Graveyard Shift: Interlude

The session started with the players brainstorming what to do, as their characters continued to put on their wargear. It was fun to listen to for a bit, but I soon started a 10-minute timer, and announced that sirens were blaring all over the place. Warder peaked out and assessed the situation quite astutely, but was also sighted by the military personnel running to contain the situation: 5 Sisters of Battle, 10 Skitarii and 20 Guardsmen.

With time running out, they decided to follow their least ridiculous plan: walk out, with Warder being carried on Palmulata's now power armored shoulders. Just in time, as the city block was being surrounded and cordoned off, with the sisters announcing that citizens should remain in their homes. The agents walked out, and came face to face with the sister squad. Palmulata bluffed her way through, announcing that she knocked out this unknown psyker and wished to keep him alive for interrogation and trial. The sister superior of the squad was not amused at Warder's attempts at a reply, and silenced him with quick strikes of her gun butt[1]. 

Warder was then left at the cordon. The guardsmen and skitarii (including the conscripted Tass) formed a firing line, shooting any civilians trying to escape[2]. The sisters, along with Palmulata and Thrakus, performed a sweep of the affected buildings, knocking down doors, inspecting apartments and executing any civilian who showed the least sign of resistance.[3] They came upon a little girl whose psychic powers were apparently awakened by the shock of the events. Bolt rounds were stopped by her kinetic shield, as was Thrakus who ran into it, chainsword whirring. But no kinetic shield could stand up to a heavy flamer flooding the chamber with holy prometheum.

With the apartments swept clean, the agents attempted to establish some camaraderie with the sisters, as well as to refine their story. They departed to the cathedral, where they stood for some time in silent prayer. They all rationalized the civilian deaths well, with no additional Corruption points gained this time.

Thrakus was set to put on a good show, and pray next to Warder for a week, if needed. Tass was less optimistic and walked off to the side, pulling down servo skulls one by one through the Rite of Magnometrics and re-programming them to sow mayhem on his signal. Thankfully, nothing of note happened. At least not yet.

The party then decided to split up[4]. 

Tass visited the Mechanicum building which turned out to be a servo skull factory. He successfully requested an audience with the head techpriest, and his Conversation Cogitator talent once again proved useful. He convinced the techpriest of the importance of his mission, and secured help up to and including military intervention, with the resources at hand.

Palmulata walked to the Administratum building and talked to the sister guarding the entrance. Unfortunately, Sister Amalia proved to be a fiery but very young recruit, and could supply no information of value. Inside, Palmulata gleamed the building's purpose: the categorization of dead people.

The party reunited in the cathedral, and brainstormed their next course of action. They came up with a pretty convincing story to tell the sister superior[5] regarding Warder and their party, but Palmulata's bluffing came through at once and the sister mellowed towards them. She seemed bored but dutiful, waiting for the end of her squad's guard duty. This alleviated the agents' concerns that the Administratum building may hide more than it seemed to.[6] She was more than convinced that her squad can secure the building and its perimeter and refused any offer of help, but directed them to the Administratum archivist instead.

The agents visited the inside of the Librarium Mortem[7] and tried to obtain information on the Gelfradus family by themselves, but the data terminal showed only an error message. The archivist herself was slightly deranged and completely overwhelmed by work, lamenting the theft of her favorite twin servo skulls. The agents promised to recover the skulls, and started down the main road towards the scene of the (2 week old) crime.

In the market square[8] they were accosted by a merchant who promised to obtain literally anything they wanted, from relics, weapons, augmetics to an automobile. This proved of no interest[9], but they did ask about servo skulls, and she directed them to her friend, Diomedes, an avid collector of such items. Palmulata also noticed the key hanging as a medallion on her chest, decorated with the Gelfradus family crest. Nonchalantly, Tass inquired about the key, but the merchant saw through the bluff, and offered the key for a steep price: a holy relic stolen from the cathedral. Or any of their more expensive weapons.

Heresy.

[1] For D3 (3) mortal wounds.

[2] Including a mother carrying her child.

[3] Including a dazed woman standing in her kitchen with a knife. Palmulata branded her a witch, leading to a particularly brutal execution.

[4] Always a good sign.

[5] Whom they took, for some reason, to be the local head honcho. Perhaps they were right.

[6] Which it may or may not.

[7] It took some time for them to figure it out that it was right there.

[8] Paved with the bones and skulls of rebels.

[9] As they were broke after the shopping in the underhive.