"Hahaha…"
Greyfax laughed suddenly, her mirth seeming genuine. But rather than lightening the oppressive atmosphere in the dungeon, her laughter only made it more stifling.
Kyle sat down, casting an apologetic glance at Creed, who in turn gave him a withering glare. In all his life, Kyle had never been on the receiving end of such a look from Creed. Though he was older and had joined the Shock Troops earlier, he had always admitted Creed's superiority in every way.
Courage on the battlefield was one thing; showing it elsewhere was rarely wise.
"Don't resist this conversation so much," Greyfax said, raising a hand to tap the hovering servo-skull beside her. Its ocular lenses dimmed and turned to face the wall. Creed understood this gesture—it meant Greyfax had disabled the recording function, intending the next words to be off the record.
"Let's have a private conversation," she leaned back in her chair. "Ask anything you like, as long as it helps dissolve your hostility toward me."
"Why does the Inquisition persist in targeting the Talon Sector?" Creed asked, voicing the question that had gnawed at him for some time.
All of Greyfax's inquiries thus far had revolved around Talon, a relentless pursuit of any information she could glean about the sector. Creed couldn't understand it. If they didn't want to use the Dimension Engine, then fine—but why the persecution?
"Because we have strong grounds to suspect the Talonites of heresy," Greyfax replied.
"You're spouting nonsense," Creed scoffed, shaking his head.
"Hold on—just hear me out." Greyfax began recounting what Inquisitors previously stationed in Talon had observed, as well as her own experiences with the Celestial Engine. She spoke of a man named Grey, stripped of flesh and now only steel and bone, and how others like him abounded within Talon.
Greyfax shared her suspicions, speculating that Grey might be one of the fabled Iron Men. She based this not on baseless conjecture but on her personal encounters with similar constructs.
Further, she relayed intelligence gathered from other Inquisitors familiar with the Talonites. They claimed Talon's warships required only a scant few operators. Even Imperial Navy vessels, equipped with Cogitator arrays, required thousands of crew members. So why did Talon's ships demand so little manpower? Could it be because they relied on forbidden artificial intelligences?
Greyfax continued for some time, laying out every suspicion and accusation leveled at the Talon Sector, hoping Creed would understand the source of their hostility.
"But… but Talon came to Cadia's defense, fighting side by side with its people. If they were truly heretics, wouldn't they have struck against us by now? Would Cadia still stand?" Creed asked.
"Sigh…" Greyfax sighed deeply, tapping her heel on the table in front of Kyle. "Leave us."
Kyle cast a worried look at Creed, who nodded, signaling him to obey. Only after Kyle departed did Greyfax begin to reveal a hidden truth.
"Have you heard of the Scions of the Plague? A story of traitors."
"The Scions were once an Astartes legion. They fought for humanity, but eventually, they fell to corruption, turning traitor."
"The Scions enslaved bizarre creatures—hideous, loathsome beings that served them like mere servants, even tending their weapons and household tasks. Can you imagine that?"
"But as the Scions descended into treachery, these beings played a key role in their fall. We now know what those beings were—Warp-spawned entities, like the blue-skinned abominations you Cadians faced in battle."
"Imagine, just imagine," she said, "if you Cadians were the Scions, and the Talonites were these Warp-beasts… Then what?"
Greyfax left her statement unfinished, but Creed understood her implication.
Even if the Talonites were indeed heretics, they wouldn't broadcast their blasphemy, declaring themselves enemies of the Emperor. Instead, they would bide their time, extending a facade of friendship—until the moment came to strike. Just as the Vorscani had betrayed.
"Do you understand the gravity of the situation, Lord Castellan?" Greyfax asked, her brow furrowed. "Surely you don't believe that these backwater rustics developed teleportation technology and artificial worlds in a matter of years?"
Creed was silent, only drawing on his cigar.
But Greyfax believed he had understood. "So, has all I've said helped the Lord Castellan see reason?"
After a long pause, Creed shook his head. "I do not believe."
Greyfax rose abruptly, storming out of the dungeon, slamming the door behind her.
A moment later, she opened it again, returned to seize the cigar belt from Creed's waist, then slammed the door shut once more.
…
Greyfax left the cell and entered the adjacent anteroom—a dim space for Inquisitors to rest, though far less dismal than the dungeons.
As Greyfax stepped into the room, every Inquisitor in the sector awaited her, their faces tense.
"You cannot simply drag the Castellan into a dungeon for interrogation. It is entirely improper," one Inquisitor protested, rising to his feet.
Most of the Inquisitors present stood in agreement, clearly stating their position.
Greyfax herself believed confining Creed to the dungeons was excessive. But she needed to isolate him entirely from Talon's influence, to prevent his being swayed further by the Talonites.
"Do you realize the repercussions if this leaks?" said the dissenting Inquisitor. "The Cadians would be eager to tear you apart."
"Then make sure it does not," Greyfax replied, raising her glass and taking a measured sip.
"Insane," muttered the dissenter, leaving the room, soon followed by the other Inquisitors who shared his stance.
Most departed, leaving only one behind.
It was a newly appointed Inquisitor, young in appearance.
Greyfax, distrusting even her own colleagues, ignored him until he spoke.
"I understand what you're doing. The Talon Sector is undeniably heretical. Our goal must be to gather irrefutable evidence, enough to convince most of the Inquisition that it must be annihilated."
Greyfax said nothing.
The young Inquisitor continued, "I believe approaching the Castellan is wise. We must avoid direct confrontation with the Talonites and deny them any pretext to provoke one. Otherwise, the higher-ups may reconsider, quashing the investigation and letting Talon slip by once again."
At last, Greyfax looked at the young man with approval and said, "I authorize you to join me in this investigation."
"Thank you. Here is my dossier for your review." The young Inquisitor presented a parchment scroll.
Mutual understanding was paramount in Inquisitorial cooperation. Offering his dossier so readily showed the man's perceptiveness and pragmatism, further pleasing Greyfax.
As she read through the document, she realized he was no fledgling but, in fact, middle-aged.
Moreover, his father was a member of the Mechanicum, though Greyfax dismissed this as irrelevant. The fanatics within the Mechanicum would hardly let family ties interfere; the record confirmed they had severed all contact thirty years prior.
"Thank you for involving me in the investigation," the young Inquisitor said with another respectful bow. "My name is Chak."