From: Intios; Adeptus Administratum & Acolyte of the Holy Inquisition, Ordo Hereticus

My Investigation Notes
Although “nobles” do not usually enter the mid-hive, I decided to accompany the rest of the cell for our meeting with Vorlin Orday. We had made arrangements to put the money he wanted into a locked briefcase. We were to make an exchange for Orday’s data slate that he found containing information regarding the Joyous Choir.

We arrived at the Hustle a bit earlier than scheduled so that we could get an idea of the layout of this marketplace. We explored the surroundings and prepared for Orday’s arrival. As we spot Orday turn the corner toward our location, we hear a shot ring out and Orday takes a direct hit to the back of his head. Orday drops to the ground with a briefcase clutched in his hand. Just as this is happening, a Black Robed Figure drops to the ground and picks up Orday’s briefcase.

I draw my laspistol and was able to hit the BRF with a shot to the body. He seems to have augmented legs and torso because as he speeds away, he is clearly running southwards but is able to face his torso west as he is running. The BRF runs up the wall of the marketplace and jumps down to the other side. Arion and Trantor give chase. I take a quick glimpse at Odessa and it seems that during the conjuring of her powers, something may have gone wrong and I see her collapse to the ground. Figuring that I will come back to Odessa later, I also run after the BRF.

In the chaos of the chase, I hear multiple shots fired by Trantor and can hear Arion saying that he is giving chase to the BRF. Arion was able to somehow dislodge the secured case with Orday’s data slate. I yell into the vox, “get the case and get out of there!” I decide to run back towards the initial location of Orday’s attack. As I am running back, I see Odessa pass me by. Whatever condition assailed her must be gone now.

I reach Orday’s body to see if he is still alive and possibly receive medicae treatment from me. Alas, the gunshot wound to the head was fatal. I was able to find a Pattern 7 Steel Burner Heavy Las Pistol on him as well as a data key and some documents. A couple of meters away, I was able to pick-up the weapon that the BRF dropped, a Deloss high quality autopistol. By this time, Arion was actually engaged in combat with the BRF. The BRF was able to disengage from Arion and some other thugs wielding shotguns came onto the scene.

When I get to their position, I can see Odessa engaged with one combatant wielding an autopistol and another one peaking around the corner. I take out the combatant around the corner with a couple of laspistol shots. When the smoke cleared, we discovered what looked like oil/grease trails that came from the BRF. Odessa was also able to apprehend one of the surviving combatants.

We started to follow the trail of grease around the Hustle. The trail went cold in a southern part of the market next to a construction site. By this time the local Magistratum had arrived and were trying to put order into the situation. One of the officers had spotted Odessa along with the apprehended combatant. From a distance I saw a couple of officers escort Odessa away. I decided to follow to see where they were taking Odessa while Arion and Trantor were investigating the trail of grease.

Odessa was eventually taken to the Magistratum precinct apparently for some questioning. I told the others that we should head back towards to the Stairs because Odessa will probably be released back to the Strophes estate. We make it back to the Strophes estate and detailed our findings to Laurent Strophes. We show him the data key that we found on Orday. A short time later, Odessa was escorted in by some officers.

The officers decided to question each of us in regards to what we may have known about the commotion within the Hustle. I told them that I was visiting the mid-hive because my constituents on Fenksworld wanted all the information that I could gather regarding the Joyous Choir before donating a sizable sum of resources.

After our interrogation, we were told not to leave the planet and were also ordered to surrender our sidearms. We assumed they took our weapons to do ballistics tests on them. Now we just need to find an excuse to why our weapons may have been fired recently….