THE HERO OF THE IMPERIUM

[hegantha]

Characters: Amberley Vail, Commissar Ciaphas Cain, and YOU
Setting: All around the safe floors. The cafeteria, dorms, etc.
Format: Actionspam is cool, threads with cain and amberley will be done separately
Summary: Propaganda is good! Everyone should know that there's a hero among us who stands up for good humans and helps protect them from the tower!
Warnings: Discrimination towards aliens and anything practicing magic. The shoot first, ask questions kind of discrimination.

[ Amberley and Cain can both be found about the tower today, the almost seven foot tall man following behind the smaller woman dressed in his normal military garb with his chainsword at his side. You do get the sense that he's being dragged around by her, mostly because of his stoicism and her cheery enthusiasm make a pretty jarring contrast.

The two each have a stack of handmade flyers they're handing out, which Amberley made with a marker and some scrap paper. Not the most high tech propaganda out there, but it was better than nothing. Everyone who runs into the duo will get one of these.



At least they're trying to help, even if it's in their own horribly misguided way. ]

Comments

[canofworms]

[Kariya's out and about looking through the Tower, half out of restlessness, half out of curiosity; a pair of Blade Wing Worms permanently out at his side. At this point, caution is more precious than secrecy, and there are far too many Grail War participants and other unusual beings here to warrant it, anyway.

Obviously armed individuals still make him a little tense, even if it's a natural occurrence in the Tower. He's a little more confused by the primitive flyer.]

... The Imperium? And there aren't any contact details, apart from the name.

[He did see the bit about sorcerers, but though it gives him pause, he doesn't even know what he's looking at. It doesn't quite register as a sign of hostility.]

[hegantha]

[ Amberley is so busy staring at the wings sticking out of his side that she barely registers Kariya's question. If she actually had her bolt pistol on her she might have taken it out and aimed it at him, but Cain's the only one that brought weapons along. Curse her need to keep a low profile... ]

... Yes, uh, if you need help, I'm sure you can find him... [ a pause. ] Actually, I was wondering if you're alright right now? If you need medical attention, I should be able to help.

[canofworms]

[If you keep staring you might notice a few big red eyes peeking out. Peek-A-Bug!

Kariya gives the poster another critical look -- what were you supposed to do, contact the entire network looking for the man? he might have to look further into how communications here work -- and then gives Amberley a look about as bemused as the one she's giving him.]

Medical attention? I don't-- There aren't any problems.

[Maybe it's the eye??]

[hegantha]

[ If she hadn't seen some real shit in her life she'd probably be freaking out quite a bit right now. Instead she just points at the bug parts. ]

You've got a... problem, there.

[canofworms]

[The bugs are being discreet and inoffensive, at least. They have no orders right now.]

Ah, these. They're my familiars -- please don't mind them.

[A tiny gesture and the Worms flit a little further behind him. Just, you know, for your peace of mind. He tried.]

[hegantha]

Consorting with Daemons? That's as good as a death penalty where I'm from.

[ Oh, she's going to mind them alright. ]

[canofworms]

[He stills for a moment, but meets her gaze steadily.]

You could call them demons. But it's a good thing we're not where you're from.

[hegantha]

I'm still here.

[ She says that with a cold, dead sounding voice. ]

If I ever see you attack a human with one of those things, you might as well consider yourself dead.

[ And for the record, no, she doesn't care if the human attacked first. That's called self defense in the Imperium. ]

[canofworms]

[He's silent for a moment, digesting the threat. It's interesting, being on the receiving end -- he's still a little slow on the uptake in thinking of himself as a magus in general, even flaunting his familiars all over the Tower. Perhaps it's because so many others are just like him, or even further removed from 'human'. It's a little hard to say.

And the magi are far too secretive at home for problems of this sort to reach most of them. The Matou in particular, at least, are damn near immune by virtue of being one of the Three Great Families.

He tilts his head, gaze cool.]

I don't want to hurt you. Let me ask you this: how will you know for sure what is human and what is not?

[hegantha]

I know that you sure aren't human. Daemons flying in and out of you like that, that's the work of the warp if I ever saw it.

[ She sighs a bit, knowing that she's avoiding the question. ]

Sometimes, it's impossible to tell, which is why we're always on guard against that kind of thing. Though, I don't wish to start any fights, which is why I thought a warning was appropriate. Hurt no one and you will remain untouched.

[canofworms]

The warp? [There's definite puzzlement for a second there, but he shakes it off soon enough and smiles instead -- it doesn't reach his eyes, but it's the thought that counts.] You can think of it that way, if you like.

[He hasn't considered himself human in a long time.]

I don't like starting fights either, I'm glad we agree. Hopefully it stays that way, huh?

[It's as casual as he can make it, considering they're both probably aware it's a bit of a white lie here. It's not insincere; but Kariya has been alive for far too long for something like this to do more than tickle him.]

[hegantha]

I will continue to think of it in that way, because it's true.

[ Amberley has her no nonsense face on. ]

And I agree. While I won't trust you, if you keep to yourself, I'll let you be. I think that's more than fair.

[canofworms]

Fair enough.

[He has the face he puts on when he deals with strange magi; when he wants something from them. It's rather a pleasant standoff, all things considered.]

A word of advice, then. For your concern. [And somehow, it sounds sincere.] It's natural to do things the easy way, but you should be more careful. None of us have seen everything there is to see here.

Good luck with your, ah, campaign.

[Because that is what it is, isn't it? He's done here for the moment.]

[hideandhero]

The Imperium of Man.

[Thankfully, he's got this speech meshed out.]

It's an empire that spans over a million inhabited planets and is ruled over by the God-Emperor of Mankind.

[canofworms]

[... Is this some kind of advertisement for a sci-fi film--

Okay, no, he's in the Tower so he should probably suspend disbelief. And the poster is awfully unprofessional anyway. Kariya tilts his head a little. It doesn't make much more sense sideways.]

That sounds very impressive, but I don't see what this has to do with the Tower. There aren't a million planets to rule here.

[He's beginning to frown a little.]

[hideandhero]

The same principles still apply. Besides, no matter who is in charge around here, I still have my Emperor given duty, which is to ensure that humans can always feel safe.

[canofworms]

And your principles are, ah, 'Trust in your fellow humans'?

[It's such a patent statement of the obvious, if you ignore the fine print. The fine print is becoming more uncomfortable the more he hears from these people.]

I'd like to hear more about your duty.

[The Blade Wing Worms are hiding discreetly behind him at this point. Good boys.]

[hideandhero]

Much more than that but it's a basic.

To make this simple, I'm a Commissar. A Commissar is an officer who exists outside the chain of command and is attached to regiments of soldiers in the Imperial Guard. They also get put on command staffs and Imperial Navy ships too.

What we do is keep the morale of the soldiers up, ensure they're fighting at top quality, keep the discipline, make sure they're following orders, and to lead from the front.

[canofworms]

So you're something like a... Imperial overseer?

[High rank automatically makes him wary, no matter who it is or under which organization or with what goal.]

You're the one named on the flier, then.

[hideandhero]

Not at all. I suppose we have the authority to do that but I'm not that kind of Commissar.

I've heard way too many stories about 'surprise enemy attacks' where there was only one casualty, the Commissar. Those kind of guys are the overbearing type that'll put a las round in the back of someone's head just to make sure everyone else doesn't run.

I prefer to be friends with everyone. Lead by example and not by fear. It works better in the long run, I think.

But that is me. Try to disregard the hero thing. It's a title they gave me after I led an effort that destroyed an Ork siege on one of our planets but all the real work was done by the soldiers and civilians I was with. I try to tell the newscasters that but....you know how the media is.

[canofworms]

[At least it seems like the guy has a good head on his shoulders, even if Kariya doesn't relax; if he has some bit of sense, he could be more dangerous in the long run.

Not that it means he won't be civil.]

That's humble of you, but... Maybe you should have a word with whoever designed the fliers?

[More than a word, really -- bright red on white is just a terrible choice all around.]

They're pretty vague, too -- I'm not sure I understand the purpose.

[What are you trying to lead, anyway....]

[hideandhero]

You can bring that all up with the lady here.

[Because he's not going to. No one around here knows who she is exactly except for Cain. And well...one doesn't just tell an Inquisitor that's he or she isn't doing something right.]

[canofworms]

I'll see what I can do.

[He has no idea who she is, after all, even if he's gotten the general idea that this is some kind of attempt to assert presence in the Tower.]

What kinds of problems are you trying to help with, anyway? You might find yourself buried in requests, considering what this Tower is like.

[hideandhero]

Minor issues are a bit...well, those can handle themselves. If someone is worried about their safety or wants to go somewhere a bit dangerous, I'm more equipped to handle those type of things.

[He jangles the massive chainsword at his waist.]

The lady here can handle most other things.

[canofworms]

[What is with people around here and their giant swords?

Well, at least the guy seems pretty straightforward, despite all his tacky subtext. Kariya still wouldn't recommend him to passersby, considering the type of people he knows -- but he might end up doing some good.]

Ah. Well, good luck with your-- [community service? it's a little hard to say] --project.