Both Kowl and Lance saw fit to try and take one of the Rumblers, so that they could both "lead the charge", as if their desire to outcompete one another wasn't obvious already. Instead, to keep them from getting ahead of themselves and to make best use of their weapons, Hektor ordered both to take the Repressor, and installed himself and the next most senior Judge and Arbitrator on them instead. Sharing with the latter two: Verispex Frea on one, for the sake of protection through agility and early scene analysis; and Handler Ceras on the other, for the sake of keeping up with her cyber-mastiffs and to keep her from talking too much.
Naturally, the Rumblers would lead the way through the city and spireward. It seemed a lot of civilians were either avoiding the wider streets, or actively rioting in them. They had, after all, been declared the living and forgotten dead. However, dealing with them would be a simple enough job later, should it be proven that they deserved it; if the sight of the three assault bikes did not quell the riots, the Repressor's cargo of non-lethal equipment certainly would. And if it so happened that a crowd formed and refused to disperse, well, the angry jaws of two cyber-mastiffs were more than sufficient to strike terror into their hearts, and the sheer bulk of the Rumblers themselves didn't hurt matters either.
Eventually, of course, the bikes reached their destination, halting short of the mansion proper once it entered visual range. Within those walls, a potential army of Enforcers. How many? That marked Michael's first job here - to plan accordingly, of course.
'Verispex Adept Frea,' the Justicar demanded, stepping out of the vehicle along with the other troops, 'what are we looking at in terms of enemy forces?'
'Right...' With a cracking of knuckles, the Adept searched the area, scanning first visually, and then with one of the various auspexes in his suit. Details even Hektor himself wouldn't be able to divine would come naturally to Michael, of course - scuff marks, boot and vehicle prints that had barely left material on the ground, the age of these pieces of evidence and their relevance to the case. Within seconds, they had an answer, delivered in the most certain tone Michael ever really produced, almost robotic compared to his usual awkward cadence: 'At least thrice our own number, no vehicles. Aggressive, but not trained effectively, former gangers almost certainly. Low-quality carapace - still protective, but likely movement-restrictive. Standard weaponry: autoguns, autocannons. Non-standard weaponry: various melee armaments beyond standard shock mauls, grenade launchers armed with krak grenades, lascannon.'
'Pardon me, Verispex, a
lascannon?' Autark asked, barely hiding the surprise in his voice.
'Yes, sir. But as stated, they are more aggressive than efficient. Inaccurate, like as not,' Michael proposed in the same sure tone. 'Likely that relatively few Enforcers are trained in the proper firing and reloading rites and procedures. The autocannons will be the bigger problem purely for area denial purposes - simpler to man, but still best to remove as soon as possible.'
'Fffrak it,' Hektor cursed, clenching his teeth and fist both. 'Well, you heard the man. We have heavy weapons, and likely teams who are rare in their capacity to make use of them. Handler Ceras, your job will be to find and eliminate these weapons teams before they inflict unnecessary casualties.'
'Yes, sir!' she replied cheerfully, saluting via the Aquila and gesturing to her seated charges. 'I've been waiting to put these boys to the test for solar weeks, now, it's been-'
'It must have been drudgery incarnate, yes,' Hektor interrupted, 'you don't need to explain how you feel constantly.'
'Ah, sorry sir,' she uttered, a little less exuberantly. 'I'm excited, is all. Ready to get punishing the people breaking Imperial Law, y'see.'
'I can tell, and I won't necessarily begrudge you that.' He wasn't one to quash people's personalities outright - just temper them, the way one would temper a sword to hone its edge. 'Just remember that the cyber-mastiffs aren't invincible, and that these are likely to be the most dangerous foes they face in this purge. If you break them, I can't simply requisition more.'
'Can do, sir. Of course, they're important to me, so I wouldn't just throw them into a wall of gunfire recklessly.'
'Mrh. As for the rest of us,' he instructed them and the other two Arbites, 'we'll make our initial entrance in the vehicles if possible, but once we're out, the Lockshields will prove our best line of defense against any and all opposition- especially you Verispex-' That caught Michael's attention somewhat. '-so ensure they're primed and ready. You have until the Guard secure the area of civilian activity and the Repressor arrives to ask further questions before we begin the operation.'
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