A slightly smaller Mess

BIGBOOM
valkyries arrive to pick up jax n co

Charles waits for the others to board before he does. Silently. A look of anger and sorrow on his face.

*logen rests a hand on charle's shoulder as he passes*

Charles turns to the salamander

Logen: "They owe you their lives, inquisitor, they'll come round."

Charles: I owe them his head. I'll make damn sure they get it.

Logen: *chuckles*

Charles: *mutters to himself as he turns away* I owe it to kranon aswell...

*Back to le ship?*

*unless anyone has anything to say to charlie boy en route*

OOC: Have I missed something? What did Kranon do?

OOC the penal guys have encountered the crimson slaughter before. Before this rp
it didn't go well.

Lucy: "How do you know that monster?" 

OOC: Yeahhh, about a hundred dead, from a squad or two of marines.

OOC: Ohhhhh

Charles: I knew the man he was. Sevastus Kranon. Chapter master of the crimson sabres. They were still a loyal chapter back then, hell it wasn't even that long ago. Within your lifetimes. They were my allies, and we fought together many times. But that was...before they were cursed.

Logen: "Tragic story... not that they were a great chapter beforehand.. but loyal at least."

Charles: their skill more than made up for their arrogance. But...they were indeed cursed by a daemonic entity. The ghosts of every single person they've ever killed haunt their minds. To the point that they go insane. And you realise how bad it must be if ASTARTES go insane. The only way to make the voices leave them, temporarily, is slaughter and violence. When their first 'purge' committed for this was discovered, they were declared traitors, and their homeworld destroyed. Kranon took the survivors into the eye of terror, in the hopes to die as martyrs, that if they must spill blood, let it be traitor blood. By the time they emerged...they were the monsters we now call the crimson slaughter.

Mac: "Mercy to kill em all, really."

Charles: agreed...*sighs* I'm sorry. You all deserve better than letting him get away like that.

Logen: "our chances to take him down were minimal. *does some mental totting up of their firepower.* Possible, but unlikely."

Hera: "We'll bring better weaponry next time."

Charles: and more men. *sighs* I'm sorry. *hera notes this is the worst he's looked since learning about the dark eldar thing* Anyway...Mute get that artifact to the archmagos. Hera, Logen, lets find out what's on this damn datastick.

Mute: "mmmph." *affirmative noise, walks off* 

Logen: "Could be scrap code."

Charles: Indeed. Don't worry, I've got a computer specifically for viewing potentially harmful data, completely disconnected from everything else.

Logen: "Good precaution."

Charles leads them there and plugs it in. What they see is a video. An interrogation. Of an astartes in black armour, with the white robes of a dark angel. You know what it is he reveals. Also his name is turiel. This particular fallen angel, seemingly ageless, had criscrossed the galaxy working as a gun for hire, before repenting his deeds and seeking a solitary life on an otherwise lifeless world, before a nameless figure arrived to beg him to flee. he refused, and soon the crimson slaughter arrived, and captured him. But again, you know the main thing he reveals.

Logen: "Holy shit..."

Charles:....I....wow...

Logen: "I'd always thought that they were... too reclusive. But this?"

Charles: There...has to be more to this than that... *sighs* this is a lot to take in.

Hera: "this calls the angel's loyalty into question."

Charles:....maybe. Do we call the wolves loyalty into question because of the actions of Svane Vulfbad? *sighs* This is more complicated than that... For now, this doesn't get out. Until we're absolutely sure, it could do more harm than good, and with cadia gone we need every loyal marine we can get.

Logen: "We need to find one of the others, ask our own questions..."

Charles: agreed. Anyway...Logen would you mind giving us a minute?

*scions n jax return?*

Logen: "Course." *walks out* 

*Jax, Serah and the scions return, and jax takes stock, any casualties?*

Charles: *turns to hera* Hey...you want to talk? about...that? I'm here if you need someone to talk to, you know that.

*zero casualties.*

Jax: "A clean mission, congratulations men." *he's standing at attention, hands behind his back*

Hera: "It's fine... just... bad times."

Charles offers her a hug

they all salute in perfect unison

Hera: *starts pacing* "A lot of men died to those butchers, my men charles." 

Jax: "Dismissed, go get hammered in celebration."

Charles: I know. You deserve better than seeing him walk away like that. 

*they do so*
Chard: Gotta say Jax, You're damn good.

Hera: *looks at him, a confused look on her face* "Its not your fault charles."

Jax: "Your men more than pulled their weight."

Charles: hera...it kills me to see you like this. You deserve better.

Chard: they're good, but they're only as good as the guy directing them.

Hera: "Men died under my watch charles, Anything it takes to avenge them is no less than im due."

Jax: "Chalk it up to experience."

Charles: All I want is to see you happy and safe. I had to choose between those. And while this is better than seeing you die... I can't stand to see you upset. Especially knowing it's even partly my fault. 

Chard: aye. Like I say, you're damn good. *to serah* you too, ma'am.

Hera: "You kept us all alive... I sure as hell dont like letting that monster walk, You kept my men alive."

Serah: *chuckles* "If we weren't, we'd be very dead by now."

Charles:...I love you hera.

Chard grinds and lights up a cigar

Hera: *smiles, and kisses his cheek* "I know." 

Serah: "Those things'll kill you." 

Jax: "Good one." *chuckles, and lights a lho stick.*

Charles: I promise you. You'll get your justice. No matter what it takes.

Chard: good. Don't want to give the emperor's enemies the pleasure.

Hera: "I know i will. If i have to tear out his beating heart with my own hands, and burn every man in his chapter myself." 

Jax: "Been putting off the dying thing for a while now, i really don't fancy it."

Charles hugs her close. its obvious he still feels pretty damn bad.

Chard: who does?

Serah: *Half mumbles* "Any accolyte who gets handed the immalia case." 

Hera: "Hey, come on. Its alright."

Chard: *chuckles* Especially now you've got the inquisitor watching your backs, eh?

Charles: I know...like I said, it kills me to see you upset.

Hera: "Its fine charles. I can deal with it."

Serah: "With the inquisitor here, we wont be killing them,"