Out of the frying pan... Chapter 1 - IC

Donna smiles when Lokar responds to Felyx's questioning.
"Oui thinks Oui like yew jus a tad mor'n before."

She takes up position behind Lokar. She didn;t mind him stepping into an ambush as long as she got to rush in behind and cut some stuff up with her new axe.

"Wassa 'deemon'ost?' Like a demon but worse? Or bettah? Iss't gon'a 'ave claws or use sum mind-fuckin? Am Oui gon'a 'ave fun or nawht?"

The servitor that blocks the door from closing has been bludgeoned and torn at, oil and blood leaked out onto the floor. The lighting of the small cell flickers on and off, making a buzzing and popping sound as it does so. The cell is empty except for a pile of chains and broken manacles in the centre of the room which are attached to two metal rings on the floor about two metres apart. The chains are covered in engraved text. There is a sickly perfumed scent to the room.

Lokar nods a warrior's nod to Donner as she backs him up. Once inside he looks around.

Surprise surprise, it's escaped.

He thinks, ''You taking point outside, shits hair. Working now'' he said, then stands there giving a happy ending to that table or whatever it is. I don't know, perhaps I need a translator. The other guy isn't much better, every time I look at him I feel like he has thrown up all over my soul. Lokar shudders at the thought. I don't know what Master Grimm was thinking recruiting those two. With that thought a splitting pain shot through his skull. Arg!. He grunted holding his hand to his head and mumbling under his breath Master knows best, and with that the pain started to ebb away.

At least the women seem normal.

Philomena suppresses the desire to roll her eyes. "Any sign as to how it escaped its bindings?" she asks with a tone of professional curiosity. "It could provide us with valuable information about its capabilities."

Once Felyx finishes with the cogitator and makes his report, Philomena rests her free hand on her hip as she thinks. "So, we know it has or can manifest claws, is resistant to telepathy, has telepathy and telekinesis... No clear indication of its destination or intentions, but one can surmise that it will seek minds to influence. Also, the more people are around, the harder it will be to track. We should start where people gather. A place where their guard will be lowered. Perhaps somewhere where the crew goes to consume alcohol?"

"Oui know one place" Donna says with a smile.

"Oui dunno how touight a ship 'is'is, but deah may be sum gamblin dens and the like as well. Oui 'ain had much of a chance to find out meself."
She looks at Philomena questioningly, somehow, she figured Lokar might not know what goes on in the ship on a normal basis.

Somebody clears their throat by the entrance to the lab; looking that way you see Captain Bartholomew looking apologetically through the torn doorway. Donna with her armour had just squeezed through, the 'good' captain with his girth stood no chance. His sweat streaked pudgy face looks through the gap in the door. He almost fauns at Philomena "Yer Lady." he says and then pauses as he takes in what he can, noting the other acolytes although he did know them as such "... how may I serve?"

Philomena curtsies at the captain, then walks closer until she stand next to the door. "Captain! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us. As you can surmise from the state of this room, we did not do so out of capriciousness."

She leans closer and lowers her voice, taking on the conspiratorial tone of a lady of the Court sharing a particularly scandalous piece of gossip. "I'm afraid a dangerous prisoner has gotten loose. In order to ensure the safety of your crew, we advise you to institute a lockdown of the ship. We will recapture him, but it would greatly facilitate our task if you can limit the prisoner's movements." She places a hand on his arm, capitalizing on his initial fawning reaction. She makes sure it rests near his rank insignia as a subtle reminder of his responsibilities. She lowers her head slightly, then looks up at him and gives him an apologetic smile. "We would be greatly appreciative of any help you can provide."

Felyx nodded at Philomena and then stared at Donna. It was hard to tell if he was looking at her as a compatriot or a subject. He seemed to be staring at her cybernetic arm as though he was making minute calculations and then at the rest of her body as though it would be so much better if it was anything other than flesh. Specifically her mouh.

"Demon is Slaaneshi whore. Aligning to Slaanesh. He is chaotic god of dicking and vaginal touch. Orgies." The word was no doubt hurting the ears of those who heard it. Felyx's knowledge of Forbidden Lores was indeed one reason Maud had recruited him.

"Bars - 'Watering Holes' - is being good places to look. Start at least. Drink. Eat. Sexing. Drugging. Buttfucking? Yes. Is good start. Maybe vox rooms? Slaaneshi Daemon Whore no doubt loves to hearing own voice."


[When the Captain Enters]

"Needing Priests - not the good kinds. More worthless kinds - with the gothic prayers." Felyx pointed to himself and shook his head "no" as if his meaning wasn't clear enough. They needed a member of the Ecclesiarchy as soon as possible - anyone would do. But someone with an in with the Big Man on the Shiny Throne needed to spit some Gothic over their gear.

Felyx didn't wait for a response before mounting Second Serving. He begin praying in machine-cant over his own weapons. The hot-shot weapon mounted to his right shoulder spasmed slightly as he did so.

"Bring to me weapons. Will bless as I can do. Is better than nothings."

Lokar steps out from the room. Its manacles were broken. He said as if this was the answer to something.

He looks to Felyx, Weapon blessings? I have seen a briefing on Tec-no-logy sorcerers, they looked like they have powerful magics. I would like to see a first-hand demonstration. He holds forth his Autogun in one fist and his Axe in the other.

As for our.. he glances at the captain.. escaped prisoner. In my experience, such a, err, person would normally be looking to make as much mess as possible and have as much fun as they can while doing so. Such people don't get the chance very often. Where that is? well, I haven't had my tour of the ship yet.

Felyx finished blessing his own weapons as the newest member of the motley crew approached. At the comment, he did not go into a theological sermon on the Omnissiah as some Omnissiads would. That wasn't his style. In fact, depending on how many Tech Priests Lokar had seen previously, he might not even realize that Felyx didn't look like a typical Omnissiad either.

While his exposed flesh was covered in electoos and there were obvious cybernetic and bionic enhancements at the base of his skull and left hand, and the less obvious internally, he lacked the litany of cybernetics that most tech priests had. He didn't wear the typical blood red robes, or hide his face within one of their hoods. His garments were very practical and outfitted for utility.

That's what the Ordo-Explorator, at least Felyx's interpretation of it, were meant for: utility and knowledge acquisition.

He held the weapons - the axe and the autogun - and began short burst prayers in binaric-chatter.

+++ Omnissiah forgive he-with-excrement-for-hair for not fully being able to appreciate the perfection of your design, the smoothness of your lubrication, and the strength of your alloys. Bless these weapons and see they function to serve Humanity against the Heretek, the Alien, and the Warpspawn. Only through your perfect creations can Humanity dominate its foes. And only through sharp scissors can you fix Lokar's poor style choices. +++

Lokar likely only heard his name between the screeching and dial-up-modem noises of Machine Cant.

After he finished, he took a vial of sacred ungents and applied a few drops to the action mechanism of the autogun.

Watching Felyx with interest Lokar makes a sour face at the screeching noises but not because he understood them. He then tested the sliding mechanism of his autogun feeling the improved action and gives Felyx a stern nod of approval.

Master Grimm told me it was a Tec-no Scorcherer that conjured up my fine rifle here. grins with pride. I'm very interested in such things, do you know the spell?

Donna pokes around the room, boredom ensuing while Felyx puts some foul smelling stuff on the weapons.

"So 'ill be tough eh? Mouight be a good way tew pass tha time. "E sounds louike a louiale chap, or she maybe? I dun no. Bloody "ell cant yew make yer 'Sacred ungwents' Smell any bettah? It reeks louike week owd piss."

moarhair wrote:

Philomena curtsies at the captain, then walks closer until she stand next to the door. "Captain! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us. As you can surmise from the state of this room, we did not do so out of capriciousness."

She leans closer and lowers her voice, taking on the conspiratorial tone of a lady of the Court sharing a particularly scandalous piece of gossip. "I'm afraid a dangerous prisoner has gotten loose. In order to ensure the safety of your crew, we advise you to institute a lockdown of the ship. We will recapture him, but it would greatly facilitate our task if you can limit the prisoner's movements." She places a hand on his arm, capitalizing on his initial fawning reaction. She makes sure it rests near his rank insignia as a subtle reminder of his responsibilities. She lowers her head slightly, then looks up at him and gives him an apologetic smile. "We would be greatly appreciative of any help you can provide."

Captain Bartholomew gives Philomena a weak smile as she touches his arm "Of course yer lady, if you think its needed..." he hesitates and winces a little, perhaps not wanting to question, it was hard to tell "... but that will severily hamper primary ship functions if the lockdown is for an extended period, shift changes will be a particular problem I think."

The captain was right, crew quarters were amidships with the stella and warp engines to the aft, during shift changes hundreds of workers move between sections. It would need to be managed some how if you cared...

"The engine crews can't be expected to work for execissvely extended periods without some problems I'd imagine. I will of course be guided by your decisions as I'm aware the Inquisitor Grimm is indisposed"

Iron and Metal wrote:

"Needing Priests - not the good kinds. More worthless kinds - with the gothic prayers." Felyx pointed to himself and shook his head "no" as if his meaning wasn't clear enough. They needed a member of the Ecclesiarchy as soon as possible - anyone would do. But someone with an in with the Big Man on the Shiny Throne needed to spit some Gothic over their gear.

He bobs his head at Felyx happy for the briefest of moments to not be part of difficult decisions "There is a chapel in the centre of the ship, yer lady knows the way." his weak, nervous smile returns to Philomena who doubted the ships priest brother Hector was cut from the right kind of cloth for what you needed... but who knows.

Philomena nods and smiles at the captain. "Thank you, Captain. We will proceed as quickly as possible while being thorough. We'll make sure to clear the engine section early in our search."

She turns to look at the other acolytes. "So, Chapel first, then Donna's suggestion? After that, we can proceed to the engines and move from back to front?"

Donna looks confused....she said nothing about a chapel.

She was willing to take the credit though.

"Yeah. Chap'le. Oui said thawt."

It never occurred to her that a deamonhost would most likely avoid the most holy place aboard the ship, unless it wanted to satiate its desire for Iconoclasm.

Mina, sounds good to me.

A puzzled look spreads across Lokar's face, not unlike a dog eating a toffee.

So the door to the lab was forced out as it escaped but its cell door was opened normally, any ideas who let it out? When we catch up to it there's a chance it won't be alone.

Sylphilis wrote:

"Yeah. Chap'le. Oui said thawt."

Philomena blinks. Don't frown! It betrays your thoughts. A Lady should strive to maintain control of her expressions at all times. Besides, it'll give you wrinkles. Her mother's lesson was deeply ingrained.

What did Donna mean with this comment? Had she misunderstood? If so, how would it be best to proceed? Would Felyx be upset if the proper credit was not returned to him? Probably not, Tech-priests weren't known for being emotional and this one seemed exceedingly blunt. If not and there was something else at play... Did she not trust the captain? Did she suspect someone else might be listening now that the door was open? Either way, it meant it was best not to comment on it.

Neriglissar wrote:

So the door to the lab was forced out as it escaped but its cell door was opened normally, any ideas who let it out? When we catch up to it there's a chance it won't be alone.

"My guess would be that it managed to break its manacles, then assaulted the servitor when it came in to feed it. However, we cannot rule out the possibility it had help. Additionally, its particular capabilities means it could easily recruit help now that it's free."

She lets out a breath, centering herself. "Time is of the essence. Let's get moving, shall we?"

She nods to the captain, then heads out of the lab and leads the group towards the ship's chapel.

"Donna. Did your brain breaking?"

Felyx just shakes his head. She either forgot she mentioned going to the bars, or legitimately could not follow the conversation. He immediately started thinking that her next cybernetic replacement should be her entire head.

"Nawt recently." she says with a wink and a grin.

You find the Captain loitering in the corridor outside of Mauds lab, he looks at you apologetically "I have a suggestion if I may." he pauses for a moment ensuring perhaps it was ok to speak. The man strangely lacks in confidence for a captain... "I'll take the ship back into real space and make the announcement for hull breach drills. You'll find vox boxes at each bulk head where you can contact the bridge if you need any of them opening."

With agreement and the plan in place he gives a short bow as best as his bulk allows before heading back to the bridge to set things in motion and you can head to the chapel.

As you draw near to the chapel the ships tannoy systems give an alert 'This is a ship wide announcement. Hull breach drills will commence immediately. Bulk Heads will be sealed immediately. Translocation to real space in fifteen minutes... I repeat this is a ship wide announcement etc...'

The ship starts to lock down as you find the chapel within the habitation decks which is situated in the middle deck approximately a third of the way down the length of the ship from the bridge. The entrance to the chapel is open and leads into a large chamber that could perhaps contain five hundred or so people. There is a simple statue of the Emperor at the far end which stands behind a lectern. The room is lit by the light of hundreds of candles which cause the shadows of the gargoyles lining each side to leap about.

As you enter and look about a side door opens and a man who looks to be the priest makes his way slightly unsteadily towards you. He looks a little unkept, his brown robes creased and thread worn, his hair and beard untidy...



"My children. How may I be of service?" as asks. Despite his appearance and the smell of alcohol on his breathe his grey eyes steadily hold yours. This Philomena knows is brother Hemant.

Philomena inclines her head. "Brother Hemant, it is a pleasure to see you again."

She lifts her head to look the friar in the eyes. "My colleagues and I might soon be performing our duty to the Emperor. We came looking for blessings, for us and for the tools He has provided us."

Donna was a bit more blunt than Philomena, "'Ave yew seen any de'mons round 'ere?"

She cocks her head, making her mohawk tilt slightly. Upon access to cosmetics she immediately dyed her hair yellow and purple and shaved the sides into a garish hairstyle, the same kind she had before the prison planet.

This was like no priest she was familiar with. Back home, wherever that was, the imperial creed was overrun with the receptionist church, technically a heretical sect to the ecclesiarchy.
For one, nothing on his was powered by a gas fire.

Walking carefully Lokar checks out the Chapel, he had never been in one before. All he knew about the Emperors faith he learnt from a few briefings and what his new master, Inquisitor Grimm had taught him. This was a strange faith, he could see no gruesome totems or skulls, no sacrificial altar. He understood very little about the Emperors faith except that he was the most powerful being in this known universe or the next. Lokar couldn't help wondering why he believed this when it went against the habit of a lifetime and with that thought the pain came back, pounding through his head as if his temples were going to split open spilling their contents. With a grimace on his face he looked the Brother straight in the eyes and through grited teeth said.

The Emperor is above all gods in all things.

With those words the pain started to fade away and he began to relax a little.

The priest nods "Lady Philomena, I'll of course help you where I can..." he then stutters and falls silent as Donna mentions deamons. The priest looks panicked his eyes darting to and fro. Philomena knows the priest is aware that the ship serves Inquisitor Grimm, but other than that she'd not explored his background and any relationship that man had with Maud and what he might know.

His hands clench a few times as he tries to steady himself, after a few moments he lets out a shuddering sigh "What has happened?" he asks of you all.

Philomena smiles reassuringly She leans in conspiratorially. "The truth is, the training exercise the captain mentioned is a cover. My colleague was taking some liberties with the term. A prisoner has escaped. They are dangerous, but they are not a daemon," technically speaking...

She stands up straight. "Please, perform the rites you can to aid us in our task. The sooner we are done here, the sooner this whole situation goes away."

The priest frowns at Philomena "If you say so. Although I'd then ask if it is not why would you need a blessing. Do you lack faith in your own abilities." he rubs his face pushing his palms into his eye sockets for a moment before he lets out an audible sigh. He looks a little bleary eyed now, perhaps as his drunkenness moves into a hangover. "Look, I think the rites you really want would take more time than you have perhaps? I do know of such things but its been a long time and sadly I believe I now lack the conviction."

The drunk but clear eyed priest is no more, he now looks sad and weary. The conversation has sapped the life from him for some reason.

Philomena's annoyance is barely perceptible, just a slight narrowing of her eyes and pursing of her lips. She gives Felyx a sidelong glance, raising her eyebrow as if to ask is this really necessary? She could insist. She could even bend the Brother's will, if necessary. However, she doubted any blessing they received from this broken shell of a clergyman would be of much use, especially one made under duress.

The ships tannoy system chimes before its announcement. "Private message for Lady Philomena's party. Proceed to the nearest vox unit." there is a pause and then it repeats once. You recall a vox unit located at the entrance to the chapel so while you decide what to do with the priest you can take the call.

After identifying yourselves the vox crackles to life, it's Captain Bartholomew "The ships militia are reporting a work team has been found dead, killed by violence. Deck 5, Habitation Sector 2. I can have militia meet you at the bulkhead to that area and direct you if required?" This sector is further aft and could have easily been reached by your quarry before the lock down. In times of emergency trusted ships crew form the militia and it will be them that 'police' certain area such as now.

This Brother is useless, a pore example of the Emperor's power.

Lokar spoke against the Brother out of frustration but noted there was no pain, apparently the Emperor's servants were fair game even if his faith is not. Lokar called out loudly to the Brother.

Brother! you are a pathetic waste of flesh!, your soul would of been better suited in a worm! and you are ugly! like an old pig! and I doubt you have seen your cock in years!

No pain, Lokar smiles.

Let us go look at some mutilated dead bodies for clues, they will be a welcome change from looking at the brother's disgusting pig face.

Still no pain, Lokar quietly chuckles.

Philomena answers the vox. "We will proceed there immediately. Please, do have the militia meet us at the bulkhead."

Once finished with the captain, she smiles at Brother Hennant, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. "Please forgive my colleague's manners. He comes from a feral world far from the Emperor's Light and is still learning about civilized interaction. I am sorry for having wasted your time." She bows to the priest, then starts heading towards the chapel's door.

Working with these people was going to be difficult. None of them seemed to have any sort of social graces. At least Felyx and Damiel seemed to know when to keep their mouths shut.

Once they have left the chapel, Philomena turns around and glares at Lokar. "You need to learn to watch your words. Brother Hennant is a lower rung of the Church, but there are worse-looking, more powerful ones that would have you burned at the stake for your insolence. Or worse, turned into one of these," she says, pointing at Felyx's servitor.

She looks away and sighs. "It will be difficult for us to do our job if you make everyone hate us by being rude," she explains, not unkindly. She turns back to look at Lokar. Hardening her voice again, she adds: "And if we fail, Inquisitor Grimm will be most displeased. I trust I don't have to remind you what that means." The screams. Most of all, Philomena remembers the screams. She shudders.

Mina, If I believed him capable of burning me at the stake I wouldn't of insulted him. Also master Grimm punishing me is her threat to make, not yours.

He left the words hanging there, it felt like more of an explanation was needed. Doubting that his new companions would understand he was testing the limits of what had been done to his mind in that laboratory he decided to simply just try and smooth things over a little.

However my Lady Philomena, you make a good point, I will try to be more.. He paused while finding the correct word.. manipulative, in future.

Philomena sighs in relief. Lokar understood. Navigating an uncharted sea of Egos is a daunting prospect at the best of times. It was nigh impossible when your allies drilled holes is your skiff's hull. She smiles at the large barbarian. "Thank you."

As they get back under way, she sidles up to him. "For the record, I wasn't threatening you. Just reminding you of the sword of Damocles hanging over all our heads." Philomena hadn't been in Inquisitor Grimm's service for long and had never earned her reprobation, but inquisitors had a well-deserved reputation when it came to punishing failure. Her companions could all testify to that fact. She looks up at Lokar, her comradely expression subtly laced with fear.

Don't worry Mina, if I thought you were really threatening me I would already be wearing your tongue as a trophy. Smiles down at her with a wink. And fear not the wrath of Master Grimm, I have passed all her tests so far and I'm sure this one will be no different.

Lokar narrows his eyes at Philomena wondering if he should bring up a potentially touchy subject.

There is one thing that has been bothering me tho', you said the word 'capture' more than once. I doubt my bola and manacles will be of much use. So unless you have some great capture plan you have yet to share with us, then I'm thinking fire and axe is the way to go.

"Capture was Inquisitor Grimm's preferred outcome, but we may have to slay it." Philomena eyes Felyx's mancatcher. It wouldn't be enough to secure the daemonhost, at least, not until it was weakened enough. "Between Damiel's abilities and yours, it might be possible to weaken it. Donna and Felyx might then be able to restrain it. I will help as best I can using my precognitive abilities." It wasn't much of a plan. More like an outline.

She smiles ruefully. "I'm afraid this is my first time hunting such a creature." She looks around at the others. "What about the rest of you? Have you any experience capturing such a thing?"

Lokar patiently waits for the others to speak, or at least as patiently as a young man with an ego two sizes too big for his head can wait. Greeted with silence he assumes, lightly falsely, that they must be waiting for his expert opinion.

Where I come from we would trap a fell spri.. err, Dae-mon in a rocky chasm or cave, someplace we could control the battle, then we would kill it. I suppose we could capture it instead. Getting it there is the hard part, we found the best lure is a young scantily clad virgin maiden, singing a bitter-sweet love song. Now, this star-ship is alot like a cave, with lots of big metal doors to protect from flooding. If we could control those doors somehow then all we need is a good place of our choosing to trap it, and the lure.

Lokar looks from Philomena to Donna, then back to Philomena again.

Perhaps if you removed your armor, tell me Mina, how's your singing voice?

Philomena smirks and gives Lokar a sidelong glance. "Why, it's divine, of course. My mother had me take singing lessons from the day I spoke my first word. However, if the 'virgin maiden' is a necessary component, then I'm afraid we're about a decade too late. Besides, there is no way I'm taking off my armor while that thing is still on the loose. The Emperor protects by giving us the tools to protect ourselves."

She feigns thinking for a moment, theatrically cradling her chin with her free hand. "Perhaps we could put a wig on Felyx? I'm told the Adeptus Mechanicus are quite resilient and have little taste for the pleasures of the flesh."

Severine knelt in her saviour pod as it drifted through an empty area of space the relevance was either unknown by her superiors, or not worth explaining to a lowly Sister. She did not dwell on such things, instead offering up prayers to the Emperor as she religiously checked and rechecked her equipment. Every joint of her power armor was oiled and cleaned to perfection, and she had taken apart her bolt pistol a number of times both to calm her nerves and to ensure it was in perfect condition as her mentors would want.

It was the sound of a ship leaving the Warp nearby that broke her from her prayers, and once she had confirmed it was the Merchant vessel she was told to expect, Severine sent a comm blip notifying them of her presence, and that she had been requested directly by Inquisitor Maud. The ship drifted closer, and Severine heard a metallic *clunk* as her pod was suddenly lurched to a halt and pulled towards the docking bay.

----

She was greeted by an exhausted looking crewman and a ship that seemed to have not been cared for in years. She paid it little mind, giving the crewman a nod as she stepped to follow his guidance through the ship. The captain had been more than willing to let her board after she mentioned Maud, and this crewman had been given the responsibility of guiding her to the Acolytes of Maud who were currently in charge of a situation aboard the ship.

The fact that there was a situation gave Severine more than enough reason to keep her hand flamer and bolt pistol drawn and ready as she moved through the ship. She saw nobody, and occasionally her guide had to vox the bridge to unlock a bulkhead as they progressed deeper into the ship. A lockdown of some sort, clearly.

----

The stomp of metal on metal would be the first clue that Severine was nearing the other Acolytes, and soon enough the power armored Sister of Battle turned a corner behind her crewman guide. She was silent until the crewman excused himself, and scampered back into the ship like a frightened rat.

"I was told you were in charge currently. I am here to answer a request for aid sent by Inquisitor Maud to my order. Her voice was deep and firm as spoke in a very formal high-gothic for her introduction. "My name is Sister Severine Veneria, at your service." The Sister cracked a slight smile as she regarded the rag-tag group, excited to get a chance to bring the Emperors justice to whatever threat had formed aboard the ship.

As they make their way to the bulkhead of Habitation Sector 2 on Deck 5, the Acolytes are interrupted by the sound of pounding feet headed their way. Philomena tenses up for a moment, until a power-armor-clad Adepta Sororita rounds the corner and approaches them.

Philomena struggles to maintain her composure. She had seen Sisters of Battle before, but only from afar. It was during her training on Holy Terra, and their presence had usually heralded bad tidings. She keeps her face neutral, but cannot abstain from clutching her staff tighter. She relaxes slightly once the Sister has introduced herself and stated her purpose. If the Inquisitor had requested her presence, then she must not be as zealous as her kin were said to be. If she were, Maud would not have trusted her to help in capturing a daemonhost.

Philomena bows, as one would to greet an equal. "I am Lady Philomena Beauparlant, Acolyte of Inquisitor Maud Grimm. These are my colleagues, Acolytes Lokar Bloodaxe, Felyx Turing, Donna Matrix, and Damiel Atregus. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sister Veneria. I am certain that your assistance will be most valuable as we are hunting quite a dangerous foe."

Lokar watches with quiet interest as the stomping armor-clad woman approaches. He had been briefed on the Battle Sisters but like much of his lesions it was short and left much to the imagination. The young feral couldn't help eyeing her weapons and comparing them to his own in silent competition. He was pleased to see that his autogun was still the biggest, and therefore must be the best firearm in the party. The newcomer's power armor was a different story, he found it very interesting never having seen its kind before and wondered how it would fair against his axe, not because he wished harm on its occupier but out of curiosity to see what it would take to get through the hard shell.

Well met, I'm Lokar Bloodaxe.

He gives a stern nod of acknowledgment.

"The pleasure is mine Lady Philomena." Severine bowed her head in recognition of the title, before turning to Lokar and nodding to him in kind.

With a roll of her shoulders she looked back to Philomena, head tilted just slightly. "I have been given very little instruction on our specific task. I was told only to meet this ship in this location. What's the current situation?

Her question posed, Severine began to look over each of the acolytes in front of her in more detail, along with checking the immediate hallway nearby to ensure they weren't in any obvious and immediate danger.

Philomena hesitates for a moment, wondering how much she should reveal. After all, they only had the Sister word to explain her presence. On the other hand, Adepta Sororitas were not known for playing the political game. They were soldiers, paladins of the Ecclesiarchy said to have Faith so strong it bordered on the supernatural. Could such a person be a spy?

If Sister Veneria was to join them, and Philomena doubted they could stop her if she insisted, she was going to find out the truth eventually anyhow. The young psyker looked around, making sure the group of Acolytes were alone, then pulled out a painted wood and paper fan from a pocket. She starts fanning herself against the heat in the corridor and uses it to hide her mouth from potential onlookers as she speaks. "A prisoner held by the Inquisitor has gotten loose. I'm afraid the former inmate is possessed by a daemon. We have asked the captain to initiate a lockdown in order to limit the creature's movements. As far as the rest of the crew knows, this is but a training exercise," she says, keeping her voice low.

Severine's face lit up with excitement at the mention of a daemon aboard the ship. Her white eyes practically lit up with rightous passion, she was being given a chance to hunt a demon and it was only her first day in Maud's service. "And our goal with this daemon is what, Lady Philomena? Many would rush to purging it with the Emperor's flame, but from what I know of our Inquisitor she may wish it captured for future use?"

Severine rolled her shoulders as she spoke, holstering her two pistols in their places on each thigh. Her bolt pistol sat next to her sheathed chainsword. Instead, she pulled a full sized Flamer from its place hooked to her jump pack and hefted the weapon as she checked its fuel.

"I admit I am far from equipped for anything other than a purging mission, I was not warned ahead of time. But flames can weaken just as well as they can kill."

Knowing that the warrior nun was a holy woman devoted to the Emperor Lokar remembered Philomena's earlier warning and couldn't help wondering if the newcomer was capable of burning him at the stake.

Ignoring the fact that the question wasn't directed towards him Lokar interrupts.

Yes, we are on our way to look at its latest pile of victims for clues. Capture is the preferred outcome however we were discussing the virtues of using the environment to trap it versus crippling it with fire, then chopping it into pieces, what do you think?

Surprised that he didn't notice it before his eyes widen as he sees Severine's flamer, and trys to hide his disappointment that it is bigger than his Autogun.

Philomena winces behind her fan as Lokar and Severina openly discuss their foe. So much for subtlety. "The Inquisitor's instructions were clear. Capture, if possible. We should therefore make a good faith effort to restrain the target. If that proves to be impossible... Well, then, by all means, dismember them."

"We should resume our march. The longer we linger here, the more time our target has to find a new hunting ground."

"Agreed. I assume you have a method and plan to restrain them? Or am I just to hold him down and pray?" Severine smiled again, seeming to mean that mostly in good humor.

Regardless of the answer, she stowed the full sized flamer once more and returned to her smaller scale weapons. They were better to start off with, especially if she did end up having to hold down their prey. She muttered a prayer to the Emperor over her weapons, and then stepped aside to allow those who knew the ship better to lead the way.
"If you prefer, I can also take point. You all seem... Woefully unarmored. But I will need direction, this ship is unfamiliar to me."

Lokar felt insulted 'Woefully unarmored!?' he was proud of his carapace, it was one of the finest suits he had ever seen, granted most he had seen were dirty leathers wrapped around smelly ferals, but even still. That comment while he was still stinging from his firearm being demoted left him feeling a little emasculated, under normal circumstances his youth would cause him to get defensive and act out. However, he couldn't ignore the fact that Severine was a large woman and in her power armor and jump pack was bigger than he was, to his primitive feral mind that meant something. Where he came from the largest people rule, not that he was going to say anything about it out loud.

I was just about to say before you mentioned it Severine that 'I' think you should take point. I have already agreed to protect lady Philomena and my task would be much easier with you stomping about upfront drawing all the attention.

Perhaps a little obvious to the others but he felt happy that it was an arrow successfully dodged.

How best to capture it is what we were just discussing. Personally, I think trapping it between two bulkheads in a short corridor so Master Grimm can deal with it at her leisure has the best chance of success. But yes, we could always beat it to the point of death, restrain it, heal its wounds and try to get it back to its cell before it dies or worst, wakes up, could also work.

Donna had enjoyed the banter between Philomena and Lokar until this stern looking lady showed up.

"Wha's all the dis'cussin bout? We got a guy 'ew needs killin. He don' need no prayin as e's dyin."

She paused, rethinking her words.

"on secund thought, never a bettah time to start prayin eh?" she chuckles.

Severine looked briefly to Donna. She took a few moments to decipher what she was saying with that deep low gothic accent, but she eventually chuckled as well and gave an almost predatory grin. "If killing is what we need to do, the Emperor finds few things a better display of faith than purging the heretic. A prayer in battle makes that all the better!"

She then turned back to Lokar, giving a firm nod. "I'll take point in that case! You'll all need to tell me where to turn. As for trapping it... Bulkheads would hold it for a time. I think the best solution is to fight the creature to within an inch of its life, then at least if it breaks free it will still be weak. I don't know about you, but the idea of guarding a bulkhead until our Inquisitor awakens sounds quite dull, no? I suppose I could use the time to pray..." She shrugged off her own comments, getting ready to take point in whatever direction the group suggested.

Lokar shrugs.

Very well Severine, we fight the Daemon. I'll slap my manacles on it if I get a chance and we can hope for the best. So long as we have a plan we can all get behind then I'm happy. To be honest I would rather fight the thing anyway, I've been studying far too long and need a good challenge to get my blood pumping.

Damiel has kept quiet for a long time. He had hoped he could keep his mind at bay. It had been over twenty years since he last saw his brother, yet the horrors he saw at the lab were too potent a reminder of the destruction his brother wrought. He was swimming in remorse and shame, crippled by his own inability. It had been years, he had trained, gotten stronger, and yet he still doubted it was enough. With his allies, he had proven strong enough in the past, and could only pray that was worth something.

His eyes met the battle sister's. "Being in an inquisitor's good graces does yield some interesting allies... Sister Severine, I'm glad to have one as capable as yourself. We may be lucky, I believe I'm pretty well suited to handle daemons. Just my presence should weaken the thing, and if we're lucky, we may be able to subdue it without much difficulty. On the other hand, if it comes for me, I may be unable to stop myself from returning it to the warp." Even as he spoke, his voice was uneasy, and he could feel a weakness growing in him as he considered confronting the creature.