The warp. The ever-present Immaterium that lies just on the other side of awareness. That place where dreams go...or maybe the place from which they come. One things is sure. Only the light of the Emperor of Mankind pierces the veil of shifting visions and keeps the dark of the nightmares that live there from sweeping all aside. This is the age of man and the Imperium grows weak from the rot of the unseen dangers that only the Inquisition sees. It is up to you to assist the Emperor in holding back the dark. Your tiny candle alongside his burning light. You and all your brethren are all that is left to stem the holes wherever they appear...
You swear you can hear a wailing and the sounds of something large outside the Emperor's Boot. Whether real or imagined, you know you feel the sudden jolt of translation. The ship is once again in real space. You have arrived.
You are in your room, a small cell of metal and few adornments. Your few belongings with you. An electronic chime sounds indicating something is at your cell's door.
Cogburn was catching some shut eye when the chime goes off. He snaps awake, rolling into a sitting position waiting for either the cell door to open or to allow who ever dropped off whatever might be outside time to walk away. He didn't often deal with his superiors directly. Indeed he usually didn't even get real jobs from them.
He was just one of their many low level lackeys, informants really. He made a quick drop whenever there was a suspicion but as of yet hadn't been given a real assignment from them. Because of that Thaddius had boarded the Emperor's Boot being bound for the Core Worlds to maybe find some other less...savory work. He needed to live didn't he? He was no frontline fighter that's for sure. He did his work in the dark, the underbelly, and even on those Core or Hive worlds you'd be surprised what xeno-buggery you could find. If you had the eye for it...
The chime sounds again after a moment. The even calm drone of a servitor's voice comes through an intervox.
"Thaddeus Cogburn, I have delivery for you," the intervox squawks at you.
Thaddius stands and opens the cell door.
"Thanks servitor."
When you open the door, an amalgamation of man and machine stands before you, it's corpse like flesh stretched almost to the point of tearing over many machine parts. It's continuously morose expression does not change as it hands you a dataslate.
You place your thumb on the reader, and after it registers your fingerprint, a message appears on the small screen.
Acolyte Cogburn, there is suspicion of Xeno tech being used flagrantly at the mining facility on the asteroid Cystollos III in the Riktra System. This has been disrupting the output of metal ore which is desperately needed for repairs by a docked detachment of Imperial Navy ships at the nearby orbitals above Riktra Epsilon 2. There are rumors the demonstrations caused by the insurgent group Recovered Expanse Union which claims to be fighting for better working conditions are actually fronts for the use of Xeno archeotech found within the mines.
Your objective will be to infiltrate the infrastructure of the REU and determine if they are using forbidden Xeno tech. If so, you are to signal me or your superior Acolytes immediately. If possible, seize any Xeno tech you find and quarantine it until it can be retrieved by the Mechanicus Adeptus.
You will be given credentials which will allow you the unfettered access you will need. As you know there will still be many who will oppose the truth you seek to uncover. As always, you must remain undercover without disclosing your affiliation with the Inquisition. Do not fail. May He Who Lives on Earth guide you.
A request for a thumbprint appears on the screen, and you press your thumb to it. The screen scrambles and the faint aroma of burning circuitry is suddenly in the air. The servitor takes the smoking dataslate from you and offers a duffelbag full of equipment.
"When you are ready, Thaddeus Cogburn, I will take you to your shuttle."
"Yeah yeah, hold on Gizmo."
Thaddius collects his gear. A small duffel bag holds all he needs. His pistol tucked to his side.
"Yeah, let's get a move on."
Thaddius began running through what the situation would entail. He'd go undercover as a new miner. Something simple like that. From there he could snoop around without any qualms on the lower levels. As for the more advanced areas... An inspection, but not for the Inquisition of course.
"Servobot, gimme all the details we have on Cystollos III, who runs the mining facility there?"
What kind of tech could they be using? Might they have found? Are they trying to mine it up for their real backers, the REU...
Hell if its something as obvious as dug up xenos tech I'll be able to get in one look and send for the asteroid to be glassed.
If this went smooth enough Thaddius might be gone within the week and could maybe get another gig working a freighter. The Emperor is Just, but the Inquisition pays terribly.