["I am Gallus Herodicus, Chapter Master of the Seekers of Truth Chapter!"]
["Inquisitor, I will ask you only once: what brings you here?"]
[A deep voice slowly emanated from within the metal helmet of the Astartes Chapter Master named Gallus. The words emerged with the gravitas of grinding stone, each syllable carrying weight.]
[You quickly scanned the Chapter Master's outdated Terminator armor, your eyes tracking across its scarred surface. You noted his hands, both empty of weapons, held loosely at his sides in a gesture that could be interpreted as either peaceful or ready to strike.]
[Through your breathing mask, you released a slight exhale, the sound barely audible.]
["To investigate the truth and prove the innocence of the Seekers of Truth Chapter," you stated without hesitation, meeting his hidden gaze directly.]
["Hmm. My intuition tells me you're not lying. That's quite rare among your profession." Chapter Master Gallus slowly drove his Terminator armor forward, each step producing heavy thuds that reverberated through the platform.]
[In an instant, the terrifying aura emanating from the Chapter Master struck you like a physical force. Centuries of accumulated battle experience, countless kills, endless wars, all condensed into an invisible pressure that pushed against your senses.]
[Even the normally slow-witted, intellectually challenged Ogryns reacted to it. Their enormous heads turned as one, mismatched eyes focusing with unusual intensity on Chapter Master Gallus. Primitive survival instincts recognized a supreme predator.]
[You felt no fear whatsoever.]
[You stepped forward, driving your own power armor to meet him. The servos in your suit whined with the movement. You held his concealed gaze without flinching, refusing to yield even a centimeter of ground.]
["My intuition tells me you may be a trustworthy human being, but not necessarily a trustworthy Inquisitor." Chapter Master Gallus's icy scrutiny seemed to pierce straight through his helmet visor, fixing firmly on your silver skull. The temperature in the air between you seemed to drop several degrees.]
["Thank you for your appreciation, Chapter Master." You allowed a thin smile to form behind your breathing mask. "I can now determine with reasonable certainty that the Seekers of Truth Chapter has not engaged in heretical acts, nor harbors any foolish intentions of rebellion. The evidence is quite simple: I am still alive at this moment."]
[You paused deliberately, letting that sink in.]
["However, esteemed Chapter Master, perhaps you can explain why your Chapter has repeatedly refused the Inquisition's summons? Didn't your intuition warn you of how the Inquisition would react? Or perhaps warn you that someone like me would eventually arrive?"]
[You raised your chin slightly, the gesture visible despite the breathing mask concealing the lower half of your face. Your dry eyes remained locked on his blue metal helmet.]
["As expected of 'Steelhead,' an elite Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus. You can still maintain your composure standing before me." Something that might have been approval colored Gallus's words. "Come with me, Your Excellency. I will provide you with a reasonable explanation."]
[Chapter Master Gallus seemed to study you intently through his visor for several heartbeats longer.]
[Then, without further preamble, he turned and began walking toward the Chapter station's main building. His ancient Terminator armor moved with surprising fluidity despite its massive bulk, each step perfectly balanced.]
[You shook your pulsating silver head vigorously, trying to clear the pressure building behind your eyes.]
[Just then, a strange rustling sound began echoing from multiple directions simultaneously.]
[Within the ruins and shadows of the surrounding hive structures, towering figures gradually emerged. Fully armed Astartes stepped out from concealment, their power armor painted in the Chapter's blue and crimson colors.]
[One by one, they lowered the bolters that had been kept trained and ready in their palms. The barrels had been aimed directly at you and your Ogryn squad, fingers resting on triggers.]
[The realization struck you with cold clarity: one wrong word, one perceived threat, and you would have been shredded by mass-reactive rounds before your nervous system could even register pain.]
[The Astartes swaggered past you and your Ogryn squad without acknowledging your presence, heading toward the Chapter station's interior with casual confidence. Each one stood easily twice your height even without their armor's additional bulk.]
[You drew a deep breath through your mask's filtration system, consciously working to calm the blood pressure spiking inside your silver skull. Your heart hammered against your ribs with uncomfortable intensity.]
[You heard a low, threatening rumble emanate from Chunkus. The sound started deep in his massive chest, building toward something more aggressive.]
[You instinctively spun around, fixing the Ogryn with your sharpest glare.]
[Chunkus widened his eyes immediately, his thick lips pursing into an expression of wounded innocence that looked absurd on his brutal features.]
[You raised one hand and patted your silver skull gently, a gesture both to calm yourself and signal Chunkus to stand down.]
[You led your Ogryn squad toward the entrance the Seekers of Truth Chapter had kept open, your boots striking the ground with measured precision.]
[The Astartes brothers who had just entered the enclosed indoor environment immediately removed their metal helmets. They drew deep breaths of the clean, purified air being circulated through the station's atmospheric processors, their faces relaxing fractionally.]
[The moment you stepped across the threshold into the building, they turned their heads as one. Expressionless faces regarded you with cold calculation, indifferent eyes tracking your every movement like targeting systems acquiring a potential threat.]
[You reached up and removed the breathing mask that had covered most of your face. The purified air tasted almost sweet compared to the toxic atmosphere outside.]
[You issued clear orders to the Ogryn squad following behind you: remain in place, maintain defensive positions, await further commands.]
[Then you walked past each assembled Astartes without changing your expression, your stride purposeful and unhurried. You refused to show any intimidation, keeping your gaze forward as you headed toward Chapter Master Gallus, who stood at the back of the assembled group.]
[Chapter Master Gallus gently removed his metal helmet, the seals breaking with soft hisses.]
[The face revealed was that of a thoroughly weathered warrior. Five service studs gleamed above his eyebrows, each one representing decades of faithful service. His rough skin bore deep lines that looked less like age wrinkles and more like scars from knife or axe blades, a topographical map of violence endured.]
["Respected Chapter Master Gallus," you began, keeping your voice level and professional, "I await your considered response. I hope you will think carefully before answering, as your words concern the life and death of your entire Chapter, and potentially this entire planet."]
[You raised your chin slightly, meeting his narrow eyes that held a hint of bone-deep weariness. You spoke with complete sincerity.]
["Your Honor, please accompany me. This is not an appropriate location for such discussions." The expressionless Chapter Master nodded slightly, the gesture economical.]
[He gripped his metal helmet with one powerful arm, the ceramite looking almost delicate in his enhanced grasp. He turned and walked toward a chamber not far away, his footsteps echoing in the cavernous space.]
[You hesitated for a brief moment, weighing risks and benefits.]
[Then you followed, matching his pace.]
[The heavy metal door opened automatically as you approached, recognizing authorized entry. Ancient mechanisms groaned softly.]
[After both of you had entered and the door sealed behind you, you detected a faint humming sound. Some kind of privacy field or protective device activating, ensuring no surveillance could penetrate the chamber.]
[Chapter Master Gallus's deep voice echoed in the room where only the two of you now remained, filling the confined space.]
["Your Honor, what are your personal views on the Inquisition and the role of an Inquisitor?"]
[He paused, his weathered face settling into solemn lines.]
["You may speak freely. I, Gallus, swear by the battle honors of the Seekers of Truth Chapter and in the name of the Emperor Himself, that even if I face the threat of death, I will not reveal a single word of what is spoken here to the outside world."]
[The Chapter Master stared intently at you, his gaze unwavering and sincere.]
[You narrowed your perpetually tired eyes, studying Chapter Master Gallus in silence for a long moment. The weight of his oath hung heavy in the air between you.]
["The Inquisition is an Imperial institution that receives the Emperor's sacred mandate to eliminate all heretics, Xenos, and even Chaos daemons that threaten the Imperium of Man." Your voice remained neutral, delivering the textbook answer. "We are the executioners, the judges, those who pass final verdict on all threats to humanity's survival."]
[You tilted your head slightly.]
["Chapter Master Gallus, what exactly do you want to know? Or perhaps, what are you trying to tell me? Simply say it."]
[Your silver skull reflected cold, gleaming light under the room's harsh illumination, the metal surface catching and scattering photons.]
["The Seekers of Truth Chapter has served the Inquisition for over a thousand years," Gallus began, his voice taking on the quality of someone reciting a litany of grievances long held inside. "We have been practically a private army for the Ordos since our founding. We have experienced glorious eras of victory and also periods where we came within a handful of battle-brothers of complete extinction."]
[He drew a slow breath.]
["For the glory of the Imperium and the Emperor, such trials are not insurmountable difficulties. The innate resilience of the Astartes requires constant testing through tribulation. We accept this."]
[His eyes hardened, something cold and terrible entering his expression.]
["But, Your Honor... do you know how many innocent citizens of the Imperium have been personally eliminated by the Seekers of Truth over the past thousand years? Citizens we killed on Inquisitorial orders?"]
[The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade.]
["Based on calculations performed by previous Chapter Masters, reviewing mission records and death tolls... the minimum conservative figure stands at approximately three hundred million souls."]
[The number struck you like a physical blow.]
["In other words," Gallus continued, his voice dropping to something barely above a whisper, yet somehow more terrible for its quietness, "they were not heretics. They were not xenos. They had absolutely no connection to Chaos traitors or daemonic corruption."]
["They simply witnessed operations. Or they had the profound misfortune of being near battlefields where the Inquisition was conducting purges. And for that, their lives ended. Immediately. Permanently."]
[His jaw clenched, muscles working beneath scarred skin.]
["This is why the Seekers of Truth Chapter refuses to return to Inquisitorial service. We are tired, Your Honor. Tired of the endless days of indiscriminate killing. We still wish to fight for the Imperium. We still wish to serve the Emperor with absolute loyalty."]
[Gallus's voice rose slightly, taking on an edge of steel determination.]
["But I will never again fight for the Inquisition! Never!"]