Suffer Not ≡][≡ 40k Inquisition Quest

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Character Sheet
  • Informational
    • ≡][≡ Inquisitor Joanyn Praxis ≡][≡
    Imperial Inquisitor, Ordo Hereticus
    Attributes
    Physical Attributes
    Strength - 1
    Agility - 2
    Melee - 1
    Endurance: 4

    Mental Attributes
    Intelligence - 3
    Tactics - 2
    Nerve - 1
    Fortitude: 6

    Social Attributes
    Charm - 4
    Presence - 3
    Contacts - 3
    Resolve: 10

    Faith Attributes
    Belief - 2
    Scripture - 0
    Fire - 1
    Conviction: 3
    (3) - The Imperium should be an alliance of solidarity for the weak, not an alliance of strength for the strong.
    (2) - People are more than problems, weaknesses, corruption vectors to eradicate. Their feelings and dreams matter.
    (1) - A Shot Fired is a Shot Wasted

    <1> - Victory makes me feel alive.
    Strength is raw physical conditioning. Lifting stuff, swimming, running a long time, punching hard. It's added to many melee attack damage as well.

    Agility is swiftness, reaction speed, and immediate awareness. It's used for dodging things, jumping, ducking, outrunning folks, and other twitchy reactions.

    Melee is the general skill of up close combat with knives, swords, fists (power or otherwise), chainsaws, whatever else.

    Intelligence is raw intellectual power, knowledge, and drive to learn and study stuff. It is also used for military logistics.

    Tactics is your knowledge of battle tactics, from the strategy of leading armies to simply knowing when it is safe to rush across a hallway in a gunfight.

    Nerve is the stat both for shooting firearms and for keeping your cool. Nerve checks are common in combat to prevent from panicking or fight through pain.

    Charm is the social stat used for flattery, smoothtalking, lying, seduction, verbal sparring, deflection, and navigating high culture.

    Presence is the social stat used for reasoning, explaining, teaching, intimidating, impressing, or public address.

    Contacts is rolled to know people you need to know, and to have a good reputation with them.

    Belief is your actual faith in... whatever you have faith in. The Emperor, hopefully. It is used to resist temptation and corruption.

    Scripture is your knowledge of the intellectual side of your religious faith. If you can quote from the holy books and theologians. It's intelligence for matters of faith.

    Fire is your ability to project your faith out and convince others of it. Want to convert somebody or whip a crowd into a fanatical fury? This stat.
    Weapon: Laspistol
    Weapon: Hellpistol
    Trade: Manager
    Trade: Spy
    Trade: Political Operator
    Talent: Verbal Sparring
    Talent: Seduction
    Talent: Dishonesty
    Talent: Intimidation
    Talent: Exfiltration
    Talent: Logistics
    Talent: Propaganda
    Talent: Indirect Persuasion
    People: Dahlia
    People: The Corrupted
    People: High Imperial Politicians
    Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
    Social Loadout
    1 Compact Laspistol, 1 Laspistol Reload, Flash-Safe Glasses, 6 Concealed monoknives, 1 Show Knife, 1 Belt Buckle Gun, 1 Plastex Bodyglove/Flakweave Suit, Displacer Field

    Combat Options
    +1 Hellpistol, +1 Transonic Machete

    Compact Laspistol
    Small Handgun
    Attack Dice: 1/d10 -or- 2/d10-1
    Aim Bonus: +1
    Damage Bonus: +2
    Armour Reduction: 0
    Magazine Size: 4
    Special
    Laser: Does not cause bleeding.
    Blinding: If operated without flash protection, witnessing the impact of a las-weapon will blind for 3 rounds.

    Concealed Monoknife
    Small Knife
    Attack Dice : 1/d10
    Damage Bonus : Agility + 1
    Armour Penetration : 2
    Parry Bonus : -1
    Disarm Bonus : +0

    Show Knife
    Medium Knife
    Attack Dice : 1/d10+1
    Damage Bonus : Agility + 1
    Armour Penetration : 0
    Parry Bonus : +0
    Disarm Bonus : +0

    Buckle Gun
    Tiny Handgun
    Attack Dice: 2/d10-2
    Aim Bonus: +0
    Damage Bonus: -2
    Armour Reduction: 0
    Magazine Size: 1
    Special
    Hidden: Will always escape searches.

    Plastex Bodyglove/Flakweave Suit
    Clothing
    Armour Value : 3
    Coverage : All but Head and Eyes
    Resistances : Impact, Blunt

    Displacer Field
    Energy Screen
    When hit with an attack, roll 1d10.
    1: Displaced into worse danger.
    2: Displacer field fails. Take the hit.
    3-6: Displaced hard. Take 1 Sore from bumping into something.
    7-9: Displaced. Attack avoided.
    10: Nothing personal, kid.

    Hellpistol (Voss Pattern)
    Medium Handgun/Carbine
    Attack Dice: 1/d10 -or- 2/d10-1 (One-Handed)
    Aim Bonus: +1
    Damage Bonus: +3
    Armour Reduction: 2
    Magazine Size: 12
    Special
    Laser: Does not cause bleeding.
    Blinding: If operated without flash protection, witnessing the impact of a las-weapon will blind for 3 rounds.
    Convertible: When converted to Carbine mode, gain +1 to Attack and Aim Bonus.

    Transonic Machete
    Medium Knife
    Attack Dice : 1/d10+2
    Damage Bonus : Strength + 3
    Armour Penetration : 1 + Half of enemy Armour (Round Down)
    Parry Bonus : +0
    Disarm Bonus : +3
    Special
    Sickening Vibrations: Enemies with 3 meters of an active blade count as being at -1 to all stats.
    Sister Charitina
    A member of the Order Famulous who found her faith again thanks to the Inquisitor. Praxis' closest confidant, dearest friend, and irritating ex-girlfriend.
    Attributes of Note: Nerve 3, Contacts 4, Charm 3, Scripture 2, Fire 2
    Skills of Note: Career - Order Famulous, Weapon - Bolt Carbine, People - Inquisitor Praxis
    Equipment: Half-Plate Power Armour, Bolt Carbine, Burning Blade
    Known Values: (3) The nobility is a blight on the Imperium, (2) I trust the Inquisitor's vision for the future, (1) Galaxy grim and dark, tiddy soft and warm.

    Dahlia Hussian
    A 17 year old unsanctioned psyker, rescued by Praxis from the witch's pyre she volunteered for at age 12. Loves the Emperor, and hates herself for being unworthy and twisted.
    Attributes of Note: Power 1, Control 2, Sight 2, Faith 5, Strength -1, Nerve 0
    Skills of Note: Talent - Self Discipline, Talent - Self-Hatred
    Equipment: Web Derringer
    Known Values: [3] I am here because I was given a chance. I should extend the same chance to others, [2] The Emperor is all things, [1] I can atone for my existence by aiding the Inquisitor

    Marvel Ann Alemanga-Zero
    A Magos of the biology wing of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Marvel Ann is an exuberant, odd, and enthusiastic cyborg lady who is an expert in medicine and bionics. She's Joanyn's current sweetheart, and she autotunes her voice.
    Attributes of Note: Intelligence 4, Charm 3, Strength 4
    Skills of Note: Career - Cyberdoc, Talent - Surgery, Talent - Singing
    Known Values: [2] Adventure is to be seized with both hands (and as many mechandrites as possible)

    Fraser Bookter
    A positively ancient scribe who served Praxis' teacher, Bookter has seen all manner of things. Despite that, he keeps good humour.
    Attributes of Note: Intelligence 4, Scripture 2, Contacts 2, Strength -2
    Skills of Note: Career - Archivist, Knowledge - Imperial History
    Known Values: ???

    Korey Kilimnik
    Once a Lightning fighter pilot for the Navy, until he was caught fucking an admiral's son. Kilimnik professionally doesn't care unless it has jet engines.
    Attributes of Note: Nerve 5, Agility 3
    Skills of Note: Career - Fighter Pilot, Talent - Piloting, Talent - Causing Trouble
    Known Values: [2] By death or rejuvenation, age will never slow my reflexes
    Penalties​

    ≡][≡​
    Sore​
    Strain​
    Stress​
    Stain​
    ≡][≡​
    ◹☠◸​
    0/4​
    0/6​
    0/10​
    0/3​
    ◹☠◸​
    ◹⛉◸​
    3 XP​
    XP3​
    33 XP​
    9 XP​
    ◹⛉◸​
    CURRENT RP
    6

    RULES SUMMARY
    ROLZ ROOM​
     
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  • Informational
    • [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.
     
    Hmm, that fits with the Imperium alright. We see in I Am Slaughter that the Senatorum Imperialis actually deals with matters of trade regulations and planetary development, or rather did way back in the halcyon days of M32. By M41, them doing that is basically unthinkable.

    The thing to keep in mind is that the Imperium is a boat with a hole in it, that hole being the Horus Heresy. It doesn't sink immediately, but rather fills up with water over time. People have bailed out that water, of course, tried to barricade its progress, and even erected pumping machines to keep the hold clear and dry. But arms tire, barricades are run over, and machines break down. Meanwhile, people from inside and sharks from out are widening and widening the hole, and the water rises higher and higher...

    Also an ASW helicopter with energy shields and regenerating ammo has shown up and started fighting a supercavitating Megalodon with laser eyes off to one side, to extend the metaphor, and they're both taking potshots at the ship from time to time, so that's not great.
    10ebbor10 said:
    Hmm, I wonder if we can explain the concept of soft power to them. They may not have a majority in tge parliament, but they are the bureaucracy. They will write the advices, create the sratistics and implement the laws. They don't need to fesr the worker
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Ah yes, the Soviet Union approach!
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
     
    Choose an approach. Further votes with actual skill rolls will result.
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.

    Additionally, choose 5 Skills. Skills come in categories: Talents, Trades, Weapons, Knowledge, and People. When they are relevant, you have that are relevant to a roll give a +1 to your dice. You can't take the same skill twice ever, and only one skill from each Category can ever apply to a single roll. As usual, vetos in place for write-ins. I'll pick the most popular 5 by line unless there is a specific planned set that is popular-er.
    [X] Talent: Intimidation
    [X] Talent: Dishonesty
    [X] Talent: Forgery
    [X] Talent: Seduction
    [X] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
    ​
    Let's play to our strengths and role. We're here to deal with people in a horribly complex system, so let's get a wide arsenal of tools that'll help us navigate and co-opt both the system and the people.
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.
    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
     
    open_sketch said:
    Question for clarification: does this mean Praxis lies to the Clerics about who the labourers will elect, or that she goes to manipulate the labour elections to ensure their representatives are not labourers?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    More of the latter, though I don't think much manipulation would be needed if laws and mass (des)information framework were properly set.
    - If higher tier people (clerks, clerics, police and the likes) honestly pursue the interests of laborers, they would be more efficient representatives of laborers than laborers themselves due to better education, social status and familiarity with planetary bureaucracy.
    - Laborers are in disadvantage in politicking, both during election and in Council session.
    - Both non-laborer representatives and laborers themselves can benefit from this approach.

    There is no much need for action, things will happen on their own if allowed to run their natural course and it is not necessarily a bad thing.
     
    10ebbor10 said:
    Hmm, I wonder if we can explain the concept of soft power to them. They may not have a majority in tge parliament, but they are the bureaucracy. They will write the advices, create the sratistics and implement the laws. They don't need to fesr the worker
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    So we can tell Litmanowicz about her soft power while showing her some of our soft power? :3
     
    [x] Play some bigger politics and see if you could bribe the clerical class without handing them more representation.
    - [x] Point out explicitly, that representatives of the laborers do not need to be laborers themselves or actually pursue interests of the laborers. They just have to be viewed as successful defenders of interests of laborers. Uneducated masses don't have good insight into politics, so it is in many aspects a matter of presentation. On the other hand, a feeling of involvement can be milked for many benefits.
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory

    This is a perfect plan with no downsides whatsoever. :V
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.​

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...



    I think a problem with the "bigger politics" plan is that there is a risk that Litmanowiscz will consider it just another form of corruption.
     
    [X] Try to get through to Miss Litmanowicz personally. She has a huge amount of influence right now, she's a public hero.
    -[X] Appeal to her personally. She's a confident person, hint at the fact that of course someone like her, intelligent and knowledgeable, will come up on top. There's no doubt about that, really. Instead of arguing with her about theory or saying she's wrong, just charm, hint, and imply that everything will be alright because of her own innate skill and virtue. And, if you have to, in order to distract her and get her in a happy, willing mood, suffer the great hardship of... literally seducing and having sex with her... well, nobody ever said that the road of duty was an easy one, but you're willing to make sacrifices.

    [x] A kind word and a laspistol...
    -[x] Weapon: Laspistol
    -[x] Trade: Manager
    -[x] Talent: Verbal Sparring
    -[x] Talent: Seduction
    -[x] Knowledge: Imperial Political Theory

    I love you guys. Roll me Charm, DC 2. Remember you need 2 successes for a full success.
     
    Okay, question, should we spend a Stress? Can we decide that before we roll?

    E: I'm going to give it 15 minutes, and if nobody speaks up against it I'm going to roll and spend a Stress (thus making it a 2d10.)
     
    Last edited:
    ... so on a scale of one to "almost heresy", how much of a "Pleasure World" experience did we just deliver?
     
    1-5: Showing Vulnerability
  • Threadmarks
    • Trying to argue actual policy with Tomika was a dead end. You vaguely remembered being 21, at the exact intersection of the stupidity of youth and the certainty of adulthood. She was absolutely convinced she was right about the makeup of the council and there just wasn't swaying her to see the importance of labour representatives.

    Everyone thought they were the hero of their own story when they were twenty-one.

    She was also rather full of herself, and that seemed like a pretty good angle of attack. Appeal to her sense of superiority. Maybe even let her think she was getting one up on the big scary Inquisitor, giving her ego an out that still served your agenda. You were fairly sure she would be receptive to sexual advances as well, which would, if necessary, cement things. It'd be easy enough, just flatter her, confess your nonexistent fear that the administrators would dominate the Council through weight of managerial skill alone...

    You'd long learned, with the help of the Inquisitor who had schooled you, that a huge problem that other Inquisitors and indeed nearly everyone in the Imperium suffered from was the need to look absolutely perfect to everyone, even to their subordinates. The galaxy consumed weakness, it was the fate of the meek to be preyed on by the strong, not but the laughter of bloodthirsty gods and all that jazz. You were allowed but one space for weakness in your life, the confessional booth, and you paid for it with pain and humiliation in the aftermath.

    The reality was that the fear to admit vulnerability was killing the Imperium. It is what kept governors from calling for assistance until it was too late, what turned every portion of the bureaucracy into a self-consuming mass of mistakes upon mistakes, what got Space Marines killed, armies sent to die, and production targets raised on faltering economies. It's what got fanatical young Inquisitors like you (you used the word young here relatively) over their heads when they insisted on using their badge of office as a cudgel and they discovered that their authority extended exactly to the boundaries of the egos of other powerful people likewise afraid of showing weakness.

    You weren't afraid to lose, if you had to. Life was war, and there was no shame in losing a battle for the sake of eventual triumph.

    Admitting weakness was a strength that few understood. It could be a tool for manipulation, it would be today, but more than that, it was simply an acknowledgement of reality. The galaxy was vast and terrible, humans were small and weak. Every subject of the Imperium knew that, it was the justification for its entire existence, but then each and every one was forced by the pressures of the society around them to admit that this weakness was for other people, at best to be shown as performance to cruel masters to spare the lash.

    The Imperium was not supposed to be an alliance of strength for the strong. It was supposed to be an alliance of solidarity for the weak. And if you had your way, one day it would be again.

    ---

    The dorms had been raided by the governor, seeing as it had held the primary movement of dissidents against him. Some had died, many more had fled to the city and not yet returned. It was a testament to Miss Litmanowicz's courage that she still lived here, now alone in a room that originally housed eight stacked in bunks, in a labyrinthine maze of hallways that housed the student population.

    You turned the corner, spotted the room number, then another person came around the opposite corner. A very familiar person in a very familiar black bodyglove, coif and card.

    "Sister Charitina, why exactly are you here?" You asked, frowning.

    "... I was here to try and talk some sense into our wayward student." She admitted sheepishly. "I presume you are here for the same reason?"

    "Not exactly." You said, wary that your voice might carry through the walls or ventilation. "You should have discussed this with me."

    "I didn't know the plan, I just thought-" she started, but you weren't going to let her try and justify herself. Not this time.

    "You just thought there wouldn't be a problem going behind my back. Again."

    She took a step forward, her fist balled in frustration.

    "Will you give it a rest! You said yourself we were casual, it was never that serious-"

    "It was to me!" you said, raising your voice a little.

    And for the first time since you met her, more than two decades ago, you though Charitina might have finally had an inkling of how she'd hurt the people around her.

    "I... didn't mean-"

    "... which was my mistake. It was too much to expect you to be true to me." you said bitterly. "But when I met you, you didn't have faith in anything. I've seen you come to care for your vows, to care for the mission, to care for the people under our protection. I just thought you'd come to care for me."

    Charitina leaned heavily against a wall, wiping her eyes with a gloved hand.

    "I do care for you. I just... I can't be who you need. I can't-"

    No, she couldn't. It wasn't fair to put that on her, was it?

    "Hey. Tina. It's... we're going to be okay, alright? We're-"

    There was a click from the door.

    "Girls, please, some people have tests in the- Lady Inquisitor???"

    You glanced over and there was Miss Litmanowicz, wearing a long nightgown with a skeletal pattern screened across the front. She was staring in utter shock at the two of you.

    Well, Lady Inquisitor, you talked all the good shit about vulnerability before. Time to walk the walk.

    ---

    So there you sat, on a tiny pillow in the center of an empty room, your legs propped absurdly on your boots, gripping a mug of tea awkwardly in your mechanical hand. This outfit was not designed for sitting, the boots simply did not cooperate. Tomika handed the other mug to Charitina and then took a seat opposite the two of you, looking concerned.

    "Are you two okay?' she asked, genuine concern in her voice. "Is... is there anything I can do?"

    You were reminded of another thing you'd been taught: the people in the Imperium who expressed monstrous ideas, most of them weren't monsters. It was the conditions of the Imperium that were monstrous, that blinded them to the humanity of their fellow man, that made normal their suffering. Tomika wasn't a person without empathy, she just wasn't used to extending it to the labourer class.

    Even sitting on the floor of a darkened dorm room, having only just held back tears, you saw how to use this to your advantage, and maybe open somebody's eyes.

    "Kind of you to offer. You have a bright future ahead of you, Miss Litmanowicz." you said, doing your best to smile. "Top marks, the respect of your peers, you're known around the world. You're a hero."

    "I just wish to serve as best I can. There is no other future for me." she said quietly. Of course there wasn't. Few in the Imperium saw such things.

    "I think you'll be surprised. You ought to run for the Shell-Works Parliament, I think you'd do very well. Everyone in your profession knows your name, they already respect you." Charitina said. For everything else, the two of you had a natural rapport in times like this. You'd known each other so long, you could finish each other's sentences at times.

    "If you'll beg my pardon, I have no intention of doing such a thing. Especially if it is still... the way it is." she said.

    "Well... that'll put a wrench in things, I think." you said. "The Council was set up the way it was because of people like you, actually."

    "How do you mean?"

    "Well... say we appointed you governor, here and now. Do you think you'd have the respect of the PDF, the militia, law enforcement? Could you run this planet?" you asked.

    She shook her head.

    "No, Lady Inquisitor."

    "So you see the issue. If we hadn't given so much of the Council's space over to the labourers, it would be dominated by student radicals. It wouldn't look legitimate. Already, the administrative branches are the most politically engaged class on the planet. You'll have outsized influence, and the labourers are going to be looking to you to set policy anyway. I figured it was the perfect compromise, because everyone on the planet will already be listening to what Representative Litmanowicz was saying."

    Again, a good lie is three-fourths truth. While you were not anticipating the domination of the council by the Administration, you thought you'd be able to rely on the student radicals as a branch whose faith in that system would spread through the administration as they moved up the ranks. And you had miscalculated, not quite about what you were saying, but you had. You had assumed that, with their demand for justice, they would see this as justice, because that's how you thought. You projected. It was a dangerous mistake, and you were grateful you caught it here instead of in more dire circumstances.

    And you did expect that Miss Litmanowicz would eventually find her way to a council seat, just... quietly. It would not be too much of an issue if she did so loudly instead.

    "I... didn't realize you thought so highly of me, Lady Inquisitor."

    "It's hard not to." Charitina added. Okay, laying it on a little thick, she's going to see through-

    Oh, no, she bought it completely. Twenty-one. Right.

    "Um... well, I... I think I understand what you're saying. I'll pass that along to the Union. Thank you for coming to speak with me." she said.

    "Thank you for the tea." you reponded politely. "Do you think we could stay a little longer, though?" you asked.

    You saw her perk up at that. It hadn't proved necessary, but if you'd needed to seduce her, you absolutely could. She looked smitten, with the both of you to be honest.

    Instead, you talked a while longer, about policy, education, her place in this new world. You even broached the subject of weakening the caste system, and to your surprise she was enthusiastic. She never wanted to be a scribe as a child, she'd seen her parents failing eyesight and joyless existence and had been determined to do something greater with her life, until most of it was crushed out of her by schooling. It was that spark that became a fire when her classes revealed how broken her world was.

    She'd wanted to operate the freight trains, of all things. She was obsessed with the things. She had a map for how to extend the line and relieve overpopulation in the northern quarter that she'd drawn herself.

    "You realize this is the kind of policy you could push in Parliament, right?" Charitina said, and her eyes went wide with wonder.

    ---

    "Well, that went rather well, didn't it?" Charitina said, as the two of you got into your car and started off. Not sure to where, yet.

    "I'm just glad I didn't have to seduce a college student." you admitted.

    "Wait, that was your plan?" she said, astonished.

    "It would have worked." you said simply.

    "It still can! Turn this thing around, let's go back!"

    "Down, girl." you said, laughing. "Though... I hear the officers of House Phodon's goons are taking over the grand ballroom. A lot of bored women in uniform... What do you say we crash that party, and see if we can't subvert ourselves some contacts?"

    "I can never tell if these things are business or pleasure for you." Tina said.

    "Honey, what makes you think there's a difference?"

    ---

    From that point on, everything seemed to go like clockwork. The Ravagers arrived in orbit, and the took on a delivery of cannons and shells with absolute clockwork precision, overseen by the Shell-Works Parliament in their first official duties. Captain Lithonius thanked the council personally at a banquet, toasting their return to power after four thousand years absence, and you watched with utter glee as the stupid surgically-rearranged face of Gregor Phodon the Eighty-Second fell into despondence. The next day, he took his soldiers and left, with three senior members of his bodyguard now quite convinced they needed to keep an eye on their boss on behalf of the Inquisition.

    You stayed just four days longer past that, all you thought you could afford. But you had to trust the work you did here was good, that things would work out. If nothing else, you had a network of spies and acolytes tasked with supporting Parliament and advancing your agenda, including two of the sitting members. You introduced Miss Litmanowitz to the cell soon after, gave her some interesting literature. You could trust her.

    But then it was time to go. You pulled the sheet off your shuttle, staring at the black and red lines. It would take you to orbit, where you could broadcast your icon and hitch a ride on a ship bringing you to a needed new destination. You retrieved Fraser Bookter from behind the pile of books you'd left him, broke Dahlia Hussian out of the holding cell you'd stashed her in to let the heat die down, and somehow you and Sister Charitina managed to fit your car into the cargo hold, though it was a tight fit. Your pilot, Navy fighter jock Korey Kilimnik, arrived back from whatever bar he'd pickled in since your arrival, and you finally went and packed up your apartment.

    It was bittersweet, staring out the window over the view of the city. It was an ugly, burnt, broken place, a city of suffering and want, of inequality, of cruelty, generations of hurt and pain and fear, bodies stacked like firewood to be burnt in the factories, to feed the endless war in the stars.

    But maybe there was hope now. Just a sliver.

    ---

    An inquisitor's work is never done. Where's Inquisitor Praxis' next mission?​
    [ ] On the world of Avanyu 3, a dangerous terrorist group has been destabilizing the local government with kidnappings, killings, and bombings, threatening the planet's supply of vital pharmaceuticals.​
    [ ] There are rumours of a subversive cult taking root in Lost Reach, a massive, ancient trading station and the headquarters of House Lorch. They will not be happy to see you.​
    [ ] The Imperial Navy has asked you to investigate one of their captains, Commander Olympia Carilli Nasers of the Defiant Light Cruiser Hammerhand IX. Her erratic behavior may speak to cult influence.​
    ​
    The next update will handle getting rid of your penalties, and advancement.​
     
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    • [X] On the world of Avanyu 3, a dangerous terrorist group has been destabilizing the local government with kidnappings, killings, and bombings, threatening the planet's supply of vital pharmaceuticals.
     
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