Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

[outside of the meeting with the Cardinal]

Friedrich von Gaussenberg sends the signal to his messenger clerk that the maintenance workers seem to be clean and to say as much to his escort. Yet they should still be on their toes as the whole timing of this accidents still seems very very suspicious.

He taps his fingers on his desk impatiently while he considers his options. He does not like this at all and his gut feeling tells him that the councellors lifes, maybe even the whole colonies existance might be on a knifes edge. Not only from internal foes but also depending on how his message is received by the higher ups. Wouldn't be the first time the Inquisition erred on the careful site and heavily decimated a harmless colony to guarentee the demise of supposed traitors. He also doesn't really like his chances should the knifes come out as he doesn't have a force of bodyguards or soldiers to protect him - and won't get any, as that would be a waste of ressources for personal matters, ressources that were meant for the advance of the imperium. Not a nice thought to cling on to.

After some tense minutes he decides to act according to his best conscience:
First he prepares a message to be delivered through the backup Vox Uplink to the Astropaths. He first asks them if they are OK in there or if they need medical help etc. Afterwards follows a message with the best encryption he can manage under the circumstances, to be delivered to what he hopes to be an adress in the inquisition that will ensure that it is at least read. The message does not include the evidence they have gathered, as he doesn't really trust the encryption, but at least the cornerstones of the current situation that he can vouch for:
- there seems to be a gathering of armed and well organized mutants
- they are supported by some personell that looks like they belong to the Ecclesiarchy, but he cannot confirm if they are and if so how high up this goes.
- the local military is on the hunt for them
- there was a series of "accidents" [mentioning Alloises demise that delayed a delivery for the Astra Militarum, the untimely destruction of the accessway to the Astropaths, the Mutants seemingly being tipped of before the raid] that seem highly suspicious. The loyal council is on it
- there was a workers union that has been supressed mentioning a "greater good"

He also ensures them that the Council and the Imperial Institutions are battling this threat. Finally he expresses his hope that the colony will endure and his conviction that they uncovered the taint before it can sink its roots too deep. His impression is, that the governor and the council are loyal and doing their best. But as a loyal servant he felt obliged to send this information forward. What evidence he collected will follow as soon as possible. Emperor be praised...



His fingers hover over the "send" button for a long time, fully knowing that he might spell Bonifatius Reach' death sentence by that. And that it is even more likely that this is his own, should anyone intercept and crack this message. But in the end he decides that his life and the lives of all the hundreds of millions of colonists mean little in respect to the countless lifes of imperial citizens. And that no price is to high to protect the Imperium. SEND

Afterwards he pulls out another tablet and scrolls through the CVs of those Administrators he had preselected for carreer advancement as he believed them to share his views on the hierarchy of loyalties, the right way to develop the colony and their personal competence, musing about who might be his successor, should the inevitable come to pass sooner then expected. He updates his last will, arranges everything for his succession and then gets a drink from his decanter, leaning back in his chair and listening to some bittersweet classical sonata, waiting for things to unfold.

Cardinal meeting with von Gauusenberg

"Thank you for the kind offer Adept Primaris, but I must decline. The Emperor's Business demands a clear head"

The Cardinal does not even take a seat. It was best to meet while standing, in order to get to the point.

"I have my doubts about the intentions of Tech Adept 01. I do not cast aspersions lightly.

During one of my tours of our mutual manufacturing interests, he asked a peculiar favor of me. That is what lead to me meeting with you today.

The Tech-adept asked me to interfere with an investigation of the death of one of your adepts. Of course, I played along but came to discuss it with you immediately."

The Cardinal had taken to travelling on his own, without his usual entourage of servitors and cherubim lately. His growing distrust of the Ad-Mech had seen him stripping himself of his usual ostentation and focusing on living, trusted servants. However, even they were not welcome for this conversation.

[spoilers]I am working under the assumptions that I do not know about the events regarding Loisy or Tech-Adept 01 at this point[/spoilers]

Cardinal meeting with von Gaussenberg


Von Gaussenberg nods regarding the clear head - it was an act of social curtesy anyway. "I hope you don't mind... I had a gutjob made a long time ago that removes the uncomely sideeffects of synthol..." he comments while he pours himself a drink.
He listens intently as usual to Cardinal Richemonts report and doesn't seem to much surprised. Internally he tries to calculate the probabilities between Techpriest 01 being responsible for Adolphis death and Richemont outright fabricating this to manipulate him, without coming to a satisfying solution. He sighes and decides to show at least some of his hand "In case you are not aware of the circumstances, the untimely demise of the clerk in question jeopardized a delivery of war material ordered by the Adeptus Munitorum, potentially endangering Astra Militarum personell. The main question remaining is: why does our esteemed colleague has a need to cover this up?"

He waits if the Cardinal - against his expectations - knows more about that or has some kind of educated guess before continueing "I'm inclined to...accept this loss for now. Accidents happen and I think I was able to smothen things with the Astra Militarum for now. I don't want to incite a conflict with our Mechanicus allies over something like this, not amidst a crisis... but I will remember. And everyone should be aware that we cannot afford to gain the Imperiums ire. All this business... the worker union, Loisys witchhunt, the mutants... this all won't matter at all if we fail to meet the demands of the Imperium." which is as much a statement as a friendly warning. In other words: von Gaussenberg is willing to look away in a lot of things the other power players do, as long as the obligations towards the imperium are met and the planets loyalty is not put into question. Something that might be interesting for Cardinal Richemont too.
"If you want you might as well capitalize on that. Feel free to mention to 01 that you talked me out of it and she has you to thank for it. Who knows, maybe there is something in for you." his tone implies that he really doesn't mind.

To drive the point home he asks "I hope your investments in our agricultural sector is going well? As you might imagine I am already considering the next steps for our worlds development and wanted to ask what you think about investing in the prometium fields found on the eastern continent. But I wouldn't want to... interfere with a fellow councellors business. I only care for the prometium to be extracted for our tithe and if some fellow determined investor wants to get his rightful share of wealth in the process I fully support that."
Which is again a pretty open statement in the direction "if you want to go into ressource extraction, I will stay out of it. All I care is us meeting our tithes. If you get rich in the process, good for you"

Loisy will make instinctive use of his military training: shoot back a volley, duck into cover, and shoit more volleys.

He will have his bodyguards and himself execute a retreat in by pair, with each pair supporting the other running towards the closest building or best shelter a short distance, then reverse roles, and so on and so in. Once on at the safest there could be, in reinforcements and that targeted and that by military standards, his closest captain will be the new PDF commander, should they not make it.

Lot of stuff,on paper, but that's really the description of it making it long as it'd actually take but a few minutes. I also assume that his bodyguards immediately reported back and asked for reinforcements as the elites that they are. He's using the las rifle the whole time.

Cardinal Richemont stroked his beard in thought. Von Gaussenburg was obviously laying out some "rewards" for him. However, the Adepts words about Imperium first rang true.

"I am starting to believe, that our esteemed Colonel Loisy may not be as unhinged as I first feared.

Our strategy of Bread and Circuses would have easily kept unrest to the necessary level to allow for our maximum advantage. That fact that it persists is.... unusual to me. In fact, it seems to be spreading, and as are ultimate mission is for the Glory of Humanity, this concerns me."

The Cardinal took a moment, to search for the right words. He had to tread carefully, as things were about to get delicate.

"Our own members of the priesthood often walk a line between intent and heresy. It appears, some in my own house have fallen to the side of Heresy when dealing with the Mutant." The Cardinal offers a data-slate on the Brotherhood that the Bishop had provided him.

"I intend to provide this to Colonel Loisy next. However, with the subterfuge our Tech-priest compatriots are involved in, I am beginning to fear that it is not just some wayward priests from my own church we will have to deal with. Hearing about their efforts around the Militarum and their ask to squelch the death of one of your own agents....." The Cardinal intentionally let the implication hang in the air.

"I am loathe to involve outside forces in clearing up these loose ends. It is best if the Council and the Governor can handle these issues."

"That is... concerning. But also kind of reassuring that the Bishop is still cooperating." von Gaussenberg comments on the evidence presented to him. "Of course one can never rule out that these are scapegoats to distract from the guilty." he massages the bridge of his nose "Damn, I'm not made for this. I'm an Administrator, not a spy or detective... All I want is bully around numbers and taxcodes until they make sense..." for a moment von Gaussenbergs 130 years are quite visible in the look on his face. But he seems determined to carry on to the best of his abilities.

"Colonel Loisy isn't unhinged, but he is... traumatized. Have you read his service file? After what he has gone through I fully sympathize with him 'seeing ghosts'. One should be very careful not to push the man to far. Or he will lash out like an animal fighting for survival. And maybe even against those that bring forth accusations against his Mechanicum allies. I believe it is too soon to give him another target for his paranoia with the Mechanicum. Not before we have hard evidence for treason there. So far all I have is one dead clerk and a minor hickup with our tithe that has been smoothed out. I won't risk pushing our best officer of the edge for that. Keep your evidence, collect more if it is possible, and present it to him when he believes to have tackled the foe at hand... At least that is my advice."

Regarding Richemonts suggestion to not involve outside forces von Gaussenberg sighs "One thing my decades within the bureaucracy has taught me is that it is futile to believe the usual 'well informed circles' would not be fully aware of what is going on here. Ignorant and oblivous perhaps, but not unaware. I would be surprised if that ship hadn't sailed long ago. Now if they decide to intervene or not, that is out of our hands. But we might as well try to get on top of things. If you agree I would forward the evidence you showed me regarding this radical sect of yours as well as your testimony about 01s wish to cover up the death of Alloises to these 'higher powers'. We might as well present us as reliable sources and witnesses while we are at it. If this colonial endeavor does fail, it can't hurt to look like the less suitable scapegoats within the government."

"Agreed, we will need to keep our eyes open on the Adeptus Mechanicus front. We will want to keep a close eye on what they are bringing in from off-world through the Spaceport. Did they ever complete the work on the bio-scanners?"

The Cardinal waved his hand as if to move onto new business,

"I have no doubt He on Terra and his appointed officers are aware. However, I do not want to give them the impression that we can not handle it. Perhaps it is time to stop looking forward for St. Bonafactious Reach and begin to look down at it instead?"

Either way, wheels beyond their view were in motion. He was only as good to his followers as he could deliver benefits to them. If the benefits stopped, his power would be eroded. However, it was better to have a single wafer than an empty hand.

"You mentioned Promethium Mining on the Eastern Banks. Perhaps instead of looking at future resources to exploit, we need to get the resources we have contained? That will take a group effort."

"The work on the bioscanners has only just begun. But you raise a good point. Should Loisy be indeed correct, this might be a reason for an enemy to infiltrate the Adeptus Mechanicus. And if so he - or it - might have shown its hand"


"I guess you are right that St. Bonifatius present is as important as its future, but one won't exist without the other. I find it hard not to have the long game in my mind, when I saw it being lost so often by mistakes made to seemingly deal with the present. Whole world have been ruined because they did not start to prepare for the future in time. But I will heed your councel and be grateful for it."

As the Cardinal mentions containing the ressources they have he inquires "What do you have in mind?"

[I'll write up an event at the meeting. Then when I have more time tonight I'll narrate the conclusion of the battle]

The Meeting

The lumens blank out inside the building and outside and then flicker back on. The air becomes un-naturally cold and you hear a loud guttural voice in the air, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

VASHTORR

Then you hear screaming from outside of the room followed by the loud slamming of something big into the door. You see splinters fly everywhere. Whatever is coming through that door will tear it apart in moments. From outside a panicked voice cries out.

"YOUR EXCELLENCY, ONE OF THE SERVITORS HAS GONE MAD. IT'S SPOUTED BLADES AND IS ATTACKING THE DOOR!"

Another person calls out.

"Guards Guards! Come forth! The Cardinal is in danger!"

[So now you all can either attempt an escape or prepare to fight the servitor, let me know what you plan to do!]

The Ambush

The Colonel gets out of the ground car and immediately takes cover behind the trunk of the car, compact las carbine at the ready. The advancing gunmen fire indiscriminately in his direction but miss.

For the next five minutes, the Colonel and his two body guards engage in a long drawn out gun battle with five masked gunmen amidst the cover of various ground cars.

During the battle, one of the Colonel's bodyguard's is shot and killed, and the Colonel takes a glancing blow to his flak plate. [1 shock damage]

But the gunmen are all killed in short order. Amazingly, the Colonel's calmness under pressure allowed him to take careful aimed shots at the gunmen, and at the end of the gunfight, he had good reason to believe that he killed four of them personally.

As the adrenalin starts to wear off, the Colonel hears the sound of an approaching vulture gunship hovering overhead and the sound of vox traffic confirms that it belongs to the PDF.

"Vulture Alpha 1 preparing to extract HVT"

The bodyguard moves in to protect the Colonel as PDF trooper repels down a rope and motions toward him.

"Sir, this area is not secure. We can get you to PDF HQ via the gunship."

[Nice rolling on behalf of the colonel. Cultists...not so much]

The Meeting

If this wasn't so scary, von Gaussenberg might as well chuckle about the correctness of his prediction. So this migh be it? Well, overall he should be able to stand before the golden throne with a relatively clear conscience. But maybe, just maybe, there was still some time for that. "QUICK! HELP ME!" he yells as he tries to push his heavy desk towards the door and block it. A feat to difficult for one man alone, but together, the Cardinal and the Administrator might just have a chance.

His room does have a window and a second door leading to a small balcony, but there was nowhere really to go from there beside a narrow window sill leading to the next balcony and von Gaussenberg does not really love his and Richemonts chances when it came to physical exercise. Should blocking the door with the desk not work, that would be his backup plan, but he still hopes they can buy time for the sentinels outside to kill the Servitor.

When the Servitor begins to break through, he would take some of his bottles with the highest percentages (mourning the loss of the fine amasec) and throw them at it, before pulling his small, ceremonial laspistol and firing at the thing, hoping to confuse it with fire.

Richemont chortled to himself, it looked like his suspicions about his own Servitors had been a correct one. Good thing he left them outside.

He followed vonGaussenberg's lead and said, "You don't have any concealed escape routes? I thought you planned ahead?

The Cardinal was not one for physical effort, he was getting a bit long in the tooth for that. His body creaked and groaned as he shuffled over and put what he could of his back into it.

Now, seemed like as good a time as any to start praying. "He on Terra, who art upon high. Grant us this day our daily protections from the heretic, the mutant, and the undesirable. Forgive our sloth, as we encourage the service of others....." Most of the time, his prayers were reflexive, but today they had a very urgent, personal tone to them.

As the Adept drew his pistol, the priest glanced around the room for anything he could use as a weapon.

"Touché" von Gaussenberg groans regarding the escape route as the two of them manhandle the desk towards the door somehow. "Can you bless these bottles? No idea if it helps, but you're a cardinal, we might as well try..."

Gaussenbergs office is unfortunatly pretty poorly equiped in the weapons department, but there is a pair of ceremonial sabres crossed at one wall and the curtain rod might serve as improvised spear

The Cardinal stumbled over to the bottles, quickly made the sign of the Aquila and raced through a blessing, only stumbling on a few words as he went. The Emperor protects, and that is what they needed right now!

"Great! So if you can see it, throw the bottles!" Gaussenberg comments while he tries to remember if he ever read about "Servitor Anatomy for dummies". As the thing seems to be possessed he doubts that a shot to the head or torso will kill it, but of it was a servitor once, it must have had some kind of powersource. So if he gets a shot of before being turned into minced meat, his priorities are to ignite the alkohol and then blow up its battery

Meanwhile...

"Sir, get in, we're legging it! A second chopper is inbound, ETA 2 minutes, to get your bodyguards off".

"Gladly, I knew I could only count on you Kallenes people in that mutant ridden hellhole of a dust all. Adjudant Leclerc, fecrh me these dead bodies and make sure they are delivered to the HQ via the next chopper, we'll meet again at the HQ."

The colonel rushes into the to the chopper and races towards the PDF HQ, on board, he caught the vox caster, and started ordering all PDF troops to rally to muster points at once and put all forces on war footing.

All other operations are to be halted.

Contact must be made immediately to all official - yes, including the ecclesiaechy- to report on the assassination attempt on Loisy. The governor is to be abducted and put into safety into the heavily defended PDF HQ, for fear he might be next.

Having calmly sent these orders away, adrenaline started to flow down and the realisation of what just happen threw him in a fit of madness, barely controlled by his bodyguards and captains trying to restrain him while he tries to have the imperial palace leveled with aerial bombardments, hopefully managing to knock him on his back long enough for him to come back his senses.

Now, Loisy, out of breath and deeply exhausted, reminded himself of the incident. For a moment, his ravings about the ecclesiaechy's mutant agents trying to get his head, the planning to strike back at these corrupt false priests, the calling of the inquisition, the reality of all he dreaded and of the cults, this all calmed for a moment. In fact, he thought, while the gunfight was ongoing, he almost felt more alive than he had been in years. All problems and suspicions cast aside, only he and his troops battling the enemy as he had, on the front line, on Inamorta, issuing commands with a thunderous voice, and recieving these almost enthusiastic reports and notes of understanding from his subordinates... Unfortunately, he seemed he had become a monster bred for war, and this thought saddened him, as he had tried to view himself as a balanced and faithful servant of the Empreror, and not a maddened warmonger.

None of his bodyguards dared to shake him awake from his reveries. They know their colonel that good, and they knew it was best to leave him alone for now. They had - in fact, as almost every soldier of Kallenes stock- deep respect and love for this fatherly figure, which they share to every generation of recruits. There sorrow in seeing their colonel in such pain was just as great as their fury and fear when the report came that someone tried to take his life.

As Loisy arrives at the HQ, his bodyguards take him to the medics and stand guard, waiting for their colonel to take things back in hand again.

Before he was taken by the doctors, he told: get me Von Gaussenberg as soon as possible. Contact his escort.

And the door shut.

(I'm assuming recovering from that will leave Loisy on the side for a little time in the grand scheme of things, as he will have to battle the trauma being awaken tenfold and get himself together, so he will try to see other actors while in the medical and stay here for a bit, trying to monitor things as best he can.)

 Pyroalchi wrote:
"Great! So if you can see it, throw the bottles!" Gaussenberg comments while he tries to remember if he ever read about "Servitor Anatomy for dummies". As the thing seems to be possessed he doubts that a shot to the head or torso will kill it, but of it was a servitor once, it must have had some kind of powersource. So if he gets a shot of before being turned into minced meat, his priorities are to ignite the alkohol and then blow up its battery

This whole scene is just making me laugh so much right now. Will have a post later tonight!

The servitor appears to be un-naturally changed. Whereas once it was a simple android, it now appeared as a horrific embodiment of evil.It's arms have been transformed into blades and it's face is a twisted effigy of the wicked Vashtorr.

Gaussenberg's laspistol strikes the maniacal servitor and it appears to do some damage to it's skull but the impact of amasec bottles does nothing. Then the servitor pushes its way through the door and let's out an un-natural scream.

The Cardinal somehow musters a bit of courage and charges in with his sabre. The blade clanks against the machine but does no visible damage. Then Gaussenberg steadies his hands and aims for the head.

The las shot strikes true and passes in and out of the warped creature's head. It slumps to the ground.

And then you hear the most wicked of voices coming from the creature. It's lips aren't moving but somehow words are coming out of it's face. It appears to be speaking to the Cardinal.

"All you had to do was listen to the Tech Priest. But now you've gone and fethed up all my plans. NOW DIE for it!"


The wicked creature lashes out with a long razor blade arm...but somehow, maybe by dumb luck, the Cardinal parries the blow and strikes back, decapitating the servitor and ending its reign of terror.

Astonished onlookers gaze upon the Cardinal in awe.


"His Holiness...has slain the deamon. Praise the Emperor...Praise the Cardinal!" One proclaims loudly and his sentiment is soon filled with racouse cheers.

PDF HQ: The Next 12 Hours

In the war room, reports continue to trickle in and are usually announced by some minor officer or another as new data slates are passed into the room via courier as a long day becomes a long night.

"All units mustering as planned. No attacks reported."

-

"Enforcers reporting good progress in the tunnels. Heavy resistance but it's uncoordinated and ill disciplined. Thank the Emperor casualties are light."


-

"Reported assassination attempt on Lord Gaussenberg and the Cardinal. The attempt failed, no casualties reported."


-"The Commissariat in Sector 42 reports the execution of a conspiracy of 12 traitors within our own ranks, supply division, depot 5. Apparently supplying the mutant skum with weapons and attempting to blow up the depot. A true disgrace Colonel. I can only hope they weren't Kellanese."

The next report brings a sigh of relief from everyone in the room and some clapping.

"Skitaari rangers report that the source of the threat has been identified and neutralized. I say again, primary threat has been neutralized."


The next report is offered by an officer in a hesitant halting voice.

"Sir...the Governor is confirmed dead. Killed by one of those malificent servitors."

von Gaussenbergs office

Friedrich is completely unaware regarding the further implications, as he has knowledge of Demons - let alone Vashtorr specifically. He leans to the wall for support as the adrenaline that pushed him through starts to wear of, thanking the emperor for his survival. And he doesn't mind Cardinal Richemont being praised as demon slayer, he sure was and it was hard to say what part his own shots played in that things demise.
Von Gaussenberg does have the clearance of mind though to immediatly call up his clerk in front of the Astropaths office "The Mechanicum Servitors have been compromised! Assume all Servitors in the vicinity to be hostile and protect the astropathic choir!"

The Aftermath:

After a few tense days, life starts to return to normal in the city. Apart from the Enforcer's slow and halting operation in the tunnels, no major incidents are reported anywhere.

Eventually a new Tech Priest, known as Mechandrite, announces himself to be the new leader of the mechanicum. Although it was still too soon to arrange a meeting of the council, Mechandrite brings a dataslate to Gaussenberg, the Colonel, and the Cardinal containing a full account of the Skitaari Ranger's investigation and subsequent action.

Timeline of Events leading up to Anomaly 01/5567256

T-10 standard years: Magos NOID secretly acquires *device* from artifact hunters.

*Device: Xenos Interstellar Probe. Origin. Tau Empire. Purpose: Spread hostile propaganda and turn Imperial worlds to serve mal intent. Contains: Limited Abominable Intelligence (AI). Modifications///Corrupted by unknown warp entity prior to arrival on our world.*

T-9 years: Magos NOID secretly begins to use the device's AI to assist him in restoring ancient archaeotech resulting in Forge 01 output increasing 225%.

T-9 years: Tech Priest 01 discovers the activities of Magos NOID but allows his work to continue in secret.

T-8 years: NOID begins experimenting with significant augmentations on local mutants, servitors, and even unaugmented humans.

T-7 years: NOID builds a small cabal of servants, which begin intersecting with and co-opting criminal gangs, mutant cohorts, and radical Ministorum Sect known as the order of the Emperor's Mercy.

T-5 years: NOID uses the AI to begin processing massive amounts of information on the city's infrastructurre and political power structure. Develops plan to play various factions against eachother and to plunge the world into chaos.

T-1 months: NOID uses a servo spider to push an Administratum Adept down a flight of stairs killing him, and compromising a critical message to the Governor.

T-7 days: Tech Priest 01 confronts NOID about his role in alleged murder of an Administratum Adept. NOID convinces her of his innocence and she agrees to help him cover it up until the Mechanicum's own internal investigation is concluded.

T-6 days: NOID sabotages entrance to Astropathic Chamber.


T-5 days: Tech Priest 01, facing continuing questions from a Probator (Enforcer Detective) prepares to acuse NOID of homicide. NOID initiates power surge which kills 01.

T-5 days: NOID initiates contact with warp entity, and launches coordinated assasination attempt against all major planetary officials.

T-5 Days: Skitarri Rangers breach NOIDS vault, and find NOID to have been completely corrupted into a warp spawn. Rangers terminate the abomination with extreme prejudice. The vault is later purge cleaned. Xenos/warp device destroyed.


With the threat abating, a new council will convene in a few days to select a new governor

Cardinal Richemont's hands shook as he read the report on the data-slate. It all seemed neatly tied up. There was only one small detail left unanswered by the Ad-Mech, what had happened to the Xenos artifact that had started all this madness?

He glanced up. The Governor was dead, the AD-mech were in disarray, and the Spaceport was being delayed.

He grab a different data-slate and checked on the progress of the Cathedral of ST. Bonifactius. The main Narthex and worship hall were complete, but the ornamentation and other key features were still a work-in-progress. Was a Cathedral to the Emperor ever truly done? It was like the work of the Emperor himself, always evolving and growing, he supposed.

The events of the past few days had made a few thing clear to the Cardinal. Heresy was ever present here on the frontier. The best way forward was to continue to grow via new pilgrims. The Colonel he could count on to maintain order, but with these events he could shift his concern for the Ecclesiarchy to the Ad-mech. Afterall, we expunged our own. However, allowing the Ad-Mech to control the Spaceport would rightfully be off the table now. His counter-balance to Loisy was severally weakened now.

Von Gaussenberg was always thinking two steps ahead for the colonies development. Therefore, he could follow the adepts lead there, and the man seemed willing to read from the same hymnal. That would free up the Cardinal's own resources.

The only matter left was who to appoint the Governor. It was clear to the Cardinal what his next move would be. He would throw his and the Bishop's support behind Von Gaussenberg for the role. He would also lean on the new Ad-mech Magos using his support for the growing Spaceport as leverage. If the new Magos would not playball, then the development of the spaceport would be severely delayed.

The Aquilla Lander settled down, and he prepared for his regal entrance. He had been touring the outer-shrines and temples, spreading the stories of his Holiness, and orating to the faithful. Of course, he was also purging and replacing those who had been too close to the Brotherhood of the Emperor's Mercy as well. A little PR was never a bad thing. The Cardinal shuffled data-slates again, and quickly scanned through his Homily one last time.

[According to the Ad Mech report the Skitaari destroyed the xenos artifact when they killed the bad tech priest]


In the days leading up to the council meeting it was becoming increasingly clear that the Cardinal and the Colonel had both emerged as popular heroes.

In the city/proto hive, massive cheering crowds of people swarmed wherever the Cardinal went. He was being proclaimed the "Deamon Slayer" and the "Savior of the City."

Within the Ministorum, a very vocal faction openly advocated for the Cardinal to proclaim himself Governor and then transform the world into a Blessed Shrine World.

Meanwhile, the Colonel became even more revered in the countryside, among the farmers, miners and small townsfolk. Legends proclaimed wild tales of how he single handedly destroyed an army of cultists who foolishly tried to assassinate him.

Within the PDF, a similarly vocal faction wanted the Colonel to become Governor and transform the world into a Fortress or Armory World, devoted solely to provisioning the Astra Militarum and Imperial Navy.

Those politically savvy individuals were pointing to Gaussenberg as a compromise candidate. A pragmatic successor who would govern similar to how the old Governor Gallows governed...though hopefully different enough to survive longer.

Meanwhile, the Adeptus Mechanicus were agreeable to relinquish any controlling authority over the space port. They presented themselves as helpful servants to the other factions but made no demands in return. It seems the new High Tech Priest was more focused on consolidating his own position within his organization and taking steps to hopefully guard against heresy in the future.

Loisy had been for the first time ever disappointed with his men. The failure to abduct and protect the governor, as well as some of his men serving the enemy, this was yet more treachery, and it seemed it had contaminated the PDF in the wake of the Munistorum putting his agents in... What a coincidence...

Loisy would be out of the medical in two days time. Any council to elect a new governor would have to wait for him, he thought, and this was now the time to ask for meeting or rather issue summons to 2 key characters he wished to have a word with: Von Gaussenberg, and the new lord of the mecanicus. The first he invited. The second, he "summoned", asking to discuss cooperation and equipment with him. If they couldn't come now, then he would offer to have a talk with them right before the council.

In his own ranks, the authority of the Kallenese bred enforcers and commissars would be increased, and control more frequent. Of course, this mockery of a ploy of a dozen stupid souls was no actual matter in terms of danger. But the taint it represented had to be treated thoroughly.

While, unbeknownst to him, most of the crisis had come and passed already with no civil war breaking out, in his world, it was just ongoing: the tunnel operation was progressing and it would keep going, trying yet again to achieve the same goals: find proof of the bishop's and his clique's guilt, quell the mutants, have the munistorum aligned enforcer die to a man in grinding attrition.

One thing was for certain: he would not let the munistorum take the mantle of governor on there shoulders, lest there corruption spread even wider.
But what could actually be ahead, he couldn't tell this much. Both he and the cardinal had become heroes, and he was relieved to understand that he was even more popular within his beloved PDF. But the Cardinal status as a demon slayer... This meant that he could not hope to confront them again. Unusually, he would have to be stealthy and clever if he is to actually restrain the munistorum and make sure this world is safe... While they pay for their crimes...

(Edited to take into account our GM's new informations while I actually wrote it at first)

[Trying to keep this short to not delay the council meeting too much]

Von Gaussenberg follows Loisys invitation, he wanted to visit the Colonel in hospital anyway. If the soldiers Loisy had lended him are still available je would use 4 of them as escort and enter Loisys room after a respectful knock. "I hope you are recovering well, your excellency? You wanted to talk before the council meeting?"

"Comrade! What a pleasure to see you. Come in and take a seat. The escort is no longer necessary here, but if you so wish, I'll have it become permanently attached to you.

First of all... I have had wind of the assassination attempt that threatened you as well, and I was relieved to see that you made it through. This worlds needs your talents, comrade.

I have myself been targeted, but you do not take a soldier down that easy, do you?"

The tone while strict as usual, had a rare cheerful tone, denoting Loisy's actual content to meet the one drone he considered actually loyal - that is, who would not put his interests before those of this world.

"But you know me now, and I won't delay the true topics: what have you been up to when you were targeted, and could you uncover any more evidence of the Munistorum's guilt in this sorry mockery?"

Regarding the escort von Gaussenberg nods. "That would be much appreciated. Not only for my safety but also as a... precaution. If the last days taught us something it is that even the most trusted servants of the Imperium and the Omnissiah can be corrupted. It might sound weird, but I would appreciate if some of your men and women kept a close eye on me and the other leading Administrators from time to time. Better save than sorry..."

"Thank you for your kind words. I was lucky." He looks around and asks "can we talk... freely?" Before continueing "I was just meeting with the Cardinal when one of our servitors mutated into... something. I don't really know anything about it, but one of your soldiers referred to it as 'warpspawn'. We barely had time to barricade the door and still it came down to some lucky shots of my laspistol and the Cardinals unexpected prowess with a ceremonial sabre...

The more interesting thing is that this abomination seemed to be out for Richemonts blood - although it obviously wouldn't have shunned away from mine either. Which gets a certain context as the Cardinal had informed me that 01 had tried to persuade him to help cover up the death of the clerk I asked you about. Which could ultimately have risked the plans of the traitors within the Mechanicum ranks. He also mentioned uncovering some traitors within bis own ranks and that he wanted to bring that to your attention."

He waits some moments to let that sink in and continues: "I know that times are difficult and trust a rare ressource, but I don't suspect the Cardinal to be a traitor. Maybe greedy, maybe decadent, but those are traits I can work with. And he definitly is not so stupid that he would risk his good live by biting the hand that feeds him."

[You guys can continue that dialogue, I'll set the scene of the council meeting]

The Council Meeting

At last the day arrived. This time the council chambers were filled to the brim with all manner of people. Well dressed Lords and Ladies, Heads of Merchant Guilds, Magos and Tech Priests and yes, even the occasional servitor though those were kept at great distance from the council itself. Human servants were there as well, and in total there may have been hundreds of people in the large council chambers. Nevertheless security was extremely tight. Every guest was extensively searched before hand, and the council table where the high lords sat was encased in a void shield, courtesy of the Mechanica.

When the meeting was set to begin Gaussenberg, the Colonel, the Cardinal, the Bishop and Tech Priest Mechandrite took their respective seats at the table.

At the head of a podium, a well sized Administratum Adept named Dophilous banged an electro gable until the crowd finally fell silence.

"Order Order." In the Emperor's name I call to session a meeting of the council for the world. The order of business is to select a new Governor to rule in HIS name.

I have read and re-read the founding charter of this world, authored by the Rogue Trader Damian Romero. And the charter makes it clear that this world rightfully belongs to Adept Gaussenberg, Colonel Louise, and his Excellency the Cardinal and their designated successors. These three esteemed men are the High Lords of this World who rule it in HIS Name. Let none dispute that!

Therefore, only the three have a vote at this table. However Mechandrite and the Bishop are here to lend council to the High Lords.


Let the session begin and Emperor willing, let it end with the selection of a new governor.

The crowd immediately erupts into a cheer.

(dialogue continues).

"Then they will remain with you. It is our duty to protect you, after all, as members of the armed forces.

I am... Troubled, by what you tell me. And disappointed that I couldn't see through the Magos twisted plots. However, apparently, the mutants that tried to take my head where no mechanics servitors, nor are those we're now trying to root out from the tunnels - but will probably never be able to. Plus, do you remember the eagerness of both the cardinal and the bishop to call me mad and to cover up the heretics in their ranks, just so they could have they wicked spies into my ranks? Well, considering the lost life's and the threat spawned from this matter, Friedrich, we can not rule out that at some degree of greed, it breeds treachery, maybe by accident. But if you think we can't do without Richemont and you are able to keep him in check - I'll trust you'll political skills in this. However, as for the Bishop... At least there, with the evidence we already have, we should make an example with this rotten apple in the basket."


He paused.

"But there is yet one thing I want to ask you, Friedrich."

[meeting in the hospital]

"Don't be to hard on yourself, none of us anticipated that 01 would cover for his heretical subordinate." he hesitates a moment and then continues "It is a sensitive topic and I hope you don't take it amiss, but you... were quite tense the last weeks. And I can understand why some might have gotten the impression that you are starting to loose it. Especially those that don't know what you experienced on Inamorta. I cannot vouch for the bishop, but the cardinal at least brought the heretics in his ranks to my attention and was about to forward this information to you. I'm pretty sure of it, as he wouldn't have talked to me about it, knowing I would do it, if he was just bluffing. And regarding the bishop: I'm saddened to say that our evidence is still too little to publicly move against him without generating a lot of fallout. But there are those that tend to act more discretely and have less need of ultimate evidence for the guilt of evildoers" he paints the sign of the Inquisitional I in the air with his finger.

He looks down on the ground for a moment "I fully understand you and where corruption starts to fester it has to be burned out, but going forward we need to establish some kind of trust between the biggest powers on this planet. Some kind of checks and balances. We can't exhaust our powers fighting each other, not with heretics, xenos and mutants on our door step. And from you reports I gather that it is more a question of when not if these genestealers try to infiltrate us. This world needs the Ecclesiarchy and the armed forces to get along and trust each other. How can we achieve this? Would you agree to embedding Munistorum representatives inside your Enforcers and PDF installations in exchange for the permission to carry out regular inquiries and searches on Ecclesiarchy installations?" the last is really just a shot in the dark, seeing if Loisy would be willing to make a step towards the church and vice versa.
"Of course this includes the Administratum and I will fully advocate for controls of my underlings too. We were lucky this time, but we are definitly not immun to corruption."


Having said his part he looks at Loisy again who wanted to ask something of him "I'm all ears, Charles [did not catch his first name, but Gaussenberg should know it]. What do you need of me?"


[Will add something for the council later]