Chapter 120: The Inquisitors

After reviewing all the information at hand, Grey could not yet determine what connection this had to the Inquisition, though he and Anruida shared the same suspicion: even if the Inquisition left no trace, it was undoubtedly their doing. This all stemmed from an incident a year ago.

As the Tyron System was rapidly developing, a wandering merchant arrived to do business. Soon after, word of the system spread, and more merchants began to flock to profit from it. Bringing resources like the precious Oglynites or other goods the Tyron System desperately needed could be exchanged for valuable power armor. Eventually, this drew the attention of the Inquisition.

A cruiser was now stationed near the Mandeville Point of the Tyron System. Though blockaded by nearby space fortresses and Adam's fleet, preventing its entry into the system, it didn't mean they couldn't investigate.

"They might have slipped in as crew on one of the cargo ships," Anruida mused, nudging one of the corpses with her boot. "The Tyron System can't be entirely self-sufficient. Our demand for resources is immense. Some merchant and transport ships from neighboring systems dock at the orbital ports regularly, providing a chance for them to infiltrate."

"That's possible," Grey agreed with her reasoning.

Some time ago, Qin Mo dispatched a ship to establish contact with a neighboring system. It turned out to be an unfortunate system with thirteen planets, but only one habitable world. The conditions there were harsh, yet for some unknown reason, the planet could produce vast amounts of starch. The entire population of that system was undergoing a comprehensive identity registration process, so it was not surprising that someone might take advantage of this period of flux to sneak into the Tyron System.

"What I find more puzzling is why they went to such lengths to abduct a mere recruit," Grey said, standing and looking at Anruida, a look of genuine confusion etched on his face beneath his helmet.

It was a difficult question to answer. After a long, contemplative silence, Anruida finally offered a plausible theory: "If I recall correctly, the Imperial War Ministry has a regulation."

"Anyone found harboring known Warp-touched individuals, unlicensed psykers, witches, or mutants—or failing to report such persons—will be flogged, have their eyes gouged out, and then hanged."

"And the governor's deeds have long since spread throughout the system, like his ability to conjure lightning and flame..."

"We've never reported the governor's actions to the Imperial War Ministry. If the Inquisition or any other entity wanted to target him, abducting someone to interrogate and build a case would be an excellent starting point."

Grey listened intently to her conjecture. His initial reaction was disbelief, but after considering it, the idea began to make sense.

"Report this," Anruida suggested. "Let's send all the information we have, along with our theories."

"I agree," Grey nodded.

...

Near Mandeville Point, in the Tyron System.

Aboard an Inquisition vessel, two inquisitors were gathered around a long table on the ship's bridge, pouring over various data regarding the Tyron System. They didn't look up until the door opened and another colleague entered.

Technically speaking, they weren't true colleagues. Even the two inquisitors seated at the table were not of the same rank or order, as they belonged to three different branches of the Inquisition.

The Ordo Hereticus, officially called the Order of Retribution, dealt primarily with heresy. 

The Ordo Xenos, known as the Order of the Purge, handled alien threats. 

The Ordo Malleus, or the Order of the Hammer, focused on the eradication of demons.

The three inquisitors on the bridge were all merely interrogators, equivalent to apprentices. They lacked the authority to command military forces. If they had such power, their ship wouldn't be trapped near the Mandeville Point. By now, they would have led the Adeptus Astartes, the Grey Knights, and the Battle Sisters in a full-scale assault.

"How's your plan progressing?" one of the seated inquisitors asked.

"I should mention I don't want to hear it, but Rena, as our current collaborator, I have the right to know everything as an uninvolved observer," the other inquisitor added.

Rena didn't answer right away. She sat down at the table, propping her feet up and reclining for a moment before finally responding. "It failed. I spent a great deal of effort infiltrating a thousand men into the underhive world, and now they're all gone. At least, I think they're all gone. I'm not entirely sure, but the last I heard from that guy named Saier was that he was being massacred by the Praetorians."

To the other two inquisitors, this news wasn't entirely bad.

"You know what I admire most about your Order of Retribution? Your honesty."

"Consider yourself lucky it failed. Otherwise, we'd be igniting a war."

Rena shot them both an indignant glare but chose not to argue. Instead, she pondered.

Since discovering the Tyron System's anomalies and arriving to investigate, her two so-called colleagues had acted more like saboteurs, undermining her efforts at every turn with cold remarks and sarcastic detachment. But Rena didn't think they were fools. There were no fools in the Inquisition. More likely, these two represented different factions within the Inquisition or perhaps even the wider Imperium, each with their own stance on the Tyron System.

The Ordos Hereticus, Malleus, and Xenos were each vast organizations composed of countless smaller orders, and within those orders existed various sub-factions, all with different objectives.

Rena could easily imagine that back on Holy Terra, a fierce debate was unfolding. Different factions were vying for dominance, each attempting to impose its own view of how the Tyron System should be handled. When the victor finally emerged, they would send a Grand Inquisitor, or perhaps even a representative of the Inquisition itself, to deal with the system. That would be when the true reckoning began.

But Rena didn't want to wait until then. By her estimation, it would be too late by that point.

"Don't you find this system peculiar?" Rena frowned. "They use unknown teleportation technology. They refer to things like sensors as 'divination instruments.' Whether they're still loyal to the Emperor is questionable at best."

"And so?" the two inquisitors looked up, their interest piqued.

"We should jointly issue an order, summoning the so-called Lord of Tyron to our ship for interrogation," Rena said firmly.

One inquisitor stood, walking to the viewport and gesturing toward the massive space fortress and warships nearly completed outside. "If you can manage to march under the Inquisition's banner, break through the blockade, reach the underhive of the hive world, and deliver that order to the Lord of Tyron… then upon your return, we'll recommend you be made a High Inquisitor."