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Personal Memos of Hierophantus of Accentis

Started by Lacerto, November 03, 2011, 11:51:44 PM

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Lacerto

++ Cross Reference Cerestne ++
++ Cross Reference Ilithyia ++

+ Downloading +

+ Excerpts from the Personal Memos of Hierophantus of Accentis, intercepted and decoded by order of the Holy Inquisition +

+++

The journey to Ilithiya has been most vexatious. Despite bearing the seal of the High Pontiff, once outside our system, the freighter was subject to all manner of security scans, Administratum levies and other delays. Do these impudent fools not recognise the importance of my mission to the very survival of the sector? My patrons have taken gone to great lengths to ensure that I will be able to remove any evidence casting doubt on the saintliness of the Corporal and bring her effects, and whatever else might be considered a relic, back to Vobos.

+++

On arrival at Ilithiya I was greeted by Enthus, an ally from the Holy Brotherhood of Jerrote. His agents had not uncovered any evidence that jeopardised the reputation of the Corporal. Furthermore, he had identified the storage facility for what would soon enough become the relics of a Saint. How can some local simpleton guard fail to see the necessity of handing over holy relics to the custody of the Emperor's Holy Ministorum.

+++

My excursion to the facility has been a disaster. The weather was foul, but far from being deserted, there were both trained, heavily armed guards and violent infidels claiming to be from the Inquisition. This motley band included a gas-masked man, a priest of the blasphemous Cult of Mars and a machine-creature<Transcript note: cross reference A342X12553 suggests this may be a sighting of the heretic Zophar and affiliate Armadeus>



The guards claimed not to recognise the authority of the Ministorum, only that of the Inquisition. Blasphemy! How can these meddlesome policemen have any authority pertaining to matters of the soul?



Then we were caught in a raid on the facility. An unseen sniper blasted my bodyguard and a lumbering machine-creature belonging to the shadowy character who claimed to be an Inquisitorial agent. Castor was stunned by the flash of the attack and has no memory of the remainder of the incident. A hired gun then appeared and executed one of the guards, and another rogue appeared, also claiming to be an Inquisitorial agent.

As gunfire roared around us we made good our escape. We were unable to obtain the relics and unable to ascertain in whose custody they now reside.



I have petitioned the Governor to protest in the strongest terms against the uncontrolled violence rife on the planet and lack of respect for the demands of the Servants of the Word.

+++

Enthus has alerted me to the possibility of relics still being accessible at the miracle site. After the difficulty experienced at the facility I have no wish to entrust this mission to my agents.

+++



Accompanied only by one bodyguard, Johan Oldiss,  I managed to acquire a number of objects of extreme interest to our cause. However, in his enthusiasm, Oldiss became isolated while exploring and was set upon by the very same rogue who had hounded me at the storage facility.



As the brute fired at my man I charged him down and attempted to blind him with the light of the Emperor, but a heretic always finds the darkness. He covered his eyes and struck at me. Oldiss attempted to leap onto the assailant's back from his vantage point, but dark hands guided the rogue, and Oldiss crashed to the ground, stunned.



I struck him with my blessed Chainsword but he evaded, suffering only a fleshwound in the leg. The monster stabbed me in the head and I passed out.

Castor had been monitoring our plight and arrived in time to aid our escape. Oldiss is still with the medicae but the wound on my face has healed well. The discomfort is trivial compared to my gratitude to the God-Emperor for sparing his servant. I have begun to feel that Enthus is leading me from one trap to another.

+++

The freighter is docked in high anchor above Ilithiya. I had returned to the vessel to report to my patrons in privacy. It was High Matins and I was ministering to the small congregation on board when the call came. Nedia Cullaxi, the freighter's Captain, voxed my personal link. The reason for this unusual disturbance was that the Governor had placed a Class IV Requisition on the freighter; my forces have been directed to immediately seize control of Military Orbital Satellite 21. A heretic threat was attempting to use the weapon to launch an attack on the planet itself. Normally, agents of the Ecclesiarchy are not bound by such crass edicts. However, earning favour with the Governor could dramatically reverse my fortunes on this planet. I will go.

+++

The military docking and access codes allowed my small force to quickly deploy onto the Satellite. Castor Protus, my trusted aide, and eight Vobochan guardsmen, including Oldiss and Cohln accompanied me in the lander. However, once on board the Satellite it became clear that what should have been clear passages were locked, blocked and sabotaged by the heretics. To rapidly access the control port we split into five pairs and dispersed.

I took Cohln, doubling back past the central stabiliser module. We found clear access to the control port and voxed for support. However, time was short. Figures were already at the control port and a cowled figure was typing hurriedly. We dashed up the stairs to the control room, only to face a terrible burst of noise. A cultist of the Dark Powers was there on the Satellite! A foul thrumming filled the air, the corrupt sound of temptation, power, hollow promises, the laughter of mocking gods. Cohln began softly singing holy catechisms as he had been taught to quell his fears. <Transcript note: cross reference CC9960304A23 and B3446C65A are confirmation that heretics Narkissos and Ganix>



The Satellite was beginning to strain with the pent up energy of the laser being strained beyond its capacity. Cohln took up a firing position and prepared to bring the merciful release of death to the heretics at the control port. Before he could interrupt these criminal activities he was savagely attacked by a dog-demon.



However, there appeared to be multiple groups of heretics who began to struggle amongst themselves. The gas-masked man appeared to be entering into a witch-dual with the cowled man.

But there were also other groups of Imperial agents. I was once again threatened by the same agents who had foiled me in the storage facility and the miracle site! Who are these people who plague me. At gun point I threw my weapons to the ground but before I could blind him with the light of the Emperor he had barged past me and hurried down the corridor.



Shrugging off his horrific injuries Cohln took up firing position facing the Cultist who was preparing to fire again.



Disarmed, I realised that I had little chance against these creatures of Chaos. However, while they squabbled I attempted to approach the control port from the opposite direction. I managed to scale the stairwell and sneaked around the back of the control room. I dashed to the console and attempted to shut down the Satellite. But we were too late. The control panel pulsed and flashed as if possessed with abominable intelligence of its own. The gas-masked figure dashed across the room and before I could stop him, hit a button. The Satellite pulsed. The floor shook. The noise was deafening, a terrible roar and wrenching of metal rending and giving way. For a moment the hollow gas mask eyes stared at me. Then the figure turned, leaped off the gantry and disappeared  down a hatch. We were too late. I voxed my force the evacuate signal and ran. As the lander undocked the station tore itself apart. It was an hour before the freighter was able to capture our damaged vessel. And many weeks before we were released from debrief by the Governor's agents.

+++

The monastery cell is cold and hard. I have had many months to reflect on my failures on Ilithiya. Some of my Patrons are sympathetic, but even they believe it is best that I spend some time away from public office while I pay my penance. But I will not remain here for long. I have so much still to do.