A write up by Rob Davies of part 3 in our Inquisitor Campaign
Jailbreak
I don’t know why but the sheer incompetence of Imperial Arbitrators still amazes me, I can’t believe they actually released every prisoner just so I wouldn’t put a bullet through their colleague’s temple, I think he was dead already anyway. I confess it wasn’t the best plan but I was desperate, the strange man had abandoned me and the men he’d recruited were all dead or dying. I had no idea if Zeke or Kara were still alive but I had to hope that the chaos I had created would allow them to escape the facility if they were.
Maybe I should step back and tell you why I am crouched in the corner of cemetery with a mouthful of my own blood, fighting for breath thanks to an indeterminate number of broken ribs, watching all manner of dangerous criminals and lunatics stampede out of a burning Imperial Incarceration Facility, praying my friends will make it out alive and wondering just how many Imperial laws I violated this evening?
- – - – -
The light was beginning to fade when I met the strange man near the Arbites Incarceration Facility, he smiled, well I believe it was what passes for a smile in his case, and pointed out the 6 shapes moving in the shadows near the facility wall. Accompanied by 3 cyber-mastiffs were the 3 heavily armed men I saw during the previous fiasco with the Arbitors. Their body language, the way they moved and spoke to each other made it clear they weren’t planning on this being a stealthy endeavour, they were here to fight!
I didn’t trust the strange man, in fact being this close to him made me feel almost nauseous, it wasn’t anything tangible, just an aura. I had experienced something similar before when the pirates killed my Father, their leader had the same sort of presence. I felt sure if he didn’t consider my being here was furthering his aims he would’ve have killed me where I stood but if Kara and Zeke were still alive then this was my best chance to free them. Throne! He was unarmed and walked away from a fight with at least 5 Arbitors; he must be gifted in some way I don’t yet comprehend.
The facility seemed far too quiet, we checked but there didn’t seem to be any patrols so we approached the door, it was locked but I punched in a standard override code and to my amazement the lock disengaged. The door slid open and one of the heavily armed men, who I’d, heard the others call Smith, ordered the cyber-mastiffs to wait and led the way into the facility. I let the others follow him in and looked at the strange man
“Remember the arrangement my dear” he said “bring my people out and I’ll make sure you’re adequately compensated for your trouble, oh and do try not to get yourself killed.”
By the time I reached the turned the first corner inside the facility it was sheer bedlam, the alarm was blaring and bullets were flying. I hung back and tried to see if there was a way around the Arbitors rather than through them, it wasn’t like I could help much anyway, the corridor was tight and the growing mounds of dead and dying men only made it tighter. The fire fight was swift and brutal, I think I killed a pair of Arbitrators with pistol shots but it was difficult to tell. It seemed neither side was gaining any ground then Smith fell to the ground clutching his shoulder and I suddenly found myself staring at 4 Arbitrators, all of whom had shotguns trained on me, a quick glance around and I realised I was the only one left standing. I grabbed the nearest body, luckily it was an arbitrator, pressed my pistol into his temple and shouted to them
“Shut the alarm down and release the cell doors now! Do it or I’ll blow his head off!”
One of the arbitrators stepped back into the room behind him and turned to the bank of screens on his left. I was stunned, he actually did it, this wasn’t just a bluff in so I’d drop my guard, he actually shut off the alarm. Then I heard shouts from an adjacent corridor, he had released the locks on the cell doors too and the inmates were loose. The shouting became louder and more intense then there were people everywhere, guards trying to establish what was happening, Arbitrators trying to restore order and prisoners trying to decide if they should take a measure of revenge against their captors or just run. I threw myself into an alcove to avoid a group of prisoners rushing along the corridor, a shot rang out and one of the prisoners in front of me fell to the ground. I turned and ran towards the exit. I was bundled out of the exit by another group of prisoners and as I was pushed to the ground I saw the strange man was stood in front of a Rhino APC with it’s engine running, there were 2 other men with him, I guessed these were the people he wanted liberating from the facility.
“Get in” he said gesturing towards the Rhino
“We need to wait” I replied “My friends are still inside”
“I am not here to help your friends, you seem to misunderstand our arrangement, you are here to help me”
I squared up to him
“HELP? HELP YOU? Where were you whilst I was doing all the dirty work? The others got killed in there and what were you doing to help?
He didn’t shout back, he just stared into my eyes and I made the mistake of meeting his gaze. I felt him looking directly into my soul, I could feel the pain of the thousands he had killed and the fear of those he would kill in the future. I was totally paralysed by sheer agony and abject terror, it was as if I was a prisoner in my own body. Then he spoke, not in a raised tone but a whisper that felt like a thousand needles boring into my brain.
“You petulant little girl, I could end your pathetic existence with the merest thought and yet you dare to question me. I have looked into the very fabric of your being, I know your fears, and I know your dreams. I know you are on this planet to retrieve an artefact for a servant of your corpse god but you must now know you can’t succeed. The artefact you seek will make a fine weapon in the hands of a truly enlightened being such as me; I must thank you for telling me it is here.”
He closed his eyes and I simply crumpled, every muscle in my body felt like jelly and I couldn’t move, he stood over me and the 2 men with him walked over. He nodded to them and walked away round to the side of the Rhino. A boot struck me in the side, followed by another and another. Something, a rifle butt I think, caught me in the temple and everything started to look fuzzy, the 2 men were kicking and beating me, I was powerless to defend myself and could feel myself drifting into unconsciousness. I fought against it and tried to focus on moving my arms and felt a little strength return, I was able to get my arms up to protect my head just as one of them stamped down with a blow that probably would’ve crushed my skull. They didn’t let up in their assault and I felt several of my ribs snap under another kick. Just as I began to believe I was going to die here I heard the sound of several shotguns firing at once. The men stopped kicking me and looked at the building, a group of Arbitrators had emerged intent on recapturing as many escapees as possible.
“Jidus, you want me to finish her off?” shouted the one man
“No time for that, get in here, we’re leaving” came a reply from the Rhino
The 2 men disappeared from view and I heard the Rhino’s hatch slam shut. The engine revved and I realised I was directly in front of the tracks. Summoning every ounce of energy I could I just manage to roll to my left in time and the tracks barely missed my shoulder as the Rhino raced away. The arbitrators were currently engaged in a running battle with several groups of escapees so I was able to crawl unnoticed into the nearby cemetery and prop myself up on a gravestone.
- – - – -
I think that brings us back to the situation I currently find myself in. I can see Kara and Zeke outside the building now. I think they have seen me as they’re heading this way. I know need to find Inquisitor Tarthus’ artefact before the strange man, who I now believe is called Jidus. More so I know I must stop Jidus, I am certain he has murdered hundreds and will kill thousands, maybe millions more.
Every breath hurts, I can feel my ribs grinding against each other and I think I just spat out a tooth. Zeke is kneeling next to me
“Frak me Vik! You look like hell”
“Jidus…”
I pause to spit out another mouthful of blood, I am aware of someone lifting me onto their shoulder and as the I slip out of consciousness I manage to finish
”he…must…be…stopped”
- – - – -