But just as Soshyan had predicted, what happened to Sirtis would not end so easily.
Trouble caught up with him thirteen hours after he returned to the Starfire.
The hydraulic door of Soshyan's private meeting room made a chirping sound before it opened. Strangely, the person outside the door did not come in immediately.
She stood by the door, her hand resting on the door frame.
"Dear Chapter Master, may I come in?"
"Yes, Inquisitor, you may come in."
"That would be presumptuous."
The young woman showed a warm smile, but due to her status, Soshyan would not regard this smile as friendly.
The Imperial Inquisition, the Emperor's never-weary watchful eye.
As a completely independent body with higher authority than the Central Government Council, the Tribunal has enormous powers.
Precisely because the Inquisition's responsibilities include monitoring and vigilance of the operations of other Imperial institutions, the Inquisition itself only obeys the orders of the Emperor.
No one but the Emperor himself can avoid the scrutiny of the Inquisition, a power known as the Inquisitorial Authorization or Inquisitorial Order.
Likewise, apart from the Imperial State Church (which is still restricted by the Empire's peripheral ordinances), the Inquisition is the only completely independent institution within the Empire.
Unlike other cumbersome Imperial institutions under the Central Government Council, the Inquisition is an independent institution responsible only to itself.
The Inquisition uses inquisition fortresses scattered throughout the empire as their base of operations. The function of an ordinary inquisitor is to investigate and deal with all potential threats that threaten the empire and humanity.
In the eyes of the Inquisition, there are many potential threats, including the threat of alien invasion.
However, the consensus among most Inquisitors is that the greatest threats come from corruption and disloyalty within the Empire, as well as lawless psykers. In addition, mutants are also a huge internal threat, and they are a continuous contamination of the human genome.
Generally speaking, the responsibilities of the Inquisition are limitless: alien conspiracies, illegal psykers, political corruption, and the incompetence of governing institutions are all within its jurisdiction.
The Inquisitor has the power to commandeer any help from Imperial agencies or servants if needed.
Even the Supreme Lord of Earth cannot refuse an order from the Inquisition without a good reason.
Even the Space Marines and Adeptus Mechanicus must obey its orders most of the time.
However, experienced Inquisitors are wary of calling upon the Space Marines for aid and trying not to anger them.
In order to fulfill the functions of the Inquisition, the Inquisitors need to break away from the dogmatic and bureaucratic constraints of most imperial departments and be proactive in solving problems quickly and effectively.
Therefore, there are no classes or departments within the Trial Hall. All judges are independent. The authority within the Trial Hall is determined by only two things - reputation and influence.
Seniority alone does not indicate an Inquisitor's authority, but most Inquisitors will heed the advice of elders and seek advice from their more experienced peers.
According to the report, this woman, Angelica, was a newly promoted inquisitor. She was active in the Tianlong Star District and soon learned about the tragedy that happened in Sirtis.
So of course, she found the person who caused this tragedy.
But she did come alone and seemed unconcerned about her own danger.
As she entered the private room, her thick high heels tapped lightly on the metal floor, making a crisp thumping sound.
This woman looked tall, but not particularly tall. She was just taller than most of the women Soshiyang had seen. She should be about 1.8 meters.
Her figure is very elegant, but not thin, and has unusual strength and beauty.
The long, dark hair was similar to Soshyan's, but as smooth as satin. It was braided into small braids and left to her shoulders.
Her skin was a healthy white, like the ice cliffs in the cold winter, not the pale color of a consumption ghost.
And on that delicate face, there was a pair of eyes that were so blue that it made people uncomfortable. Soshyan could only find one thing to compare with them - ice crystals falling from the sky in the cold winter.
It is inferred that her artificial irises may be made of crystal, as they resemble glass dyed blue by the night sky.
It can be further known that the pair of eyes, or one of them, should also be artificial.
Although the exquisite craftsmanship makes them almost fake, Soshyan can hear the tiny clicking sounds on her face as she uses the biometric lenses to take pictures.
Angelica wore the same uniform and jacket as many Imperial Inquisitors, but there were still some traces of her origins - five throwing knives made of bronze hung on her hips, and the blades were stained with green.
Apparently she may have come from a relatively primitive world.
There is also a needle pistol stuck on her waist, and every inch of its outline shows its manufacturing process - the master craftsman with excellent craftsmanship carved the runes of the Mechanicum on the surface of the black iron alloy.
"Leader of the Astral Knights Chapter, Soshyan Alexei."
The female judge leaned against the wooden desk, which was much larger than that used by ordinary people, and said in an informal tone:
"Do the landowners of Thetis make you angry?"
"Not exactly, Judge. I'm just giving a small punishment, that's all."
The Inquisitor didn't even wear her armor, only a one-piece uniform and a pair of boots under her jacket, which showed the flexibility and tightness of her body.
But the transformation of the Space Marines had eliminated the ability to feel physical desires, and Soshyan only felt confused.
When did the Imperial Inquisitors become so undignified?
Angelica glanced around the meeting room and immediately pointed to the parchment roll hanging on the wall.
"Forgive me for asking, what is that?"
Soshyan took a look and saw that it was a work done by his own hands - the parchment contained detailed records of the names of brothers who died in battle on the World Engine and on the orbital station.
It was in the language of Soshyan's remembered homeworld, which was a secret language and didn't have the same pronunciation, so Angelica couldn't read it.
"They are private files."
Soshyan was not going to explain.
"They are written elegantly, but like a directory..."
Angelica's fingers hesitated.
"That is the name of the battle brother who died on the World Engine. Inquisitor Angelica, is there anything I can do for you?"
Hearing Soshiyang's somewhat impatient tone, Angelica raised her eyebrows and sighed between her teeth.
"I came back from Thetis less than twenty minutes ago. A thorough inspection of this world's administrative machinery is underway, and those traces of decay will soon be cleared away."
Soshyan said nothing.
The Inquisitor stared at Astartes' expressionless face and smiled:
"Then what happened up there must have made you feel sick, right?"
Once again, Soshyan said nothing.
Angelica moved her hips away from the edge of the table, walked closer to Soshyan, and looked at him from a closer distance.
"Then there was no such thing in the world you were born in before you became an Astartes?"
This time, Soshyan smiled helplessly and said:
"You should know better than to ask an Astartes about his past, Inquisitor."
The woman's smile turned into a grin, and her white teeth and bright eyes were indeed enough to impress most mortals.
"Maybe I know, or maybe I just like the play on words."
"A game, I should have guessed."
She chose to ignore Soshyan's dry tone.
"When a new governor arrives, he will re-establish the management system of the planetary government. It will be a crime to kill the people of the empire for no reason, even slaves."
There was nothing unusual about this, but Soshyan was curious about why the other person did it, and even more confused about why she chose to tell me all this.
"Inquisitor, I am not interested in the details of your reorganization of the bureaucracy. I believe you have a clear reason for coming here."
Angelica leaned over her upper body, so that the distance between the two was only a punch, and then said softly:
"Captain Soshyan, aren't you surprised?"
"What."
"Why did the Sector Governor, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Military Affairs take no action after the rebellion broke out and allowed the situation to worsen? In the months since the rebellion broke out, millions of people have died, including landowners and serfs. , and those who are veterans and homesteaders.”
Soshyan did not reply;
"Because after so many years of peace in Volistad, the population has expanded sharply to three times what it was twenty years ago, but the output of food has not increased significantly. Most of the new output has been used by the surplus population. The ego is consumed.”
She described an extremely cruel fact in a relaxed tone.
"With less and less arable land, the Ministry of Military Affairs cannot accommodate veterans, and the Ministry of Interior cannot receive the planned food taxes. The planetary governor is also under increasing pressure from the landowners, and conflicts in all aspects have accumulated. stand up."
At this point, Soshyan had already guessed what the other party was going to say next.
"This rebellion is a good opportunity. Some landowners and grain merchants will be wiped out, as will some veterans and homesteaders. In addition to self-destruction, more serfs will be charged with rioting by the Ministry of Justice. Arrest... In the coming year, after the landowners divided up their neighbors' land, production would increase without affecting the collection of grain taxes, while the Ministry of Military Affairs had more land to house retired officers and soldiers, and the Ministry of Justice also received a shipload of land. Another boatload of prisoners, who will be transported to the prison mines.”
Angelica clapped her hands lightly.
"All sides gain, no one suffers."
"Except those who died."
