Captain Greschill burst into the room with such force that the already battered door that led to Nyle’s office wobbled so badly that it looked as if it might fall down at any moment. Not a difficult feat, given his rough appearance and ever rougher demeanour.

“Inquisitor Nyle!” he screamed in his deep voice that sounded horrible. “Why the hell didn’t I see in my office the moment you stepped inside the station?! The damned fucker downstair must have told I was looking for you! I swear, if you keep having that attitude with me I wil-”

Nyle saw that huge man, who he had never liked and, if he had to guess, the sentiment was pretty much mutual, fall completely silent when his eyes finally noticed captain Villamor, who had fallen completely silent. The glare they shared was so full of dislike, anger, and whatnot, that the tension around the whole room was so great that you could feel it with your hand. What could be the cause for such a heavy feeling between those men?

Nyle knew that they shared some history together, but he didn’t know the specific of it. He just wasn’t the type of man that would stick his nose into private business that didn’t concern him. If it wasn’t work related. If that was the case, he would have stopped at nothing to obtain what he was looking for.

So it wasn’t a surprise that he was feeling confused and perhaps even a little bit curious.

It was rumored that the cause of their animosity was to be found in grudges on a personal level; perhaps some minor rift that had somehow grown out of proportion over time. Things like that happened every day worldwide.

But Nyle couldn’t shake the feeling that was just not the case. He didn’t know why he felt that way, nor why he could disregard that option without looking at any evidence, but he just was so sure that he didn’t even reconsider.

But if that wasn’t the case, what the hell had happened? Were they just incompatible? Could be, but no. He had no way of knowing, but the reality was that everything had changed so drastically after one of them, nobody knew exactly who, had caused something negative during one important case. And that something was so obscure that nobody, not even the closest connections that Nyle had with the men that had worked under them both, was able to point out who had been at fault. It was just one of those things that was going to remain forever unknown.

“…What the hell is he doing here?” finally asked captain Greschill after some moments of silence. “He’s not welcome here. It’s not even his station to begin with.”

“First of all, you look at me when speaking about me, Greschill.” said Villamor as he got up from Nyle’s chair. Fury was seeping right through his eyes. “Second, I don’t need anybody’s permission to come and go as I see fit. So drop the act like you own ev-.”

“You’re wrong, Villamor. This station is my reign. My jurisdiction. My personal property. If you have business here, I don’t care what kind, you must seek me out first.”

“Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do if I don’t?”

“I will kick your ass. Or maybe not. Maybe I’ll spread false rumours about your investigation, current and past. Even if it’ll take quite time for them to take root, trust me, they’ll eventually will. And honestly, I don’t’ know if you’ll ever recover from that.”

“I dare you. Try to screw me over once again. Just fucking try it. This time there won’t be anyone who will act as your shield like last time. This time I-”

Nyle stepped between them before the situation could spiral out of control. Not because he cared, but because he was tired and frankly, breaking up a fight between those two wasn’t certainly on his must do things list.

“Captain Villamor, why don’t I walk you out? We still have some unfinished business to discuss…” said Nyle, who had enough of all that pointless bickering. “I’m sure that takes precedence over…whatever is happening right now.”

“What business? What are you talking about? I demand to know this very instant!”

“That’s none of your business.” answered captain Villamor with a tone of finality. Then, as he readjusted the black hooded cape, which was also wore by all them members, he walked towards the exit without uttering another word, almost colliding into the enormous frame of the other captain.

Obviously, it was a thing that captain Greschill couldn’t stomach. His face contorted into something that was just perfect to show how angry he was.

“Stop right where you are!” screamed captain Greschill as he was slowly turning red. “I said stop, Villamor! Stop, you fucki-”

It was all in vain.

Captain Villamor completely ignored him and walked out the room.

Now the only sensible thing to do was to leave all that confusion behind him and keep talking with Villamor downstair, away from that obnoxious man. Nyle was well aware of that. He even tried to quietly follow behind him without being noticed.

But if that was his intention, he failed miserably.

It didn’t take long for Captain Greschill to notice him, stopping him in his tracks before he could even object.

“Inquisitor Nyle.” he said menacingly. “You will tell me exactly what the hell is going on with the two of you. You’ll do that, or I’ll make your life mise-”

Nyle lost it. That wasn’t the first time that awful, full of himself, useless piece of garbage tried to extort information out of him for the sole purpose of his own benefit. Many good men and women had been forced to help in the same way as him, even just to work peacefully. Nobody liked it, but it was just how things were inside that small station. Perhaps that’s why captain Greschill had come to him in such a demeanour that oozed confidence. After all, Nyle had already obeyed in the past. For sure, now that he could somehow, if things turned out the way he hoped for, obtain that demand promotion, he would do it again. There was no point in arguing with a senior, right now where thing were starting to look for the better, right?

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No. No, no, no. Not anymore.

Now he had enough. He was going to put a stop to all that mess, and be damned the consequences. For all he cared, he could even suspend him from active duty. It was not like that could stop him from achieving his goal. He was convinced that, even suspended, if he was able to heavily contribute to the Ministry, he would still be granted that damned promotion. A farfetched reasoning, but he was adamant about it all.

“Captain Greschill.” said Nyle, turning around with a dead serious look painted on his face. “This has to stop. I have no further intention of telling you things that don’t concern you.”

“…Are you out of your mind’?” asked captain Greschill through serrated eyes. “Do you even realize what such a course of action will entail? Be really sure of what you’re about to say, Inquisitor. I’m not the type of man who will ever overlook something like this. Not even once.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” said Nyle, almost fuming with a calm rage.

“…Inquisitor…”

“Just as I’m sure you wouldn’t want anybody founding out about the shady deals you make on the sidelines. You know, the dealing you take outside here? Yeah, I know about them. I also know that the sentence for something like that is imprisonment at Stenwall Island. I mean, I don’t think you’ll like there.”

Greschill’s eyebrows shot in surprise. Perhaps even anguish. The fear that prison, who was renowned to be the toughest of them all, and who was reserved only to traitors and criminals who had been part any Order, Ministry, or any other Imperial institution, was something that could make even the most hardcore of them all cower. The tales that were whispered about the horrors that took place in that island were things that made many men tremble just at the thought of it.

And that man wasn’t any different.

But, if the captain was caught off-guard, he quickly recovered, wearing a careful mask of neutrality. “…How do you-never mind. That’s not important. But you will not tell a single soul of what you’ve just said to me. Trust me, Inquisitor, I’m not a man to be trifled with.”

Now that useless excuse of a captain tried to intimidate him. Tough luck though. Nyle wasn’t easily intimidated by anyone, let alone a useless waste of space like him.

“You’re free to do as you like. I don’t care. Just know that I’ve never backed down from what I believe to be right. You know it. I know it. So, if you’ll excuse, I have a brief discussion to finish. I’ll see you later…sir.”

The last word felt like poison to his mouth.

He still said to though. At least, by showing the tiniest bit of respect, so tiny that it was almost invisible, that man wasn’t going to cause further problems. Maybe…

//////

The walk to the exit was a quiet one. Even though the station was almost fully packed and noisy, thanks to the hour and recent events that certainly had not helped the quiet life, Nyle didn’t utter a word. Villamor, who looked clearly upset, was also quiet; not even Avron, who was completely stranger to those dynamics, said absolutely anything.

The silence, however, didn’t last long, no matter how awkward it might have been to start up conversation. That way, at least, they could vent out all the frustrations they were feeling deep inside them.

“I don’t know how the fuck can you tolerate that asshole. He’s just a sorry ass excuse of what a captain should be. Fuck! You have no idea how much I want to punch him in the face.”

Nyle and Avron nodded at same time. “I know. And you’re not even aware of all the damned things he he’s doing on side lines. Trust me, Marik. There’re not many people I hate with the same passion as him.”

“No doubt. I would have been surprised otherwise. That asshole has always done things that I always despised.”

“…So he’s not new to those kinds of things, huh?”

“…Are you really asking me that?” asked Villamor genuinely surprised. “You?”

“Yes???”

“…I suppose you’ve never been the type of person who would care about a failure such as him. In any case, yes, he’s done some strange deals in the past. You know, the type of things could get you court-martialled and imprisoned. Want to cherry on top? Some folks up there-” he pointed upwards with his index finger. “Are even aware of it.”

“But-If that’s the case, why hasn’t he been arrested?” asked Avron, speaking with an apparent tone of curiosity that mirrored his personal sense of justice. “The Imperial court and all the officials in the high sphere will surely want t-”

“Ah! Boy, if you wait for them to take action, than you’re screwed. They will never lift a finger for something this small.”

“But…” said Avron. “Isn’t it their job to take action on something like this?”

This time it was Nyle who answered the rookie. “Yes. It should be. At least by law. In reality, however, there are people beneath them who take care of things like those. Rarely, if ever, an officer will involve himself in cases like that of captain Greschill. Not to mention the court. Unless there is an ongoing trial of a renowned defendant, they will most likely stay clear it.”

“That’s not true. The Imperial court is the fulcrum and center of equal treatment in all the Imperium. The noble families that sit in it have the sworn duty to uphold the emperor’s laws that makes the empire the way it is. No one would ever consider betraying that.”

Nyle stopped, staring at the young man for a few seconds. After the initial surprise at that firm response had passed, he pondered responding him in the same tone and conviction he had just used. But he quickly reconsidered. For sure, that would spark a lengthy debate. And that was too much of a hassle.

Villamor, on the other, must have not shared the same view, seeing how he energetically answered.

“I see we have an idealist amongst us.” said captain Villamor grinning. “Well, you’re young and inexperienced, so that’s to be expected. Truthfully, I would have been surprised otherwise. Eh, now that I think about it, all of us were at a certain point, really. Anyway, the longer you work in this field of expertise, the sooner you realize things are different then what believed.”

“Yeah. Nyle has already shown me. Things with him tend to get more…hectic.”

“Ohhhh, you have no idea.”

“But I still remain of my opinion. The court will never betray their purpose. They just can’t.”

Nyle saw an unshakable conviction behind those sky-blue eyes, that looked even better now that sunlight could hit them directly. He paused in thought. What was giving Avron that much confidence? How could he still maintain his faulty belief when he had shown him how narrow minded his approach had been? He didn’t know.

What he knew though, now that he heard it, is that Avron shared some kind of connection to the court. Whatever it was on an ideological level, or, even near impossible, a more hands on level, that still remained to be seen. But it was certain there was one.

In that moment, when all of them were just a few steps away from the entrance, captain Greschill’s deaf, irritating voice boomed right through the all building despite the immense chattering that was taking place. If Nyle had a gold coin for every time he had heard that man scream at, well, anything, he would have already been filthy rich.

“We have to get back soon…” said Nyle tiredly. Honestly, he wished he could just ignored that sorry excuse of a captain and keep going with the investigation. But if he wanted to receive his pay, he just had to deal with it, one way or another.

“I know. I don’t envy you.”

Nyle smirked. “Anyway, I don’t think it’s the best moment to finish our discussion. Those kinds of things are pretty…sensible.”

Then, after considering a couple of things in his head, Nyle spoke again. “Why don’t we meet tomorrow evening outside the Main Quarters?”

“…?”

“Let’s just say that I trust you. So its better for me to directly show you than loose time by telling you. So, you in?”

“Alright, I guess.”

“Good. So tomorrow evening, outside the Main Quarters. See you.”

As they all went their separate way, captain Greschill screamed Nyle’s name once again.

It was in time such as those that he so wanted to kill him.