The Lava Tube Xenotechnological Investigation and Incident

Context:

-During a soiree at the Traquiel Estates, Archmagos Sojourner Wakes entered the premises uninvited and demanded to see the Planetary Governor (Anvephone Traquiel), who was not present and had been absent for some time due to her own investigations. Archmagos Wake was only swayed to leave due to a separate incident involving a heretical device that cast a blood-like image of an Aquila upon the wall—he and Sister Yvestina Avarast attempted to pursue the owner of the device deeper into the Palace, after which the Archmagos apparently was persuaded to return to Mechanicus Headquarters.

-Dehvon revealed that he too was concerned over his sister's absence; Ambassador Lethe was prompted to open an investigation into her whereabouts.

Inciting Lead:

-Some weeks after this initial event, a man wearing the uniform of the Traquiel Guard emerged from the Lava Tubes near the Dock in the Underhive. Notably, despite his ability to walk, the man was brain dead. His serial number indicated that he was a member of the Planetary Governor's personal guard. 

-Dehvon provided us with a deployment of the Guard to further investigate the Lava Tubes.

Within the Lava Tubes:

-Spiral cut patterns were noted on the walls of the cavern; each displayed a grouping of three score marks, equidistant and precise. These markings are considered irregular and not within expected parameters of natural formations nor known drilling methods.

-Eventually we arrived at the Governor's encampment (well secured with provisions and armaments), stationed next to a "wall" of energy. Viewing the wall was uncomfortable due to unidentifiable properties of its energetic spectrum; this likely correlates with the massive amount of energy present, as indicate by other sensors. The wall also appeared to be psychically active, reacting to the presence of Quinten; this may also be connected to the discomfort experienced in viewing.

-The Governor explained that the was studying the wall and attempting to bypass it. During their studies, through accident of volunteer, members of the exploration that had touched the wall went mad—one was shot, and another fled (being the individual we had discovered near the doc).

-Her next plan of action was to attempt an overload of the field by shooting it with a las cannon, providing a large spike of energy. 

-Upon determining that the wall did interact with inorganic materials, a pict recorder was affixed with improvised extensions and pushed through to take images on the other side. These images revealed a xenotech device on a pedestal (See Nemesis Device), a 33 pointed star of crystalline material. Anvephone seemed to have research indicating that the device had healing properties.

-Images also showed what could be a Xenos figure in an alcove; this was later confirmed to be a living specimen of a Cinquefoil.

Extraction:

-The wall's responsiveness to Quinten's presence prompted an additional test of its psychic nature prior to firing the las cannon at the barrier. According to the psyker, the wall "scanned" him when he reached out, testing for some variable of purity. He responded by reciting litanies learned in his training. This seemed to be acceptable, and an aperture of Quinten's exact silhouette dimensions—scaled up by 1/33—opened at the base of the wall. Traquiel ordered him to retrieve the device on the other side, but not to touch it.

-Quinten entered the aperture and engaged in a psychic dialogue with the Cinquefoil. Such interactions are difficult to translate into gothic, but I am given to understand the essential themes of the conversation was in establishing Quinten as a champion of sorts, thus allowing him to take the Device without resistance.

-However, upon returning, Quinten touched the Device with his bare hand, causing it to instantly fuse with his body. This prompted the Planetary Governor to shoot him—fatally—in the chest, and the Cinquefoil to attack her and her guard in turn.

-Quinten miraculously recovered from his injuries within minutes of sustaining them.

Official Story:

-Despite our efforts to defeat the Xenos and protect the Planetary Governor, Anvenphone was killed, and the Cinquefoil retreated behind its field once again. Explosives were thrown through the barrier, but it is unknown whether they affected the creature in any way.

-Following this occurrence, Quinten was dispatched by Gamma Star and left for dead, along with the artifact and the Xenos, to burn in an explosion of Prometheum fire to cleanse the location of all heresy.

-The survivors returned to the surface with those bodies we could recover, and the tube collapsed to prevent further dangerous encounters.

Accurate Portrayal of Events:

-Quinten was shot by Gamma, but not killed, and used his abilities to escape undetected prior to the Prometheum detonation. He has taken on a new persona, Specialist Lazarus Quint, in the wake of these events, to allay suspicion.

-Anvephone's death was not unsatisfactory to the desires of the Company, and was aided by the efforts of Gamma Star, who assessed that the team was already under threat of neutralization for simply having been witnesses to the Planetary's Governor's efforts. In addition, her passing has allowed Ambassador Lethe to move into a position of power as the consort to Anvephone's successor, her brother Dehvon.

-It is the opinion of Logis Eizen that neither the small ordnance nor the Prometheum explosion are likely to have caused significant damage to the wall, the Cinquefoil, or the technology within the Lava Tubes. Re-opening the investigation in the future may prove prudent.

-Archmagos Wakes was willing to exchange an endorsement of the Magos Biologis to serve as his temporary successor for the location of this incident; it is likely the he investigated the site, as he immediately summoned Logis Eizen for interrogation upon his return. However, the method of his interrogation being direct neural interface has apparently compromised his memories of his discovery, due to the contracting the scrap code of VIIR, whose behavior suggests a vested interest in the survival of the company, or at least Logis Eizen.

-It is likely that the Archmagos recovered the body of the Guardian Asteri during his initial investigation, and during his experimentation converted it into a servitor, which he used as part of his combat retinue during his attack on Fort Orpheon in the final throws of scrap code degradation.