New men in town
***File J83-Vox/Pic Capture--SOURCE: Classified--SECURITAS: Adeptus Maxima-INQ:Quintus Severus***
My Lord, the situation is escalating, worringly escalating. Pa'smond Massoonan's continued silence over the Scuttlers is acting as a free-for-all licence. The Scuttlers have so far not been seen around in large numbers, nor creating any problem, but the established gangs are more and more nervous. Minor clashes have erupted in most drinkholes around the Sulfured Quays. What I'm more concerned about is that the voices of Massoonan's silence are attracting troublemakers from far afield in the Dome.
I had placed vid-bugs at the Skinnymen's hideout. The Van Saar had moved there with their archeo-loot and I wanted to be ready if they mounted a retaliation against the Cult of Divine Illumination.
But the Skinnymen where attacked by the Merkzy Banda, well equiped troublemakers from the wreckage of the old UMIZT settlement near the north edge of Mancunius Dome. Rumours abound of the Merzky Banda being funded by an outside source, House Delaque, Van Saar… some even say House Helmwar itself.
Their leader, the self-styled 'PoostGrad' apparently for having trained at some Ad-mech facility, infiltrated the Skinnymen's hideout and went on a rampage.
He diverted enough Skinnymen from the Merkzy's raid target. A ganger with a rather sophisticated plasma weapon blew up the Skinnymen's water still.
The explosion demaged my vid-bugs, but I've heard the Merkzy Banda captured some of the Skinnymen.
The Cult of the Divine Illumination has also been attacked by newcomers, a bunch of religious fanatics from Span Yard, up north in the Pit. The Cult had retreated to their main base of operation and were not ready for an attack, most Brothers just minding their own businesses and a smaller group away on a patrol. I was with the patrol and had left spy-skulls in the area.
The Span Yarders approached under cover of the dismissed industrial vehicles and structures.
I suspect the Inquisition is behind the Span Yarders, my Lord. Their leader seemed too well equipped and versed in warfare for an Underhive preacher. Once he was almost within the Cult's base, he sprung a perfectly timed attack.
In a matter of second, the Cult came under a rain of fire and most of the Brothers were pinned.
Magister Silas shouted a few orders and the Brothers were able to stop the enemy leader in his shelter.
But then the Span Yarders charged in.
The patrol I was with heard the commotion and rushed back. We managed to take a couple of the attackers down.
It was too late, anyway. The Span Yarders had completely wrecked the base and made away with the Ratskin Nobody and Brother Peter as captives.
Magister Silas is preparing for a rescue attempt and I've been included among the attackers. If, as I suspect, we'll find the Inquisition in Span Yard, how should I have to act, my Lord? Should I compromise my cover? Agent LVC, end of report.
Fight for the Water Still
***File J82-Vox/Pic Capture--SOURCE: Classified--SECURITAS: Adeptus Maxima-INQ:Quintus Severus***
My Lord, I'm finally understanding why locals say that nothing good comes out of Livid Pools. These Scuttlers, creeping around on their spider-like limbs have stirred quite some rumours. That Pa'smond Massoonan has not yet made his voice heard makes things even worse. Every gang is sure their rivals are about to trade with the Scuttlers whatever they brough up from the Sump. In fact, the sudden acquisition by the Skinnymen of a water still and a stash of archeo-loot have been immediately linked to the newcomers.
The turf war between the Skinnymen and the Cult of the Divine Illumination [REF: File Y67] had subsided, but these rumours immediately reignited it. Magister Silas selected a raiding party for a hit and run attack on the new Skinnymen's possessions. I was not selected, so I sent in a spy-skull. Yago the Wyrd and Brother Jude were set to create a diversion, threatening the archeo-loot. They stayed in cover and drew grenade fire at them.
But the real objective was the water still. Silas, Deacon Martin and Nobody the Ratskins planned to destroy it, but they too were pinned by the Skinnymen's fire.
Brother Thomas, left behind on high ground, rebalanced the situation, pinning the Skinnymen with his sniper fire.
Magister Silas took advantage of the respite and charged into the water still building. His men advanced behind him, offering covering fire.
With the guards locked in combat, Nobody and Deacon Martin moved to get a clear shot at the water still. Yago and Brother Jude, meanwhile, remained in cover and continue to draw fire at them.
Skinnymen reinforcements moved in from nearby areas and laid low Yago and Brother Jude.
Magister Silas had cleared the building's ground floor, but his men where taken down by another party of incoming Skinnymen reinforcements.
He called for a retreat and all the Cult's members made their escape in one piece as Brother Thomas sniped at the pursuing Skinnymen. I've heard that a Skinnyman has been killed outright by Silas and I fear retribution won't be long in coming. I'll update you soon. Agent LVC, end of report.
Prologue
Quintus Severus paced restless in front of the void-window of his quarters aboard the Cobalt Snake. Something was wrong, down in Mancunius Dome. He coud feel it like a shifting shadow at the edges between his physical and psychic senses. He went at his desk, opened a small leather bound chest and pulled out his deck of Emperor's Tarots. He started laying the cards in front of him. The first three, for the past.
In the inverted Astronomica he saw the confusion and lack of knowledge surrounding the Guardian and the search for it. With a cynical smile, he recognised both him and Lenk in the upturned Inquis. Two misguided Inquisitors entangled in an open conflict, there represented by the righted Militarum. He paused for a moment, focused his thoughts on the Hive below and turned the next three cards, these for the present.
They matched the reports from the Underhive. The righted Navis, herald of new arrivals, and the righted Scrivener, symbol of changes ahead, clearly spoke of these rumoured newcomers, the Scuttlers. Some sort of heretech gangers, they had just arrived at the Sulfured Quays with a mysterious cargo. But the Scrivener also spoke of another change, this time in the behaviour of crime lord Pa'smond Massoonan. There he was, represented by the inverted Judgement, a perversion of the right rule of the Emperor's agents. Pa'smond Massoonan had been 'granted' the title of Lord Mayoris of Sal's Ford by the Guilders in 'recognition' of the Enforcement services provided across Mancunius Dome. A meaningless title outside Mancunius Dome, but still a perversion of the laws governing the Imperium. And yet, he had not, like he had always done, bound the services of the Scuttlers to his criminal enterprises. Clearing his mind from questions, Quintus turned another three cards so that they could tell him what was to come.
The Inquisitor gasped. The inverted Morte and the righted Telepathicum only meant one thing: unlawful killings brought about by creatures of flesh and bone in the Materium. And then, as always since he had taken an interest in the Guardian, the last card was the inverted Deus Imperator, a dreadful omen of the approach of an enemy of Humanity.
The lingering pain of his healing wounds made Quintus pause. Would he be able to deal with the coming upheaval personally or had he to only rely on his undercover agent?
Showdown at the Broken Dock's Warehouse
***File N06-Datascroll--SUBJECT: Interrogation Transcript--SOURCE: Recordarium Itzhak--SECURITAS: Adeptus Maxima-INQ QS***
I, Recordarium Itzhak, will here bear witness to the interrogation of subject AL [REF: Xenos, Inquis, Istvaanian]. Sentries have been posted all around the warehouse perimeter. Subject AL is under psy-shackling provided by AK. INQ QS is ready to begin session.
INQ QS: And now, you're going to tell me everything you know and were planning about the Guardian.
GUNFIRE > COMPUTING SOURCE...MULTIPLE HOSTILES APPROACHING. COMBAT MODE ON > OVERRIDE TRANSCRIPTION PROTOCOLS.
PSY-SHACKLING FAILURE. SUBJECT AL ATTEMPTING ESCAPE. INQ QS ENGAGING. DIRECTIVE > ENGAGE AND SUPPORT.
OPERATIVES XA-305 + GERARD MOVING TO BLOCK ACCESS. OPERATIVES TIRPNITZ + TULL TAKING FIRING POSITION > SITUATION UNDER CONTROL.
HOSTILE GUNFIRE. OPERATIVE TIRPNITZ DOWN. OPERATIVE XA-305 DOWN. OPERATIVE GERARD DOWN > PERIMETER BREACH.
OPERATIVE KASANDER MOVING TO INTERCEPT. OFF-SCALE WARP READINGS. HOSTILE DOWN > SITUATION UNDER CONTROL.
INQ QS ENGAGED WITH SUBJECT AL. DIRECTIVE > CONTINUE SUPPORT.
HOSTILES ADVANCING. HOSTILE GUNFIRE. OPERATIVES KASANDER + TULL DOWN > SITUATION CRITICAL.
INQ QS ENGAGED WITH SUBJECT AL. INQ QS DOWN. DIRECTIVE > CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT + PREVENT ESCAPE.
FULL PERIMETER BREACH. HOSTILES APPROACHING. DIRECTIVE > CONTINUE ENGAGEMENT.
SUBJECT AL PINNED. HOSTILES ENGAGING. DIRECTIVE > DEFENSIVE MODE ON + COUNTER ATTACK ON. HOSTILE DOWN. BIO-SUPPORT DOWN.
CRITICAL FAILURE. SUBJECT AL + HOSTILES ESCAPING. DIRECTIVE > SEND ALARM CODE.
CODE SENT...AWAITING RESPONSE...
CODE SENT...AWAITING RESPONSE...
CODE SENT...AWAITING RESPONSE...
