Sherpa watched patiently with a soft smile on his face and his hands folded together as the three first members of the group made their introductions.
The group brought before him might seem like a strange collection, but it did not seem to phase Sherpa that much. He had seen some of the other task squads that had been given to his brothers before him. While the most common sight by far had been that of the gruff looking mercenary type; usually lacking insofar sanitation and hygiene was concerned; he had seen no small number of psykers and members of the mechanicum. Indeed, he had even seen an Ogryn in the palace earlier that day, though he had smelled it long before spotting it.
Yet between the Psyker and the secretive sister, the guardsman named Langston seemed the most normal of the two, if indeed not the most sane! Not that Sherpa would ever want himself be caught comparing anyone's sanity to that of a Psyker, which would be offensive at best!
"May the Emperor guide us in this endeavour, and keep us from harm...or as far as possible."
"Let us hope not, Sister, because harm is what we will seek on this mission." Sherpa would add with a friendly smile towards the Sister Hospitaller, as he turned his attention towards Anomander's own humble introduction. Sherpa simply nodded in acknowledgement, appearing to not seek to prod the Psyker with any further questions.
With most introduction out of the way, Sherpa moved his right hand towards a small console at the edge of the table where he stood.
"I am glad you all could come. It is regrettable that you had to see our glorious sector in such a state. But that is what we are all here to solve. As members of this Task Squad, you will all become instruments of order and justice across worlds fraught with chaos. Do your jobs well, and you will be rewarded, not only with a better conscience but riches and wealth as well. Perhaps one day some of you might even settle down in the sector and reap the good fruit you will sow in the coming days."
Sherpa paused, before pressing one of the buttons and the huge screen behind him flickered into life.
"But before we risk getting ourselves carried away by dreams of a future still unmade, let us return to reality."
As the green screen came on, it showed a mission profile titled "Revolution in the Depths". Smaller images of what looked like the sub-terrenian sector of Soliaire 2 appeared on the screen, showing static pictures of streets fraught by rebellion, mobs of furious dissidents clashing with lines of local arbiters, pictures of bomb blasts, and a picture of a dead arbiter torn apart by an explosion, his lower body missing.
And at the side of the screen, the image of a male Caucasian 36 year old rugged man appeared, with frazzled brown hair and scar running down the right side of his face. The look on his face was reminiscent of a man who had seen untold horrors, yet remained in a stone-faced, hard and unflinching motion. The picture was titled Rolf Devran.
"As some of you may have heard, the northmost sector of Soliaire 2 is suffering from extensive civil unrest. The unrest can be seen on the surface, but many parts of this hive world feature multiple city levels, some going under the planet's surface. Rolf Devran, a violent anarchist, dissident and would-be revolutionary has made the seventh sub level of the northern planet the heart of his movement. Local Arbiters have been unable to deal with his revolutionaries, who have fortified that level. They are numerous, well armed and convinced they are in the right, unwilling to yield to the Arbiter's imperial authority. Rolf Devran is even said to be working with a fallen priest, twisting the very teachings of the emperor and using it to gain further legitimacy for his fight."
Sherpa explained as he pointed up at the picture of Rolf Devran. Pressing the button on his console again, the screen switched to another picture, a map of the northern part of the Hive World viewed from the side where it showed the multiple levels, some of which indeed even went deep down into the earth in massive caves or in the form of buildings built upon buildings that had made their own underworld. There were in total 10 sectors. From the surface and down, the first 6 were green, signaling Arbiter control. 7 was red, signaling Rolf Devran's control. Level 8, 9 and 10 were all grayed out.
"Our primary objective will be to capture the leader of the revolution, Rolf Devran, and bring him back to this palace unharmed." Sherpa said, placing particular emphasize on the last word.
"My ship carries aboard it a special cryo-unit which we will use to preserve him in stasis for delivery to this palace. It also has a number of non-lethal weapons to make his capture easier, if any of you will need that."
Pausing for a moment, Sherpa watched the group to make sure they had all understood it, before; almost as an afterthought, he opened his mouth to speak again.
"Oh, and as for any of Rolf Devran's accomplices, we are to liquidate any we find with extreme prejudice. Anyone with the slightest association with Devran is a free target. His lieutenants, his friends, his followers, anyone who may have worked with him. They are not part of the main objective, but if we encounter any of them, we are to terminate them whenever possible. But do not forget, no harm can be allowed to befall Rolf Devran! If anyone tries to harm him, you have the Governor's full permission to use any means necessary to stop them, regardless of their affiliation! The governor's bureaucrats are more than capable of handling any political fallout that may arise, but do try to avoid it nonetheless."
Finally done, Sherpa looked out across the group.
" ... any questions?"
The group brought before him might seem like a strange collection, but it did not seem to phase Sherpa that much. He had seen some of the other task squads that had been given to his brothers before him. While the most common sight by far had been that of the gruff looking mercenary type; usually lacking insofar sanitation and hygiene was concerned; he had seen no small number of psykers and members of the mechanicum. Indeed, he had even seen an Ogryn in the palace earlier that day, though he had smelled it long before spotting it.
Yet between the Psyker and the secretive sister, the guardsman named Langston seemed the most normal of the two, if indeed not the most sane! Not that Sherpa would ever want himself be caught comparing anyone's sanity to that of a Psyker, which would be offensive at best!
"May the Emperor guide us in this endeavour, and keep us from harm...or as far as possible."
"Let us hope not, Sister, because harm is what we will seek on this mission." Sherpa would add with a friendly smile towards the Sister Hospitaller, as he turned his attention towards Anomander's own humble introduction. Sherpa simply nodded in acknowledgement, appearing to not seek to prod the Psyker with any further questions.
With most introduction out of the way, Sherpa moved his right hand towards a small console at the edge of the table where he stood.
"I am glad you all could come. It is regrettable that you had to see our glorious sector in such a state. But that is what we are all here to solve. As members of this Task Squad, you will all become instruments of order and justice across worlds fraught with chaos. Do your jobs well, and you will be rewarded, not only with a better conscience but riches and wealth as well. Perhaps one day some of you might even settle down in the sector and reap the good fruit you will sow in the coming days."
Sherpa paused, before pressing one of the buttons and the huge screen behind him flickered into life.
"But before we risk getting ourselves carried away by dreams of a future still unmade, let us return to reality."
As the green screen came on, it showed a mission profile titled "Revolution in the Depths". Smaller images of what looked like the sub-terrenian sector of Soliaire 2 appeared on the screen, showing static pictures of streets fraught by rebellion, mobs of furious dissidents clashing with lines of local arbiters, pictures of bomb blasts, and a picture of a dead arbiter torn apart by an explosion, his lower body missing.
And at the side of the screen, the image of a male Caucasian 36 year old rugged man appeared, with frazzled brown hair and scar running down the right side of his face. The look on his face was reminiscent of a man who had seen untold horrors, yet remained in a stone-faced, hard and unflinching motion. The picture was titled Rolf Devran.
"As some of you may have heard, the northmost sector of Soliaire 2 is suffering from extensive civil unrest. The unrest can be seen on the surface, but many parts of this hive world feature multiple city levels, some going under the planet's surface. Rolf Devran, a violent anarchist, dissident and would-be revolutionary has made the seventh sub level of the northern planet the heart of his movement. Local Arbiters have been unable to deal with his revolutionaries, who have fortified that level. They are numerous, well armed and convinced they are in the right, unwilling to yield to the Arbiter's imperial authority. Rolf Devran is even said to be working with a fallen priest, twisting the very teachings of the emperor and using it to gain further legitimacy for his fight."
Sherpa explained as he pointed up at the picture of Rolf Devran. Pressing the button on his console again, the screen switched to another picture, a map of the northern part of the Hive World viewed from the side where it showed the multiple levels, some of which indeed even went deep down into the earth in massive caves or in the form of buildings built upon buildings that had made their own underworld. There were in total 10 sectors. From the surface and down, the first 6 were green, signaling Arbiter control. 7 was red, signaling Rolf Devran's control. Level 8, 9 and 10 were all grayed out.
"Our primary objective will be to capture the leader of the revolution, Rolf Devran, and bring him back to this palace unharmed." Sherpa said, placing particular emphasize on the last word.
"My ship carries aboard it a special cryo-unit which we will use to preserve him in stasis for delivery to this palace. It also has a number of non-lethal weapons to make his capture easier, if any of you will need that."
Pausing for a moment, Sherpa watched the group to make sure they had all understood it, before; almost as an afterthought, he opened his mouth to speak again.
"Oh, and as for any of Rolf Devran's accomplices, we are to liquidate any we find with extreme prejudice. Anyone with the slightest association with Devran is a free target. His lieutenants, his friends, his followers, anyone who may have worked with him. They are not part of the main objective, but if we encounter any of them, we are to terminate them whenever possible. But do not forget, no harm can be allowed to befall Rolf Devran! If anyone tries to harm him, you have the Governor's full permission to use any means necessary to stop them, regardless of their affiliation! The governor's bureaucrats are more than capable of handling any political fallout that may arise, but do try to avoid it nonetheless."
Finally done, Sherpa looked out across the group.
" ... any questions?"
