NPCThe noisy procession, smelling of sacred unguents and sweat, falls silent as soon as you appear. Those at the head of the crowd step forward, one of them waving the wrapped stump of his right arm, while another gawps at you with his one eye. The medicae officers, shielded by a line of enforcers, also stare in your direction.
Foreman"Lord Captain, you... you came!" The one-eyed man hesitates and bows awkwardly. "We have a request! A petition! To authorise the augmentation of workers below the rank of junior officer in the Sector Bionica due to the need to increase the efficiency of the workforce." He blurts out the obviously memorised words in a rapid stream, then adds peevishly: "The vermin don't want to give us iron arms and legs! But we just want to work, for the good of you and the God-Emperor!"
YOU"I want to hear your arguments. Why ought the workers be granted access to sacred implants?"
WorkerThe one-armed worker steps forward, pushing the one-eyed man aside. "One of the lads, a voidsman soldier who got his skull crushed, came back to the lower decks after treatment not long ago. With his new metal head, he's working harder than ever! If they'd let us poor sods put some hardware in, we'd work even better than the healthy ones! We'd toil day and night for the good of the dynasty. The officers say it's not allowed, but you can do anything, even lift this ban! Be merciful, Lord Captain!"
Genetor Ferrenz"The request is unacceptable. I predicted that augmenting the voidsman soldier life form above the established baseline would cause the utility life forms to develop a distorted perception of their individual value — that is, irrationally inflated." The hiss of the Genetor's vox can barely be heard over the murmuring of the crowd.
YOU"I want to hear your arguments. Why ought the workers be granted access to sacred implants?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What do the experts from the Sector Bionica think?"
Vivisector Martinax"Of course, such privileges for the lower decks are unprecedented. Yet these people are the lifeblood of the ship, Lord Captain, however low their standing in the social hierarchy. Allowing augmentation in the lower decks will enable workers to toil longer and will help older crew members remain of sound mind and pass on their experience to younger generations. I advise you to grant the request — it will only strengthen your crew!"
Genetor Ferrenz"I insist upon rejection of the request. Augmentation is a sacred gift of the Omnissiah that requires careful monitoring and maintenance. The Sector Bionica's resources are finite and, as such, our focus must be on servicing the key life forms among the crew. Violating the established directive and wastefully distributing the gift of augmentations among the unworthy would be an outrage to the Omnissiah and barely tolerated by the Tech-Priests aboard this vessel."
YOU"I want to hear your arguments. Why ought the workers be granted access to sacred implants?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What do the experts from the Sector Bionica think?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. I will allow augmentation."
WorkerThe faces of the crowd brighten: some begin to pray fervently, others to shout out their thanks. The one-eyed man wipes his nose, and the one-armed man makes the sign of the Aquila. "Long live Rogue Trader [Name] von Valancius!" The joyous cry is immediately echoed by dozens more voices.
Vivisector MartinaxThe Vivisector breathes a sigh. "I thank the God-Emperor every day for sending us such a merciful ruler." There is no escaping the satisfied look the Vivisector gives the Genetor.
end of branch
YOU"I have come to a decision. The workers will continue to make do with primitive prosthetics — the Omnissiah's gifts are intended for officers only."
ForemanYour words cause the crowd to fall silent. The two crippled men who came forward look blankly at each other before beginning to back away warily.
Genetor Ferrenz"May the Omnissiah bless the Rogue Trader's sound judgement." The Genetor focuses his multiple visors on you and bows his head. Not one of his mechanical eyes dignifies the vivisector with even a glance.
end of branch
YOU"It would be unfair if I allowed augmetics for one and denied the rest. From this day on, subjects from the lower decks will be granted access to augmentation!"
WorkerThe faces of the crowd brighten: some begin to pray fervently, others to shout out their thanks. The one-eyed man wipes his nose, and the one-armed man makes the sign of the Aquila. "Long live Rogue Trader [Name] von Valancius!" The joyous cry is immediately echoed by dozens more voices.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see you have lost your fear. Get out of my sight before I order the enforcers to disperse you by force!"
ForemanYour words cause the crowd to fall silent. The two crippled men who came forward look blankly at each other before beginning to back away warily.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. I will allow augmentation."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. The workers will continue to make do with primitive prosthetics — the Omnissiah's gifts are intended for officers only."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It would be unfair if I allowed augmetics for one and denied the rest. From this day on, subjects from the lower decks will be granted access to augmentation!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see you have lost your fear. Get out of my sight before I order the enforcers to disperse you by force!"continues where this line first appears above
WorkerThe one-armed worker bows his head and steps forward. "One of the lads, a voidsman soldier who got his skull crushed, came back to us after treatment not long ago. His head's all bandaged and he's dosed up to the eyeballs on stimulants. He can't live, can't work, he just raves and scares honest folk. And all because he wasn't given implants! At least let us put some hardware in, or sooner or later we'll all turn into madmen on these rotten stimulants!"
Vivisector Martinax"I apologise if it seems like I am mistaken, but I think we are seeing a direct result of the decision to deny augmentation to ordinary workers. In the long run, restricting the use of implants seems... unwise." The Vivisector's high, determined voice is audible even over the clamour of the crowd.
YOU"I want to hear your arguments. Why ought the workers be granted access to sacred implants?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What do the experts from the Sector Bionica think?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. I will allow augmentation."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. The workers will continue to make do with primitive prosthetics — the Omnissiah's gifts are intended for officers only."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It would be unfair if I allowed augmetics for one and denied the rest. From this day on, subjects from the lower decks will be granted access to augmentation!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see you have lost your fear. Get out of my sight before I order the enforcers to disperse you by force!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What do the experts from the Sector Bionica think?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. I will allow augmentation."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have come to a decision. The workers will continue to make do with primitive prosthetics — the Omnissiah's gifts are intended for officers only."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It would be unfair if I allowed augmetics for one and denied the rest. From this day on, subjects from the lower decks will be granted access to augmentation!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see you have lost your fear. Get out of my sight before I order the enforcers to disperse you by force!"continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
Solomorne"A fairly standard start to a mutiny." Solomorne appears bored, but the barrel of the shotgun resting on his forearm is casually pointed at the one-eyed man. "First they want to 'increase efficiency,' then those who disagree begin to disappear, and now the rampaging locals are already stringing up their own from the nearest girder."
end of branch
Argenta"To beg for respite from the fate chosen for them since birth? Perhaps we should hold up the sisters of the Order of the Valorous Heart as an example. They do not even permit the dulling of pain during treatment of their wounds, no matter how grievous..." Argenta stops short, as if shamed by her own severity. "Yet... that comparison is unfair to common labourers. Perhaps they truly would benefit from some aid."