with their influence, but compared to a lot of other aliens they weren't that bad.
It could have been a lot worse. It could have been close to an Ork held system or a multitude of more horrible things. Say what you will about the Tau, but they weren't into indiscriminate slaughter.
A small effort of will activated the implant beneath the surface of my skull and a screen of a pictcast appeared in my field of view as I put my hands in my pockets, strolling along the boulevard.
The target walked a couple of hundred meters in front of me, the special servoskull hummed along high in the air above him. I watched him as he turned off the main route to a side street. I didn't follow him, instead I took the next street over, letting the servoskull do the heavy lifting.
So we went on through the city, moving towards the more outskirt areas with less people, less wealth.
There.
He turned into a narrow alley. Nobody else was around.
'Unit XR-001t, initiate capture protocol on target Alpha.'
The viewpoint shifted slightly, sweeping a bit lower before it suddenly jerked slightly. The target touched the back of his neck and looked around for a second before he dropped bonelessly.
'Unit XR-001t, initiate aegis protocol'
The servoskull shifted position and I canceled the optical feed and made my way to location. I found him crumbled in the middle of the alley where the needler built into the servoskull had dropped him.
He was dressed in nice looking robes, not administratum issue, more those of a moderately wealthy local planetary trader. Sure, the style was a bit garish for my taste, but each to their own I suppose.
Reaching down, I gripped his clothes and rolled him over before hauling him over to the wall, pulling him up to sit, "Hello, William Weathersby," I said with a smile.
His eyes flicked to me but that was all he moved.
"Oh, my apologies," I said and pulled some identification from my pocket, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tezzeret, Imperial Inquisition. Ordo Xenos."
His eyes widened as I showed it to him.
"You Mister Weathersby has been a rather bad man," I told him calmly, "Trading in xenos artifacts is strictly prohibited and we have proof that you have been quite busy in that regard. Some of them are quite dangerous in fact. "
He just stared at me and I smiled slightly, "If you are wondering why you can't move, that's because of the dart of Tryxian neurotoxin that hit you in the neck. That's quite a fascinating compound really. Now, I'm not a Magos Biologis, so I don't know quite how it works, but this is just the first stage. In… say fifteen minutes or so the nerve endings in your extremities are going to start to melt. It starts at the tips of your fingers and toes and I'm told it feels like being on fire. Sadly no known painkillers work on it, some even make it worse. Some couple of weeks after that, it'll reach your torso. That's when it gets bad."
I reached into my pocket, "Of course, there is an antidote and it'll work perfectly as long as it is taken before the second stage sets in," I said and held up two small autoinjectors for him, showing him the red and green ones, "The green one will allow you to use your vocal cords again. The red one is the counter agent. I'm going to inject you with the green one and I'm going to ask you a few questions. If you answer them honestly, I'm going to inject you with the counter agent and take you into Inquisitorial custody as a willing witness and informant. It won't be comfortable, but you will not die or be turned into a servitor. Likely there will be prison time, but I can promise it won't be forever. Alternatively, I walk away and leave you here. Maybe somebody will come along and rob and murder you before it get too far along. Blink once if you agree."
Of course, it was just a paralytic: it would wear off on it's own in a couple of hours. Sure, there was such a thing as Tryxian neurotoxin, but that stuff was hilariously difficult to get the right dose on according to the literature and really some nasty stuff I didn't want to play with.
Blink.
"Excellent," I said with a smile and injected him with the green vial before waiting a second for it to take as I pulled a small recorder from my pocket and clipped it to his collar, "Now, you are Mister William Weathersby, Trullsa Trading Coalition?"
"Yes," he answered, his voice shaky.
"You were involved in the trade of xenos artifacts, including Tau pulse weapons to local heretics?"
"Yes."
"You can name your source and everyone involved?"
He didn't answer for a second, "I was just a middleman. I… I know some names, but nobody that was in charge. I would tell you if I knew, but I don't know! Please! I don't know!"
I held my hand up, "That's alright, I believe you. Please, tell me who you met with and the locations and times."
"I... " he started before he swallowed, "My pocket. Left pocket. Dataslate. It has them."
I raised my eyebrow and reached into my pocket, pulling out the dataslate and thumbing it active, "Password?"
"...Password. No capitals."
I frowned at him, "Your password is password?"
"...yes..."
I shook my head and tapped it in before scrolling through the tablet, "This is accurate?" I asked with a small frown.
"It's my personal calendar and organizational planner. It has everything you want! And it has meetings for the next two weeks! You can find a lot of the people you are looking for there!"
I smiled at him, "Thank you, that's most useful," I said and reached to inject him with the red vial, actually a second dose of the paralytic, not an antidote, "That's all I need. The nerve toxin will start to wear off in the next couple of hours. Somebody will be by and pick you up before then."
Standing back up, I headed out of the alley as I pulled a combead from my pocket and slipped it into the ear, "Control, this is Agent 7. Target disabled and I have the package."
"Acknowledged, Agent 7," Imagos machine voice came through the small speaker in my ear, "Pickup of target is on it's way. Crown wished to see you when you return to the nest."
Inquisitor Aurelius's current codename. Nest was his ship in orbit.
"Acknowledged, Control. Agent 7 on his way. Just have an errand to run first."
Sipping my tea, I sighed softly and turned the page on my dataslate book. The sun shone bright above and a local bird flew past above on buzzing dragonfly wings.
The cafe was moderately busy today, the serving servitor delivering food and drinks at the direction of the hostess.
Sipping my tea again, I put the cup back down and went back to my book.
Out of all missions, this was the best one I had so far. Maybe not the most challenging really, but by far the nicest.
There was a slight scraping of the chair against cobblestone street next to me as the man sitting on the next table got up and put some Thrones on the table for his bill, moving to leave.
I sipped my tea again and pressed the 'go back' button on my dataslate three times rapidly, sending the signal.
I really should get some of this blend, I couldn't help but think as I considered my tea before putting the cup back down and yawning. A bit sharp in the aftertaste, but really quite pleasant.
I should go by here at least once more before we head offworld and see if I could buy it in bulk or at least get the name of it. Or at least send somebody for it.
Getting up, I dropped a couple of Thrones on the table before picking up my jacket and slipping it on, putting my dataslate in one pocket before wandering casually along the street.
This really was a rather nice world compared to most I've seen.
Clean streets, cleanish air, only a minor population of mutants in the sewers. All in all, especially in the capital it was nicer than most cities back on Terra from my time. Less pollution at least.
It was just too bad that it was relatively close to Tau space. It could have been a lot worse of course, the Tau maybe a special kind of insidious with their influence, but compared to a lot of other aliens they weren't that bad.
It could have been a lot worse. It could have been close to an Ork held system or a multitude of more horrible things. Say what you will about the Tau, but they weren't into indiscriminate slaughter.
A small effort of will activated the implant beneath the surface of my skull and a screen of a pictcast appeared in my field of view as I put my hands in my pockets, strolling along the boulevard.
The target walked a couple of hundred meters in front of me, the special servoskull hummed along high in the air above him. I watched him as he turned off the main route to a side street. I didn't follow him, instead I took the next street over, letting the servoskull do the heavy lifting.
So we went on through the city, moving towards the more outskirt areas with less people, less wealth.
There.
He turned into a narrow alley. Nobody else was around.
'Unit XR-001t, initiate capture protocol on target Alpha.'
The viewpoint shifted slightly, sweeping a bit lower before it suddenly jerked slightly. The target touched the back of his neck and looked around for a second before he dropped bonelessly.
'Unit XR-001t, initiate aegis protocol'
The servoskull shifted position and I canceled the optical feed and made my way to location. I found him crumbled in the middle of the alley where the needler built into the servoskull had dropped him.
He was dressed in nice looking robes, not administratum issue, more those of a moderately wealthy local planetary trader. Sure, the style was a bit garish for my taste, but each to their own I suppose.
Reaching down, I gripped his clothes and rolled him over before hauling him over to the wall, pulling him up to sit, "Hello, William Weathersby," I said with a smile.
His eyes flicked to me but that was all he moved.
"Oh, my apologies," I said and pulled some identification from my pocket, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tezzeret, Imperial Inquisition. Ordo Xenos."
His eyes widened as I showed it to him.
"You Mister Weathersby has been a rather bad man," I told him calmly, "Trading in xenos artifacts is strictly prohibited and we have proof that you have been quite busy in that regard. Some of them are quite dangerous in fact. "
He just stared at me and I smiled slightly, "If you are wondering why you can't move, that's because of the dart of Tryxian neurotoxin that hit you in the neck. That's quite a fascinating compound really. Now, I'm not a Magos Biologis, so I don't know quite how it works, but this is just the first stage. In… say fifteen minutes or so the nerve endings in your extremities are going to start to melt. It starts at the tips of your fingers and toes and I'm told it feels like being on fire. Sadly no known painkillers work on it, some even make it worse. Some couple of weeks after that, it'll reach your torso. That's when it gets bad."
I reached into my pocket, "Of course, there is an antidote and it'll work perfectly as long as it is taken before the second stage sets in," I said and held up two small autoinjectors for him, showing him the red and green ones, "The green one will allow you to use your vocal cords again. The red one is the counter agent. I'm going to inject you with the green one and I'm going to ask you a few questions. If you answer them honestly, I'm going to inject you with the counter agent and take you into Inquisitorial custody as a willing witness and informant. It won't be comfortable, but you will not die or be turned into a servitor. Likely there will be prison time, but I can promise it won't be forever. Alternatively, I walk away and leave you here. Maybe somebody will come along and rob and murder you before it get too far along. Blink once if you agree."
Of course, it was just a paralytic: it would wear off on it's own in a couple of hours. Sure, there was such a thing as Tryxian neurotoxin, but that stuff was hilariously difficult to get the right dose on according to the literature and really some nasty stuff I didn't want to play with.
Blink.
"Excellent," I said with a smile and injected him with the green vial before waiting a second for it to take as I pulled a small recorder from my pocket and clipped it to his collar, "Now, you are Mister William Weathersby, Trullsa Trading Coalition?"
"Yes," he answered, his voice shaky.
"You were involved in the trade of xenos artifacts, including Tau pulse weapons to local heretics?"
"Yes."
"You can name your source and everyone involved?"
He didn't answer for a second, "I was just a middleman. I… I know some names, but nobody that was in charge. I would tell you if I knew, but I don't know! Please! I don't know!"
I held my hand up, "That's alright, I believe you. Please, tell me who you met with and the locations and times."
"I... " he started before he swallowed, "My pocket. Left pocket. Dataslate. It has them."
I raised my eyebrow and reached into my pocket, pulling out the dataslate and thumbing it active, "Password?"
"...Password. No capitals."
I frowned at him, "Your password is password?"
"...yes..."
I shook my head and tapped it in before scrolling through the tablet, "This is accurate?" I asked with a small frown.
"It's my personal calendar and organizational planner. It has everything you want! And it has meetings for the next two weeks! You can find a lot of the people you are looking for there!"
I smiled at him, "Thank you, that's most useful," I said and reached to inject him with the red vial, actually a second dose of the paralytic, not an antidote, "That's all I need. The nerve toxin will start to wear off in the next couple of hours. Somebody will be by and pick you up before then."
Standing back up, I headed out of the alley as I pulled a combead from my pocket and slipped it into the ear, "Control, this is Agent 7. Target disabled and I have the package."
"Acknowledged, Agent 7," Imagos machine voice came through the small speaker in my ear, "Pickup of target is on it's way. Crown wished to see you when you return to the nest."
Inquisitor Aurelius's current codename. Nest was his ship in orbit.
"Acknowledged, Control. Agent 7 on his way. Just have an errand to run first."
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Some things never change.
Crazael
Rehydrated Demon King
- Location
- Lost to the vagaries of time.
"And I suppose the code for your luggage is "12345"..."
Mr. Cloak
Orchestrator of Paradoxical Apocalypse
- Pronouns
- I
Gotta love me some Spaceballs references.
The local inquisitorial headquarters… wasn't. It was an arbites station that might never have seen an actual arbites, just the local representatives.
"Time again?" the sergeant at the frontdesk asked as I walked inside.
"Time again," I agreed with a nod. After getting back from capturing the contact, I had just enough time to get changed before getting back here.
My outfit was now that of a low level administratum drone, simple white and grey robes with little ornamentation, just a small grey badge by my collar and I was carrying a bag over my shoulder.
He got up, "I don't see why you bother, it's been two months. It's not going to work."
"I just go where I'm told," I said with a small shrug at him with a smile, adjusting the thin rimmed glasses riding on my nose.
It always worked. I have done this two times already, on other worlds, on other subjects.
It always worked.
Sergeant Javal shrugged and handed the key over to me, "Well, the Inquisitor says to cooperate, so…"
I nodded and took it, "We all have our duties," I said, walking past his desk towards the isolation cellblock. Nobody else was to enter, nobody but servitors delivering meals.
Two turns and two opened doors later I approached a cell.
An old fashioned cell with thick steel bars. It contained little but a water dispenser, a toilet and a bunk. And my subject of questioning.
He was a thin man, not only because of his capture and the diet of the prison, but he had never been large. After two months his hair was getting longer and he was wearing a grey prison uniform.
At the sound of my footsteps, he walked over to the bars, meeting me, "Taz," he said in greeting, "You're late."
I reached up and adjusted my glasses, "I'm sorry, but my Lisa didn't want to go to school today," I told him, bringing up my imaginary daughter, "She's having trouble with another of the girls. Bullies."
"Ah," he said and nodded.
Setting my bag down, I dug through it and pulled out a pair of travelcups of recaff before I handed one over to him along with a sweetbun, "How are you holding up?"
Kall smiled and sighed, sipping his recaff, "Thanks," he said before he sighed, "...I'm in prison. In the custody of the Inquisition. How should I be doing?"
I nodded gravely with a small sigh, "Yeah, I guess I get that," I agreed and sipped my own cup. This one filled with tea instead, "I'm not even sure why I'm here," I said with a shrug and another small sigh, "You don't know anything. But when an Inquisitor gives an order…"
Kall just nodded and sat down on the edge of his bunk, "...I guess…" he admitted, "So how long will this be going on?"
I shrugged and sipped my drink again, "I think they have forgotten about both of us," I said with a sigh, "You know, the guards don't even search me anymore? Just wave me through. I'm not even sure if the Inquisitor is still in the system, I haven't heard anything since I was… assigned to this. I'm as trapped as you are."
"Really?"
I nodded and shrugged, "I guess they're as bored with this as we are."
Kall frowned slightly, taking a bite from the sweetbun, "Lisa having trouble with bullies?"
I nodded again and sighed, "Yeah. I told her she has to stand up to her, but she's not one for confrontation. I guess she takes after her father there. I… when I was little I wanted to join the PDF, but I don't think I could handle it. I just wish I could move her to a different school. She deserves better than to live the life I have."
He nodded and sipped his recaff, "They really don't search you anymore?"
I shook my head, "Haven't for weeks," I said and shrugged, "Why?"
Kall hesitated, "...I have some friends. Maybe we can both get what we want. You could afford to move her to a new school."
"...What are you suggesting?" I asked hesitantly, taking half a step back.
He shook his head, "Nothing dangerous, I promise. Just being a message to some people and then bring the package they give you back to me. That's it. You'd be able to afford to pay for an upper class school for her, I promise."
I shook my head, "I don't know, it sounds dangerous."
"It's not, I promise. Nobody will know you were ever even involved," he said and stood up again, facing me across through the bars, "It's the only chance I'll have to see my own little girl again. Come on… please."
I looked down at my tea for a long moment, frowning and taking a deep breath before I nodded, "...Okay…" I said after another long moment, "Okay. I...just a message and a thing back to you? You're sure that's all?"
"That's all, I promise."
"And I could move her to a better school?"
"With money left over," Kall reassured me, "We have powerful friends, a lot of resources."
I swallowed nervously and glanced around, scooting a bit closer, lowering my waist, "O-okay. What's the message?"
"Tell them that Kall needs a phase wave disruptor."
"What's that?"
"They'll know what it means," he reassured me, "Don't worry. Just go to Jalway road twenty three and ask for Jannice. She'll give you what you need."
I nodded, "Okay. Jalway road twenty three, ask for Janice. Phase wave disruptor."
"Exactly. Don't worry about a thing, just do this, bring the thing she gives you back here tomorrow and everything will be fine, I promise."
"...Okay… Okay, yeah, I can do that," I agreed, nodding nervously before I gathered my bag up, "I have to go."
He handed me the now empty cup through the bars, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
I nodded and swallowed, "See you tomorrow then."
Then I left. The doors closed behind me as I walked out to the front desk and walked in behind it to one of the consoles as I took my glasses off and put them away. I brought up Jalway road twenty three. It turned out to be a somewhat wealthy neighborhood, mostly inhabited by merchants and administratum staff.
This one in particular seemed to be owned by one Janice Tolward. Seemingly the owner of a small import company, moving cargo from the other continent.
Nodding, I wrote the information down and added it to my list.
"That's what I needed," I told the sergeant, "You may transfer the subject to the Edge of Fury in orbit for final interrogations and sentencing."
"All that for a name?" He asked with a frown.
I smiled thinly, "All of that for the right name," I told him and walked around the desk and headed towards the door, "A name you better forget having ever heard."
Several other sources had mentioned a 'J' as had been their contact. Now we had a name to tie to it. Torture was unreliable, it'd make a man say anything to make it stop. Maybe the truth, maybe lies. It was messy and you only had one shot at getting it right.
The trick was making them want to tell you what you want to know. Now I had some information to deliver to Aurelius so a raid could be arranged.
"Time again?" the sergeant at the frontdesk asked as I walked inside.
"Time again," I agreed with a nod. After getting back from capturing the contact, I had just enough time to get changed before getting back here.
My outfit was now that of a low level administratum drone, simple white and grey robes with little ornamentation, just a small grey badge by my collar and I was carrying a bag over my shoulder.
He got up, "I don't see why you bother, it's been two months. It's not going to work."
"I just go where I'm told," I said with a small shrug at him with a smile, adjusting the thin rimmed glasses riding on my nose.
It always worked. I have done this two times already, on other worlds, on other subjects.
It always worked.
Sergeant Javal shrugged and handed the key over to me, "Well, the Inquisitor says to cooperate, so…"
I nodded and took it, "We all have our duties," I said, walking past his desk towards the isolation cellblock. Nobody else was to enter, nobody but servitors delivering meals.
Two turns and two opened doors later I approached a cell.
An old fashioned cell with thick steel bars. It contained little but a water dispenser, a toilet and a bunk. And my subject of questioning.
He was a thin man, not only because of his capture and the diet of the prison, but he had never been large. After two months his hair was getting longer and he was wearing a grey prison uniform.
At the sound of my footsteps, he walked over to the bars, meeting me, "Taz," he said in greeting, "You're late."
I reached up and adjusted my glasses, "I'm sorry, but my Lisa didn't want to go to school today," I told him, bringing up my imaginary daughter, "She's having trouble with another of the girls. Bullies."
"Ah," he said and nodded.
Setting my bag down, I dug through it and pulled out a pair of travelcups of recaff before I handed one over to him along with a sweetbun, "How are you holding up?"
Kall smiled and sighed, sipping his recaff, "Thanks," he said before he sighed, "...I'm in prison. In the custody of the Inquisition. How should I be doing?"
I nodded gravely with a small sigh, "Yeah, I guess I get that," I agreed and sipped my own cup. This one filled with tea instead, "I'm not even sure why I'm here," I said with a shrug and another small sigh, "You don't know anything. But when an Inquisitor gives an order…"
Kall just nodded and sat down on the edge of his bunk, "...I guess…" he admitted, "So how long will this be going on?"
I shrugged and sipped my drink again, "I think they have forgotten about both of us," I said with a sigh, "You know, the guards don't even search me anymore? Just wave me through. I'm not even sure if the Inquisitor is still in the system, I haven't heard anything since I was… assigned to this. I'm as trapped as you are."
"Really?"
I nodded and shrugged, "I guess they're as bored with this as we are."
Kall frowned slightly, taking a bite from the sweetbun, "Lisa having trouble with bullies?"
I nodded again and sighed, "Yeah. I told her she has to stand up to her, but she's not one for confrontation. I guess she takes after her father there. I… when I was little I wanted to join the PDF, but I don't think I could handle it. I just wish I could move her to a different school. She deserves better than to live the life I have."
He nodded and sipped his recaff, "They really don't search you anymore?"
I shook my head, "Haven't for weeks," I said and shrugged, "Why?"
Kall hesitated, "...I have some friends. Maybe we can both get what we want. You could afford to move her to a new school."
"...What are you suggesting?" I asked hesitantly, taking half a step back.
He shook his head, "Nothing dangerous, I promise. Just being a message to some people and then bring the package they give you back to me. That's it. You'd be able to afford to pay for an upper class school for her, I promise."
I shook my head, "I don't know, it sounds dangerous."
"It's not, I promise. Nobody will know you were ever even involved," he said and stood up again, facing me across through the bars, "It's the only chance I'll have to see my own little girl again. Come on… please."
I looked down at my tea for a long moment, frowning and taking a deep breath before I nodded, "...Okay…" I said after another long moment, "Okay. I...just a message and a thing back to you? You're sure that's all?"
"That's all, I promise."
"And I could move her to a better school?"
"With money left over," Kall reassured me, "We have powerful friends, a lot of resources."
I swallowed nervously and glanced around, scooting a bit closer, lowering my waist, "O-okay. What's the message?"
"Tell them that Kall needs a phase wave disruptor."
"What's that?"
"They'll know what it means," he reassured me, "Don't worry. Just go to Jalway road twenty three and ask for Jannice. She'll give you what you need."
I nodded, "Okay. Jalway road twenty three, ask for Janice. Phase wave disruptor."
"Exactly. Don't worry about a thing, just do this, bring the thing she gives you back here tomorrow and everything will be fine, I promise."
"...Okay… Okay, yeah, I can do that," I agreed, nodding nervously before I gathered my bag up, "I have to go."
He handed me the now empty cup through the bars, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
I nodded and swallowed, "See you tomorrow then."
Then I left. The doors closed behind me as I walked out to the front desk and walked in behind it to one of the consoles as I took my glasses off and put them away. I brought up Jalway road twenty three. It turned out to be a somewhat wealthy neighborhood, mostly inhabited by merchants and administratum staff.
This one in particular seemed to be owned by one Janice Tolward. Seemingly the owner of a small import company, moving cargo from the other continent.
Nodding, I wrote the information down and added it to my list.
"That's what I needed," I told the sergeant, "You may transfer the subject to the Edge of Fury in orbit for final interrogations and sentencing."
"All that for a name?" He asked with a frown.
I smiled thinly, "All of that for the right name," I told him and walked around the desk and headed towards the door, "A name you better forget having ever heard."
Several other sources had mentioned a 'J' as had been their contact. Now we had a name to tie to it. Torture was unreliable, it'd make a man say anything to make it stop. Maybe the truth, maybe lies. It was messy and you only had one shot at getting it right.
The trick was making them want to tell you what you want to know. Now I had some information to deliver to Aurelius so a raid could be arranged.
Too much Phantom Doctrine but now I'm imagining Tezz as having a corkboard, pins and strings linking documents, names, pictures.