Rogue Trader Adeon Drake finds himself trapped on a dead-end street as assassins hunt him down.

“Who, me? I was just minding my own business. Honestly, officer.“—Adeon Drake, during an interview with Arbites Enforcers after gunmen attacked him

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The notorious Rogue Traider Adeon Drake was briefly held by Arbites Enforcers on the planet Tygon after he killed three men in a gunfight in a crowded market square.

Drake was eventually released after he argued that he was defending himself from a robbery, and the Arbites determined that the three men killed were known criminals and were seen by witnesses as firing weapons.

“We take very seriously any violence on our public streets,” said Senior Enforcer Hyman Rouk in a brief statement announcing Drake’s release. “But, given the eye witness testimony available, we must rule that Captain Drake was defending himself in a manner consistent with planetary law.”

That’s not to say the Arbites were happy with this decision. Two Enforcers physically shoved Drake down the stairs after escorting him out of the precinct headquarters.

As the handsome Rogue Raider was dusting himself off, he was asked about the gunfight.

“Oh, it was one of those things,” he said. “I was minding my own business, when these fellows approached me, and one opened his jacket so I could see he was armed.. Not wanting to be put on the disadvantage, I responded by kicking the fellow between his legs and punching the fellow next to him.”

The street markets on Tygon are usually peaceful, with armed street gangs usually maintaining order–often encouraging vendors to “support” their civic-minded efforts.

According to witnesses, Drake followed up his brazen attack by turning tail and running. At that point, the third assailant pulled a pistol and began firing, sending the crowd scattering for cover.

The gunman then began running after Drake, who weaved in and out of market stalls in an attempt to avoid a bullet.

The two other gunmen apparently recovered relatively quickly and joined the chase. A running gunfight ensued that continued for several city blocks, so most witnesses only saw a few moments of the chase. Apparently it ended when Drake turned into the Antietam Market that, unfortunately for Drake, has only a single access point.

Trapped, Drake finally drew a unique, long-barrelled laspistol and shot it out with his pursuers. In the end, Drake survived the encounter; the three gunmen did not.

According to Rouk, the motives of the gunmen are unknown. “It could have been a simple robbery. Of course, given Drake’s reputation, someone might have held a grudge, and Drake managed to wiggle out of a bit of payback. But we have no evidence of a crime on the part of Captain Drake. So, he was released.”

“Of course,” the Enforcer added, “we have suggested—quite strongly—that we would prefer he leave the planet with all haste.”

Update/4 hours later: According to space port authorities, Drake’s ship, The Atropos, left orbit above Tygon approximately three hours after his release.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.