[Deus Mortis]

(OCC Ok, so I lied, I won't post last, and I might speak...opps!)

Reverend Mother Sulwyn and Nahum walked walked silently through the corridors leading to the audience chamber. Few sparse words had pasted between the two and Nahum liked it that way. The old woman was unpleasant to talk to, and was far to stuck up about her holy devotion to the God-Emperor for Nahum's liking. *Pious half-breeds* Nahum had thought as the old woman had prattled on about how the relics of some forgotten saint had been stolen and it was a stain on her honour and various other pieces of information that he had long since ceased paying attention to. Once she had expended her sermon on him she had lead him to the conference room and not spoken much since, for Nahum had dignified her words with little more than a grunt of inclination of his head. This clearly frustrated the woman who was used to a measure of respect from her subjects, but Nahum was above such crude hierarchy. His service was to the Imperial Inquisition and the God-Emperor himself. Little else mattered.

As the unlikely pair stepped over the thresh-hold into the room, Nahum's eyes flickered quickly around the room, noting all the possibly escape routes, area's densest in shadows and the faces of each individual in this room. He moved silently into a corner with the most shadow, only his twin sapphires of eyes piercing the darkness. One of the figures, an old man, sat down a mumbled about how Feral worlders could make better conversation. This was said at a level that most people might not have been able to hear, but to Nahum he could hear it as if he was shouting it in his ear. Swiftly and gracefully, Nahum drew a short dagger, perfectly balanced for throwing. The glint of its razor sharp blade and the subtle wisp of it slicing through the air was the only warning before it impacted the chair just above the man's shoulder and next to his ear. A look of shock came across the mans face and Nahum bounded across the room in a few strides of aerobatic and deadly grace. He gently prized the dagger out of the chair and hissed almost silently in his ear "You would rather be in a room of Feral worlders, trust me" As he drew back over the man he smiled cruelly and menacingly. This was nothing personal against the man, but everyone here needed to fear him and know what he was capable of.

As he walked back to his chosen corner, he answered the other man who seemed irritated with the people in the room. His voice was sharp and crisp, but at the same time quiet and graceful. "No. I once assassinated a senior captain of the Emperor's Children. His room was a unnatural distortion of colours and lights and lights and sounds. It was perverse imitation of nature, but oddly beautiful on another dimensional level, one that no human should be a able to perceive, and yet existed all the same. Never before nor since have I seen such sights and heard such sounds, but his life music was ended at the edge of my blade." He looked around from his dark haven and the men and women looked horrified to hear of such terrible things and Nahum delighted in it. "I could go on, tell you of other horrors, but by the look on your faces, I would imagine you would rather me not. But believe me, when you have seen such things and witnessed horrors as I have, you care not for the petty trifles of men..." inclining his head towards the old man, who's eyes strayed away from his piercing mechanical gaze, "...nor for the, by comparison , beautiful architecture of a church of his holiness. You realize, service, service in his name, is the only important him, and those who fail to see such a thing are worthy of only one fate" And with that Nahum fell silent and basked in the fear and wonderment he had created in this humble room and was content once more to remain silent and let the other mull over their petty conversations...

 

[Deus Mortis]

Nahum looked up sharply and met the volatile sister's gaze. He had seen worse, but a raging inferno burned beneath those glassy, organic, eyes. Nahum had no such trouble. His body language was measured perfectly, only displaying what only what he wanted to show. There was no window in his eyes to his emotions either, they were cold mechanical pieces of equipment, just as much as his swords and grenades were. "Finished tough guy" was the sharp response. Nahum chuckled almost silently to himself, he knew he was laughing at her, but no one outside his corner would hear the subtle grumble of his laugh. Still, the ignorant girl continued "Personally I don't give a rats ass what you've killed or seen, they say those that act tough are covering other insecurities" Nahum almost let out a powerful laugh that would have reverberated all around this room. What did this whelp know of service or pain. Nothing! She pranced around trying to assert a nameless authority that came with her being a member of the Adeptus Soratis. But it was swallowed by the darkness that hugged Nahum like a quilt. He was above such petty mortals who considered themselves worthy of praise or respect. No one was, for they all failed their master, and this one was no different. Still, a glimmer of pride shone for an instant that this youth could so easily dismiss his kills, his offerings to his master, the God-Emperor. Still, it was suppressed in an instant, not allowed to show it's face to the members of his audience. "What i want to know is how the bastards got in and out without being seen over the surveillance." The child's face twisted, and then Nahum made the connection. The older woman had mentioned a Sister Kay that had let the thief slip past. It was her fault. Oh, he could play on that, he could play on that so well. "Thats what I'm here to find out. We're going to find the bastards that did this and bring them to book. Thats all that matters, not whether were big bad and scary or the room is pretty."

The young girl fixed him a stare that he returned more as a measure of sizing his opponent up, than of actual threat. This child could be broken in a matter of seconds, before her slow limbs could even react. Such frailty was sad for Nahum to behold. This child genuinely thought she could stand against a mighty assassin of the Mortait. Once again, Nahum ventured out from his shadow blanket and walked straight up to the wayward 'sister' as they were called. His voice was soft, like velvet, but concealed beneath it's softness was a dagger meant to pierce this sisters conscious. Her body was under the protection of the Imperial cult and his organisation, but her soul and her mental confidence and integrity, that was his for the taking and breaking. "Well, well, well, brave words from a girl who failed her order, isn't that right? Your the reason why we are here right? If you had done your job, we could all be attending more worthy duty." Nahum chuckled quietly once again, her body language was a mess, and his was controlled. He knew how she would react from her increased rate of breathing and slight twitching of her muscles. "I can't imagine what it must be like to fail your order, your life. They have given you everything, and you have returned to them with failure." Nahum took one more step in, invading the sisters personal space. There were only inches between the pairs chest, and had these to been a different circumstances, the two might have been confused for lovers exchanging a look of passion, the gulf was so small. But no, no one could mistake the feelings between these two as anything other than hostility. "Know this Sister Kay..." The 's'es in his words were forced through so they sounded like a serpent hissing "...your body is under the protection of the Ecclesiarchy, and therefore the Inquisition, and therefore I am forbidden to lay a hand on you unless provoked. But I have killed men and women for lesser insults. But, as you are clearly incompetent and have know clue of subtlety of infiltration, and as much as you hate me, you need me. So go on, try and fight me, but I swear to the God-Emperor, I will break you before you can even touch me" This was only going to end one way, Kay would submit. Either out of a shred of self-preservation, or because Nahum forced her to, but either way, there was only one way this would end...

 

[Deus Mortis]

"Infiltration" Now here was something the assassin hadn't seen coming. Long peels of laughter, mocking thunder, and the slapping of her legs. Nahum couldn't fathom what was so hilarious. "I am your inferior assassin, I do not deny it, you are faster, better trained and older than I. Yet I have more balls than you will ever have. You sneak around and stab your opponents in the back when they aren't looking. I am strong and upright, even when an opponent is stronger than me, I don't back down" Nahum wanted to stab this girl for her insolence, but knew he couldn't. Stupid bitch, not knowing when to back down. Nahum had faced a large percentage of his opponents in open combat, the infiltration is just helpful to get to them undisturbed. Her face came millimeters from his own, and Nahum stared coldly into the girl's.

"So try and break me, others have tried and still try" *Oh I will* Nahum thought. Most people has an immediate disgust and fear of his cult, and she would learn that it was well placed. Besides, her opinion of him had little relevance to his mission. He had a job to do here, and she would not stop it. Slowly she moved her hand slowly and carefully and tickled his chin like a puppy. "Nice try tough guy, but your going to have to try harder to break me" Nahum fought his natural instinct to grab her hand and break it in half. That would show that insolent whore. But he fought to keep his body posture neutral and not be phased. So far he had remained in control, but this sister was pushing him to his temper's end. The girl started to turn away before adding another snide insult "I'd turn my back, but I know what you do in that situation" She stopped before adding "As for my failure... if I have indeed failed and it was indeed my doing that allowed the relics to be stolen, you will not need to break me. I will be broken upon the rock of my own confidence until the relics are found or death takes me." Nahum was going to lose it before another voice chimed in "Sisters, Brethren. If you would like to come in, we can begin." Nahum waited until all the other members had entered to room before walking in. The doors closed behind him and he was content to wait in the shadow and see what would be said of their mission...

 

[Deus Mortis]

"I hope I do not have to remind you of the Sin of Levity, Sister Kay. Your laughter is most inappropriate." Nahum almost let out a quiet chuckle as Kay was put in her place by her superiors. I did him good to see the whelp subdued so. There was a semi-circle of comfortable seats, and the Cardinal gestured for them to sit, but Nahum opted to stand. The Cardinal looked displeasured, but continued regardless. Offhandedly, Nahum noticed that the seat he had chose not to occupy was not the only one vacant. Evidently, some who had been asked to atttend had rejected their 'invite'. "Sisters, Brethren, in the early hours of this morning Sister Magdalen discovered that the relics of the Blessed Helena were missing. That does not mean they were stolen last night - when not being used for services, or removed for conservation, the relics are kept in a sealed reliquary box. The box was last opened two weeks ago, when Father Cato returned the artefacts he had been studying; they could have been removed at any time since then, and one of your first tasks will be to find out when the crime was committed." Nahum was tempted to asked who had overseen the Father returning the relics, or indeed that the relics returned were the genuine articles. However, despite his contempt at the easy loss of such precious relics, he assumed that they could confidently declare that the genuine relics had be returned.

"I have had our data servitors examine the security logs. The footage of the vault has been corrupted to the point that it does not even show Sister Magdalen's scheduled visit to prepare the relics for this morning's service. We also have a number of unregistered shuttles leaving for the mainland; they were difficult to spot with the number of pilgrim transports arriving daily, but they made the journey three times last week. Any one of them could be connected to the crime, so you will need to investigate them all." Nahum spoke this time, a simple question, but one he thought needed to be asked. "Cardinal, when does the the corruption of the security data start and end? If we investigate that time period, and then if that proves fruitless, we should expand our search. It will save us time we don't have to spare." the cardinal answered and Nahum simply nodded in response, satisfied with the answer.

"You each bring unique skills to this investigation: Sister Magdalen is duty bound to recover imperial relics - though not normally in these circumstances - and has the forensic training to gather and analyse evidence for you. Father Cato is one of the foremost experts on the relics themselves, and if anyone can divine the motive for this crime it will be him. Sister Kay and Sergeant Kal-El bring the authority of their orders to this matter - you have my full authority, and may requisition whatever additional services you feel you need. Mistress Elvira will have the duty of interrogating any suspects you find. Father Jack is a visiting pilgrim, and as such is uniquely placed to ask questions of the pilgrims without arrousing suspicion; I also gather that several of the pilgrims who travelled with him have connections that may prove useful if anyone tries to fence the relics. Finally, our...colleague" Nahum chuckled silently to himself in his head at how the Cardinal refused to say *assassin* and tried desperatly to find another way to discribe him. "...from the Moritat has been hired to provide his considerable skills at stealth and infiltration. You will have little need of them here on the island, but if you pursue the criminals to the mainland they will prove invaluable."

"You will report back to Mother Sulwyn, who will keep me informed of your progress. How do you plan to proceed?" "I will run the gauntlet, I will try every technique in my considerable arsenal to find anyway it would have been possible for the thief to break in and steal the relics from the outside. That will make it easier to divine if it was an inside or outside job." Nahum had nothing more to add so once again fell silent and waited to see what other questions would be asked and how the others would proceed...