Verispex

The FBI of the FBIs.

Verispex are a type of specialist officer within the Adeptus Arbites.

Overview

A part of the Arbitrator branch of the Arbites, Verispex are specialists in the gathering and analysis of forensic evidence. They are able to track a weapon from a spent slug, determining its exact pattern from the temperature of a las-burn or the tear-pattern of a Chain Weapon. They are able to filter out and separate tiny organic traces clinging to a burgled Adeptus shrine so that Cyber-Mastiffs can be put on the scent, or identify the print-mill three systems away whose stolen inks were used on underground pamphlets inciting sedition.

A Verispex may spend years of their career cataloguing the unique signatures of the artificial atmosphere aboard every starship in their Sub-Sector so that a suspect can be traced by the residue found in their lungs. Though often confined in laboratories, Verispex are known to work in the field with standard Arbitrators as well as Detective teams. Because their skills require a great deal of technical and scientific knowledge, Verispex are trained by Tech Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus in the lesser lore of their temples but are not fully inducted members of their order in the way that Techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes are.

Nonetheless, this is considered a high honour, and Verispex sports a blue steel armband to mark them out as ordained by the Omnissiah. This makes some Arbites commanders sceptical of the Verispex, who view them as not having complete loyalty to the ideals of the Lex Imperialis.

Besides their work in the Arbites, Verispex sometimes work under Inquisitors, although they are not considered as part of an Inquisitor's retinue, given the conflicts of interests that may ensue.