Chapter 89 Inquisitor Angelica
But just as Soshyan had predicted, what happened to Sirtis would not end so easily.
Trouble found him thirteen hours after he returned to the Spark.
The hydraulic door of Soshyan's private meeting room made a chirping sound before opening. Strangely, the person outside the door did not come in immediately.
She stood by the door, her hands 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-tiring watchful eye.
As a completely independent body with higher authority than the Central Government Council, the Tribunal has enormous powers.
Precisely because the responsibilities of the Inquisition include monitoring and alerting the operations of other Imperial institutions, the Inquisition itself only obeys the orders of the Emperor.
No one except the Emperor himself can avoid the supervision of the Inquisition. This power is called the Inquisition Authority or Inquisition Order.
Similarly, apart from the Imperial State Church (which is still restricted by the Empire's peripheral regulations), the Inquisition is the only completely independent institution within the Empire.
Unlike other cumbersome Imperial institutions under the leadership of the Central 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 endanger 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. They are a continued threat to the human genome. pollute.
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 cautious and will seek help from the Space Marines and try to avoid angering them.
In order to perform the functions of the Inquisition, the Inquisitor needs to break away from the dogmatic and bureaucratic constraints of most imperial departments, be one step ahead, and solve 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 black hair was very similar to Soshyan's, but as smooth as satin. It was braided into small braids and left to her shoulders.
Her skin is 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. Soshiyang 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 made them almost fake, Soshyan could hear the tiny clicking sounds her face made when taking photos with the biometric lenses.
Angelica wears the same uniform and jacket as many Imperial Inquisitors, but there are still some traces of her origins - five flying weapons made of bronze hang from her hips. Knife, the blade is stained with green.
Obviously 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.
"Head of the Astral Knights Chapter, Soshyan Alexey."
The female inquisitor leaned against the wooden desk, which was much larger than that used by ordinary people, and spoke with a He said in an informal tone:
"Do the landowners of Thetis make you angry?"
"Not exactly, Inquisitor, I am just giving a small punishment, That's it." The Inquisitor didn't even wear her armor, only a jumpsuit and a pair of boots under her jacket, showing off the flexibility and tightness of her body.
But the transformation of the Space Marines has 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.
“With all due respect, 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.
The above uses a language of the home planet that Soshiyan remembers. It is a secret language and does not have the same pronunciation, so Angelica cannot 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 that Soshyan was a little impatient With a tone of voice, Angelica raised her eyebrows and sighed from between her teeth.
"I returned from Thetis less than twenty minutes ago. A thorough inspection of this world's administrative institutions is underway, and those traces of decay will soon be cleaned up."
Soshyan said nothing.
The Inquisitor stared at Astartes' expressionless face and smiled:
"What happened up there must make 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 that you should not ask an Astartes about his past, Inquisitor."
The woman's smile changed. It turned into a grin, with white teeth and bright eyes, which was indeed enough to impress most mortals.
"Maybe I know, maybe I just like this word game."
"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 less sure 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 and let the two There was only one punch left, and he 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? , allowing the situation to worsen? In the months since the rebellion broke out, millions of people have died, including landowners, serfs, and veterans of the war.”
Soshyan. There was no 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 increased output was consumed by the surplus population. ”
She described an extremely cruel fact in a relaxed tone.
“With less and less arable land, the Ministry of Military Affairs cannot place veterans, the Ministry of Interior cannot receive the planned food tax, and the planetary governor is also under increasing pressure from the landowners. Conflicts in all aspects have piled up."
At this point, Soshyan has already guessed what the other party is 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 also be wiped out. The Ministry of Justice arrested them on charges of rioting... 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 The Ministry has also obtained boatloads of prisoners, who will be transported to the prison's mines."
Angelica clapped her hands lightly.
"Every side gained, no one suffered."
"Except those who died."
(End of Chapter)