NPCIf you didn't know what to look for, it would be easy to overlook this servitor, which may have once been a woman. The servitor's implants, the mechanical nature of its movements, the empty gaze — it's all there. But...
YOU"Are you Fidelio?"
NPCSilence. The servitor's eyelids flutter slightly, its gaze staring off into space. Deep inside its single human eye, dark as a well, a spark seems to flicker... or is it just your imagination?
YOU"Are you Fidelio?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Repentance."
NPCThat single word causes the servitor's body to twist in a violent spasm. Something akin to a sob or a growl builds in its throat, and its mechanical appendages jerk convulsively.
ChaplainChaplain's tall figure appears next to you. "So this is our heir! Right?" He pauses, mulling it over, then gestures for the Administratum clerk who gave the opening speech to approach. "The inventory of Denz's possessions, what does it say about this servitor?"
Clerk"Let's see here, let's see... one moment... mmhmm, mmhmm... Section B17/40, 'Personal Effects of the Deceased,' subsection 'Servitors'... Here it is!"
Clerk"Oh, this is a rare, one-of-a-kind unit! Commissioned personally by Master Bellardo twelve years ago! The main function of this servitor is cleaning the house, bedrooms, vestibules, bathrooms... In accordance with Master Bellardo's wishes, its free will was completely eradicated, and the parts of its brain that regulated pleasure responses were destroyed... but to a large extent, its memory and awareness were preserved!"
YOU"Chaplain? Is everything clear to you now?"
Chaplain"I believe so. Didn't I tell you that Denz, after he survived the assassination attempt, sent a whole squad of mercenaries to hunt down the woman who tried to kill him? Looks like he found her." Chaplain nods at the servitor.
Chaplain"She was allowed to keep her memory and some semblance of awareness, so I suppose the mysterious writing of 'Repentance' both here in the book and back at Denz's home was done by her. The question that remains, of course, is why would Denz decide to make a servitor his heir? This is either his last and cruellest joke — or an incredibly ham-fisted attempt to make amends on his deathbed. I'd like to believe that it's the former."
YOU"Chaplain? Is everything clear to you now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Can a servitor even inherit?"
Clerk"Th-this matter requires further investigation... We will have to go over the codices, bylaws, statutes, regulations... from the last four hundred years or so." The clerk pales a little. "But we'll find the answer sooner or later!"
NPC(sequence)
Jae"Servitors are the Omnissiah's stepchildren. That's what they say in my homeland. Shouldn't the inheritance go to the parent? Their representative, to be specific." Jae somehow manages to cast Pasqal a glance that is both conspiratorial and pleading.
Pasqal"I have not encountered this statement before and I am unwilling to endorse it. Poetic platitudes, though they may seem innocuous, can be a false visage for perverse interpretations of His tenets." The vox-synthesiser suddenly starts malfunctioning, causing Pasqal's timbre to jump like a fooling jester.
Eogunn"Yet, a narrow mind frequently bars the path to knowledge. Reflect upon this, esteemed colleague." Jae flashes the Manipulus a grateful smile.
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Solomorne"Were this not a gathering of criminal rabble, maybe I'd make an effort to recall the inheritance laws in effect on Footfall. But seeing as that is what you are..." Solomorne cracks his neck. "...you're fresh out of luck."
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Chaplain"Or — we could ask Lord/Lady von Valancius to settle the matter in the name of his/her dynasty. This is Footfall, after all. If a Rogue Trader says that a servitor can inherit — then that's how it's going to be."
YOU"Chaplain? Is everything clear to you now?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Can a servitor even inherit?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Summon everyone. It is time to decide the fate of Bellardo's estate — and that of the heirs."
Chaplain"As you wish, Your Lordship/Ladyship." Chaplain chuckles. "This ought to be good."
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YOU"Summon everyone. It is time to decide the fate of Bellardo's estate — and that of the heirs."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Can a servitor even inherit?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Summon everyone. It is time to decide the fate of Bellardo's estate — and that of the heirs."continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
EogunnDrifting toward the servitor, Eogunn runs his auspex across the servitor's entire frame with surprising meticulousness, staring closely at the readouts. "That is indeed true. The behavioural patterns of this servitor have severely degraded due to an irreconcilable conflict between consciousness and augmetics. It is imprudent to leave a personality within a vessel whose volition is entirely supplanted by the imperatives of the sacred iron."
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YOU[Step away]
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YOU"Repentance."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Step away]continues where this line first appears above