Secret State Police officers often visited concentration camps for a range of duties such as interrogating political prisoners, resistance members, and spies, conducting internal investigations, and coordinating with camp commandants regarding high-priority detainees.
Their authority gave them near-total control over the process. Once a person was arrested under the Directorate's jurisdiction, a single signed detention order was enough to send them directly to a camp, completely bypassing the courts.
The Directorate oversaw every step. The arrests, the interrogations, and the decisions of who would be imprisoned.
Yet, despite this power, access to the camps themselves was carefully regulated. Entry required explicit clearance, and not every officer was permitted to enter freely. Probationary officers, such as Julius, were strictly limited in where they could go.
Only high-ranking officials, like Sabine, a Deputy Commissioner, had unrestricted access. For officers like Julius, a camp visit required direct authorization, often from someone of Sabine's rank or higher.
The camps were among the most sensitive facilities in the German Republic. Not even the Schneider name could grant Julius easy access.
"Yes, we've been informed of your arrival by the Deputy Commissioner, Mister Schneider. However, please be aware that no one is permitted to leave until the lockdown has been lifted."
"I understand."
The officer nodded, signaling for the others to open the gate. Julius followed as he was escorted through a restricted corridor.
The entrance they used was not meant for the public nor for most officers. It was a hidden passage reserved for high-ranking personnel to prevent infiltration or escape. It was clear to Julius that Sabine had instructed them to extend him special treatment.
When they emerged into the camp, Julius took in the sight before him. Beyond the fences and floodlights were rows of thin, exhausted inmates.
The scene stirred old memories.
"...."
In his previous life, he had once lived as an inmate.
For six months, he went undercover in Weimar Correctional Facility. His mission then had been to extract information from Anselm Schumann, a high-ranking military strategist accused of orchestrating the Rheinland Subversion Plot in 2161.
That mission had been one of his hardest. To gain Schumann's trust, Julius had endured the same deprivation, the same beatings, and the same starvation as the others.
And in that half year, he had learned what it truly meant to live without a name.
Even now, he feared that a part of him had never fully escaped that place. There had even been a time when Julius had started to believe he was truly one of them.
When he was finally extracted from the operation, Julius had to undergo a long year of rehabilitation and retraining.
"I know a group of Revenant Knights arrived earlier," Julius said. "Take me to them."
"Yes, sir."
Julius was escorted to the warden's office, where he met Warden Krüger. After a brief exchange of formalities, Krüger informed him that Gabriel was currently in the interrogation room with his men, questioning Friedemann Adler.
Julius eyed Krüger carefully. The name felt familiar, and after a quick search through SIBYL's database, he remembered why.
Reinhardt Krüger was recorded in the archives between 2155 and 2156 as a traitor who had sold classified state information to the Revolutionaries.
Though he had never officially joined them, he had kept himself alive and comfortable by feeding them data from within the Republic's system. In the end, he was caught, convicted of treason, and executed for espionage and collusion with terrorists.
This was the power of regression, or rather, the power of SIBYL.
All forms of suspense were thrown out of the window, and any trace of uncertainty could be erased by asking the right questions and retrieving the right answers.
However, despite all that, Julius had no intention of intervening now.
In the past, he might have arrested Krüger on the spot. But this time, he understood that Krüger's existence was essential to maintaining the balance he envisioned.
Krüger was a hidden stabilizer, a necessary flaw that prevented the Revolutionaries from being completely annihilated.
For Julius, that balance was what kept the system intact.
Still, his discovery aroused suspicion. If the facility had been flagged before the Adler incident, there was a strong possibility that Krüger was involved with Nameless.
Perhaps he was the one who had enabled Nameless's infiltration in Lichterfelde.
"Warden," Julius began, "if I were to sell state secrets to terrorists, how much do you think they'd be worth?"
"...."
Krüger froze. The question hit him like a bolt out of nowhere. The absurdity of the question, especially coming from the son of the future Chancellor, made it impossible to ignore.
Julius observed him, taking note of every reaction. He already knew the truth. Krüger's reaction only confirmed it.
"Mister Schneider… my apologies, but I don't know how to respond to that."
"Really?" Julius tilted his head. "Then let me rephrase my question. How much do you price them?"
"...."
Krüger didn't answer. Julius's narrowed eyes grew sharper and sharper, until the warden could feel a chill creeping down his spine. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
Then, just as suddenly, Julius's expression softened into a bright smile. He reached out and patted Krüger on the back.
"Haha. It's a joke, Warden. A joke."
"O-Of course… Haha."
Krüger let out a strained laugh, unsure whether he should feel relieved or terrified. Julius turned away, letting his voice return to its usual calm.
[SIBYL]
[Historical Archives, 2155]
[Following the Directorate's exposure of Warden Reinhardt Krüger's involvement in the sale of classified intelligence to Revolutionary forces…]
"By the way," Julius began. "I heard your son's in his first year at the Kaiserliche Universität."
"Y-Yes… that's correct."
"The Sword Arts Department, if I recall correctly," Julius continued. "A prestigious program. The university's graduates often end up serving in the Revenant Knights corps or the Magi-tech Defense Division. Your son must be exceptional."
[His son, Leonhard Krüger, a Sword Arts major at the Kaiserliche Universität für Kriegskunst und Disziplin, appeared before the Directorate Tribunal in Berlin...]
Krüger swallowed hard. "He… he tries his best. I'm proud of him."
[Witnesses described the young man's desperate plea for mercy, which was ultimately rejected. Days later, Leonhard Krüger was arrested under Article 214 of the National Defense Code for "familial association with a convicted traitor."]
"I'm sure you are. A father's pride is a powerful thing."
"...W-What do you want, Mister Schneider?"
There was no need for pretense. Julius's earlier joke and his sudden mention of Krüger's son had already made the situation clear.
Krüger had no idea how Julius even knew such personal details, given how insignificant his family was in the eyes of a Schneider. But as an educated man, he didn't need to guess where the conversation was heading.
It was a threat.
"You're involved in the poisoning here, aren't you?" Julius asked.
"...."
Krüger froze. He didn't respond, his throat tightening as he swallowed hard. In front of a Schneider, he knew his life could end with a single word.
"Relax," Julius said. "No harm will come to your son if you just answer my questions."
It was a clear lie if he had ever seen one. The Schneiders were known for their ruthlessness. Johannes Sievernich Schneider was proof of that.
"...I am."
But in the end, he was just a single father who wished for a bright future for his boy.
"On whose payroll?" Julius asked.
"They called themselves Jakob," Krüger muttered. "Said if I let them in, they'd pay me ten years' worth of salary."
"Jakob…"
For the first time, Julius finally got a name.
"What does this Jakob look like?"
"There's no point," Krüger said, shaking his head. "They use holo-tech. But right now… they're disguised as one of the guards."
"Which guard?"
"The one who brought you in."
Julius's eyes narrowed. "Call them in."
Krüger nodded quickly and reached for the intercom, pressing the transmitter.