41K RPG : Into the Eye.

[The Necrontyr Messenger]

"Foot and finger prints, gloved, of course, consistant with nonhuman build, as well as pheremone traces and fabric fibres."

[Josh]

He nodded at that, satisfied. "Then we shall examine the evidence upon departure from the meeting. To our next point, then?"

[Pcm979]

Without moving, Pater quietly interjected: "If I may make the suggestion Prius, we should pool our resources on the Eldar when this meeting concludes."

[Josh]

Which would also provide a handy pretext to assess what was going on behind that mechanical mask. Prius bowed slightly, giving a nod of assent. "Of course, Pater."

[The Necrontyr Messenger]

"I think that's everything, really," Jaenta said, "Though we'll need to work on gathering assets for the implementation of this plan."

[Josh]

"Of course," Prius said. "We will begin our review at once. Pater, shall we continue our discussion on the investigation?" He gestured toward the door.

[Pcm979]

Pater nodded politely to the room's occupants and led the way to his rooms. Even in the short while since the Iron Man had left it had been drastically altered to suit the Inquisitor's requirements. Whirring cogitators and other, less identifiable devices were stacked against the wall, and a portable Adraxian-pattern Holoprojector was just being put through its paces.

"Do you drink at all, Prius?" Pater asked, indicating a table where a variety of liquids were available for consumption, ranging from plain water to vintige amaesac.

[Josh]

"I have certain hydration requirements for my remaining organic components," he said. "But they have been fulfilled for the day, thank you."

[Pcm979]

Pater nodded. He only drank for social purposes nowadays, too. Behind him, the hologram flickered into life, zooming in on the Eastern Rim. Coloured lines illuminated the paths of the Hive Fleets Pater had spent the last decade eliminating.

[Josh]

Prius studied the holo, recording it into his memory. Bragging? Interesting.

Pater had been the closest thing he'd had to a friend, back in the Adraxian days. Nathan had been the relic of times past, not even entirely human in his eyes. Jolan Gix had been the role model. Varian had been the teacher.

Pater had been the comrade in arms who had joined him and Nathan in facing down the heretical Black Legionaires who had invaded the Star Fort they were occupying at the time. Three men against four Traitor Marines, the battle that had cost Prius two limbs. On the rare occasions he dreamed, his mind would still travel back to the aftermath of that, drifting helplessly through the room, gravity gone, the flare of pained breath on his helmet visor, both Nathan and Pater down.

With the guidance and strength of the Emperor behind them, they had prevailed.

Later, he'd led his chosen troops, his Sword of the Emperor, into a meatgrinder against an elite unit of Chaos troops, to rescue Pater on Cyrus Gamma.

It had all been entirely justified by duty, because the lives of the Inquisitors on-planet had been more important than his entire force and more besides. But it had been... satisfying... to pull Pater from the fire.

Now, though, he saw no traces of the young Interrogator/Inquisitor he had first met on Adraxis. Instead, he saw a machine-man, not unlike himself, who spoke of 'his holdings' and possibly sought to overawe him with displays of his valor and victories.

The commissar in him could appreciate such things. Inquisitor Prius Ristani, on the other hand, gave no weight to such things. The valor of the past in no way validates the heresy of the present.

"Have the details on the explosive arrived yet?" he inquired.

[Pcm979]

"No." Pater replied simply, and, turning around, spotted the projection.

"I requested the files on the Eldar, Gyllia." He said with an edge in his voice.

"Pardon, my Lord, but an Astropathic signal from Lord Raine arrived while you were in session. Splinter Fleet Ordragor has been sighted near Saymenor Primaris."

Pater glanced at Prius. "Excuse me, this will only take a moment." He strode over to the projector and quickly conversed with his aides, snatches of the conversation making their way back to Prius.

"Inform the Admiral.... Ronathal has operational control.... Relocate the Saint Selucia to Gythamel..."

[Josh]

He stood and shamelessly eavesdropped, turning his aural implant up to catch as much of the conversation as he could.

[Pcm979]

"Steer them away from Derrius, if at all possible." Pater continued. "The projects there are too far advanced. Make it clear that Ronathal's word is law."

Looking around the room, Prius would notice that many of the devices now arranged around the room served no discernable purpose, merely grey, rectangular metallic boxes stamped with the Aquila. Yet they hissed and whirred periodically.

Pater finished and turned back to Prius as the map flickered and was replaced by information on the Eldar.

"Apologies." He said.

[Josh]

He waved the apology away. "We are creatures of duty, you and I," he said. "So, in absence of further hard data on the Eldar, what are your feelings on the affair?"

[Pcm979]

"Caution tinged with frustration, as is the norm with the Eldar." Pater said, looking a projected member of that species in the face.

"They never do anything without clear purpose, at least in their eyes." He continued. "I find it highly unlikely that our earlier encounter is unconnected with the Saint's endeavor, and if a Craftworld aims to impede our plans, we had best discover the reason."

[Josh]

Prius was slightly dubious of that. While it was entirely possible that the concern was an immediate one, with the Eldar it was also easily possible that the manipulations at hand were aimed at an objective centuries hence. The assassination attempt could have failed by design, easily enough, for example.

But nevertheless, the immediate concerns had to be examined.

"The first and simplest answer would be that Lena's projected path takes the hive fleets through some regions of space which the xenos take to be their domains." he said.

[Pcm979]

"True. In any case, idle speculation will get us nowhere." Tapping the Holoprojector, he removed a crystal and handed it to Prius.

"This is all my data on the Eldar. Your Savant may find it of some use."

[Josh]

He lifted one arm, a compartment sliding open, into which he deposited the crystal.

"I will likewise have my savant deliver my files to you. So, what do you think of this plan?" he said.

[Pcm979]

"In one word, ambitious. In another, visionary. But we both know what Saint Malefius said about ambitious visionaries." A tiny smile spasmed in the corner of his mouth. Ecclesiastical humour was hardly rib-breakingly amusing.

[Josh]

But a man of such devoutness as Prius of course caught the reference. "Indeed. But the same could be said for ourselves, as well," he pointed out.

[Pcm979]

"I know." Pater replied, with the first signs of weariness creeping into the corner of his eye.

[Josh]

"The Emperor gives us no burdens greater than we can carry," he said solemnly.

[Cynical Cat]

"What's the plan?" Lydia asked.

Jolan looked over at his interrogator and then at each one of his friends. "We're going to take out a large chunk of the Tyranid Hive Fleets." Shock could be seen on several faces. Not Keys, of course, the assassin's features were carefully neutral. Domina was also smiling benignly.

"How the hell are we doin' that?" asked Hethor.

"We're going to lure them into the Eye of Terror," Gix replied. Hethor's jaw dropped. "And we are doing it using specially modified Tyranid organisms as bait. So we'll be taking a whole bunch of deadly Tyranid killing machines, use them to create a trail of breadcrumbs, and then take them into the Eye."

Lydia was groping for words. "The level of risk involved is . ."

"Insane?" Jolan said helpfully. "Perhaps. The rewards of success are worth the risk. But obviously everyone who doesn't need to go, stays behind. We'll have more ships and troops for the grunt work." His gaze flickered across to Melina.

"I'm going," the noblewoman said. She held up her hand. "I know what you're going to say, but you can pass all of your projects over to Kyra and a few others. They can't be abandoned, but they don't have to be overseen by me. You're bringing more people in and you're not sure of the ones you already have. That means you need someone who can play the social game to keep everything on track and that means I'm indespensable. Besides, I can fight." And I'm not leaving my lover to go into near certain death if I can do anything about it, was unspoken.

"Heth, Danell I already know your answers." He smiled at his apprentice. "And Lydia, I know you as well. You're going to get all the action you could ever want. Iriza."

"I'm going too," said the meek woman firmly. "Near the Eye and the Hive Fleet, astropathic communications are very difficult. You'll need a strong astropath."

"Yes, I will," Jolan acknowledged. "Gard?"

"You're going into hell without too many stops at a resupply depot. You'll need someone around to make sure that fancy gear keeps working."

"I'm sure that Pater alone has a small army of Tech Priests."

"Tech Priests," Gard snorted. "You need someone who can actually do the damn job. Besides, I was a medicae and a cyberneticist before I branched out. You need a surgeon you can trust and there aren't too many people in the Imperium more knowledgable about Tyranid biology. Even fewer after this."

"Alright," said Jolan. "Domina, I take it I have your answer already?"

"Yes," she replied. "I will keep you and Lena safe and deliver death to the Emperor's enemies."

[Pcm979]

"It is our duty to carry them." Pater finished the homily automatically. "Now." He said, raising his eyebrow. "What concerns did Gix bring you?" Blunt, but so was Prius.

[Josh]

"Do you have cause to suspect him of being unsound?" he returned smoothly, refusing to allow Pater the luxury of controlling the conversation.