"Sarge Cade. Why don't you and I do some reconnaissance on the top level?" Erwin asks with a pityful look on the auspex. "I trust those fragging auz-pekz as far as I can spit... Two eyes, a nose and your ears are much more reliable. I'll lead the way if you want me to."

'Poor bugger' Erwin thinks when he looks at Dammek: "Missus Seito, Dral? Could you look after private Boom here, while we check out the attic? I'm not sure he is good to go after all." Erwin seems genuinly concerned with the faith of Dammek. After all, he was the first one to break the ice with him. 'I'd hate to see him go. And with that collar, you know he's seen worse.'

It takes Dammek a few moments to respond. He looks up at Seito and then at all the other Acolytes before speaking softly:

"Yeah. I'm good to go. I-I'll be fine."

He looks at his stub auto and says "I'm sorry" in a barely audible whisper, then holsters it and readies his laspistol as he clambers to his feet.

"Yes we should check down stairs, but what about the 1st floor?" Turning to Seito "did your scan on the Auspex pick up any life signs below; perhaps point that thing upwards and scan again?"[just for Seito's benefit; a scan with an Auspex will pick up life signs which you do not need a tech use roll for, the tech use roll is to determine unusual readings like scanning the liquid]

The signals on the auspex indicate, that no life forms are present upstairs.

Seito nods to Dammek with a warm smile, "OK, honey. Sit still now."

She looks to the others, "The auspex is reading no life signs... I would not take that to mean that the upstairs is necessarily clear, however. Be ready for anything."

Cade gives Erwin a short nod, noticing Dammek coming to. "I agree with your suggestion." He stated to Erwin, drawing out his las pistol and approaching the stairs

Erwin waits till Cade has approached him and can cover his rear. Gently he ascends the stairs, pointing his lasgun upwards, safety off. When he comes at the door at the top, he moves his back to the wall. 'Emperor be with me now' he thinks before he, with a sudden movement, enters the room.

[Awareness untrained: 33 -20: target 13; rolled a 6; success]

Dral looks around feeling nervous as Cade and Erwin move up the stairs and out of view. Seeing that Dammek is clearly shaken by his experience Dral steels himself, draws his las-pistol and takes up a position by the stairs that head downwards.

"I'll keep an eye out down the stairway while we wait for the others to return." he says quietly to Seito and Dammek.

With his las-pistol pointing down the stairway Drals photo contacts penetrate the gloom.

[i go into overwatch]

Erwin waits till Cade has approached him and can cover his rear. Gently he ascends the stairs, pointing his lasgun upwards, safety off. When he comes at the door at the top, he moves his back to the wall. 'Emperor be with me now' he thinks before he, with a sudden movement, enters the room. [Awareness untrained: 33 -20: target 13; rolled a 6; success]

You enter a huge empty room. There is nothing but dust.

Dral looks around feeling nervous as Cade and Erwin move up the stairs and out of view. Seeing that Dammek is clearly shaken by his experience Dral steels himself, draws his las-pistol and takes up a position by the stairs that head downwards. "I'll keep an eye out down the stairway while we wait for the others to return." he says quietly to Seito and Dammek. With his las-pistol pointing down the stairway Drals photo contacts penetrate the gloom. [i go into overwatch]

Silently, the door is opened a little and a mechanical eye looks at you for a short notice. A split of a second later, it disappears again and closes the door, closing locks quickly.

(You have one shot becuase of your overwatch though to prevent the closing, but this is at -30 due to the small target. Aiming is not possible in the short time; if you have no goggles to see in the dark, it also gets an additional -10 due to the shady stairs down).

[bS 31 + 10 (short range) - 30 (size), target 11; rolled 73]

Dral misses, firing high as he snaps off a shot at the mechandrite. "We've got company!" I shout out.

At the snap of the superheated air from Dral's laspistol, Erwin turns back and looks down the stairwell. He yells: "This room is fragging deserted! What the frak is going on down there? Cade, let's get down there!"

If Erwin has a clear line of sight to the bottom of the stairwell, he goes into overwatch.

You can hear movement behind the door and below, under you.

Cade starts moving immediately down the stairs at the sound of Dral's attack. His weapon is drawn and he hastens down. "What's the situation?" He demands as he storms down the stairs.

[Gaunt, I am a little confused as to where the door is that the mechandrite just looked around. Is it at the bottom of the stairs that I am covering from the top, or did you think I was covering from a different position in the entrance room and that the mechandrite peeped around the door at the top of the stairs?]

"A mechanical eye like Seito has just peeped around the door at the top*/bottom* (delete as appropriate) of the stairs. The door is closed now and I think they may have locked it" I call out.

Making sure I am in cover I continue to watch the door with my weapon aimed.

[i maintain overwatch]

Cade reaches into his belt and brings out the grenade he picked off the dead attacker, in his off hand. "Do you think this might have a shot at busting through it?" He asks, eyeing the door to see if he can assess the damage a frag grenade might do to it.

[Gaunt, I am a little confused as to where the door is that the mechandrite just looked around. Is it at the bottom of the stairs that I am covering from the top, or did you think I was covering from a different position in the entrance room and that the mechandrite peeped around the door at the top of the stairs?] "A mechanical eye like Seito has just peeped around the door at the top*/bottom* (delete as appropriate) of the stairs. The door is closed now and I think they may have locked it" I call out. Making sure I am in cover I continue to watch the door with my weapon aimed. [i maintain overwatch]

I consider you being at the top of the stairs. The door is at the bottom of the stairs, about 8m from you.

(Dral is at the top of the stairs leading to the basement, meaning he is on the ground floor. Cade and Erwin traveled up to the second floor landing, while I believe Dammek and Seito were somewhere on the stairs between the two groups. The mechanical eye peeked out from behind the basement door.)

(Now I beleive everyone has gathered at the ground floor landing and are looking down at the basement door.)

Cade reaches into his belt and brings out the grenade he picked off the dead attacker, in his off hand. "Do you think this might have a shot at busting through it?" He asks, eyeing the door to see if he can assess the damage a frag grenade might do to it.

"I don't think that little baby would help out here." Erwin says to Cade as he passes him on the stairs down, "But perhaps we can push the fragger open."

His lasgun pointed on the door at the bottom of the stairs, Erwin continues his path down, looking out for boobytraps. At the foot of the stairs, he starts looking for an access point similar to the hatch. 'In that case, the medic could open this blasted door'.

[search untrained; 33 -20; target 13; rolled a 60; 4DoF]

'Of course it wouldn't be that simple. Looks like you're going to do this yourself Erwin. The Emperor protects!' Not finding anything, Erwin gently grabs the doorhandle and pushes it down, his lasgun in his right hand pointed at the ceiling, his left hand shaking a bit of the suspense. When the handle is down, Erwin pushes softly to open the door.

"Standby." he whispers.

The doorhandle doesnt move a bit. Next to the handle...there is an interface port.

"Missus Seito. I believe we could use your talents down here." Erwin yells. While he waits for Seito to descend, Erwin tries to find an angle to cover the door so that as soon as the tiniest cogwheel of a servitor is visable, he can spray it with his lasgun. 'There isn't much fragging room down here. I'd love to have my hands on a handcannon right now.' Erwin thinks by himself, 'but then again, five shots and you're empty... With a possible dozen machinemen, my lasgun might be better.'

Seito descends the stairs carefully, her hand cannon clutched tightly in both of her small hands. Her mechadendrite whirs and stirs as if sensing her tension.

She looks at the door and then at the interface port. She nods to Erwin and moves to begin interfacing with it.

[Tech Use <45 +/- anything?; rolled 48, 1 DoF?]

The door opens with a clicking sound. (the test was +20)

At the sound of the click, Erwin slowly puts his hand on Seito's shoulder, careful not to get entangled in the mechadendrites. "My turn", he whispers in her ear and he tries to position himself between Seito and the door. With a look upwards at Cade, he softly says: "Here we go. Cover me sarge."

Erwin tries the doorhandle once more, holding is lasgun in his good hand, levelled at his waist. Gently he pushes the door open, following up with his lasgun. 'Careful now Erwin, you old motherfragger. Any minute..."

[awareness, untrained: 33-20= target 13; rolled a 9]

Cade glances at Erwin as he asks him to cover him and nods, aiming his las pistol at the door, in preparation, following not far behind Erwin.

[Awareness: Target 39, rolled 13 for 3 DoS]

Seito's heart skips a beat as the door opens much easier than she expected. A part of her wished it would just stay locked and the team could call this one a bust and leave, maybe get the poor Dammek some much needed - better outfitted - medical aid. But another part of her screamed at her to fight; it was glad that the door opened. Perhaps whatever was responsible for that abominable, foul liquid would pay for their transgressions against the subjects of the God-Emperor.

At the very least, maybe the team would get some answers. The newcomer was proving to be worth his mettle. Perhaps that was his game, get in close, prove himself and then turn on them all. Or, perhaps he was the real deal. Seito desperately hoped for the latter while Erwin whispered in her ear that he would take point and then very quickly put himself into harm's way once more.

Cade followed and Seito did her best to watch their six, her hand-cannon steady in her tiny hands. For her part, she uses the heavy steel door for cover and aims her weapon away from her allies but into the room.

"Give them hell," she whispers back as Cade covers Erwin and moves into the room.

[OOC: Overwatch - at the first sign of hostile contact, Seito will aim inside the room and take a shot at the first dumb bastard to show itself, using the door as cover.]