Author's Notes: Hey everyone, sorry that it has been so long since I updated this story I hope this makes up for that as Theobald's "adventures" begins.
Theobald departed Tuclara as quickly as he could and set course for Tellus, where the message said that Inquisitor Vola was waiting for him. He did not take all of his people, of course, were he to do that it would endanger his chances of securing the percentage of the recourses of Tuclara as he had intended. So he left a contingent of armsmen led by Aloisio would remain behind to fulfill his side of the argument that he had made with the Council of Elders. Adept Kydexus would also be staying behind to oversee the induction of Tuclara into the Imperium, Theobald wondered if it was terribly wrong that part of him hoped that the man came down with some fatal local illness. In place of Adept Kydexus Theobald had been joined by Marshal Longwood.
"Why?" Theobald had asked when the man had asked to be allowed to join Theobald's crew. The man had shrugged.
"I have always enjoyed traveling and now that I have the chance to the stars themselves and know what I know I got the feeling that staying here would seem rather boring." After hearing that Theobald accepted Longwood's request, in a way the man reminded him of himself before he had received his Warrant of Trade.
Despite the sense of urgency it was several days before they were able to depart. Supplies had to be loaded. Aloisio and the men remaining behind had to be properly equipped and the agreements with the Council of Elders had to be formally signed. While all of this had been going on Neall had kept mostly to himself, something which seemed odd as the man in the short time that Theobald had known him had not given the impression of one who was content with his own company. Finally, the day before they were to depart Neall invited Theobald to visit him in his quarters, the one part of the ship which Theobald could not enter without permission. When Theobald had entered he found the navigator working on a piece of parchment.
"What are you doing?" Theobald had asked him.
"Updating the charts of this region which my House possess to include Tuclara and Lakar." He had paused and looked at Theobald a cunning look in his eyes.
"These can be quite valuable you know, perhaps more valuable than shipments of the resources which we have found."
"How so?" The navigator came him a superior look.
"Consider it Theobald. We are the only ones who know how to reach these worlds and their resources. Well, us and these charts. There are many who can wan will pay large amounts of money or other favors for them. That is something to remember Theobald, knowledge is power, but it is also profit.
"Every time we travel into the unknown we can profit. Even if we don't discover something of value people will pay for charts which show areas to avoid. We may not find worlds rich in resources or piles of archeotech, but we will always have new knowledge and knowledge sells."
Fortunately the voyage back to Tellus was both quicker and easier thanks to the updated charts which allowed Neall to chart the best rout to their destination, exiting the Warp on the edge of the Tellus system. As they made their way towards the planet itself Traggat, who was manning the vox station and Atmore, who was manning the augers, both called for Theobald's attention.
"My lord," Atmore stated; "We are being approached by a ship coming from the planet." Tragget chimed in.
"They are hailing us." Theobald rose and turned to address Atmore.
"Can you identify the ship?" Atmore nodded his head.
"Yes my lord. It is the Ambition-class Cruiser, the Flame of Judgement." Traggat spoke again.
"Inquisitor Vola is aboard the Flame of Judgment and requests that you join him there."Theobald nodded his acknowledgement. Declining both Longwood and Rolf's offers to accompany him he boarded his Arvus Lighter and headed over to the Flame of Judgement.
He was not sure what to expect when he boarded the ship, but it was not a virtually empty bay. For a moment Theobald wondered if they even knew he was there and then he saw that there was indeed someone to meet him. It was a man of medium height with a shaved head and clad in a worn trench coat. He wore a rebreather which covered the lower half of his face and sported a pair of tubes which ran back to a tank on his back and his eyes had the look of a long-time drug user, a fact which made Theobald look rather uneasily at the Hellgun the man held in his hands. The man did not speak, merely indicated that Theobald should follow him.
They made their way through the corridors of the ship, occasionally taking an elevator to another level. As they walked Theobald noted that while there were people in key positions, from what he could see the majority of the crew consisted of servitors. At last they came to a hatch sealed with a coded lock. The man went to a key pad and tapped in a code, keeping his back to Theobald, ensuring that he could not see the code. When he finished the hatch hissed open and the man stepped aside to allow Theobald to enter. Theobald was not sure what to expect when he went through the hatch, but what he saw was not it.
It was a large space which resembled nothing so much as one of the drawing rooms of the governor's palace back on Wayfarer's Haven. The walls were covered with wood paneling and hung with a number of paintings. Much of the floor was covered by a thick carpet woven of a material which Theobald did not recognize. Along the walls were several shelfs covered with books and it took some effort on Theobald's part not to go over and examine them. There were several chairs around an artificial fireplace and there was also a small table upon which was a crystal decanter and several glasses of the same material. At the back of a room was a large desk, seated behind which was Inquisitor Vola. He was looking at a pad, but glanced up as soon as Theobald entered the room.
"Ah, how good of you to come so quickly. Please sit." He said as he indicated a chair in front of the desk. Theobald walked to it and sat down, noting in passing as the door shut that his guide had remained outside.
"Will you take some wine?" Vola asked, indicating the decanter. At Theobald's nod of agreement Vola snapped his fingers. This caused a servitor in the corner which Theobald had not noticed before came forward, poured drinks and offered them to the two men, it was a little bitter for Theobald's taste, but he said nothing. After taking a sip of his wine Vola began to speak.
"I am pleased to hear that your voyage was successful, as I predicted that it would be and I am sure that there will be many more in the future. But now for the present. I am sure that you wish to know why I summoned you." From Chief Astropath Carilli Theobald had some idea what the conversation was going to be about, but chose to put on an air of polite interest.
"I presume that you are going to tell me." Vola smiled in a way which was not quite friendly.
"Indeed I am. There is a matter which I find myself in need of your assistance. Normally I would deal with the matter myself; however, matters require my attention elsewhere and so I find myself in need of your assistance." Theobald found that last part a bit odd. He could believe that Vola was called elsewhere, but he had a hard time believing that the man had no other agents which he could send. The Inquisition had always been portrayed as having eyes everywhere and looking at the ship they were on it did not appear as if Vola was a man of scarce resources. Something of thoughts must have appeared on his face as Vola smiled in a self-deprecating manner.
"Naturally I have a number of agents which I would normally send, but this is a special case. You see Sabinianus knows most of them and so employing them would not be viable."
"Sabinianus?" Theobald asked.
"Ah yes, forgive me. Sabinianus Homsey, a rather unpleasant heretic. He recently stole something of great value and fled to the Hive World of Necromunda with it. I need you to find him and recover the item in question."
"Well I hope the matter is not too urgent while I spend the three or four millennium it will take me to search the world for the individual in question." Theobald had spoken without thinking and felt a chill run through him as he realized what he had just said and to whom he had said it to. A chill which intensified at the look that Vola gave him.
"Fortunately," he said in a dry tone of voice; "You will not require such a large amount of time. A good thing as it is rather important matter.
"I have contacts on the capital hive city of the planet, Hive Primus. In addition to being the capital it also has the planet's only space port. My information tells me that Homsey arrived there, but never left the hive."
"If you know that he is there, why not simply have the governor send his enforcers to take care of Homsey?"
"Gerontius Helmawr is an acceptable governor, in his own way. However; this is not a matter that I wish him to be involved in. So, again, it is up to you. Do bear in mind that I am aware that this mission is costing you time and money and I can be very generous to those who help me in my Emperor-appointed mission to defend the Imperium." His tone and expression both became hard and cold.
"I also remember those who put their own desires before their duty to aid in the defense of the Imperium." Seeing that he had no way out Theobald sighed.
"I shall leave immediately, though it will still take some time to search the hive." Vola smiled.
"That's the spirit my boy and don't worry, there are several things I can give to aid you in your quest. As I said I have contacts in Hive Primus, the most important of these is Nemo the Faceless, a member of Clan House Delaque. A word of advice, he does not enjoy having his name bandied about so don't go looking for him. He knows you are coming and will seek you out. Now for the other assistance I can give you, come." With that he rose and left the room, Theobald following behind.
They walked down a passageway and took an elevator down one level, the doors opened and Theobald found himself in what appeared to be a shrine to the Omnissiah. Everywhere were tools and devices, the functions of which Theobald could not begin to guess. A number of tech-priests moved about the room and the area was full of both chanting and the smell of incense. One of them approached and nodded his, or her there was not enough flesh left for Theobald to tell, their head.
"Inquisitor." The tech-priest said in voice totally devoid of emotions.
"Are they ready?" Vola asked.
"By the will of the Omnissiah they are." The tech-priest said and indicated three servitors who just came up.
They were clearly designed for combat, two of them had had their right arms replaced with heavy bolters, while the third had a heavy flamer. All three had had their left hands replaced with chainswords, their eyes had been replaced by targeting visors and bulges under their skin suggested that armor had been implanted there. It was their lower halves; however, which drew the most attention. From the heads down they were normal, except for their arms, from the waist down they were completely different. Their legs were gone and had been replaced with eight mechanical legs that looked like the legs of spiders, the tips of which were equipped with retractable hooks.
"Quite impressive, aren't they? They are specifically designed for urban combat, able to maneuver through the uneven terrain of the lower levels of the hive. Their designated UCS 1, UCS 2 and UCS 3."
"UCS?" Theobald asked.
"Urban Combat Servitor." Vola replied.
"Consider them a gift to you, I told you I can be generous."
The voyage to Necromunda was also uneventful and Theobald spent much of the time reviewing what information he had on Hive Primus. It seemed that, like many worlds of the Imperium, it was ruled by an established aristocracy. In the case of Necromunda these could be roughly divided into two groups: the Great Houses and the Clan Houses. The Great Houses controlled the hive's commerce, both with the wider Imperium and with the other hives of the world while the Clan Houses controlled the actual manufacturing facilities of the Hive City. While all Hive Cities had a problem with gang violence Necromunda appeared to have it even worse, in fact it appeared that the world was quite infamous for it. Looking at the information Theobald realized that there would be additional problems in his search. In addition to finding Homsey he would have to find a way to avoid to all the fighting as well.
They emerged from the Warp on the edge of the Necromundan system and made their way towards the planet itself. Their presence was noted by picket ships, but they were not challenged. It was not till they reached the planet that they found themselves challenged. It was not the planet itself which hailed them, but a star fortress which hung in orbit above the planet. Traggat again summoned Theobald's attention.
"My lord, the star fort is hailing us." Theobald acknowledged this and moved to the vox station as an authoritative and aristocratic voice came over the vox.
"This is Baldo Helmawr, Lord of the Eye of Selene and Warden of Necromunda, to the warship approaching the planet. Identify yourself or face destruction." While the words were melodramatic in nature, the wrecks of ships floating in orbit showed that the man was not bluffing. Theobald took the vox and responded.
"Eye of Selene, this is Theobald Traub, rogue trader and master of the Adventurer." There was silence for several minutes before there was a response.
"Adventurer, you are cleared to approach and make landing." Theobald acknowledge and began making preparations to land.
Accompanied by Rolf and Longwood he boarded the Arvus Lighter and they set off for the planet. They descended through the atmosphere and, following the instructions they were given they made their way towards the space port. Landing they watched the hatch open. As it did a blast of heavily polluted struck them and both Rolf and Longwood started to cough heavily.
"Gods!" Rolf hacked out; "What is that horrid smell!" Longwood, also coughing nodded his agreement.
"Smells like something died, or rather a lot of somethings!" Even Theobald had to take a moment to adjust to the air. It had been some time since he had been on a Hive World and even then Haven's air was not nearly as polluted as the air of Necromunda was. Indeed, he had read that there was a permanent cloud of pollution below them. Additionally, they were much higher up than he was used to and the air, in addition to being polluted, was colder and thinner. He waited a few minutes for them to get their breathing under control and then they left the craft.
They were immediately confronted by a squad of a dozen soldiers and at their head was a man whom Theobald to be the governor himself. He wore a suit of clothing which was made of material of multiple colors and a large quantity of gold braids. To top it all off he had on his head a massive wig of curled hair white hair and what like silver wire. Theobald was surprised, he knew that visits by rogue traders were usually a major event, but he had not thought that the governor of a Hive World, especially one as large, wealthy and important as Necromunda. The party stopped before Theobald and his own group and the man spoke.
"You are the rogue trader Theobald Traub?" Trying not let his surprise show he merely nodded in what he hoped was a dignified manner. He was grateful that he had not said anything as the man spoke again.
"I am Ansgar Bakke, majordomo to Gerontius Helmawr, lord and protector of Necromunda. He has extended his invitation to call upon him." Theobald guessed that the invitation was more of a command. This, combined with the embarrassment he was still feeling from his earlier mistake about the man's identity, was beginning to annoy him.
He was a rogue trader! A peer of the realm! On equal standing with any planetary governor, including Helmawr! Still, he thought as he forced himself to be calm, they may be equals, but Helmawr held all the advantages here and if the search took as long as he feared that it might be it would be far better to have the governor on his side than to have him be antagonistic. Thus he nodded once again and followed the man, the soldiers forming up on both sides of him.
They were led to three aircars: Theobald, his companions and Bakke got into one while the soldiers got into the other two. Once everyone was seated the vehicles took off. This was the first time Theobald had been in an aircar and he found himself shaking slightly, though nowhere near as much as Rolf and Longwood were and he suppressed the urge to grab the side to the aircar in an effort to gain a feeling of stability. He had been in aircraft before, but this seemed different, less secure and all he could do was pray that the machine-spirit of the vehicle had been properly appeased. To distract himself he looked out at the massive spires of Hive Primus. It dwarfed anything he had seen before he had thought where he grew up was a hive city, but in truth it was naught but a country village by comparison. They rose higher and higher till he felt the air grow cold and the air seem to thin. At last the reached their destination, the tallest spire in which the entire palace back on Haven could have been placed with room to space. They landed and were led inside.
Once inside Theobald saw that not only was this palace larger than the one on Haven, but was also far grander, indeed by comparison the one on Haven had been a glorified peasant's hovel. There were pillars of marble shot through with gold. Windows taller than a man depicting saints and what Theobald assumed were sense from the world's history. Statues, busts and paintings of men and women in regal regalia lined the walls as well and seemed to regard the passers-by with looks of faint derision. At last they came to a pair of ornate gilded doors guarded by men in elaborate uniforms and armed with weapons which appeared to be more ceremonial than practical snapped to attention and opened the doors.
The space beyond was a vast hall held up by more pillars and divided in the middle by a deep green carpet fringed with gold thread. People in elaborate dress lined both sides of the carpet. They all turned to regard Theobald as if they could not determine whether or not he was an asset or an enemy. Theobald's; however, were drawn to the back of the room. There, on a raised dais and seated on a cushioned throne surrounded by incense-burning braziers was a man who could only be Lord Helmawr.
He bore some resemblance to the people in the artwork, but only just. They had all had strong features, the Governor, on the other hand had features which were anything but strong. He had a small chin and mouth and rather large cheeks. A shaggy unibrow hung above a pair of small eyes. If he was physically unimpressive, his attire was, to Theobald's eyes, garish. It appeared to be modeled after a military uniform, though far more elaborate, with many colors and patterns woven into the material and with overly-large epaulets. On his balding head was a gilded laurel wreath. Hovering above his shoulder was a Cherubim with a vaguely sinister appearance to it. As Bakke announced Theobald the Governor rose slightly and gestured languidly for him to approach.
As he drew closer Theobald saw that he had misjudged Helmawr. The eyes were small, but now he could see that they were shrewd. Indeed, Theobald suspected that much of the languidness of the man was an act. He halted at the foot of the dais he halted and gave a bow, though he made sure that it was not too deep. He wanted to show respect, but not undo deference. For a moment Helmawr regarded him and then he began to speak.
"I welcome you to Necromunda, Theobald of House Traub. What brings you to this world?" Theobald took a moment, both to gather his thoughts and to calm his nerves one last time.
"My lord," he began at last; "First, allow me to thank you for granting me this audience. As to the reasons for my coming here. It is well-known that this world has many secrets in its lower levels, many of which hold the potential for great profit for those of an adventurous nature. I have such a nature and as my house is a young one I decided to try my luck." This was the story Vola had told him to use, as it was reasonable and the Inquisitor did not want Theobald's true purpose to be known. Helmawr smiled in a manner which Theobald could not quite understand.
"Ah, a treasure hunter. Very well, you have my permission to descend to the lower levels and I wish you the best of fortune and may the God-emperor protect you." With that it was clear that the audience was over and Theobald turned to go. As he went he saw that people appeared to be losing interest in him as he was seen as a mere treasure hunter, or at least they were going out of their way to give that impression.
Once he had left the palace he collected the servitors, which made both Rolf and Longwood nervous, put on some heavy armor and clothing more appropriate for the Underhive they made their way downward. First, they passed through the Spire, home of the Great Houses. Here things were well-maintained and there were many fine dwellings, ranging from mansions to whole offshoot spires, some which were almost as big as his ship. There were wide open spaces and lush gardens filled with plants which had clearly been imported from off-world.
As they descended; however, things began to change. While still grand and clean it seemed that the farther down they went the smaller and less appealing things became. They came to an area which was totally empty, as if they were in an area which no one wished to inhabit. At last they came to a massive barrier guarded by Enforcers. Theobald thought that he and his party would be stopped, but they were not, it seemed that the guards were only interested in making sure that people did not come up from below. Once they were beyond the barrier Theobald saw why.
The differences were starch and clear to see. Here were the factories and the living quarters of those who worked in them. They were all cramped together and the air and lighting were far worse than those which had been above. The people were clearly of a far lower station than those in the Spire. Their clothing was mostly the drab, heavy-duty clothing of factory workers. The people regarded Theobald and his party warily and they all gave them a wide berth, with one exception. A group of men emerged, seemingly from the shadows and placed themselves in Theobald's path.
Their appearances was uniform, shaved heads, goggles and long trench coats. They halted a few feet from them and the leader stepped up till he was almost touching, Rolf and Longwood both tensed, hands reaching for weapons. This caused the members of group confronting them to also move their hands towards concealed weapons, which in turn caused the servitors to move into combat stances. Theobald forced himself to remain calm and focus on the man in front of him, who also ignored the potential battle around them.
"You are the rogue trader Theobald Traub." The man said in a voice like a hiss, it had not been a question. Not seeing any point in denying it Theobald nodded.
"I fear that I do not have your name."
"I did not give one. Come, you are expected." With that he motioned for Theobald to follow.
The man led them through a series of passages and soon Theobald was hopelessly lost, though he got the impression that they were headed downward. He was slightly disturbed that he was not as skilled at maneuvering in a hive as he thought that he was, bit was determined not to let it show. Abruptly they came to what appeared to be a warehouse of some sort. Entering it they found themselves in a space, empty save for crates and old pieces of machinery, so filthy and rusted that their original functions could only be guessed at. What focused his attention; however, was the man in the center of building.
He was a tall man, though shorter than Theobald's own height. He was clad in a long coat, a sort of breastplate and boots and trousers. It was the mask though, which drew Theobald's attention. It was actually more of a helmet, covering his entire head with several tubes running from it to places Theobald could not see. It was molded to a human face, with a nose, cheeks and eye places, but there were no individual features, it was like looking at the face of mannequin, the sight of it made Theobald shudder.
+Theobald Traub+ he spoke in a mechanized voice from speakers in the helmet. Theobald nodded.
+Our mutual acquaintance informed me of your coming and the information that you require+ The man took a data slate from his coat and handed it to Theobald.
Theobald activated it and looked at the screen. On it was the face of a man who looked to be in his seventies. He had long grey hair unbound and hung about his head in a wild mass. His right eye had been replaced by an augment.
+That is Sabinianus Homsey, the man that you have been sent to hunt. I tracked his trail till he moved into the Underhive. He can tell you he went to Hope's End, one of the many settlements of the Underhive, where he went from there, I cannot say for certain+
"Well, that narrows it a bit. I suppose that I should be going then, hopefully I can find some clues about where he went. He turned to go, but Nemo called him back.
+There is one other thing I can do for you.
+Recently my associates had a minor disagreement with Chem Queens, a gang of House Eschcer, who operated near Hope's End. They were defeated and scattered and their territory claimed by others. We took one of them prisoner, but she did not know anything of value. We were intending to sell her to the Guilds, who always need more laborers. She knows the area and could prove useful as a guide. I believe she could be of use to you. So I am giving her to you+
"How generous of you." Theobald replied.
+It is not generosity. It is a favor, a favor that you will repay in the future+ He turned and departed, leaving only a few members of his group behind.
"Come with us." One of them said.
They were led through more corridors and passageways and elevators, again going down. At last they arrived at a compound of some kind. It was well fortified and guarded by more of what Theobald assumed were more of House Delaque gang members. They were led inside and down to a basement level which was clearly being used as a prison, with a number of small cells, all of which were empty save for one. In one of them was a girl, Theobald guessed her to be around seventeen Terran years old.
She was a little shorter than Longwood with skin which was unhealthily pale from lack of natural light. Her eyes were brown, but what was most unusual thing about her was her hair. It was shaved to form a mohawk, except for the back which fell down her back in long dreadlocks. She looked up as they approached, her eyes flashing with hostility.
"Who the frak are you?" She looked them up and down and sneered.
"You ain't Delaque, too much hair." Theobald put on what he hoped was a winning smile.
"You're right the name's Theobald Traub an…" That was as far as he got before she interrupted.
"I don't care what you are! You're here which means you're either a lacky of those motherless Delaque, or they are allies or clients of yours. Whatever, you're an enemy of House Eschcer and the Chem Queens. So do your worse, I'll tell you nothing." Behind him Theobald thought he heard Rolf snort. Looking back he gave the man a look and then turned back to look at the girl. Deciding to change tactics he put on a serious look and turned back to her.
"Now listen here. I don't care if you won't tell me anything, because it does not matter. The Chem Queens are gone and you know that and the fact that no one is coming for you. Now you have two options: I leave you here and the Delaque and they sell you to the Guild." In truth he had no idea what that entailed, but from the look on her face it was not pleasant.
"Option two: you help me, I get you out of here and afterwards we part company. What will it be?" She looked at him; not wanting to cooperate, but clearly scared of the Guild. At last she scowled and nodded.
"Fine. What do you need?"
"I am hunting a man. I have heard that he spent time in Hope's End and that you are familiar with the area. You help me find the man and that's all I ask." She shrugged.
"You just need me to scrag the guy? No problem. So, you gonna get me out of here or what?" He nodded and turned to the guard, who had been waiting by the door.
"She'll be leaving with me." The man nodded and came down to the cell. He unlocked the door and she walked out. She turned to Theobald.
"How about my gear Boss-man?" He looked at the guard. He shrugged and indicated for them to follow. As they moved after him Theobald turned to the girl.
"Since we are to work together it might be helpful if you were to tell me your name." She flashed a proud smile and puffed out her chest.
"Call me Silver. Slicing Silver." On hearing this Longwood snorted.
"'Slicing Silver'?" She gave him a dirty look.
"Yea, 'Slicing Silver' you scavvy lover! Vega, head of the Chem Queens, said I was a natural with a stiletto sword and all good swordswomen have nicknames." Theobald simply nodded.
They came into a room which looked like an armory, filled with weapons and armor. It looked different from the equipment that he had seen the Delaque members had, looking more colorful and delicate. The guard turned to look at them.
"Take what you want. Most of it isn't that good quality and we won't make much by selling it anyway." Silver growled at him, but Theobald cleared his throat and she quitted down. She immediately began going through all the gear, examining all of it and picking what she wanted. She took a sword and dagger pair, both the hand guards of which were edged with a shiny material. She also claimed a laspistol, a rifle with an unusually thin barrel and several grenades and a mask, handing several of these to the others as well. She looked, in Theobald's opinion, like a child on Emperor's Day opening their presents. Once she finished selecting her gear the men gave her some privacy to quickly change.
It was a most unusual outfit in some ways. For the most part nothing stood out, black boots and trousers. It was the upper part which stood out. She wore chest armor which only went down halfway down her torso, leaving her stomach exposed. She had apparently gotten her hands on some paint and had painted green and yellow stripes on her face. She had also dyed her hair red and purple and had a spiked collar around her neck. Looking at her Rolf snorted.
"Are you going into battle or to a mating dance?" Quick as flash the knife appeared as if from nowhere and it was pressed against his groin.
"One more remark and you'll lose all interest in them." Rolf; however, had reacted just as fast. His axe was in his hand and pressed against her throat. Almost as quickly Longwood's pistols had appeared in his hands and were aimed at her as well. Annoyed and wondering if he had made a mistake, Theobald made an annoyed sound which caught all of their attention. Once they were all looking at him he schooled his face into an expression which left no doubt what the state of his emotions.
"We. Are. All. Working. Together." He said, saying each word slowly and making sure to pronounce each one and using the same sort of tone which he had used back on Haven when members of the guerillas had fought with one another when the stress became overwhelming
"If we keep this up we are all going to die and I'll be damned if I let your inability to work together kill me. Meaning I will be perfectly willing to put a lasbolt in the brainpan of any of you who do that." He spoke in a tone which left them with no doubt as to his sincerity and they all quitted down. He turned to address the Delaque guard, who was looking on with amusement.
"We are ready to go." With that they left the facility.
With Silver at their head they continued to make their way downward. It seemed that the deeper they went the worse it became. They did not take a direct rout. Silver insisted that this was necessary in order to avoid entering the territory of other Clan Houses, who would react violently to people entering their territory without permission. Eventually ruins and dilapidated buildings became the majority and she informed them that they were approaching the Underhive proper. It was even worse then the Ruins, much worse.
It was an endless array of pipes and collapsed buildings, yet strangely open in other areas. The base of the layers above them was so far up Theobald could not always see it, intermittent lumin globes hanging high above like miniature suns. He had the feeling of being in and outside at the same time. It was clear that both Rolf and Longwood were not comfortable, while Silver seemed to be perfectly at home there. There were people everywhere, but they gave Theobald and his party no trouble, the heavily armed servitors and the numerous weapons which they were carrying apparently enough to discourage anyone from bothering them. They made their way towards Hope's End, a medium-sized settlement made primarily of salvaged material and old prefabricated hab units and the entire thing surrounded by a wall of metal slabs with a gate cut into. There were guards, rough looking men armed with autoguns, but these gave them no trouble as they entered the town, though they eyed them suspiciously.
"Alright." Longwood said, his tone showing his disgust at the poverty and squalor about them clearly.
"How do we find this Homsey fellow?" Silver looked over at him as she spoke.
"Old Hob."
"Who's Hob?" Theobald asked.
"Everyone knows Hob. He owns Hob's Hellhole, the best bar in Hope's End." She paused and looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Probably has something to do with it being the only bar in Hope's End. Anyway, he knows everyone's business. If you have a few credits he can tell you anything you want to know. If this Homsey has been through here Hob will know." Fortunately money would not be an issue as while they had been waiting for the servitors Theobald had been able to exchange some of the resources for currency called Guilder Credits. He had been able to secure quite a few of them and so he did not anticipate having any trouble paying for the information.
They made their way through the settlement, ignoring the beggars who approached them. They finally reached Hob's Hellhole, a dilapidated building consisting of corrugated metal welded together. Entering the bar Theobald saw that it consisted of a single room illuminated by a single lumin globe hung from ceiling. There were some old and battered tables and chairs scattered haphazardly about the room. In the back was bar behind which was a short, fat man, balding and with an impressive number of boils and other skin conditions which Theobald did not want to contemplate. Silver walked right up to him.
"Hob, how's it slumming?" He looked at her and his watery eyes bulged. For a moment Theobald wondered why the man was so surprised to see her and then he realized that the man was not looking at Silver, but at him. Rolf seemed to have realized the same thing as he was bringing up the shotgun was turning to face something.
Following his bodyguard's gaze Theobald realized that handful of men in the bar were all rising and drawing weapons. He ripped out his own weapon while calling out a warning to the others. He focused on a skinny man, bare arms covered with tattoos, was bringing up a battered-looking autopistol. Theobald's first shot was off because he was still bringing his laspistol up, but it did cause the man to flinch. This gave Theobald time to bring his weapon up and put two shots into his chest. As the man went down he took the opportunity to look around and take in the situation. Rolf had dispatched one with his shotgun while Longwood simultaneously dealt with two at once. Silver had her sword and dagger out, but all their attackers were down. Theobald was about to demand to know what was going on when the door behind him was completely ripped off.
Standing in the doorframe was a man so heavily augmented that at first Theobald thought the man was a servitor, but then the man's face twisted into an expression of eagerness and he turned back to a crowd of men and women behind him. He looked about to yell something to them, but before he could the UCSs reacted. UCSs 1 and 2 opened up with their heavy bolters, tearing the man to pieces. As he fell UCS 3 moved forward, bullets and las rounds striking him but failing to penetrate its armor, and loosed a blast from its flamer. Shouts and screams came from outside and the fire slacked off, but did not cease.
"What in the Warp is going on?!" Theobald demanded as he threw himself into cover. Silver threw herself against the wall near the door.
"Not a clue Boss-man. Hold on." She took a grenade from her belt and held up her mask.
"I'd put mine on Boss-man." Theobald did so, yelling to the others to do the same. As soon as her mask was on she activated the grenade and threw it. Theobald was expected it to explode, as the crude grenade the Orks had use, instead there was a pop and a hissing sound. Looking out Theobald saw that the streets were filling with a green mist and those who did not get away from it were falling to the ground chocking. Soon all of these lay still, obviously dead. Those who had escaped the gas had fled as there was no more fire directed at them. After a moment they all rose from where they had all taken shelter.
"HOB! WHAT THE SCRAG IS GOING ON YOU SCAVVY-HUMPER!?" Silver screamed as she advanced on the cowering man. Longwood, who had been crouching next to one of the bodies rose, a piece of paper in his hand.
"I think that this may have something to do with it." He said as he held it out to Theobald. He took it and looked down at it.
On the top of it the word WANTED was written in bold letters. Below this was a crude drawing of Theobald and below the picture it was stated that a reward of two thousand Guilder Credits was offered to whomever killed him. Theobald sighed, things had just become more complicated, a lot more complicated.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you like it. I am sorry if the description of the hive wasn't that good. Let me know what you think, I have all sorts of fun planned for him. Till then please pray for a missing girl in my area, Asia Bibi, who is still threatened for her faith and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.