Mallear

Born to parents of middle class: father a fairly high ranking administratorium clerk, and stay-at-home mom, the middle of 7 siblings. Pretty uneventful upbringing, at least in the physical sense: a safe and quiet life on an Imperial planet.

It was at a very early stage easy to see that Mallear was a very perceptive, curious and attentive kid. His mother collected written materials from all ages and of all kinds (except the expensive and heretic kind), and Mallear loved reading, and especially mysteries and puzzles. His mothers most priced books was three ancient tomes about the detective S'erlock Omes, whose amazing powers of observation were both amazing and almost familiar to young Mallear.

Another interest of Mallear's, manifesting at a later date, was his fascination with law. Around the time he turned 13 it was clear that he wanted to join the arbiters, either to become a detective right away, or study law first, and then become a detective.

Of course, that is not how it happened: But after a fairly brief interlude even the Arbiters noticed that they had something unusual in their hands, the recruit would pick up things and events nobody even thought to look for. And so, Mallear became a detective. No law degree just yet, but who knows, maybe this will come  later.

After some years as an arbiter on his home world, Mallear picked out a pattern among a series of killings. Or series, this is in itself a bold claim, as it is impossible to describe how he is so sure that they are connected, just that he is utterly convinced that it is not just coincidence. The series progresses from ancients times unto the present, always in shadow.

After countless hours of delving into these killings he was contacted by the inquisition. Or contacted, a request by the inquisition is heresy to decline, more or less by definition, but the promise of greater mysteries and more difficult puzzles would have been impossible dismiss for Mallear. So, there he is.