Dark Heresy - Chapter 1: Inspiration Grows From The Barrel Of A Gun

Julian gave a grunt of effort and picked up his end of the bag and began shuffling towards the back door of the manor.

Heading around the back, you could see that Trooper Desare had pulled up a surprisingly well-kept (likely due to its posting in the Spire) Arbites wagon, the young man helping you load the body bag into the back, before climbing back to the wheel and shaking his head, "I just don't get it... why are we moving the body to the morgue now? And where's the Sergeant? And... where are we to go now, sir? And... there is something I feel I should tell you, that I wanted to tell you back at the crime scene an hour ago."

"Go ahead and talk then. I believe the good Mr. Julian here knows where we are headed. I'm just the muscle of this operation after all." Remedy said and got herself a lho stick and relaxed in the backseat.

"Slow down, kid, no need to get jittery." he huffed after the exertion of moving the body, "We're moving it in case someone sabotages the crime scene, the Sargeant is re-evaluating his career prospects, we're going to the nearest medicae centre that can do tissue analysis and what do you want to tell us?" He took a deep breath.

The truck skidded off through the corridors of the spire, making its way with all speed to the given destination, likely to be there soon. Desare sighed at the wheel, before admitting, "Sergeant Aldonne made it clear he wanted to be left alone in the room for a while, to examine the area before any possible contamination. I assumed he must have been done almost half an hour later and walked in on the horrible scene... I saw him removing some pieces of foul, horrible skin and flesh stuck in the carpet, leading away from and the scene, and wiping away any trace of the evidence. I... I was shocked, and before I could even say anything, he put three month's salary into my pocket and assured me this was normal and that there was a reason for it I was too lowly to understand. He... promised me more, and said I'd be likely to wind up washed up in the underhive if I said a word to anybody. I... thought you should know. None of it sits well with me, at all, something feels just plain rotten about this whole division... frak, maybe you at least can do something small about it."

Remedy silently pulled out her knife and tapped it at Julian's side so only he would know about it and she then looked over at the young enforcer. If Julian gave the word Remedy would happily slit the man's throat.

"You did good telling us about it, and don't worry... If at all possible, I plan on cleaning this cesspool while solving this mystery. If anything I want to solve it more because they don't want us to." Julian clapped his hand reassuringly on the boy's shoulder and shook his head subtly at Remedy, "There's a distinct lack of good Arbites on this world, we'll need someone like you around to help. The first thing you can do on that point is tell us as much as you can about the sort of corruption going on, especially pertaining to the case."

Remedy withdrew her knife before skulking back into the shadow of the backseat where she kept a close eye on the young enforcer.

Desare shook his head a little, "I... honestly don't know much. I'm just new to the force... it seemed like one of the few ways to rise above my station in the middle hive without selling my soul and my dignity. Like I said, this was my first case, my first deployment... and it was a rather rough introduction, in a great many ways. I only knew that Sergeant Aldonne is rather well-respected and liked as a man-of-action in the Spire Arbites, hence why the lack of progress in this case is unusual for him and attributed more to lack of evidence and a cunning serial killer than his own incompetence. I know he's very well-regarded and friendly with the famous Captain Seltann... I haven't met him much, but he certainly struck me as an immensely kind and amiable man. Apparently, on Seltann's recommendation, Aldonne's slated for a promotion to Lieutenant once this case is wrapped... or buried, if the killings stop."

"I think he's liable to get transferred to the... graveyard shift, after this." Julian looked at the Rookie carefully, trying to get the measure of the boy, "What do you know about Captain Weivern?"

Desare's eyebrow perked up momentarily, "Major Weivern? I... honestly don't know much about him, I've never met him in person, I was lucky enough to be assigned to Spire duty, he works the lower hive. No idea why somebody with his rank would deliberately choose to work down there for such a long length of time... but I've heard that Captain Seltann and others, though I've mostly heard this through Sergeant Aldonne, say the man's been mutated, tainted, may have always been. They say he doesn't even worship the Emperor any more. Aldonne also said he's made a lot of wild, unsubstantiated claims about rampant corruption in the city's Arbites and foul dealings he's discovered between mutant criminal syndicates and much of the Arbites, including the upper command structure... I heard he even singled out Captain Seltann, as well as quite a few others, as 'corrupt soulless pigs'. The Arbites command structure, however, has on the whole denounced Weivern's accusations as being without merit or hard evidence, and launched their own inquest into him regarding accusations of corruption and heresy. Last I heard the investigation was nearing its end and they were putting a tribunal together... I believe it was being widely rumored in my unit that Captain Seltann was likely to be part of the tribunal to judge Weivern due to his long and respected history, and the amount of effort he'd put into the investigation into the claims of Weivern's corruption."

"Considering some of the information we got from the Sargeant, and the fact that the corruption the Major mentioned DOES exist, I'd say that the Arbitrators may be trying to remove an obstacle to their corrupt plans." Julian stroked his beard in contemplation, "He could be a possible ally... but I'm not sure..."

"What if he is not an ally? What then?" Remedy asked as she cleaned her fingernails with her trophy knife.

"Then we may have yet another very dangerous enemy. But for now, let's get these samples to the lab, they may lead us to an assailant, then we can investigate the Pale Throng. Have you heard that name before, Lad?"

Desare shrugged his shoulders a little as he pulled the wagon to a halt outside a medicae facility and began to climb out, "Not really... I know they're a mutant cult that led the rebels in the Sarin War in the Adranis Nebula, and that since then they've been linked to several other, mostly smaller-scale, mutant uprisings on dozens of worlds throughout the Sector. I know there've been some suspicions in the Arbites that they could have a link to the occasional troubles we have with the mutants in the underhive, and they could possibly be running some criminal activities to help finance their goals... but nothing concrete."

Julian stepped out of the vehicle and looked to Desare, "Can you go get a gerny?"

Remedy hoped out after him and took a quick look around to scope out the area and to make sure no one was following them.

(I will roll awareness to see if we are being followed and if there is anything of interest in the vicinity. I roll and I get 15 against my Per of 30)

Desare nodded and jogged off, before promptly returning back with a gurney.

Remedy looked around, but saw nothing more than what might be expected at an Arbites-sanctioned medicae site in the Spire.

"Help me get this body onto the gerny." he said to whichever of the two was listening.

Remedy sighed and shook her head before she muscled the corpse onto the gurny. "For a big man you're surprsingly weak when it comes to heavy lifting ain't you, Mr. Julian?"

Desare diligently loaded the body onto the gurney, and began wheeling the shrouded body int the ill-lit medicae facility. A harassed looking chirugeon came running out alongside the gurney, panting hard, looking at Julian as though assessing him to obviously be the man in charge, "What in the Throne's name is going on?"

"I'm old, not all of us have the advantage, and limberness of youth."
As they moved into the chirugeon building, Julian took hold of the gerny and looked round at Desare and Remedy, "You two take these to the lab, I'll take care of this." Reaching into his coat he pulled out the evidence bags and throws them to the pair.

Turning back to the chirugeon he flashes his Arbite's badge and lowers is voice so Desare can't hear, "Which way to the medical furnace?"

Remedy smiled at Desare and dangled the evidence bag before looking at the hallway then back to Desare. "Shall we?"

Desare nodded obediently, and helped Remedy wheel the gurney down towards the lab, pas the flabbergasted chirugeon.

The chirugeon seemed at a loss for words for a moment, before pointing down the hallway and answering Julian, "Down there... it's nothing special... I really think I deserve an explanation, this is immensely irregular."

"How irregular?" Julian subtly moved his coat so that the hundred thrones they'd been given jingled.