InquisitorialDisgrace — Rogue Trader Dialogue Archive

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Emelina"Who I have become, Interrogator van Calox? I am what any agent of the Golden Throne is predestined to become if they are able to see through to the essence of things. I have, as the puritans say, succumbed to the heresy of radicalisation. Moreover, in doing so, I am only following in the footsteps of our mentor. The only difference is that I have chosen the path of the Oblationists, while he chose the Xenos Hybris, forging an alliance with the cursed Drukhari!"

Inquisitor(sequence)

Idira"Er, what?" Idira gives you a puzzled look. "Is this Gothic or..."

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Argenta"What unthinkable accusations. The Lord Inquisitor... in league with the enemies of humanity?"

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Heinrix"Emelina, suppress your urge to debate internal matters in the presence of the Rogue Trader. Additionally... I will not tolerate insults to the Lord Inquisitor in my presence."

YOU"No, no — you've already started, so you may as well continue the conversation."

Heinrix"Why? It's just philosophical rhetoric referring to old men with a weakness for demagog—"

Emelina"Actions are being driven by this philosophy, Interrogator van Calox. Mine. Yours. The Lord Inquisitor's. Why are you avoiding talking about the fact that Xavier Calcazar is a dangerous radical? No less dangerous than I am — except I am not driven by utopian ideals, but by a desire to protect Humanity... using a broader range of tools."

Heinrix"What you call a 'broader range of tools' is heresy, Emelina. Unremarkable, commonplace heresy. Heresy that has taken on a twisted form in a mind subjected to prolonged contact with corruption. The Archenemy has been gnawing at you from within. Creating a star with a Chaos ritual...? You have crossed the line. No, you have obliterated the line."

Emelina"The line? Lines are for the weak and ignorant! Anyone capable of weighing the risks and making a calculated decision would have done the same as me! To protect the Imperium's domain! To deliver a pre-emptive strike, even... Von Valancius!" Emelina whips around to you. "You are a simple mortal endowed with huge power and privilege, ruling over worlds and holding millions of lives in the palm of your hand. Tell me — would you have done the same in my position?"

YOU"Yes. Fear and cowardice are the worst enemies of the Imperium's defenders."

Heinrix"After everything you've endured... after everything you've witnessed... you're agreeing with her?" Heinrix falls silent and looks at Emelina. "It doesn't matter. I won't allow this sorcery to happen. Your... operational reminiscence block clearly has some gaps in its data."

EmelinaEmelina shakes her head spitefully, her eyes filling with blood. "The only one to answer my call... and you turn out to be a brainwashed pawn. I did not factor in the possibility of psychological dependence. Calcazar can be persuasive — especially to those who depend on him. A favoured sorcerer, a Kasballican renegade... Oh yes, Interrogator van Calox, Xavier Calcazar's stalwart little soldier, you will die just like Tanakia—"

Heinrix"Emelina Iona Lichtenhart..." Heinrix begins, stiffly formal, before breaking off: "Tanakia? What do you know about Tanakia?"

EmelinaEmelina shakes her head. "You don't even know what fate befell her, do you? I suppose it won't hurt for you to know something of it..." A strange sound causes the Sage to fall silent. She turns toward the tunnel...

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YOU"I would not have made the same mistake."

Emelina"Blinkered vision and a narrow mind — a Warrant of Trade in the hands of such a person is a dangerous prospect indeed..."

YOU"Xenos Hybris... Oblationists... I have no idea what these things are."

Heinrix"They are the names given to philosophical ideologies practised by agents of the Golden Throne. They have nothing to do with the current sit—"

YOU[Listen in silence]

Emelina"'Internal matters'? You have such a slippery way with language, Interrogator van Calox. I detect your mentor's influence. His talent for manipulation and indoctrination is second to none. My reminiscence block of operational data contains numerous entries about the dutiful heir the Lord Inquisitor has moulded for himself..."

Heinrix"I will not discuss that here and now. I caught you performing a dark ritual, Emelina! You are in no position to rail against puritanism."

Entry point 2 of 2

EmelinaThe stooped figure draws back the hood of the grimy robe, revealing the emaciated face of a woman. Her skin is stretched taut over her skull and sickeningly protruding augmentations, and her cheek is marred with several open wounds. She looks at you with a feverish gleam in her eyes. "Hmm... The visual description matches Interrogator van Calox..." The Sage blinks several times and her head twitches. "You made it here after all."

Inquisitor(sequence)

MarazhaiMarazhai sneers. "So this is the burnt pet's owner. Perhaps we should inform her about the fate of her prized follower..."

Yrliet"Do you once more seek to nourish another's pain with your words?" Yrliet sounds tired and slightly vexed. "By Isha's tears, you are insatiable indeed."

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HeinrixHeinrix's usual mask of stoicism has melted away without a trace — he stares around him in undisguised dismay. "Emelina? What... what is this? You're performing the Archenemy's rituals? But— no. Stop. Right now. Not another move unless I tell you!"

EmelinaThe Sage draws herself upright — as far as her crooked spine will allow — and flicks several switches on her facial augments. Then she turns to you, ignoring Heinrix's words completely. "Who have you brought with you, Interrogator van Calox? Clearance level?"

YOU"[Name] von Valancius. Rogue Trader and the God-Emperor's anointed."

EmelinaEmelina Lichtenhart dips her head. "Von Valancius. A Rogue Trader dynasty. Territory to the galactic west of Furibundus. The head of the dynasty, Theodora von Valancius, has been flagged for her heretical sentiments. Threat level—"

HeinrixHeinrix gestures at the room. "I brought the help you requested in your message, Emelina — a voidship under the aegis of the Rogue Trader. I dragged thousands of people and megatonnes of plasteel and ceramite through the bowels of the warp... and for what? To discover that you have sold yourself to the Archenemy?"

EmelinaEmelina shakes her head. "You are drawing conclusions based on incomplete knowledge of the situation, Interrogator van Calox. Your judgement is impaired."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

Heinrix"I... expect that Emelina has chosen to seal the memory block containing data of a personal nature. She does this whenever she is concerned that someone might try to extract information about Calcazar's coterie from her..." Heinrix thinks for a moment, and then in a clear voice says, "Sigma Prosperity." He pauses before repeating the strange phrase.

Emelina"The reminiscence block you are attempting to access was repurposed — it now contains knowledge of the rituals performed by the shamans of this place. My standard working memory alone was insufficient to record all the nuances I uncovered in my research here."

HeinrixHeinrix looks as though he has been punched in the gut. "Emelina, you... you deleted the data about all the members of Calcazar's unit? You... wiped us all?"

Emelina"Of course not. I retained the portion of the reminiscence block's data relating to the operational significance of the Lord Inquisitor's unit. That is how I was able to recognise you, Interrogator van Calox."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

Emelina"I came here on the supreme directive of the Lord Inquisitor. An Adeptus Historica mission was established on Phton IV to study the origins of the civilisation that once inhabited the planet. This world was once settled by humans — the mission aimed to discover which colony ship they came from and why they disappeared."

Emelina"The traces of the ancient culture uncovered in the layers of soil suggested the existence of primitive solar faiths among the dark inhabitants of this world. Faiths that are strikingly similar to worship of the Archenemy. The surviving scrolls indicate that shamans used the gifts of Chaos to protect their people, to secure the harvest, to imbue their warriors with strength and vitality... and that this culture persisted for thousands of years!"

Emelina"I was cataloguing data when the attacks began at one of the remote outposts. I immediately recognised the enemy by their tactics: Drukhari. They chose an unremarkable, defenceless world where night lasts half the year! By the time five outposts had been swallowed by the darkness, the last Astropath had been torn to pieces, and many calls for help sent to Calcazar's unit had gone unanswered, I realised that no one was going to save these people. Or this... knowledge. And so I put the knowledge to use, for the good of Humanity."

YOU"That sounds reasonable."

Emelina"Reason is not what guides the acolytes of the Holy Ordos, von Valancius. We find a tool and we use it to achieve a particular end. And that is exactly what I have done."

Heinrix"I'm sorry I asked. But what are you trying to achieve here, Emelina? The ritual we interrupted, what is it supposed to do?"

EmelinaEmelina lifts her gaze upward. "It will rid this world of its half-year-long night and the Mandrakes of their total advantage over us. It will force a new heavenly body — this one of human making — to rise above the horizon and illuminate the dark side of the planet. If the ritual works... I will have mastered the secret of forging a new sun."

Inquisitor(sequence)

Heinrix"This is madness. Madness, pride, and monstrous, staggering heresy." Heinrix's voice is barely audible, as if his throat has closed up in shock.

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AbelardAbelard's eyes widen in astonishment. "Create... a star? God-Emperor's grace, what creatures could live in the light of a star born using the powers of the Archenemy?"

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Heinrix"If I am to form an assessment of your actions, I must know the purpose of the ritual we interrupted when we arrived. Answer me."

YOU"This is total insanity!"

Emelina"Insanity is maintaining mental rigidity in fluctuating circumstances. This world is important for the Imperium and for our struggle against the enemies of Humanity. To perish along with this world would be the height of wastefulness."

Heinrix"I'm sorry I asked. But what are you trying to achieve here, Emelina? The ritual we interrupted, what is it supposed to do?"

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Heinrix"If I am to form an assessment of your actions, I must know the purpose of the ritual we interrupted when we arrived. Answer me."

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YOU"So that explains what we saw on our way here."

EmelinaEmelina glances at you, but she cannot bring herself — or does not consider it necessary — to ask you to elaborate.

Heinrix"I'm sorry I asked. But what are you trying to achieve here, Emelina? The ritual we interrupted, what is it supposed to do?"

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Heinrix"If I am to form an assessment of your actions, I must know the purpose of the ritual we interrupted when we arrived. Answer me."

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YOU"Heinrix, make sense of this for me: am I going mad, or is your colleague engaging in flagrant heresy here?"

Heinrix"The notion of 'heresy' is hardly applicable to people in our line of work, [Name]. But you are correct about one thing — Emelina has crossed the line that separates a servant of the Imperium from a deluded Chaos worshipper."

Heinrix"I'm sorry I asked. But what are you trying to achieve here, Emelina? The ritual we interrupted, what is it supposed to do?"

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Heinrix"If I am to form an assessment of your actions, I must know the purpose of the ritual we interrupted when we arrived. Answer me."

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Heinrix"Emelina is operating under the assumption that any and all methods are acceptable in the war against the enemies of Humanity. Her reasoning is not... infallible, however, it does contain a grain of truth."

Heinrix"I'm sorry I asked. But what are you trying to achieve here, Emelina? The ritual we interrupted, what is it supposed to do?"

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Heinrix"If I am to form an assessment of your actions, I must know the purpose of the ritual we interrupted when we arrived. Answer me."

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

Emelina"Buried under silica and granite are knowledge and resources that could repel the enemies of Humanity. We are too afraid of anything labelled 'prohibited.' My memory contains thousands... thousands upon thousands of pages from manuscripts, tomes, and scrolls — contact with any one of these is supposed to guarantee instant death. But the preachers who claim this are liars. I am living proof of their falsehoods."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

Emelina"All of the survivors are here in this tunnel. The rest are dead. Or worse than dead — they are in the clutches of the monsters from Commorragh. Our last Astropath died when his mind was invaded by a warp entity — it used his psy-trail to hunt him down. The rest of the people here have been blessed with the protection of those forces that I summoned to our aid."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

HeinrixHeinrix turns his livid gaze on you. "No. For the God-Emperor's sake, [Name], didn't you see the lurid shimmering of the void between the star and the planet? Do you wish this same fate upon other worlds?"

Emelina"You disrupted the ritual with your untimely appearance. The calculations are based on too many variables to simply repeat the process on another planet... but given resources and time..."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

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YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

EmelinaEmelina bows her head. "A side experiment. A way for exhausted and frightened people to find comfort in a higher power. However, I had the services stopped — several people succumbed to the pernicious influence of the atmosphere and went insane, but the people blamed it on the voices from the vox."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

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YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

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YOU"I have heard enough. I will not tolerate this heresy near me!"

HeinrixHeinrix stops you with an imperious gesture. "I am restricting your authority here, Rogue Trader. I have not yet heard everything... everything that Emelina has to say."

YOU"Heinrix, why is Emelina addressing you in this strange manner?"

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

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YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

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YOU"I have heard enough. I will not tolerate this heresy near me!"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

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YOU"I have heard enough. I will not tolerate this heresy near me!"continues where this line first appears above

Inquisitor(sequence)

Heinrix"That is enough." Heinrix's voice shakes with bridled fury. "I have heard all the justifications and complaints a hundred times before. No purpose can justify what you have wrought here! Who you have become!"

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Ulfar"A fine time to show your true colours, Inquisitor. Let's see if you will do what is right or once again prove that you consider yourself above the rules."

Heinrix"Lord Ulfar... With all due respect to you and your Chapter, keep your mouth shut. Your scepticism is the last thing I need right now."

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

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YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

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YOU"I have heard enough. I will not tolerate this heresy near me!"continues where this line first appears above

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

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YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

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YOU"I have heard enough. I will not tolerate this heresy near me!"continues where this line first appears above

Inquisitor(sequence)

JaeJae looks at Emelina, then at Heinrix, then back at Emelina again. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, but the only thing she manages to say in a stifled voice is: "I'm sorry, shereen."

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MarazhaiHeinrix's expression scarcely wavers at Emelina's words, but despite this, Marazhai ducks his head sharply and watches the Interrogator with devouring eyes. "Mmm... fear, and despair, and sorrow... an exquisite palette, mon-keigh..."

Heinrix"[Name]." Heinrix bites out the words through clenched teeth: "Silence your pet xenoscum... or I will."

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Kibellah"The Bloodspun Web is familiar with the practice of purging one's memory of all that gets in the way of duty." Kibellah presses her lips into a line. "But the void that is left in place of the excised memories must be filled with service. Otherwise, corruption will flood the soul, as it has flooded yours."

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Solomorne"You burned away the memory of your comrade? Even if my duty demanded it, I would not want to forget an Arbitrator who fought by my side. And I certainly wouldn't do so for the sake of some dubious knowledge, no matter what benefits it promised me."

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YOU"What has happened on Phton IV?"

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YOU"Do you mean to say that you discovered a ritual for creating a sun — here?"

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YOU"What happened to the people of this world?"

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YOU"I know a few places in the Koronus Expanse that could do with a new sun..."

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YOU"The chapel with the demented vox-casts — what is going on there?"

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YOU"I have heard enough. I will not tolerate this heresy near me!"continues where this line first appears above

Inquisitor(sequence)

Emelina"Furthermore, you permit yourself to criticise my methods after having arrived in the company of xenos. Have you forgotten which Ordo you belong to?"

HeinrixHeinrix grits his teeth. "Not. My. Entourage."

Emelina"Even worse. You permit ordinary subjects of the God-Emperor to cross the established line and reduce themselves to consorting with highly dangerous enemies of Humanity."

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YOU"My name is [Name] von Valancius. I agreed to help you at Heinrix's request."

YOU"I did not hear you introduce yourself... so I see no need to offer my name first."

EmelinaEmelina Lichtenhart inhales through her teeth. "Hypothesis. Rogue Trader. Most likely the same one Xavier took such an unusual interest in. Von Valancius. Territory to the galactic north of Furibundus. A dynasty noted for its heretical tendencies. Threat level—"