I've had a Vindicator before and spoken with both Astein and Bria at length. More or less to sum up my driving point here :

When you're a Vindicator you no longer get to try to sneak things in. There's no leniency anymore, because people both in the cabal and out of the cabal look at you as an example. You know why you aren't supposed to kill city guards and/or citizen mobiles while on duty? Ok, take the reasoning behind that thought and apply it to the perception of injustice within the Spire. Being a Vindicator is both a bonus and a burden. You are hired to do a job by the cities. The powers aren't there to help you boost your ratio 'off hours', they're there to provide the means to kill criminals. Once that Vindy tag is slapped on your name, there's a higher level of standard for your actions.

I've written dozens of things about the Tribunal stating a lot of similar things to what you're saying, about them being mercenaries and etc. But more or less each position in the spire has its own duties. Imagine it like the difference between what its acceptable for a traffic cop to do in public, compared to the Chief of police.

I'm actually beginning to think this situation was less Oblain and your fault, and more the fault of either changing direction for the Tribunal cabal or lack of immortal intervention on mistakes. Maybe now they've lowered the bar for being a Vindicator and Justiciar. If thats so then its sad, considering the positions (as Bria said to me) are supposed to be ones that are hard to get and harder to keep. Thats whats always justified the powers being as they were.