It took a few years for the news of the Emperor's death to reach the far reaches of the rim. Things were different out here. Much of the command structure remained, and the status quo was safe. No one was really sure who was in charge, however.
After a little while, Imperial remnant groups broke off, and took much of the fire and manpower. The most successful of these groups, the Empire Reborn, barely held control of it's own sector. They had recently sent a burst broadcast to any imperial officers left in the Tion cluster. Someone was working hard to build up the old diplomatic channels.
Even without the Empire, the Inquisition still existed. It was the only branch of the Empire designed to withstand the death of the Emperor, and in doing so, it would prevent the death of the Empire. It's eyes and ears heard everything everywhere, or so it seemed.
Deep in the bowels of the Inquisition HQ, order reigned supreme. Moving quickly down the bleached halls, Inquisition Commander Miton Kohndral was an unstoppable force. As the leader of this particular Inquisition Garrison, Commander Kohndral maintained strict loyalty to the Empire. A fierce man, his Garrison retained its well-equipped and well-staffed status even years after the Emperor fell. His staff remained in control of Tion, and held at least operational control over most of the Tion Cluster. He did what he could without a navy or army. They fell apart mere days after the information arrived about the state of the Empire.
He did not hold anyone but the Inquisition in high esteem. The other branches were weak, and full of disloyal ants in grave need of discipline. Unfortunately, he had other tasks to attend to. He grimaced. He was less used to governing than he thought.
He rounded the corner and arrived at the nerve center of Tion. A junior officer approached and handed him a report detailing the message from the so-called Empire Reborn. It was now up to him to respond.
Lyra turned to her Wookiee bodyguard, Geyychitchiir, or 'Chi', and ordered:
"Wait here. If anyone tries to enter before I return, bar the door and display the mark of the Imperial Inquisition. If they still try to enter, rip their arms off. You got that?"
"rahhrrruuahh!"
"Good. I'll call for you if I need your assistance."
"hahrrr."
"That wasn't a question. One more remark out of turn and you'll sport an even worse brand," said Lyra icily.
Chi gave a resigned nod but did not speak.
"Much better," Lyra concluded.
Accursed furry shitbag, Lyra thought. At least it usually followed its goddamned orders, and it wasn't the worst scum the galaxy could birth. Not by a long shot. Lyra viewed most interrogations primarily as the dispassionate pursuit of justice, but with the Rodians, she thought she might be doing the galaxy a favor, regardless of actual guilt.
Despite her hatred of putrid, inhuman vermin like Chi, Lyra had a pragmatic approach to the world. When it obeyed orders, Chi was actually pretty useful in a tight spot; Lyra just preferred that its stench remain outside the Imperial grandeur of the Inquisitorial HQ.
With the main doorway secured against unwelcome entrance, Lyra readied herself for her debut. The Inquisition concerned itself with the appearance of Imperial loyalty and thus took appearances very seriously.
Lyra was immaculately well dressed. The Imperial red officer's cap sat on her head at the precise angle specified by the Imperial Inquisition's regulations. Black gloves shielded her exquisitely manicured hands from the often-disgusting business of uncivilized "persuasion." A black leather belt girded her slender waist; red officer's pants covered her legs, culminating in black leather, steel-toed military boots. Subtle makeup accentuated her stern, but oddly beautiful, features. She wore a perfectly tailored, officer's red, double-breasted tunic, and medals of valor from her service in the Imperial navy, and, later, the Inquisition, adorned her left breast. Twenty-two medals in all, although one deserved special mention. She infiltrated, exposed, and assassinated the leadership of a dissident group on Coruscant, the very heart of the Empire, and Lord Vader had personally commended her actions and awarded her the "Distinguished Medal of Imperial Honor." She still remembered that day with pride.
Not Imperial pride, of course. Insurrectionist shits like those on Coruscant had brought an end to a grand noble house once. Her noble house. Her family's honor brought low by the populist ravings of a pathetic mob on Tion. Her wealth survived, but her name, her reputation, her family's respect… they had all been destroyed. Working for the Inquisition gave Lyra the assurance that at least some other noble house, some other family, bonded by love and honor, would not fall to … rebellion. She shuddered to think that word.
Shifting her shoulders back, raising her chin, she strode confidently into the Inquisitorial HQ, heels clicking on the white marble floor.
The ranking officer turned at the sound of her entrance, and the faces of several junior officers and NCOs whirled to view Lyra's entrance.
Commander Kohndral uttered: "Captain Darsten! I…"
Lyra interrupted him, holding up her right hand for silence:
"Commander Kohndral, judging by the state of this sector and your ambivalence towards the abandonment of the Imperial military and disintegration of Imperial law, I would normally conclude that you had no future in the Empire. However, it seems you are at least loyally incompetent; I'll have to assume that's a virtue. Regardless, you, and this office, answer to my authority now, and we shall begin rebuilding the Empire in this sector at once."
"Do you accept this arrangement, or shall I ask my assistant, Chi, to educate you further?" Lyra asked, signaling with her left hand for the furry monster to turn and face Kohdral.
Kohndral cleared his throat as he saw the Wookiee. He towered over the others, but he was subdued...for the moment. Lyra had a habit of using her enemies as a plaything for the beast. She ruled like Vader... He swallowed trying to find the words to answer:
"Yes, mi'lady. I relinquish command of the sector to you. I will send subordinates to deliver full tactical strategic sitreps within the hour." His spine went missing as he spoke. Even after being an inquisitor for years, the presence of other red uniformed officers set him off. When they arrived, someone was going to receive harsh justice. He prayed her visit was one of homesickness rather than one of duty.
"In the mean time, I suggest you get reacquainted with the nerve center and palace grounds. We've got a brigade of shock troops deployed throughout the system, and a few stray TIEs to patrol the space lanes. It's not nearly enough to maintain order throughout the entire system. We're the only two inquisitors left, however. No others were assigned to this post. A report is being prepared regarding our next moves. Your orders mi'lady?"
Lyra spoke:
"Thank you, commander, for your acquiescence; I dislike excessive bloodshed, and I have yet to teach my animal cleaner methods of violence. My orders for this sector are as follows:"
"First, you will communicate with every former Imperial officer, army or navy, in this sector, going door to door if need be. Remind them each that they swore an oath to the Galactic Empire, and that they will honor it. Also inform them that the Inquisition has forgotten neither their past service nor their families, friends, and loved ones. Additionally, tell them that a new Dark Lord has risen, and Hethrir will bring a new age of glory to this Empire; and a new age of pain for disloyal servants. The officer corps will assemble at this palace, and they will begin reconstructing the Imperial fleet."
"Second, you will make contact with the nearest ranking officer of the Stormtrooper Corps. Summoning as much diplomatic tact as you are able, you will politely ask that he grant this Inquisition an audience, where I will ask for his assistance in pacifying this sector."
"Third, you will summon a representative from each of the major trading and industrial cartels that operates in this sector. Explain that the Empire seeks a new economic partnership, and that it will gladly extend certain… 'liberties'… to 'reputable' elements of the business community in exchange for preferential treatment of this sector with regard to employment, trade, and manufacturing. Ask the representatives to convene here for an audience with myself. Make sure to give special preference to the Hutts; they're a better breed of criminal."
"Fourth, you will inform the populace of this sector, using the full powers of the Imperial Propaganda Ministry, that the Empire has not fallen, that the Inquisition still lives, and that they will see a glorious rebirth under Lord Hethrir."
"When you have finished taking all of this down and assigned those duties to your subordinates, you will assemble the senior staff of this institution in what was your office, and is now, I assume, mine. You are promoted to the role of Chief of Staff for the Imperial Inquisition in the Tion Sector. Do not fail me."
"I will await an update in my office."
"At once mi'lady!" Commander Kohndral saluted and departed with a snap of his heels. He moved through the halls and barked orders to those who would carry them out. It would take a few days for some of the orders to show results.
With that, Lyra made a precise turn on her heels and walked with perfect posture towards her office in the Inquisitorial HQ, signaling for Chi to follow.
Ordering the filthy creature to stand silent guard (she made sure to emphasize the silence; damn things needed constant reminders) outside the glass door, Lyra stepped inside her new office. Using her code cylinder, she quickly stripped the passwords from the commander's files on the office computer and downloaded his personal notes, files, and reports to her datapad, making an additional copy on a datacard to return to Commander Kohndral. She would examine them at a later date for evidence of treason. She then wiped the computer of all past data and proceeded to upload only the necessary bureaucratic files and forms for this position from her datapad.
She then proceeded to "personalize" the office, though that term only loosely applied. She set up the standard Inquisitorial static generator that would prevent direct recordings of anything within her office. She carefully adjusted the chair to the familiar height and distance from the desk that she maintained at any office. She removed all traces of Commander Kohndral's personal effects, tossing them in a pile near the door, instead allowing only a single, gold plated symbol of the Imperial Navy to adorn her desktop.
Finally, she pulled a small pocketknife from her waist and proceeded to surreptitiously carve a symbol into a hidden recess of the desk. Her family's coat of arms; stripped from her by a populist uprising; stripped by defective, sub-human animals. She always made sure to leave such a small imperfection in any place she worked, to remind her of the larger imperfections that blighted this great galaxy.
Holding her encrypted datapad and reading the commander's reports, she patiently waited for an update on her orders.
A few hours later Kohndral knocked on Lyra's office, flanked by the senior staff of the sector.
Lyra continued reading for a few moments before looking up, unwilling to let Kohndral or the others control the meeting, and certainly unwilling to be distracted from important work by her subordinates' concerns. Eventually, when she deemed them sufficiently unnerved, she laid down the datapad and turned towards Kohndral, locking eyes with him, and only him:
"Commander, I have discovered a disturbing anomaly in the pattern of trade on the planet of Raxus; I have concerns of embezzlement or corruption, possibly from the highest levels. You will assemble three Palace Guards (Stormtroopers) and have them meet myself, and Chi, in Shuttle Bay 3. I have already tasked a pilot to transport me there for a more personal investigation."
"In the intervening time, the rest of you will implement the orders I gave Commander Kohndral earlier. I will expect you to obey his every word as though delivered by my own person. I will expect significant progress in rebuilding Imperial rule in the Tion cluster when I return. I will expect, in short, perfection from you, and failure will not go unnoticed."
"If that is understood, you are all dismissed."
The assembled officers saluted, turned, and left Lyra's presence with a unified cry of: "Sir, yes Sir."
Lyra then proceeded to secure the room. After locking her computer and packing her personal effects, she proceeded from her office, sealing the door behind her and fitting it with an alarm keyed to her datapad. Beckoning for Chi to silently follow, Lyra strode confidently to Shuttle Bay 3; her head held high, she never once met the gaze of the lesser creatures that worked in the Inquisition.
Upon arriving at the shuttle, Lyra held up a hand for Chi to halt and addressed the trio of guards and pair of pilots:
"I have tasked you for an official investigation of the Inquisition. More details will be revealed as it becomes necessary, but your current orders are to travel with me to the planet of Dellalt for a meeting with its current governor."
Addressing the pilots, "You will stay with the ship and keep it prepared for departure; you likely will not receive more than 30 minutes notice for takeoff, and I will expect you to be ready."
Addressing the soldiers, "You will accompany myself and Chi on this investigation. Though you are tasked as bodyguards, I would encourage you not to restrict your mandate in such a fashion. You are the guardians of Imperial law, and you are tasked with the sacred mission of helping me reconstruct the glory of the Empire."
"I assume you are prepared, and thus we will depart immediately."
The stormtroopers and pilots barked, "Sir, yes Sir." The pilots boarded first, followed by Lyra and Chi, with the clones entering last.
With a roar of its engines, the shuttle departed for Dellalt.
Lyra had taken numerous precautions for this journey, as she did with all journeys; according to the official regulations of the Imperial Inquisition, all suspects were assumed treasonous until proven incorrect, and any mission to investigate treason involved strict protocols against sabotage and infiltration. Lyra always followed Imperial protocol.
She had listed the Imperial shuttle as decommissioned and sold to business interests (Votta Diori, a Hutt of the Besadii clan, along the Perlemian Trade Route and far from this star system), she had tagged it for routine freight transport (potatos, usually used to hide illegal droid parts and other sundry contraband), she had directed the pilots to land at the secondary, outdated, ill-used starport on the outskirts of Dellalt's capitol, and, just to be safe, she had arranged a laundered bribe to the starport's CEO to keep her landing private.
The shuttle glided gently through Dellalt's placid atmosphere and touched down in an empty hangar at Taz'uun starport. Officially listed as "undergoing required maintenance," the hangar would, hopefully, remain empty for another week, if the bribe held. Lyra spoke to her underlings before leaving the ship:
"Pilots, you will remain here and keep this shuttle prepared for departure, if needed. You will maintain 50% watch capacity, and you have strict orders to ensure that no one enters this hangar or approaches this shuttle without my express and explicit authorization. You may use whatever force you deem applicable to accomplish that goal."
"Soldiers of the Empire, you will accompany me as 'bodyguards.' I will introduce myself as a lieutenant of Votta the Hutt, based out of Lianna; you may thus be referred to as 'stolen Imperial property.' Please do not let this offend your sense of justice; you are performing a sacred mission of the Imperial Inquisition, and though the means may seem vulgar, the ends serve the greater glory of the galaxy."
"Sir, yes sir," responded the clones and pilots.
With that, Lyra exited the shuttle; the stormtrooper sergeant and Chi disembarked first, followed by lyra and then the two corporals. As she stepped off the loading ramp, Lyra experienced a strange sensation...
Sergeant Nafeel noticed Lyra's momentary hesitation:
"Is everything alright, Sir?"
"Yes... I just had a... never mind. Sergeant, ready your weapons just in case - " Lyra replied, her voice trailing off.
Six human thugs had entered the hangar, approximately 30 meters away, blasters drawn. They didn't look particularly skilled or battle-hardened, but they had decent equipment and the benefit of numbers. Their leader stepped forward:
"Cedcus Kraayen doesn't appreciate it when slimy servants of the Hutts attempt to fuck up his operations. After that 'business' with Votta on the Perlemian Run, the Boss figured you bastards would stay away for good."
That is interesting, thought Lyra. I have hidden my presence from one enemy, and incidentally made another. It seems there are two investigations to pursue here, and the solving the issue of the governor may involve some work with the Hutts. I will need to have words with Taz'uun Starport's CEO... And then I will speak with this Votta...
Signaling quietly for her men and Chi to prepare for combat, Lyra called back:
"Votta sends his regards; he thinks Dellalt holds great prospects for the future, and pathetic creatures like Kraayen are not going to stand between Votta and progress."
There was no hesitation or doubt in her voice. She had lied before for the glory of the Empire. She had faced combat and prevailed. These thugs would fall like any others, and the galaxy would thank her for the service.
Wearing a cocky grin, the thug leader called back:
"Fair enough. Men, open fire!"
As the thug leader spoke, Lyra reflected on her choice of bodyguard. She sincerely hoped she had picked the right animal for the job...
It had been six years since Lyra's visit to Kashyyyk. In those days she had relied on droids for protection and assault. They were loyal, amoral, and skilled, all valuable qualities... but droids, particularly those geared for combat, required such extensive maintenance. The frequent need for memory wipes, the constant risk of ion blasters, the dangers of poorly designed logic boards, etc. The gleaming steel men had far too often failed when they were needed most. The first had fallen to an improvised ion mine. While deployed with the Imperial Navy, Lyra had disembarked on Corellia to supervise the suppression of a native terrorist group. On entering a local home to search for weapons caches, Lyra's droid had blindly caught a tripwire near the floor, and the ensuing explosion reduced the droid to a twitching mass of wiring.
Her second droid, equipped with the latest combat subroutines, including specific programming to detect traps, had been deployed with Lyra on a long-term reconnaissance mission out in the outer rim. After going too long without a memory wipe, it began insisting that the "little blue men" with their "forge of stars" would bring down the "Imperial jade" and cause "dark winter's nights." It blasted three astromech droids into oblivion before a squad of stormtroopers reduced the insane assault droid to molten slag.
Lyra's third droid, from a different manufacturer, suffered from none of these issues. It was smart, dependable, and incredibly effective in combat. Even better, it clearly expressed its thoughts and possessed a remarkable tactical mind. Unfortunately, it was a bit too articulate. When ordered to temporarily detain a prisoner until Lyra's fellow inquisitors could arrive for consultation, the droid proved a bit malleable. The crafty prisoner not only convinced it to unlock his manacles and allow his escape, but also persuaded the droid that a standard issue grenade had a ten second fuse.
Lyra's fourth and final combat droid met its unfortunate destiny on Kashyyyk. While investigating the outskirts of the planet's legendary forests, the heavily armed, steel-plated droid trod none too carefully... and sank into a swamp.
In short, Lyra had technical difficulties.
Annoyed with the persistent design flaws of combat droids and in need of a protective tool, Lyra had a flash of inspiration. She inquired with the local Imperial soldiers regarding the "Wookiees" and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the animals could be broken, tamed, and enslaved with relative ease. She contacted one of the startup slaving corporations and arranged for a product demonstration.
Sarlo, Terrik and Company had been founded by two spacers (the partners) that were forced into an emergency landing on Kashyyyk. Mercilessly pursued by a gang of angry Hutts for embezzlement, their freighter short of fuel and badly damaged by blaster fire, the two pilots had decided that perhaps the colossal wroshyr trees were not a curse but a blessing. They soon put their smuggling skills to good use. The partners hired teams of mercenaries to venture deep into the forest in search of 'feral' Wookiees; the ones nearer the edge of the wilds had grown accustomed to human interference and had lost their raging fury. Sarlo and Terrik also worked diligently to befriend the tribal leaders of the Wookiees, often buying captives taken in warfare at a discount. The company's merit-based pay for its mercenaries, and the frequent mercenary deaths in the deep forest, helped to limit cost expansion.
Once Sarlo and Terrik had a decent stock of beasts, they would arrange public demonstrations of their "quality control" process. Unlike other slaving companies that only displayed "finished products," their wills broken and their rage dispelled, Sarlo and Terrik would hold paired duels between the captured specimens. Particularly good fighters would live to be broken into servitude, while those Wookiees lacking in spirit were publicly eviscerated by the champions.
It was at one of these shows that Lyra found Geychiitchir. At more than 2.5 meters, it towered over the other wild creatures, themselves taller than average. Its dark brown coat already bore numerous scars from past combat wounds, and it fidgeted even while shackled, as though some inner spirit was trying to escape. A wild, crazed look inhabited the animal's eyes, which could not seem to focus on anything for long.
Lyra chose a seat in the front row of the stands, usually vacant due to the occasional splash of bloody gore, and watched Chi's duel intently. Its opponent did not stand a chance. Heedless of finesse or 'honor', Chi simply hammered at the other animal's blade with quick, heavy blows until it broke. Unwilling, or, more likely, unable to show the slightest mercy to its defenseless enemy, Chi proceeded to carve the other Wookiee into a bloody pulp. In that moment, standing over the dismembered, mutilated corpse, Chi's eyes finally appeared calm; the iron bars of subhuman restraint had been broken, and the violent animal spirit within stood free.
Lyra had found her bodyguard.
She hoped that rage was still there. If her beast had lost its fighting spirit, she would sell it to a mining firm and then speak with Sarlo and Terrik about a "product warranty"…