Cade gave a curt nod, as he placed the grenade on his belt beside his photon flash and the goggles on his head, though folded up so that they were not over his eyes. "I've had worse days." He responded. "Some first aid, and I should be back and ready for another round." He commented as they approached the magistratum.

As the Captain spoke to them, Cade met his gaze with a serious look. "Unfortunately our adversary decided to take a running leap from the roof of a building. We did, however, glean what they were after." He informed the Captain.

"What was it ? Did they want to attack the magistratum itself...? Or did they come because of you ?"

Suddenly the mercenary shouts out loudly: "I can fly !" and jumps from the roof.On his way down he almost hits Dral and crushes down heavily next to him. Dral is drenched in blood while looking down on him shocked.

This was the funniest thing I have ever read. Sorry for hijacking the IC thread, but WELL DONE.

While discussing with the Captain at the magistratums entry, Cade gets aware of a movement (he is more hearing than seeing it) not far from you.

@pearldrum: this is you

[OOC: what have I been doing? Am I just sitting in the corner staring at the newcomers twiddling my thumbs? LOL... I will go with that!]

A small woman moves from the corner of your vision and out into the open. She does not appear hostile but instead seems slightly shocked at the appearance of the group - especially that of Cade.

"Oh, Omnissiah and Throne combined, what happened here? You," she says indicating Cade, "you have a seat right here." Her tone is not demanding but you can tell she means business. To those with high perception it is obvious that she has sincere intentions, and judging by the Medical mechadendrite jutting out like a third arm in the middle of her chest from under a light gray flak jacket and the medikit strapped to her left thigh, it appears that she is a doctor of some sort. She is also armed, and that is very obvious - a ludicrously large Hand Cannon for such a woman is strapped to her right leg, with extra ammunition about her belt.

Before anyone can protest or respond she announces herself to the group as a whole, "My name is Seito No'Akai. You can call me Seito. Or Akai. Or whatever the feth you want. Excuse me," she says to the Captain firmly but without offence. She had a patient now and there was no time for platitudes when lives were at stake.

She is no more than five and a half feet tall, and couldn't weigh more than a Grox's thigh, yet she has a confidence seldom seen in someone of such small stature.

Medics. Pushy as ever. Cade knew, however, not to get in their way at times like this, and allowed the woman that approached him to lead him to the chair. He assumed she was going to perform some basic first aid, or at least examined his injuries. Resisting a medic's attempts to help you never ended well for the individual. However, Cade still answered the Captain. "No, it seems our presence here was merely a coincidence." He stated. He expected one of his companions had taken the photo with them. "It seems they were after a bag on the noble's person." He informed the Captain. Though Cade himself hadn't seen the bag, he had managed to deduce it from Dral and Dammek's discussion, as well as the shout one of their assailants had made during the firefight.

I pull the bag out from under my cloak and lay the items within it on a nearby table..."Cade is right they seemed to have been after this bag and its contents."

I pick up the water ruined letter and read out the remaining eligible text "...it is really a pity that you insist on that course of action. Under this circumstances, I think it would be the best for both parties, if our paths divide. You have to understand, that - of course - the investments you made so far, are lost, in such a case. Maybe you should send someone to discuss the terms with us again, before..."

"Now the desk sergeant said these were found in the street someplace and not near the dead noble but that is an expensive looking mirror and not an item a commoner would have... might have been his perhaps."

"Oh, honey," she says to Cade as though she were his mother, even though she wasn't that much older than him - if she was older than him at all. "What did you get yourself into?" Her exotic almond shaped eyes look at the myrid of bullet impacts on his armor and in places his flesh. "Autogun? A brutal business, am I right?"

She pokes at his head, where the autogun round blasted into his helmet and left a hell of a whelt. "You see that? That is bad. Everyone, if you are hurt take a seat and I will get to you shortly. Worst first; scratches last." An optical mechadendrite on her shoulder whirs lightly - a well oiled and maintained machine to not make much noise - as it searches over Cade for any unseen or internal injuries. She goes the full nine-yards, stripping off his armor and making sure she didn't miss anything.

"Hope you aren't shy. I'm not," she says pulling down his pants and examining what needs to be examined. "Nope! All seems fine down there!" She laughs heartily, a tactic she learned from some wonderful Sisters of the Order of the Cleansing Water. She reminisced fondly at how gentle they were with the sick and dying - how they could bring cheer into even the most broken face.

[OOC: I assume that because we aren't actively in combat and Seito has plenty of time, a medicae check can be performed at easy +10 or higher? She will perform medicae on all the wounded present. Int 45+20 medikit+10 med mech. +any situational modifiers; not sure what site we are using to roll dice on. Or if we are playing honor system and rolling on our own.]

I pull the bag out from under my cloak and lay the items within it on a nearby table..."Cade is right they seemed to have been after this bag and its contents."I pick up the water ruined letter and read out the remaining eligible text "...it is really a pity that you insist on that course of action. Under this circumstances, I think it would be the best for both parties, if our paths divide. You have to understand, that - of course - the investments you made so far, are lost, in such a case. Maybe you should send someone to discuss the terms with us again, before...""Now the desk sergeant said these were found in the street someplace and not near the dead noble but that is an expensive looking mirror and not an item a commoner would have... might have been his perhaps."

Captain Thraine comes towards you.

"What does that mean ? If it belonged to him, why didnt we find it at the same place as his corpse ?"

While my wounds are tended I address the captains question "if we assume that these are the nobles belongings he must have lost it during his time in this area of the hive and that our attackers didn't know that he had lost it, hence their attack."

"That begs another question; what is so important about the bag and it's contents to cause an attack on a magistratums building to retrieve it."

I pick up the mirror and examine it closely.

Seito ignores the conversation about nobles and bags and attacks. She is in the zone - in her element. She tends to the others as best she can. Putting soldiers back together was her expertise after all.

While my wounds are tended I address the captains question "if we assume that these are the nobles belongings he must have lost it during his time in this area of the hive and that our attackers didn't know that he had lost it, hence their attack.""That begs another question; what is so important about the bag and it's contents to cause an attack on a magistratums building to retrieve it."I pick up the mirror and examine it closely.

It looks like it cost a lot. The surface looks like clear frozen water, framed by pure saphire. On the top, there is a small violet raven (scholastic lore heraldry +30).

Otherwise, the mirror looks normal to you.

While searching him, you also find a bery sophisticated tattoo on his left upper arm. It shows a winged blue snake with glowing red eyes.

> Does anyone have any Lore skill regarding War, Military oder Underworld ?<

Thinking that only Dammek and I have seen the tattoo on the dead attackers arm I ask the following question to everyone in the room "does anyone recognise this tattoo as it could be some kind of clan or gang marking?"

Seito spares it a glance but shakes her head and quickly goes back to the business of healing that is at hand.

Dammek regards Seito with interest and more than a little apprehension. She is very pretty, and he would be tempted to flirt with her if she didn't have those fething mechadendrites bobbing around behind her shoulders. Those things always made him shiver, and the medicae ones were even worse than most. Dammek has a natural fear of needles, and having his shots administered by a disembodied human skull is NOT his idea of a good time.

Still, he is glad to see a proper chirurgeon attending to his allies. His battlefield medical experience is very limited, and this girl is certainly a professional. She looks like she had no combat experience whatsoever, but judging by his first day on the job she'll see plenty of combat in the near future.

"Captain, what about you, do you recognise this tattoo?"

"Mhhh...not sure. Heard about some mercs who used some of these elements. Not sure though if it was exactly this. If it is them, then you got serious trouble. The Venom Wings - a mercenary organization that usually is paid very well for their services. And is usually used by those who have enough money to afford them. Nobles, Syndicates, Rogue Traders...that kind of customers."

Seito's ears perk up at the situation.

"Well now, that sounds dangerous. Throne of Terra," she says inadvertently making the sign of the Aquila across her breast, "it sounds like your futures are going to have much more patching up in them."

This is her way of saying she is in and it is clear that is the last of it.

I look at the newcomer "Seito wasn't it?" without giving a chance to reply I continue "you're making a big assumption there although I do not doubt your skills may come in useful. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"My apologies; the assumption wasn't whether or not you would have me. It was whether or not you would live without me. I say without ego that I am good at what I do, and you lot seem to be getting into a little more than bar fights. I can also assume that we share a mutual benefactor in that the Captain here trusts you to do a job. The Captain also trusts me to do one as well."

Seito moves to stand right in front of Draal, her hands clasped together with the med mechadendrite at her waist. It seems to calm her a tad from the tumult of the room.

"Let us save time, shall we? What would you like to know?"

"Where is Asterius ? I have a lot of paperwork now where I need his help with".

At this moment you just realize that Asterius is not with you.

You could have sworn that he wasnt far just some moments ago...

Cade climbed down the ladder...Asterius was disarming the bomb...you were taking a look at the corpse...you met Seito...this must have been the moment where your attention was more on the elegant mechanicus lady than on the grumpy arbites who was swearing while trying to understand the traps details.

You went back to the magistratum...and...well...forgot him.

Heading back to the place where the shoot-out happened, you cant see Asterius anymore. But you see his badge on the ground.

Seito leans down on her haunches, both feet flat on the ground with her backside just barely propped up off of it. She picks up the badge with her mechadendrite and studies it intently before handing it to one of the party.

"This doesn't look promising. He was one of yours then?" She asks no one in particular.

Cade finally took notice of the fact Asterius had vanished, and his face knotted with concern. "Yes, just a moment ago...." He stated, standing up and joining Seito as she went out. Asterius was gone. Cade brought out his las pistol in an instant, surveying their surroundings carefully.

[Awareness test (for all the good it might do), Perception is 39, rolled 83]

Seito went and handed Cade the badge, who accepted it. "The rest of that group ran off. It's possible they doubled back after most of us had left. But why would Asterius have remained behind..." Cade wondered, his eyes clearly troubled. Asterius had proven to have the makings of a good group leader, and so his disappearance was indeed troubling. No matter though. He would have to make due with what they had.

Cade glanced at Seito however. "In absence of our companion, I would like to welcome you. You certainly seem to have a natural talent for medicine." He informed her. "And if you would like to assist us, I suspect you will be a welcome addition to our number."

Cade finally took notice of the fact Asterius had vanished, and his face knotted with concern. "Yes, just a moment ago...." He stated, standing up and joining Seito as she went out. Asterius was gone. Cade brought out his las pistol in an instant, surveying their surroundings carefully. [Awareness test (for all the good it might do), Perception is 39, rolled 83] Seito went and handed Cade the badge, who accepted it. "The rest of that group ran off. It's possible they doubled back after most of us had left. But why would Asterius have remained behind..." Cade wondered, his eyes clearly troubled. Asterius had proven to have the makings of a good group leader, and so his disappearance was indeed troubling. No matter though. He would have to make due with what they had. Cade glanced at Seito however. "In absence of our companion, I would like to welcome you. You certainly seem to have a natural talent for medicine." He informed her. "And if you would like to assist us, I suspect you will be a welcome addition to our number."

Your awareness test (+60) lets you realize the following:

Besides the batch that Asterius lost, you also find evidence for a fight. Some cloth is lying around that looks like it was from his uniform. Some footprints lead into the dark - they are big and deep enough to be seen on the muddy street.

Whatever was here...must have been big.

Hesitantly I will say "Doesn't look good, but those footprints look obvious enough to follow so perhaps we should do just that."