Chapter 1: Testing her mettle (Araleen 'Alta' Narcia)

Round 11



Hooded man #2 13 (0/9)
Myev 12 (0/9)
Araleen 'Alta' Narcia 11
Hooded woman #7 11 (0/9)
Hooded man #8 11 (0/9)
Hooded woman #5 10 (0/9)
Hooded man #1 7 (0/9)
Stannislas 6 (10/10)
Seraphina 5 (8/12)
Hooded man #3 5 (0/9)
Hooded man #4 5 (0/9)
Hooded woman #6 5 (9/9) Pinned
Hooded woman #9 4 (9/9)
Hooded man #10 3 (9/9)
Hooded woman #11 3 (9/9)
Hooded man #12 3 (9/9)

"Great shots! The Emperor is with us today. Now's our chance, to the warehouse." She said the second bit just slightly quieter, hoping their enemies didn't hear.

And then she ran! Alta spun around, grabbing her staff in one hand from its resting place against the wall as she made her dash towards the warehouse - or as close to it as she could get. "I'll check the door, you two cover me but keep coming, don't stay in one spot!"

OOC:

Running down the alley, Alta could see that it had opened up into a little square. She couldn't yet see the door or the factory that the others mentioned, but from what they'd said, it should still be a bit further on ahead.

Raising his autopistol up Stannislas fired a single shot up the alley before heading a few meters after her.
"We don't want them to see where we are going. Otherwise they'll surround us and that will be that."
"Get the door open and then we can hole up inside!"
Serephina remained where she was, aiming her gun carefully and firing her shot.
"Another down. And damn, two more in support."

Round 12




Hooded man #2 13 (0/9)
Myev 12 (0/9)
Araleen 'Alta' Narcia 11
Hooded woman #7 11 (0/9)
Hooded man #8 11 (0/9)
Hooded woman #5 10 (0/9)
Hooded man #1 7 (0/9)
Stannislas 6 (10/10)
Seraphina 5 (8/12)
Hooded man #3 5 (0/9)
Hooded man #4 5 (0/9)
Hooded woman #6 5 (9/9)
Hooded woman #9 4 (9/9)
Hooded man #10 3 (9/9)
Hooded woman #11 3 (9/9)
Hooded man #12 3 (9/9)

"We'll have a better chance if we're all alive when we get there, come now Seraphina!" Alta called backwards before she lost sight of the other woman. She redirected her focus on getting to where she had to be, and continued forwards in her search for the door! If she could reach it, she'd try to swing it open and get inside, ready to shut it behind Seraphina when she arrived.

As Alta ran down the street, the darkness suddenly slid aside revealing the tall wall of a building. Just to the right of where she was moving was a dark green door slightly depressed within a brick ridge. There was a dull repetitive noise reverberating out, and she could feel slight vibrations through the soles of her feet as she got closer. Trying the handle she found it swung inside easily. As she stepped in she was suddenly hit with a wall of loud throbbing noise. Inside she could see a long line of machines, each about as large as a two story house. There were ladders and scaffolded walkways around each of these, and she could see the small shapes of people attending to the machines. Her quick glance wasn't enough to discern what the machines were engaged in doing but they were being extremely loud about it. It didn't look like anyone had noticed the door opening.

Behind her she heard the pounding of feet. Stannislas came into view and managed to get up into the doorway, Serephina just a few meters behind him.
Turning back as he reached the frame, Stannislas swore, staring back the way they'd came.
"Puth! They just don't stop do they."
Looking over at Alta he summarised.
"There's two of them following us. They can see where we are going."

Round 13




Hooded man #2 13 (0/9)
Myev 12 (0/9)
Araleen 'Alta' Narcia 11
Hooded woman #7 11 (0/9)
Hooded man #8 11 (0/9)
Hooded woman #5 10 (0/9)
Hooded man #1 7 (0/9)
Stannislas 6 (10/10)
Seraphina 5 (8/12)
Hooded man #3 5 (0/9)
Hooded man #4 5 (0/9)
Hooded woman #6 5 (9/9)
Hooded woman #9 4 (9/9)
Hooded man #10 3 (9/9)
Hooded woman #11 3 (9/9)
Hooded man #12 3 (9/9)
Hooded man #13 3 (9/9)
Hooded woman #14 3 (9/9)

"That's not good! But there are people in there, we should be able to lose them if we can wedge the door shut. In, in, quickly!" Alta 'looked' around the building - or the parts of it that she could actually see - taking note of where the people seemed to be and if there were any exits apart from the one they just came in through.

She was looking for a side door that would get them out on the Olafur's Axe side of the building if possible. Ideally it would also be out of the way of the workers so that those pursuing had less to go on when they got into the building as well.

Alta started to walk towards the best option she could see, or at least deeper into the building to see more options. "The second she's inside, block that door with something! I'll find a way out."

As Alta ventures further from the side door, she is able to see a sight similar to what is shown above. Roughly her sense of geography would tell her that she should keep going straight. This way would progress along the side of the machines, easy and straight but also fairly easy to spot. Alta's vision fades before she is able to see the wall on the other side, so she can't see if there is an exit on this way. The workers she can see are all scattered around the machines. None of them appear to be on the pathway but they could be further ahead. All of them are wearing blue boiler suits and red hard hats with heavy mufflers around their ears. The two options for progress are to either continue up the wide path, or to move to walk along the other side of the machines.

Behind her Stannislas looks about before finding a half broken wooden beam. Serephina turns back her head and raises her weapon swiftly to loose off a shot before dashing through the door. Stannislas closes this behind her and then jams the beam between the door and the floor. Serephina appears to shout something but the sound is drowned out by the noise. With the door now closed the machines working make any vocal communication impossible. She instead holds up two fingers and then lowers one. The two then look to Alta to see where she is going to go.

The fastest path would be good enough, so after seeing the others made it inside safely she pointed down the wide path and began to move down that way.
She would do this for as long as it felt safe to, just making distance from the door. But eventually she would cut to the side, signaling Stannislas and Serephina to follow her behind the machines so that they were harder to spot of their pursuers managed to break through the door.

Hopefully she would eventually locate a door out of the building, that was her main focus. The workers could be ignored, she was an agent of the inquisition and they were in no position to stop her.

Stannislas and Serephina followed Alta as she wound her way through the machines, the woman taking a position behind her and the man alongside, machine side. Exhaust fumes and steam hung heavy in the air, reducing the visibility. This wasnt something which affected Alta, of course but her companions got the impression of being forced into a small box, sound buffeting them from all sides and unable to see too far ahead. As they splashed through the occasional puddle on the hard floor, they caught sight of the occasional worker on ground level. Many were masked with goggles and rebreathers, leaving no humanity on display but the Emperor's developments in human survival.

Eventually the group got to the edge of the machines, and space finally opened up in front of them. The distance was too great for Alta to see beyond but before she could take a step Stannislas held out his arm and stopped her. When she turned to look at him, she could see he had a datapad out in his hands and was busy typing away with his dirty fingers, his weapon back beneath his jacket. Serephina had her back to them, her weapon down at her side but watching carefully.

After a minute, Stannislas held up the pad for Alta to read.
<Theres what looks like a big exit up in front. Can't see any others. Its a big metal gate. Looks like it opens and shuts to let people through. Room above it, all glass. Looks like one or two watching. Probably have the door controls. Has barbed wire lined around it and there's what looks like a gun of some kind built into the side of the room pointed into the factory.>

Alta nodded and motioned for the datapad so that she could respond in the same way to be heard over the din of machinery. <You know this area better than I do. Do you think we can speak with the people up in the glass room and convince them to let us out? Maybe warn them about the fight outside. I am an agent of the inquisition, they should agree to our request. But if this is a gang again... As I said you know it better than I>

Alta looked around, inching forwards just slightly to try and see a bit further. Only having one exit was an issue. Their pursuers would be able to see it opening, assuming they had followed them into the building. And if they had, then their time was limited either way. They needed to move.

She quickly tacked on a final addition to the datapad then handed it back. <We need to move either way. Guide me towards the glass while you respond, we should work our way up to them - either combat or talking, but we need to leave through that door. If they followed us in here it's only a matter of time before we're found again.>

Stannislas took the pad back from her and then his fingers got busy typing out his message.
<Thing is we'd have to get them to open the gate before we are going to get the chance to talk to them. Its too loud here for them to hear anything that we are going to say.>

He paused and then gave her a long look, his head tilted to the side before he continued.
<You sure you'll mention about being with the I's? People get very jumpy whenever that's mentioned. They'll probably just call in the Commissariat to arrest us and take it out of their hands. And if I'm to be honest I'd prefer to be outside with whoever was just attacking us than with the Commissariat. If we get taken inside the Meschansky I'm not sure anyone's getting us out without a legion. Even with our mutual friend. I don't know if this factory has any particular gang connections. It'll pay protection but beyond that it would probably be a regular business. I also have the feeling those outside aren't gangers.>

He watched in front of you for about twenty seconds and then started typing again.
<Just watched someone go through. It looks like they just walk up and stand in plain view and then they open the window from above. Our best bet is to get them to open that door. I'm not sure of our chances fighting our way up to the window, past the wire, especially with the gun. Let me know what you want to do and I'll guide you.>

<Good points. Fine, to the door and hope they open it. Lead the way!>

Alta was ready to move the moment she started to be lead. She made sure to stand as straight as possible, trying to look like she belonged despite the staff and bandage over her eyes marking her clearly as an outsider. Still, the best she could do was pray to the emperor and hope that Stannislas knew what he was doing.

Stannislas glanced past Alta to catch Serephina's eye. After a moment, the woman noticed him and turned to face the front. He nodded at the large gated area in the distance and then placed his gun and his data pad back inside this coat. Shaking her head, she did the same, and took up a position just behind Alta. Leading the way Stannislas walked confidently, his hands stuffed deep into his coat pockets. As they moved from the cover provided from the machines and the smoke and into the large open space, Alta became aware of a few order people on the edges of her vision, all wearing the heavy duty protection gear. Their faceless heads turned to look at the travelling group.

As you got closer, Alta began to see the structure that Stannis had described. Extending out from the backwall the gate was imposing in dark rockrete. In the centre was a heavy metal gate painted black and yellow. This was currently descending quickly back to the ground, and two figures dressed like all the others passed you on their way into the factory, their masks turning to look as they walked past. Barbed wire ran through pointed spikes driven into the structure, around the side of the gate, and around the walls, clearly designed to stop workers climbing up to attack the room above. Stopping a metre or so from the gate, you could see shadowy figures moving behind the clear screen of this. The mounted weapon turned and pointed at you. Nothing happened for thirty seconds. Stannislas stayed completely still for this time, but you could feel Serephina fidgeting behind you.

Eventually and with no change to the all encompassing sound around you, the gate rose up to reveal a grey steel enclosed space beyond. There was no obvious exit but the opposite wall was also painted black and yellow.

Alta took a step forwards, then a few more just to make sure she could see the entire room. They had seen people enter and exit from it, so it wasn't some sort of deathtrap.. Probably. "This seem above board to you, Stannislas?" She leaned close to the mans ear to make sure he could hear her.

If he said it was fine, then she would walk into the enclosed area and wait for - presumably - some sort of door to open. This was their only way out after all, there were few other options.

Stannislas turned to look at Alta after staring into the opening for a few seconds. He pulled a face, head tilted and then leaned his head towards her ear to shout into it.
"It looks like a checking over room. We walk in and they check us before opening the other door. I just hope you have a good story, because otherwise we kinda stick out dressed as we are suddenly in the middle of their factory. I'm not sure we have a lot of other options though."

Both Stannislas and Serephina glanced behind them to see if they could spot any danger. When their heads turned back, they didn't look any more worried than prior.

"We have little choice." Alta shrugged. This was not ideal by any means, but she was confident in her status as an inquisitorial agent and a psyker of the emperor to see her through whatever waited for them in the checking room.

So she stepped forwards, motioning for the others to follow her into the space where she waited to be interrogated, or whatever else was in store. Anything was superior to having to return to the fight with the attackers outside.

Stannislas and Serephina move at the same time as you, stepping through the open gate and into the closed steel room beyond. As soon as all of you have cleared the door, yellow flashing lights began to spin in the four corners of the space and the gate begins to close. You manage to get the centre of the room when it finally shuts and the noise from outside is suddenly gone. The sudden quiet feels heavy around you, like it is forcing you into the steel floor. Beside you, Stannislas stumbles momentarily before regaining his balance.

Looking up he scans the box you are currently in, as if trying to figure out where to go next. After another few seconds in which your footsteps seem to thump far too loud, you finally hear something else.

"PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELVES. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN OUR ZAVOD?"

Alta looked around, muttering soft prayers to the emperor as she waited for some sort of question to sound out.

And eventually one did. She had to decide whether she should listen to Stannislas's warning that these people may simply have them taken away if she announced herself as an agent of the inquisition. But that was the only real card she had to play.... Other than the truth of the violence outside. She would start with that.

"Hello. My name is Alta. We were attacked outside in the alleyway by gangers, not local to this area. The door to your 'Zavod' was open, and we used it for cover. We simply want to exit out this side and be on our way."

There was a long pause following Alta's response. As the seconds ticked by, there was no sound in the metal box beyond the faint shuffling of her two companions alongside her. After a minute passed, Serephina started tapping the side of her leg with her fingers.
"What the feth are they waiting on? Just open the door and its sorted."
"Probably just talking it over up stairs. Doubt they've ever got something like this before. Longer is probably better. Means they are discussing things. Not jumping to any rash decisions."
Stannislas had directed his words to Serephina but he wasn't keeping his voice quiet.

He had barely got the words out, when the voice sounded suddenly echoing off the walls.
"THE URBANUE PRAETORIANAE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. SOME WILL BE HERE SHORTLY TO SPEAK TO YOU. UNTIL THEN YOU WILL WAIT HERE."

Serephina spat at the ground and Stannislas shrugged his shoulders at Alta.
"Not as bad as it could have been. The U-Paets are the enforcers on this planet. Very fond of handing out beatings and occasionally executions but that's small fry compared to the Meschansky. Just keep it simple and don't look guilty."
He gave her a wink as he finished, before moving over to lean against the wall.

After a long five minutes of silence, the flashing lights on the far wall start shining and with a heavy continous clunk, the door in front of you starts moving up. As it gets to head height, four figures stepped through into the room with you. All four were wearing shabby looking blue carapace armour, a man and a woman with shotguns and shock mauls, and two men with auto pistols. The woman was in front walking up to just a pace from you, her dark brown eyes staring hard into your blindfolded face, while her companions loosely sounded you. This close, you could discern her appearance clearly. She was large and muscular, her face nicked and scared, and there were droplets of blood across her forehead. Despite this, her eyes were bright and intelligent, and her voice was still and calm when she spoke.

"What's this, what's this? What are you three doing here in this Zavod? I hear you came calling for shelter? What did you do to provoke attack?"

Alta waited, impatient and somewhat worried. "We haven't been shot, so I'm hopeful. If we're lucky they'll just let us through..."

When that didn't turn out to be the case, Alta frowned. Still, this was better than it could have been. She returned Stannislas's wink with a quick fingergun as she leaned against her staff to wait for the arrival of the authorities.

-

Alta stood up straight, holding her staff to one side as the door opened. She did her best to look official, professional, and otherwise like she was meant to be here. She nodded at the woman's question. "Yes, unfortunately. We fled in here to avoid them. Didn't do anything to provoke them though! We were just leaving a hotel across the way along the main road when they came at us from both sides. Started shooting before we could respond. As you may've noticed coming down here, we took some of them down before we fled in here. Now we're just trying to get to safety. Nothing more. Don't even need to stay here."

The woman continued to stare back at you, her eyes focused on Alta's face. Her thumps were resting on her belt, inches away from her weapons. A smile crossed her lips at the end of your sentence, and for a brief second she looked over at the man on your right and gave her head a brief shake before looking back at you.
"That's not what we heard. 'Parently you had a meeting out here. Fact that its out here means its something bad. Meetup goes sour and you shoot your way out."

The hands on her belt were completely still, the slight smile still on her lips.
"Tell you what. You tell me exactly why you are out here, who you were meeting and we'll go easy on you. Let you skip out and we'll handle the people who shot you."

"Oh, you think we were meeting with /them/? No no, you've got things all wrong." Alta held up one hand, the other remaining on her staff. She sighed.

She was trying to decide if it worth pulling the inquisition card now, or if she should wait... The woman wanted the truth, she could go into some detail without making that claim yet, at least.

"I came to visit someone in the hotel. I was meeting them cause they had information I needed for an investigation I'm doing. The guys outside went ahead and offed him before I could finish up, from outside the window and up a few floors. I have no idea who these people are, or what they want, and I don't much care to find out really."

As she spoke, Alta quickly began to weave her psychic power once again to try and peer into the mind of the officer in front of her.

OOC:

Information gained, Alta quietly cursed herself for not doing this sooner. She bit her lip, quietly thinking things over before speaking again.
"Look. You want to bring someone in, make a show of it. That could be us, sure, if you frame the murder in the hotel on us. Or. We could work together and take out or bring in the guys chasing us, then you have witnesses for the crime and a much larger group of people to bring in for prestige or whatever. We can help eachother, before we do something one of us regrets. Or you can just let us go."

A triumphant smile crossed the woman's lips. It was the look of a hunter, who had seen their prey take that wrong step and the trap to close around them.
"An investigation you say? And under what authority would you be doing this under? Any papers on you? And a murder too? And all of this caused by the people chasing you?"

She uttered a dry, laugh entirely without humour, her eyes boring into yours.
"I'm afraid there is no question of you just being let go. You will accompany us to the scene of the crime first and after that back to our barracks where you can 'help us with our enquiries'"

Without any obvious signal, the others raised their weapons to point at you three.
"But before that you will put your weapons down on the ground."
Her voice was stern, this last sentence clearly an order.

"Miss, forgive me but I know what you'll do once we get to the scene, and I know it doesn't end well for us no matter what the truth is." Alta pulled out her Astropath papers, not handing them over to the woman but holding them up clearly with no parts obstructed.
She hoped that the woman would just see the papers and give in, but that remained to be seen.

"I am an ordained and sanctioned Psyker of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica. An Astropath. These papers verify as much. I promise you that me and my friends are not worth the headache of trying to bring in. Do you know how many Astropaths there are in the city? Do you know how important we are to its operation? It would be noticed very quickly if any of us were being held, and that would reflect badly on you."

She held the papers up for a minute or two, turning them around to verify they were legit a few times and giving ample time for them to be absorbed by the guards.

"I am more than happy to cooperate with you and give you the evidence you need to take the people who actually murdered the man into your custody, but me and my companions are on urgent business."

Rolls:

The woman took a long look at the papers that Alta had presented her. On the edge of her vision Alta could see that the other three in blue had started to look a bit confused and uncertain. What had appeared to be an easy pickup was starting to get more complicated.
The woman, looked from the papers up into the psychic's blindfolded face. She appeared to be weighing things in her head. For a moment it appeared that your words might have worked, but then a stubborn expression came over her face.

"Whatever business you have is now on hold. You will be coming with us to the scene of the crime. Now put down your weapons or we will take them from you!"

"I don't think you're going to like what happens if the inquisition hears about this. May I keep my staff? It's a simple walking stick." She handed over her other weapons, keeping her psychic focus beneath her robes and for now leaning against her staff as she always did.

"Weapons over, you two. We'll sort this out without starting another firefight, if we can." She shot them both an apologetic frown, this had not gone as she wanted it to - or how they likely wanted it to.

(Apologies for the delay- I'd been on a bit of a holiday and then was slow getting back into the speed of things)

The woman raised an eyebrow at you.
"The Inquisition? Anyone who invokes their name so loosely is either foolish or reckless about the price of their life. You are trying my patience but you may keep your stick for now."

She collected your weapons and then indicated for two of the others to take weapons from Serephina and Stannislas. Serephina in particular looked very unhappy about being patted down and having her weapons removed. As well as her gun, you could also see a chainsword get taken. Stannislas seemed much more used to the procedure and gave up his weapons without much trouble.

Once the woman was content that you had been disarmed, the woman made a gesture and with a loud cranking noise, the grate you'd just come through started to open, filling your chamber with the deafening noise. No longer able to speak, she indicated that you form a column with herself in the lead, yourself and Serephina and Stannislas in the middle, and then her three others following behind, with their weapons trained on you. You were led back along the steps you'd already taken back through the factory, passing all the massive machines and the occasional staring worker. After a few minutes you were at the door you'd managed to lock behind you.

After looking at the metal bar used to block the door for a moment, the woman reached across and easily removed it. Taking out her weapon she held it in her right hand, before reaching out and opening the door with a sharp movement. She was still for a moment and then moved forward. Following after her you found the street was empty. Walking as the column, you turned around the corners bringing you back to the main street. None of the bodies remained on the route, though the ground was still stained with their blood. The woman appeared to notice this but said nothing.

Back on the mainstreet, you found it as empty as the road before. It was exceptionally quiet.
Turning to you the woman asked you
"Can you lead us to the hotel room now?"

Alta smiled and nodded, clinging to her staff as they walked back through the building. This hadn't gone to plan, not even slightly. But she would find a way to make it work, ideally the people who had attacked earlier would still be present.
As they exited onto the street, she did what she could in the small area that she could 'see' and tried to motion to Stannislas to look around as well. Alta assumed he was smart enough to get the idea. They needed to know if the attackers were still nearby.

"I can. But I'm also blind, it might be better for one of my companions to guide us. Also, as I said earlier, there are a number of armed people chasing us. So focus on the rooftops and stuff, yeah?"

OOC:

The woman grunted back at Alta, but indicated that it was ok for Stannislas to take the lead. Her grim face didn't betray her emotion but Alta did notice that she gripped her weapon a little tighter and kept it half raised about waist height. The wild haired and bearded figure of your rogue companion took the lead and moved over to the door of his former safehouse. His movements were subtle but, you could see he was checking out the area. Serephina moved up to join you, slipping an arm around your waist as if to help you, but using the occasion to whisper into your ear.
"The streets are empty. Eerily quiet. Also none of the bodies are left. Not even Myev."

Stannislas had paused to look down at the spot where his companion had fallen but then continued towards the door of the building. The next fifteen minutes were spent climbing the staircases winding further and further up. You could hear some muttering from the guards in blue behind you, but none of their grumbling was clear. Finally you were on the top floor. Ahead of you, you could just about see the door you had fled from only a little while ago. It was half open.

Stannislas indicated it with his arm.
"That's the room with the body."
The woman strode forward and gave the door a big boot and crashed into the room, her shock maul raised up and ready with strike with instant violence. She was away about a minute, but when she returned the weapon was back secured to her hip again. There was an angry snarl on her face as she strode up to you.
"What the exact feth are you playing at? The room in there is empty, just the broken bones of a bed and nothing else. You on something, or do you think its funny to waste my time?"
Her face was centimeters from yours, flecks of spit hitting your forehead and cheeks.

Not good. They were smart enough to cover their tracks after the firefight, and they were fast at doing so too. Alta kept her face forward, hiding her slightly worried frown from the view of the guards and returning the whispers to Serephina when the opportunity presented itself.
"I don't like this. They were way too organized, too prepared... And that they had time to clean up out here is not a good sign."

Her concern grew as they walked through the hotel, her fears founded when their captor got in her face about it.
"They tore the bed apart too... There must be residue, blood or brain matter or a burn mark where the sniper round penetrated. I told you these people were dangerous. In the time between us arriving at that forge and you meeting us, they were able to clear the bodies from multiple firefights, and remove the body of the man they assassinated all without being noticed. We need to be wary, and I need to notify my superiors what has happened."

Blindfolded eyes stared right back at the woman, unflinching. Far worse had been done to Alta in her time on Terra than anything this woman could inflict.
"Please. Check the room again, look for any remains. He can help." She motioned to Stannislas. "Taking the time to check loses you nothing, but may prove that I have been telling the truth about the assassination."

Serephina had kept her head close, managing to get a reply in as they climbed the stairs.
"I agree. Whoever organized this has power and bodies to spare. We need to get out of this area as fast as we can and try to put together what we know and what we can do."

The woman looked unimpressed by your words.
"Most beds in this zeckhole are probably ripped apart. I'm not going to get down an examine the remains of bed in a place like this. You've wasted enough of my time. Either you did this deliberately or your brain is void addled. Either way..."

She reached over to a small skull that was attached to her chest and pressed the top. She then turned and did the same in front of Stannislas and Serephina.
"I've got your faces recorded now. I'll send this around. If we catch you stepping out of line again, there will be no second chances. We'll take you in for the night. We might not learn everything you are up to but we'll have fun trying."

She paused and then two of her men suddenly slammed their weapons into Stannislas and Serephina, sending them sprawling to the ground. Pausing for a long moment, she flexed her fist in front of you before turning and walking back to the elevator with her men. With a brief cling, the door shut behind them and you heard the elevator descend. Groaning and cursing, your two companions slowly made their way to their feet.

"I will be so happy when I finally get the symbol I need to confirm my status. Idiotic locals are truly the biggest hinderance to our success."
Alta sighed, offering a hand to each of her allies to help get them to their feet, only speaking after she was sure their escorts had left.

What to do now... Returning to their original destination seemed the best course of action. The question was whether their foe was still outside. Or course now they had no weapons either, which made everything that much more difficult.
"Do either of you have any weapons at all? If not we are going to need to be very sneaky on our way out of here. I'd be surprised if the assassin's weren't watching all of that given how badly they wanted to off us... I have some friends back at Olafur's Axe. I want to head there. Thoughts?"

She had valuable info for the other inquisitors now, so getting to somewhat familiar territory was paramount.

Stannislas reached out to take the proffered hand, and pulled himself back up to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked in the direction of elevator door and spat on the ground, before turning back to you again, his expression rueful.  
"To be honest unless you had actual backup actually down here with you, literally enforcing you, I'm not sure how much help a symbol is going to do you with the likes of her. You start making too big a noise, without protection and they'll disappear you."

Serephina refused your hand and got to her feet herself. Her face was pale, only the tips of her ears showing any colour and her fists were tightly clenched. She was staring hard at the elevator doors. Stannislas had been rooting about in his jacket and eventually found a lho stick which he lit up before continuing.
"When Sarge was last down here, she did everything under the line. None of those in charge knew exactly who was behind all the deaths or why. Not my place to tell you how to do your job of course, just giving background."

He grinned suddenly when you mentioned weapons.
"That I actually can help you with. I always keep a few extra weapons in my buildings just in case."
He walked over to the second room down from the elevator, and after giving the door a kick, moved inside and then bent down by the bed slats of a matressless bed. He rooted around underneath for a few moments before standing again and returning back to you, his hands clutching pistols. Holding out to you first, he gave you the choice of two laspistols and an autopistol.
"No additional ammunition beyond what they already have inside I'm afraid."

Serephina finally spoke up again, her voice calm and still now.
"I'd say speed is the most important thing right now. If they are watching, we probably only have a few more minutes while they wait and see if the U-Paets are really gone. Anywhere that's far from here is best, the Axe should be ok."

"Things are quite different here than on Terra, mentioning the inquisition gets people anywhere they need, as did mentioning I was a Psyker... But I can change and adjust, I'll make sure to tell more lies next time." She smiled her eyeless smile and looked to the elevator as the others did.

"I will take a laspistol. I'm not the best shot in the first place, hardly the worst for me not to have a weapon if either of you want a second... I'm gonna miss my old one, had that done custom." Alta sighed, but began to move towards the elevator once the others were ready.

"Then we go quickly. If one of you can hold my arm and guide me, I can probably run about as fast as you. The problem is always that I can't see very far away, slows me down, heh." Clinging to her staff with one hand, and rubbing the back of her head with the other, Alta stood by the elevator and waited for the others to go.

"We will go to the axe. From there I need to find a contact and deliver what we learned."

Serephina took the autopistol and quickly ejected the ammo cartridge and gave it a quick check over. Her eyebrows frowned together as she slid the slider back and forward.
"When did this thing last get a clean? I'm not going to fire this and immediately get a jam am I?"
Stannislas had immediately slid his pistol somewhere in his deep coat and had returned to smoking his lho. Glancing over at Serephina, he cocked her an eyebrow before exhaling through his nose, a smile playing across his lips.
"Not checked any of them myself in a year or so but they all worked then. If they do fail I'm sure I could get a discount from the fence for the next order."

Looking back at you he returned to your first words, his expression still in place.
"Emperor's sainted backside, you telling me life on Terra all exists on an honesty first policy? Sounds like a strange, strange land that. Generally here its more about telling those in charge what they are most likely to believe and let you go. Like back in the factory, I'd definetely not have mentioned any assassination, just a bunch of toughs trying to mug us."

Taking a last gasp from the smoker, he stubbed it out on the wall.
"Agh its frustrating but we might get them back. If you do end up having any friends on this world, someone might be able to put in a word for you. And naturally ma écureuil. Serephina can run point and I can get you there. Straight back the way we came originally then? Back to the Axe."

After the button had been pressed it took under a minute for the doors to judder open and present the empty elevator. By the time they finally deposited you back down on the ground floor again, five minutes had passed since the U-Paets had left. The entrance way was empty, as was the section of the street you could see from the open doors.

"It was less honesty and more fear of what would happen to those who disobeyed. Not many people want to be burned, or turned into servitors, or worse." She chuckled, tucking the pistol she'd received into her robes as they walked out and rode the elevator down.

"I'll be more evasive next time, this is why I was asking your opinion so much. New here, new to the way things're done, have to learn somehow. Thankfully we didn't get sent back to the Emperor's side by some gun-happy cops, at least."

When they reached the street, Alta motioned Serephina and Stannislas forward to give the nearby area a brief visual scan since she couldn't do so herself. She clung heavily to her staff, pondering next steps.
"If all's clear, then yeah straight back to the Axe. Stay near me this time, would prefer not to get mugged twice in one day, yeah?"

Her weapon on hand, and hidden inside of her open jacket, Serephina slowly stepped out into the street and took a long glance up and down the road. Glancing back she motioned you forward, an odd expression on her face.
"Street is totally empty. Still, it was last time too. I'm not sure where those bastards disappeared off to, so quickly but I'm not keen on staying here long enough to find out."

Stannislas kept close to you, on your left side.
"It always takes a while to get used to the way a new place operates. In fairness though, you havn't done too badly. At least you are still walking free. And you know there is something going on, no gang here employees a sniper that good. I'd liked to have looked at those ones we did put down though. Didn't look like gangers either. Might need to avoid this neighbourhood for a while."

He was quiet as the three of you made your way back through the various side streets, clearly working through some things in her mind. Serephina walked a pace or two ahead, the scowl clear on her face. About ten minutes into your walk a familiar stretched thin face with green hair suddenly loomed out of the shadow. Serephina's arm was fully extended in an instant, her weapon pointed at her forehead.
"Triplenight, say one word. One word."
He let out a high pitched giggle, but his face disappeared back into the gloom and she continued forward.

Eventually and with no further incident, you find yourself back in the open streets next to Axe again. The scene has changed a little since you were last here. The armoured personal carrier is still blocking the street, but the cordon around the pub has been removed. Two of the men in blue are still investigating a section of the ground by the one of the buildings walls and another three appear to be going into each of the surrounding buildings one by one. None of the others who were waiting around outside are still present, but the door to the Axe is now open.

"Oh, yeah, the info was worth this on its own. Assuming the people I was getting it for don't already know what I'm about to tell them. Fingers crossed."

Alta stayed between the two of them as the group walked, using them as physical guidance for where to go and protection against any opportunistic gangers, which was proven to be worth the caution. She was thankful to have proper protection now, not quite as proper as Nissa and the big guy would be but this was a start.

When they reached the Axe, Alta looked around for anyone who seemed to be following them - not that she could see very far.
"Thanks for the trip, you two. You going to split? I could always use more hands with me going forward, ones I can trust since clearly the authorities here aren't people I can go to."

She smiled at the two of them, hoping they at least thought about her offer. She needed the help, and having three armed friends and one with a lot of street contacts would be an excellent boon for her work with the Inquisitor, surely.
"I have two more people that I'm working on hiring in there, met them earlier today. Could add you to my entourage~"

While Alta's view behind them showed noone, she could also see that Serephina, who had been regularly checking their rear, didn't seem particularly worried. Not about this in anycase. The grim expression and clenched jaw spoke more of anger than tension and fear. Her reply was terse, when Alta asked.
"I assume you'll no longer want me on guard duty then Stannis?"

He coughed out black smoke, and lowered his pipe.
"Should I dock your pay for failing to keep him alive?"
Almost immediately he raised his arms above his face as she stepped forward.
"A little plaisanter my friend only. Just me being silly. Not like I'm paying you anyway for this am I?"
Serephina swatted at him with her arm before turning to Alta.
"Sometimes he has the money to pay me, but often 'business is tight' and we do a barter system. He tends to have pretty good contacts for people and things. This job was a favour. I didn't quite think I'd be leaving Myev behind, but..."
She sighed and then closed her eyes working the bridge of her nose with her fingers.
"I'll have to speak to Myev's sister. Try and explain why there isn't a body, or why she won't get any gov assistance. Then I'll have to see about something that will earn me money. If you have funds I can be with you immediately. Otherwise..."

She gave you a long stare with her head tilted slightly and then checked a chrono she kept in her pocket.
"Technically I owe Stannislas the rest of this day. Round it up and we can call it 12 hours. You have a job in mind that will take that long, or a couple of smaller ones, I can help out."

Reaching out she tapped you lightly on the left shoulder.
"Hunts luck. Stannis knows where to find me."
As she turned to him, he grinned and she gave him a punch on the arm.
"Easy sentry work my ass. I'm going to need some of that green tea again before too long."
He nodded back, and she turned away from you moving toward the station.

Stannislas watched her leave for a moment before returning his gaze to you, continuing to smoke his pipe.
"Two more in there? If they are the two I saw you talking to, they'd definitely be useful if a little expensive. What about the rest of your team? I'm assuming that you weren't the only one dropped here. Otherwise I'm happy to stick with you for the moment. I owe Sarge that much."

"I will take all the help I can get to be honest with you, the more the better..." She sighed, looking around and leaning in a bit closer to whisper. "Look there's a decent chance that the guys who tried to kill us back there now know both of your faces. You /could/ try and go back and warn Myev's sister, could go take on other work, but if these guys are as dangerous and organized as they seem to be all you'd be doing is putting yourself and anyone you see in more danger."

Alta shrugged easily. She had no idea if that group would come after them, but the idea that they might would hopefully be enough to make Alta's offer a bit more enticing.
"Working with me and my group will keep you in the line of fire, sure, but it also gives you a lot more resources and protection than either of you have right now. I leave that up to the two of you. Can absolutely make use of you for the rest of the day, need to make a few stops, and then after that you two can let me know what you've decided, yeah?"

Cards on the table, Alta nodded to Stannislas. "Yep the two from earlier. I've got a deal with them, figured I'd pop in and say I'm still alive. After that, I've got to go to the Plugged Socket if you know where that is. And then from there I have a trip to the Administratum building, ideally with an inquisitorial seal. If you two stick with me for the rest of the day, that's what we're doing. Should be easy work... Easier than the last bit anyways, heh." She gave a dry chuckle, and then turned.

From there, barring an interruption from Stannislas or Serephina, Alta would head off into the Axe to find Nissa and Bertivich.