Lucius Scaevola crept through the narrow alleyway, his heavy bolt pistol clutched loosely in his gloved hand. The footfalls of his rubber-soled boots were nearly silent on the asphalt, wet from the evening's earlier rain. He weaved between soaked boxes of trash, glass bottles, crumpled paper and assorted detritus of the alley. The only sound he made was the slight creak of his hard carapace armor, where the joints rubbed against the plates. His uniform and armor were dark blue with the Imperial Aquila symbol emblazoned on the chest in copper. The shoulder pauldrons were marked with copper eagles, his insignia of rank. Judge of the Adeptus Arbites.
He and the other Judges were the ultimate authority of civilian law and order in the Imperium. Judge, Jury, and if needed, Executioner. The people needed the strict regimen of order. Order was the opposite of Chaos, the foul, corrupting influence of the Eye of Terror. When law and discipline broke down, the forces of Chaos swarmed in to destroy the Imperium. Lucius wouldn't let that happen…not in his sector…not on his watch.
The investigation had started with the body, found by Plebian factory worker stumbling home drunk from the bar. It had taken three hours to sort out his story, as the sight of it had unhinged his mind. It could hardly be recognized as having once been human, and the state of it could drive the unprepared mad. Lucius was made of sterner stuff. He knew well the signs left behind by the Heretics of Chaos. The poor soul had been mutilated, tortured, and sexually assaulted…a sure indication of a Cult of Slaanesh…the Chaos "god" of pain and pleasure.
As procedure dictated, he made the Ecclesiarchy aware of the possible corruption of Chaos. Unfortunately, Byzantium's Inquisitor Lord, the hero Gaius Romulus Saevitiae, had been slain five years ago during the Crusade on Kali V. The Ecclesiarchy had sent an interim replacement, but four weeks before she was killed by a Rogue Psychic in the city of Veii. Another had not yet been dispatched to Byzantium.
So Lucius took it upon himself to investigate, though it was the Ordo Hereticus' responsibility to root out such heresy. For weeks he had chased shadows, seeking out these heretics. He followed leads that dragged him across the capital city of Constantius. He rousted patrons in the darkest, dankest, seediest bars. He was led to whores of the prostitute guilds. Each interview brought more questions. It seemed the more he investigated, the less he knew…
Slipping the pistol back into its holster he moved up to the wall at the end of the alley. He grabbed a firm hold on the storm drain running down the corner, and used it to climb up the wall, peering over the top. Beyond was the green courtyard of a sprawling estate…that of Senator Sextus Pompeii. He didn't want to believe it could be true. The Senator was by all accounts a fine man, with an impeccable voting record. Still, here and there connections to Pompeii turned up in the investigation. Nothing direct…a servant was seen here, or paper trail to his accountant there.
That was why he was working alone tonight. He had to be very cautious. The Senator was a Patrician, and a very wealthy, very powerful man. If Lucius was wrong, and the Senator was innocent, an investigation could ruin both their careers.
He walked along the wall and hopped onto an aqueduct carrying water to and from the estate. Sextus billed himself a "Senator of the People", and his estate straddled the edges of Constantius' citizen and plebian districts. It was an ancient estate, built centuries ago when this area had been outside the city, in the rolling foothills. Slowly the city had grown and swallowed it. Careful of his balance, he quickly crossed the narrow expanse, clinging to the side of the great mansion. It was a massive structure of white ferro-concrete walls with frosted windows between the load-bearing abutments. At the top of each abutment was an Imperial Eagle, wings spread majestically. Light and sound spilled around the corner of the building from the rear courtyard. The Senator was having a gathering of the Lower Magistrate's Committee this evening it was said.
