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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Role of the Inquisition
If required, Inquisitors may call on the service and/or resources of any Imperial servant or organization. Not even a [[High Lord of Terra]] may refuse the order of an Inquisitor without good reason. This power extends across the [[Adeptus Astartes]] and the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], however learned Inquisitors show discretion and ''request'' the assistance of the Space Marines and attempt not to anger the Adepts of Mars.
The role of the Inquisition requires proactivity and efficiency unbound by the dogmatic bureaucracy common to most other Imperial departments. Accordingly, there is little in the way of "hard" structure hierarchy or departmentalization within the Inquisition. There is virtually no hierarchy or system of ranks of command within the Inquisition - the only Inquisitor that can be said to rank above all the others is the [[Master of the Inquisition]]<sup>2</sup>. Authority within the Inquisition is governed by two factors - reputation and influence. Seniority is in itself no indicator of authority, however most Inquisitors will take heed of the wisdom an older and more experienced peer.<sup>10,</sup> <sup>12</sup>
Because the Inquisition are the watchdogs of the Imperium, answerable only to themselves, given almost absolute power, along with such broad jurisdiction, corruption is an ever present danger. Its integrity is therefore upheld by constant self-policing and scrutiny. In the earliest editions of the background, this was the stated role of the Ordo Malleus, which were the Inquisition's secretive Inner Order.
