Inquisitor Valens, a veteran Grand Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus.
Born on Terra, he had long conducted investigations across multiple fields. He belonged to no fixed faction and was known for his calm, rationality, and skill at communication.
He had single-handedly investigated countless Space Marine Chapters accused of corruption and had delivered fair verdicts in every case.
His file contained no record of radical behavior, nor any suspicion of corruption.
Most importantly, he had once been ordered to investigate Lin En while Lin En was still serving in a mortal Guard Army regiment.
When word first arrived that a Living Saint might have appeared on the battlefield of Baal, Valens had been the one sent to investigate Lin En. Recognizing his talent, Valens had wanted to recruit Lin En for the Inquisition, but the Lord Regent had unfortunately beaten him to it.
The investigation had come back completely clean, and he should have left Lin En with a favorable impression. There had been no abuse of authority, friction, or conflict.
Having investigated corruption in so many Chapters and survived to this day, he must have been hard to kill, too.
The Lord Inquisitor nodded.
He was the one.
The Lord Inquisitors of the Inner Circle Council gave orders to summon Inquisitor Valens in person.
Inquisitor Valens had just returned from a mission in a distant star system. He had barely reached his office door and had yet to open it when a Trainee Inquisitor came running from the far end of the corridor.
The Trainee Inquisitor was very young, barely into his twenties, with a face that had yet to fully mature. Wearing a brand-new black uniform, he ran up to Valens, caught his breath, and said, "Lord Valens, the Lords of the Inner Circle have summoned