Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 796 The Tribunal and the Gray Knight

The creation of this special organization, the Tribunal, is directly related to the former Seal Holder, Makado.

As early as the Great Crusade, the Sealholder had been secretly planning to establish several new imperial institutions in order to deal with the increasingly complex and bloated state of the human empire.

Tribunals and Assassin Courts, for example, are all secret organizations that operate independently under the leadership of the Seal Holder.

Although these organizations have little public presence, they actually wield enormous power.

More than an emperor, Macardo seemed to be the master of this vast empire.

After all, the emperor was only the nominal leader of the empire most of the time. In reality, he spent a lot of energy creating these things that helped the empire maintain its purity and eliminate corrupt organizations.

Furthermore, according to some secretive rumors, the unique symbol of the Inquisition originated from the organization to which Makado once belonged—the Seals, a secret society responsible for protecting human history and heritage.

Putting aside these old stories of dubious veracity, the sheer power wielded by the young imperial organization, the Tribunal, is enough to terrify most people.

The specific responsibilities of the court are difficult to define in clear terms.

However, they have an important presence in areas such as investigating and killing heretics, hunting down and killing aliens, exterminating non-compliant mutant groups, secret infiltration, wiretapping, and assassination.

Generally speaking, the judges will investigate and try any targets they deem necessary, based on their own judgment, including even the high lords in the Terran Council.

They doubted everything, were hostile to everything, and judged everything except the emperor.

They act first and report later, a privilege granted by imperial authority. They are responsible for both what is within their duties and what is outside their duties.

Thomas Ally dared not offend a judge; it was a price even the traveling merchant family behind him was unwilling to pay.

He did whatever the judge told him to do; nagging and complaining only made the other party more unhappy.

Moreover, he was well aware that he was merely a trade fleet, because a large-scale war was underway in the Far East to exterminate the green-skinned orcs, and there was a strong demand for supplies from other parts of the galaxy.

It can be said that as long as supplies are reliably and safely transported from other star systems to the war zone of the extreme star system, it is a sure-fire way to make money.

Thomas, being upright, has nothing to fear, and he is not afraid that the judge will attack him for no reason.

The Elephant and the other merchant warships, following the orders of the Inquisitor, shut down their engines, retaining only the energy source to maintain the operation of the Geller Force and its basic systems.

The crew members and guards who had been urgently mobilized and were on standby in the engine room, weapons room, and damage control room of the warship finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Nobody wants war. War means death, and it's highly likely that it will be the crew members and guards who die.

Fighting in subspace is different from fighting in the real universe.

In the Sea of ​​Souls, once the bulkhead of a warship is breached, the protection created by the Geller Field will be exposed, and warp creatures will immediately infiltrate it.

The warp is far more vibrant than humans imagine, with countless warp creatures of all shapes and sizes roaming its oceans, many of which are completely outside the realm of human understanding.

Those subspace creatures have an insatiable greed for human souls and flesh. Once they get the chance, they will immediately become like maggots clinging to bones and will continue to parasitize the warship, making them extremely difficult to expel completely.

It can be said that as long as a battle breaks out, these frontline personnel are risking their lives.

"May the Emperor bless us and allow us to reach our destination safely."

"Fortunately, this time it was one of our own. Encountering other Imperial warships while traveling in the warp is something I've never done before in all my years of life."

After the initial shock, the ordinary crew members began to relax and calm their tense nerves.

They skillfully opened the bottles of liquor, lit some relaxing tobacco, and began puffing away in the cabin.

The cabin was somewhat dark due to insufficient energy supply.

The ceiling lights were flickering, and you could even faintly hear the sound of sparks flying from a short circuit.

Only after the engine was turned off did the crew realize how quiet the environment was.

Many of them had never even heard the sound of a warship's engine completely shutting down before, and at this moment they felt an instinctive unease and tension.

The court's warships slowly approached the merchant ronin fleet, surrounding them in the center to prevent any resistance or attempt to escape.

Meanwhile, the female judge who was communicating holographically with Thomas, along with two Astartes of unknown origin, were also traveling towards the Elephant on a transport barge.

The traveling merchant nervously had his servant check if his demeanor was dignified, and then sprayed some expensive perfume on his wrists and the back of his head to cover up the odor.

He practiced smiling in front of the mirror several times before he could finally relax a little.

The other barge extended a metal walkway, and the metal latches were precisely positioned at the closed hatch. At the same time, air was pumped into the cabin to balance the atmospheric pressure inside and outside.

The Elephant was like a giant beast that had been restrained, completely at the mercy of the Inquisition's warships.

The hatch on this side of the merchant ship slowly opened, and a large amount of thick water vapor gushed out from the hydraulic system, instantly turning the environment into a foggy mess.

The mortal servants immediately rushed up and used the cleaning machine to remove the water vapor.

The clattering sound of metal boot soles hitting the warship's deck drifted over, one sound being relatively light and bright, while the other was exceptionally heavy and muffled.

Thomas Ally and his servants had been waiting for some time, and they performed an impeccable eagle salute to welcome these important figures.

"Please cooperate with our investigation, Thomas Ally."

The female judge returned the salute with a hawk salute, a gesture of respect for the Holy Emperor, regardless of status or position.

“I am Carter Eisenhorn, an inquisitor of the Holy Hammer Order of the Inquisition.”

"I have received intelligence that your trade fleet is involved in an extremely important and confidential matter."

"The court is very concerned about this, so I need your full cooperation and there can be no concealment whatsoever."

Carter revealed his identity and purpose, and Thomas's heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, when did they get involved in something so important that it would attract the court's attention?

Even if the merchant ronin family behind him were to attempt a rebellion, it wouldn't attract the attention of the Inquisition, would it?

For ordinary rebellions, the planetary governor would at most become aware of them and send people to quell them.

Unless it involves chaotic pollution or the serious spread of illegal cults, it is unlikely to attract the attention of these high-ranking figures in the court.

The number of Inquisitors is extremely small compared to the millions of worlds in the Human Empire, and those who are mobilized are all major events with enormous impact.

It's not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry who can get the court to intervene.

He broke out in a cold sweat, his mind racing, wondering if the people below him had done something stupid behind his back.

However, he still tried his best to remain calm on the surface. After all, if he appeared nervous, wouldn't that show that he had a guilty conscience?

"Your Honor, although I don't know what our caravan is involved in, I will do my best to cooperate with your investigation."

“Our loyalty to the Emperor and the Empire is unwavering, and I swear this oath in the name of the Emperor.”

Thomas didn't understand the situation, but that didn't mean he wouldn't express his opinion.

Anyway, saying nice things costs nothing. The other party is a big shot in the court who can crush you with a flick of his finger, so of course you have to coax him.

“This matter isn’t complicated,” Carter Eisenhorn said with a faint smile. “Don’t be nervous.”

"You just need to cooperate; you don't need to worry about anything else."

"Don't think, don't ask, don't listen."

Upon hearing this, the traveling merchant fell silent, trembling with fear, and said no more.

"Is that person here, you two?"

The judge turned to the two Astartes beside him and asked seriously.

These two Space Marines were from Ranger Knights, or rather, from a newly formed special force—the Grey Knights.

The Grey Knights were a new organization founded by the Emperor and Macado after the failure of the Webway Project.

Strictly speaking, the Grey Knights are completely independent of the other Astartes Legions; they do not have their own Primarchs.

They were all extremely powerful psionicists who had undergone countless trials of purity, forging an unwavering will and resistance to the corruption of chaos.

Even within the Grey Knights' monastery, there is an inscription personally written by the Emperor: "An unbreakable shield against darkness, the last sword forged against fate."

After the Horus Rebellion gradually subsided, the ranger knights left behind by the Marker were gradually reorganized into the Grey Knights.

Following the initial requirements, the Grey Knight Grand Mentors selected enough fresh blood from all over the galaxy to continuously strengthen the Grey Knights, this extremely special strategic force.

Upon hearing the judge's words, one of the gray knights extended his right hand, a faint psionic aura flickering and leaping within it.

He seemed to have received some kind of revelation from the psychic, and responded quickly.

"She's right here." A cold, electronic voice came from inside the Grey Knight's helmet. "I can already sense her presence."

"We must find her, immediately."

Listening to the voices of the Grey Knights, Thomas seemed to be deep in thought; these important figures seemed to be looking for someone on their ship.

His giant elephant carried more than 80,000 people, the vast majority of whom were family guards, crew members, traders, and servants.

Of course, there were also a small number of passengers who paid for their tickets and were taken to their destinations along the way.

It's perfectly normal for merchant fleets to carry passengers. After all, the galaxy is so vast that ordinary people, even if they died, probably wouldn't be able to travel very far on their own.

To travel through the galaxy on your own, you must rely on a spaceship capable of warp jumps.

A subspace engine spacecraft requires a complex crew including navigators, star communicators, escorts, and logistics personnel.

Therefore, for some individuals, the best solution is to find a fleet of merchant ships that is close to their destination and hitch a ride on one of their ships.

Thomas was so shrewd that he immediately guessed that the reason these court officials had come to his door was most likely because his ship had carried people who shouldn't have been on board.

"Damn it, could some being corrupted by chaos have somehow managed to sneak up here?"

"They won't spread the Chaos Cult on my ship, will they? If they do, I'll be doomed too!"

"My ship! My ship! Is it even worth keeping?!"

"Romanov, how the hell did you do the censorship? Who the hell put all sorts of people on the list?"

Thomas cursed inwardly, feeling that if he really failed, it would be because of this.

Could someone who could provoke the Tribunal and Astartes be a good person?

The gray knight suddenly glanced at Thomas, and the traveling merchant could even see a glimmer of eerie blue light flashing in the knight's tactical goggles.

In an instant, he felt as if his entire body had been completely pierced through, leaving him with no secrets whatsoever. An extremely cold sensation made the hairs on his body stand on end.

Thomas had dealt with the Astartes before, but he had never seen Space Marines as cold and ruthless as these silver-grey behemoths.

Not to mention the most friendly Ultra Warriors and Salamanders, even Imperial Fist or Dark Angels don't have this kind of friendliness.

From the Grey Knight's performance, Carter Eisenhorn realized that the traveling merchant was not a major problem.

For a powerful psychic like the Grey Knight, reading memories and understanding the mind are as simple as eating and drinking.

Moreover, this guy is just a mortal, and he has no sense of caution or vigilance whatsoever.

"You lead the way, follow us, and make sure everyone else goes back to their cabins and stays put, and doesn't wander around."

"Neither you nor I want to see an accident happen," the judge warned.

Under Thomas's command, everyone on the Elephant immediately began to act as instructed.

Even the mechanics in charge of engine room maintenance and the mechanical priest had to stay in the room.

The once bustling corridor was now deathly silent; everyone remained inside their rooms, too afraid to make a sound.

Inquisitor Carter, along with two Grey Knights and Thomas who was leading the way, became the only people on the warship who could move freely.

They were heading in the direction that the Elephant was taking in for those hitchhikers.

"I'm never bringing anyone with an unclear background on board again, damn it!"

"I wouldn't do it even if you paid me more. What kind of job is this?"

Judge Carter was the first to enter the lower deck, and then, following the directions, he arrived at a room in the far corner.

Seemingly due to damage caused by years of neglect, the lighting in this area was particularly dim, and occasionally a series of sparks-like arcs would fall from the ceiling.

The air inside the cabin had been circulated too many times and was already extremely foul, but Judge Carter showed no unusual expression, as if she herself was not the one smelling the stench.

There was only one person in the room; everyone else had complained about the smell. This person was undoubtedly the one the judges had gone to great lengths to find.

"You stay outside, and no matter what happens inside, don't move."

After giving Thomas a warning, the Inquisitor and the Grey Knights entered the cabin and then closed the door.

After hearing the clanging of rusty metal and the slamming of the door shut, Thomas finally dared to breathe loudly. "Is that person inside an illegal psionicist? A cult member? Or some kind of disguised alien?"

"Get this jinx away quickly, hopefully they won't start a fight on my ship."

Inside the room, however, Judge Carter did not pull out his deadly weapon as the traveling merchant had imagined.

Although she did not bow respectfully, she did nod in greeting.

Qi Le, who had concealed her identity and altered her appearance, slowly raised her head to look at the judge and the gray knight before her.

"you……"

"Are you here to arrest me, or to help me?"

Although Qi Le had received the Emperor's revelation, she couldn't be sure whether it was a good or bad revelation.

If she had a choice, she would definitely hide and see how things go first.

"Qile, don't you recognize your old friend?"

“If we were really here to arrest you, we wouldn’t be so calm.”

The answer came not from the judge, but from the two Grey Knights who were wearing special power armor.

They swiftly removed their tactical helmets and held the helmets with prismatic visors to their waists.

With a series of mechanical sounds, the Gray Knight's true form was revealed, and Qi Le's eyes suddenly lit up.

“Galo…Loken?!”

"It's you!"

The Grey Knights possess powerful psionic energy, and their various psionic weapons and armor specifically designed to counter psionic enemies make it a pipe dream to peek beneath their visors.

However, since the two Grey Knights chose to reveal their true forms, things were much simpler.

Qi Le's tense mood suddenly relaxed. After all, the person who came was her old friend, so it was impossible for him to be there to kill her.

"By the Emperor, he has truly brought you before me."

"How have you all been these years?"

Qile, Galo, Loken, and even Sigismund were all old acquaintances from the Great Rebellion.

Especially Sigismund. When Dorn wanted to send the Punishment Fleet to the Istvan system to directly attack the rebels, it was Qile who strongly advised Sigismund not to go, telling him that it would lead to the early demise of the Black Knight.

It was precisely because of her influence that Peturabo made serious mistakes in the tactics he devised against Sigismund during the Battle of Fal.

The Imperial Fist commander at the time, Alexis Pharax, had a completely different command style from Sigismund, which caused the Iron Warriors to suffer a heavy loss and were also humiliated by the Sons of Dorne.

"How are you doing?" Galo asked with a smile.

"That depends on how you define good and bad."

“Locken and I both miraculously survived that war. I faced my Primarch, and Loken faced Horus the Rebellion.”

"According to the course of fate, we should have died in that war, but since fate has changed and we have survived, we cannot fail the mission given to us by the Emperor."

"So we returned to being the Ranger Knights, who had been reorganized into Grey Knights, to take on the responsibility of protecting the future of humanity and fighting eternally against the warp."

Galo didn't say exactly what they went through, but only gave a general description of the ins and outs of the matter.

Even so, Qi Le could sense that her two friends must have gone through a lot of hardships over the years.

The Grey Knights were kept so secret that even she, the Pope of the state religion, only knew the general outline of the matter and didn't understand it in detail.

“Loken and I can’t go back to the past, so being able to start over with the Grey Knights is a pretty good ending,” Garo said with a smile.

"Alright, let's not talk about us anymore. We're here specifically for you."

“After the political upheaval in Terra, Loken and I realized there must be a conspiracy involved, so we approached Inquisitor Carter Eisenhorn and expressed our thoughts.”

The female judge bowed slightly.

"After all, this involves the internal political struggles of the Empire, and it's not appropriate for us Grey Knights to interfere directly."

"After all, the Inquisition is the most professional when it comes to dealing with High Lords."

“That is indeed the case,” Judge Carter affirmed.

"The sudden rise of Acting Pope Elfreda is full of the smell of conspiracy, and we in the Inquisition have also sensed that a crisis is approaching."

"And that living saint Christine who suddenly appeared, I also have very high suspicions about her."

"How could a living saint appear suddenly without any warning signs?"

Judge Carter spoke frankly and without any hesitation.

"Currently, within our court, numerous smaller and smaller religious orders have emerged to meet the challenges posed by different enemies."

"However, considering the current rampant expansion of the state religion's power, we are also planning to form a new organization called the 'Anti-Rebellion Religious Society'."

"And the Exile Order, which was established to study the weaknesses of various alien enemies in order to deal with threats such as the Greenskin Orcs, plus the Holy Hammer Order to which I belong, now has three main orders within the Inquisition."

Whether it's because Euphrates Kira has lost power and the acting pope has usurped it, or because of the personal relationship between the two Grey Knights and Kira, Inquisitor Carter has begun to reveal some of the secrets within the Inquisition.

Qi Le didn't speak; she simply listened to the judge in front of her speak eloquently.

Despite Carter's apparent strong disapproval of the current state religion, would she still act this way if the Inquisition were in charge?

Most of the time, people's perspectives are determined by their own self-interest.

The courts have never wielded much power, especially now that they seem poised to challenge the state religion.

"Power...it's all for power," Qi Le sighed inwardly.

"For the sake of power, some people will do anything to plunge into the vortex, even if it means being crushed to pieces."

If she had a choice, she would still prefer to be an ordinary preacher, continuing to travel throughout the galaxy as a chronicler.

Perhaps Loken and Garo found themselves to protect this old friend and emperor, the living saint.

However, this judge must have had her own motives; perhaps in her eyes, the benefits she could gain from helping herself were the most important.

Carter naturally didn't expect that this living saint had already completed his thoughts and assumptions in just a few breaths.

“Our initial plan was to go to Saint Gersall, since your official itinerary shows that you visited there.”

"We need to take you away before the state church reacts, to prevent you from falling into the hands of the acting pope."

Qi Le also smiled as she removed her psychic disguise.

"Yes, I realized that too, so I decisively chose to break away from my servants and find a way back to the Solar System."

"But when I returned, I realized it was too late. Elfreda had already taken control of the state religion on Terra, and it would be no use if I revealed my identity."

"So I chose to board this ship and head to the Far East to seek help."

"The only person who can help me is that Primarch in the Far East."

Galo and Loken nodded in agreement, saying it was the wisest choice.

Even the high lords of Terra today are in a precarious position, struggling to protect themselves.

The state religion led by Alfreda has begun to blur and undermine the rules.

The situation is not as good as it was when Guilliman was in power; at least then, the emperor's sons were genuinely willing to play the political game with them.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Qi Le asked.

"I'm planning to go to the Far East to seek help. Do you have any other options you could consider?"

Judge Carter pondered for a moment, then looked intently at Qi Le.

"Living saint, is your faith in the emperor truly pure and unwavering?"

"That is natural. I am under the will of the Emperor and the Seal Bearer to lead the state religion to unite the faith of mankind, so that our race may have spiritual support and solace in this dark galaxy."

“I am willing to give everything for my beliefs, even my life,” Qi Le replied.

"Then what you should do is take back the power you've lost and kick that madwoman Alfreda off that position!"

"You may have left Terra during this time and not know that the State Religion is going further and further down the path of extremism."

"They incited believers with more extreme doctrines, asking them to give up their wealth and even their lives to demonstrate their devout faith in the emperor."

"Those who are not devout enough and who insist on reason are ostracized and suppressed, and some are even imprisoned by the state religion to await trial."

"The stakes on Terra have been operating at full capacity."

"Elfreda wants to lead us down a path of blind fanaticism from which there is no return."

Judge Carter was heartbroken, she said immediately.

"We plan to escort you to the Far East, where we will raise a religious resistance army and continue to promote your beliefs—reason, piety, humility, and compassion—instead of the blind fanaticism that has now become a complete mess."

Qi Le finally understood what the Tribunal was planning to do: they wanted to support her and challenge the current state religion, thereby effectively splitting the state religion's power and weakening its voice.

"Trust us, as long as you speak your mind, Robert Guilliman will definitely support you."

“Your beliefs and his were originally aligned, and when he was publicly rebuked and expelled by the Terra followers incited by Elfreda, he left Terra in a fit of anger and returned to his kingdom.”

“The Primarch is also a human being, and he has human emotions. I don’t believe that Guilliman is really a moral saint who can remain calm and collected when Elfreda openly insults him.”

Judge Carter suddenly laughed maliciously.

Although their Inquisition oversees almost all of humanity, their influence over the Primarch is actually quite worrying.

Ultimately, the Inquisition is similar to a secret police or intelligence organization in Ancient Terra. But what about the Primarchs and the Astartes?

Those were warlords who had troops, money, and supplies; they were powerful military entities capable of operating independently.

Even if the Inquisition could call for the Grey Knights' assistance and mobilize the Imperial Navy, the Star Force, the Battle Sisters, and other departments to cooperate with its operations.

However, these pale in comparison to the Astartes Legion. Even the High Lords of the Inquisition could not summon the entire Imperial Navy to serve them.

Even if they can request help from other Astartes legions, once people find out that you're going to fight another Astartes legion, they'll be lucky if they don't call you crazy.

"Moreover, the rumors spread by the green-skinned orcs didn't just target Guilliman and the Ultramarines; Sanguis and Ryan Johnson were also among them, although Guilliman was the one who took the brunt of the attacks."

"Although the two Primarchs that followed are missing, their legions are still around. The Astartes of these legions are just keeping a low profile, not dead."

"Especially those Dark Angels, based on our Inquisition's understanding of the First Legion, their waters run particularly deep and they are particularly dangerous."

“We must win the support of these Astartes Legions. With these allies, we have plenty of money and troops.”

"But if we do this, aren't we essentially splitting the empire?" Qi Le hesitated.

"Right now it's just a conflict of faith within the state religion, but once the Astartes Legion gets involved, the situation will escalate further."

"What if it really turns into the state religion controlling Terra, and the Astartes legions from all sides helping us fight against Terra? Wouldn't that turn into a second Imperial Civil War?"

"Don't let your hesitation become the catalyst for this disaster," the judge said.

Qile lived through the entire Great Rebellion, and even spent her career as a chronicler on the 63rd Expeditionary Fleet under Horus's command.

She even boarded the Soul of Vengeance and searched for information that interested her in its library.

The shadow cast by the human civil war was so immense that Qile began to feel terrified at the thought that her actions might trigger a second civil war.

“Peace cannot be achieved through appeasement, my Pope,” Judge Carter scoffed.

“If you had strengthened your control over the state religion from the beginning, none of this would have happened.”

"But now that things have come to this, what else can we do besides fight back?"

"To let Elfreda continue driving the train of the State Religion, rushing towards a future without tracks? That would be what harms the Empire."

"If you don't want the civil war to escalate, you should listen to us, speed up the gathering of forces loyal to you, and quell the disaster of the state religion as soon as possible."

"The longer it drags on, the bigger the trouble will be, and the greater the damage to the empire and humanity will be."

Judge Carter dissected and laid bare the harsh reality before Qi Le.

The emperor's living saint opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he couldn't say anything.

(End of this chapter)