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"The off worlders would be more important to talk to first in theory but they'll likely keep us on the line longer. A quick contact with the Riders first, easier to get off... I'd go for the Riders first."
Your able to vox the Riders and after a minute the WayFinder answers you.
"Greetings Steel Seekers, I wasn't expecting to hear from ou so soon. We're a few hours drive until we reach your ship, if you need to meet"
Krevlor scratched his head pausing for a moment before responding. "We need to meet, you should hold position and not trust other teams or forces from the ship. We've uncovered warp taint at the highest levels here. We're getting out and are doing damage in our withdrawl. God Emperor willing we'll make it to you. We're going to contact the offworlders but if you don't hear from us again relay this warning to them. There's a demon in the ship and made a pact with the Lord, we believe he killed their ambassador they were asking us about."
"Have you seen hostiles in the area?", Notch adds.
"No hostile's but that doesn't mean much in the skyfall. We'll hold for now"
"Good to hear. Over."
Notch contacts the vox frequency given for the offworlders.
"Off-worlders, this is Notch Carno of the Steel Seekers. Do you read me?"
"We're the Helldivers you primitive but we do read you. What do you want?"
"Right. We're able to warn you - the starship has been compromised. Lord Dominastrum cut a deal with a demon, probably sacrificed your Inquisitor as it turns out. The forces there have gone over to 'chaos' - Weird sigils, crazy stuff. We set explosives on the comm tower power conduit and in an armoury as parting gifts before we left. We're on route to meet the Riders of the Crumbled, a tech-tribe."
"I um ... what? Look this seems worth verifying so I'm going to send a recon team out to you. Lets see where did I put that dataslate. Ah here it is. Yeah we've got one not too far from you. We'll meet you with these riders of the Crumbled?"
When you get to the riders of the Crumbled you find one a thunder wagon with offworlder colours parked amoung them.
A bald man wearing a heavy gold eaglependant shaped like a two headed eagle stands atop it, screaming.
Seeing you approach he leaps off the tank and run up to you.
"Have you come seeking the only true salvation in the light of the Emperor"
It doesn't appear to be a question
Prepare for a lecture
"I want to hear about salvation!", calls out Notch.
"Do you swear fealty to the God Emperor, who's light guides ships through the dark of space and who's angels of death deliver us from the horrors of the xenos. Swear it now and your soul will be saved for all eternity"
This sounds like he's quoting form the book you found
Jak selects a passage from the older text that they found, one that was altered in the copy he had been taught first. Fixing the text in his mind, he raises his voice to reach the so very fervent man, "What does it say on the seventeenth page, third paragraph of the Lectitio Divinitatus?"
"SUFFER NOT THE MUTANT, THE HERETIC, THE XENO!!!!!!!!!"
"I SWEAR IT!", calls out Notch, glad to wash away the unknowing error of his past.
Krevlor hesitates and looks at Jak to see if the man gave the right response.
Davien lets out an audible sigh of relief as they make their mostly clean get away. Now they just had to reach these helldivers main camp. He put up a front of being interested in the mans preaching, but honestly couldn't give much of a care. To him, it was just another speed bump on their flight away from whatever Samus was. He, like krevlor, waits to see Jak's reaction, Trusting his comrade.
Duncan happily plays with his pets, oblivious to what is going on.
Jak nods subtley to the others and speaks softly to those closest to him, "The corrupted version replaces the word 'mutant' with the word 'traitor', and the word 'xeno' with the word 'outsider'. This man knows the words of the true version of the Lectitio Divinitatus."
Turning from Jak (and an obvious few seconds pause) Krevlor loudly calls out. "I seek the God Emperor's salvation."
"Excellent, the Emperor welcomes all. For your first task, I seek a group who has information on the presence of foul taint in the hearts of man. Do you know where they are?"
Davien looked around. Now or never he thought. See what their flight gets them.
I wager that group is ours. And I fear I have more information on tthe taint than I would like.
"Yeah, you're looking for us. Especially Davien there."
"In his desperation to fight the mutants the Lord made a dark pact with the beast that dwell in the ship. -I've got that right haven't I?"
"A damn soul that must be purged. But later first we must see to your baptism. Follow my Chimera and I'll bring you to our camp and the Salvation of your souls/"
With that he gets back in his Thunder wagon and it drives off, followed by a large chunk of the Riders of the Crumbled.
Assume you follow him, after a few hours ride you arrive at the Helldivers camp.
It largely consists of a ring of defenses, mostly heavy stubbers and barbed wire with a trench and beyound that a landing strip where ThunderHawks periodically land. Orderly lines of prefabricated shelters and light tanks lie in front of you. You even spot a heard of Skyfall Ants grazing in a nearby field.
Your given a prefabricated shelter and your mounts are put in a nearby shelter. Your told to report to an "Administratuim scribe", whatever that is, to have your gear cataloged and names and ranks assigned/given.
"Are there lots of scribes? Is that a rank of scribe? Do you mean the gear we were issued or the gear we own?"
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"Yes, yes and yes"
"What Krev said. Oh, baptism for sure. I'll roll up my arm and all."
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The baptism as it turns out is just having your head dunked in water while the priest says some words.
The administratium scribe is an elderly woman with a stern face. When you approach her she says. When you ask her about cataloging your gear she hands you a form and tell you to fill it out. It is the first of 9 (more if you mess one up)
Make a willpower roll.
If you fail gain a point of fatigue as the sheer tedium of it all kills a bit of your soul
Duncan walks up to be baptized as it looks like fun.
Duncan smiles at the scribe and holds up his gun. "This her' me loud boom maka. I use it ta make dem bad people go boom." He leans in a little closer so he can whisper at full volume. "Don' tell da othas, I likes ta make da booms some time when I get bored. It make da funnes' booms!!" His smile widens for a mile.
The Scribe signs and pulls out another form. It is larger than the others, with the font increased and the word counter decreased.
"One of you lot get him to fill out this"
Notch is pleasantly surprised by the baptism.
Saves me a wash!
********
The form-filling however is far less enjoyable.
"Dunc, write about your stuff on these papers.", he tries in a coaxing voice.
Very stressed Krevlor snaps at Notch. "IF Dunc can write he certainly can't do it with these-" Krevlor growls as the writing implement seems to stop working again. "I can't use these things..."
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Duncan smiles as he is handed the larger print file, the squiggles he makes are not any writing anyone would be able to call words. "I write bout my stuff. I got dis rock I pick up last year, it got dis green stuff on it dat taste real gud. An I got Val. An I got fuzzy Val. An I got Krev. Oh, an Nock, Nock is a gud man. An I got clacky Val. Oh Oh an der is cranky man make fire wit his thinker...I like fire. You eva see da fire burn down a forest? It just da bestest fire eva. Hey, Lady, I tink I put me stick to hard. Can I has mo stuff? Loik anuda stick, an dis papa, oh, an anuda table... I might ave put my stick through da table."
Duncan continues to smile at the woman as he continues listing off his gear as he waits for a new form. "Oh, an di boomas an bangas, I gots lota dem. You wanna see? ere... wait, isn dat sposed to ave a ting keepin it quiet?? Hey lady, can I get a key fo dis booma? I lost mine when I grab it." He now held the active grenade out to show the woman... thankfully set to impact by some small miracle of the Emperor.
Davien accepts the baptism and lists his equipment.
He turns to Duncan Cranky? I am not cranky. At least, I don't think I am. Serious maybe, but cranky?
The scribe stares back with the dead eye that only a life time of bureaucracy can give you and pulls out a box of grenade pins.
She then pulls out another twp form and begins filling them out.
It's heading reads "B64: Emergency weapons training request - Explosives"
The second is entitled "A58: Requisition request - Furniture"
"In the next few days you will be given our logging and your copy of the Guardsmans handbook. Until then you are free to walk about the camp, except from Mr. Duncan here who must attend emergency training in training hall J86. Do you have any other questions?"
Duncan is told to spend the day repeating the phrase "When Mr.Pin is not in Mr.Grenade, Mr.Grenade is not my friend"
Make a literacy test. On a success you learn about the Imerium and it's rules.
@Davien get a +20 to learn about their attitudes towards Psykers
As he reads over the pamphlet Davien breaks out into a cold sweat. He closes the handbook and rests his chin on interlaced hands as he sits. He sits for near an hour, lost deep in thought on what to do before finally calling the others over.
I'm not sure what will happen now, but I may be... removed. From our group for a time. It seems that, in this group, people like me are feared more than our world. I will likely have to be.. sanctioned. I'm unsure what that means, but I am sure it is an ordeal of sorts. I only hope my encounter, and rebuttal of Samus helps my case. Though I fear that will put myself, and even you all into suspicion. That said, after reading this, I believe I should make myself known. I'd rather not be accused of skulking around in the shadows. Even, and especially if, we are supposed deserters. That is my thoughts, but I wanted to ask all of you. As if this goes worse than I think, it may cause trouble for the entire group.
He points out the sections of the handbook referring to psykers to the others.
"The what on the how now?"
Well, basically Notch, I think my only option if we stay here if I don't wish to be shot is to tell someone about my abilities. I'm sure my having a semi-damaged force staff will draw attention at some point anyway. You are all welcome to come along if you want.
When Davien reports his "status" to the authorities, he is taken away by two commisaars and a blind astropath. He's bundled into a shuttle craft and doesn't return for another week.
Make a -30 willpower roll
If you fail roll on the scantioning side effects table that I posted in diescussions.
You can fate point both rolls
"Well thats just great, we risk life and limb to warn them and now they've taken Davien away!" Krevlor grumbles though he does suspect that if they were just going to shoot Davien he would not have been sent off.
"They have enough guns. If they wanted Davien - or us - dead, it would have happened already, surely?"
Davien surprisingly, and just barely, survives the sanctioning with little permanent side effects, enduring things he never thought he could have through sheer determination and a fair bit of luck. However, he doubts the memories of the ordeal will ever fade from him mind.
Once he returns to the group, He is pale, slightly sickly, and exhausted looking.
Did I miss anything?
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Duncan smiles at the returned Davien. "You missed so much. Fuzzy Val played leap wit me, an Val taught me to count to one." He held up two fingers happily. "I member what da lady had me learn. When mister Boom has lost his shoe... he be angry." An even happier happy smile at having learned his lessons so well.
"We've mostly been worrying about you... and filling in the stupidest forms I've ever seen."
Davien just nods in respose. After a few seconds, he turns to duncan with a small smile. Well thats good dunc, and remember, in those cases I really don't want to be near Mr. Boom alright? He turns back to Krevlor
SO, does the general know about his lost inquisitor and Dominastrum?