A/N: The first chapter may be a little awkward at times because I wrote most of it during transit on my phone. Even after a month of editing it doesn't sound quite right, but I need to start this fic somehow. Hopefully future chapters are little more coherent! This fic tries to "fill in the gaps" in the TV show since we never see the Inquisitor and Tua interact directly on-screen but it's implied they have at some point. I may also sprinkle in some of my own headcanons about Star Wars lore here and there. Please enjoy!

Also, please note that this story will be updated first on AO3.

Maketh, a hot cup of caf in hand, looked out of her office window. The sun was about to rise, a sliver of the sun painting yesterday's night sky a creamy orange. Clouds were gathered around the horizon in plump clusters, allowing the two moons and stars to hide behind them for a few more minutes.

The view was certainly beautiful; nearly beautiful enough for Maketh to forget she had a mountain of work waiting on the desk behind her. Wonderful.

Ever since she was made Minister of Lothal, Maketh wondered why Imperial Command sent her to her homeworld. Maketh had studied hard in the Academy to get out of this backwater planet, not to gain a position that meant little in the grand scheme of the Empire. And if it weren't for those rebels, she would have had very little trouble running the typical day-to-day drudgery that accompanied her administrative title.

What had she done wrong? Her Level Fives were perfect, and she received accolades from all her instructors. She even raised work efficiency up to thirteen-percent during her internship in Coruscant! Everyone, including herself, thought she had a place in the Core Worlds.

But here she was, back to the goldenrod fields, meant to do nothing more than facilitate the production of weapons like some lower-class laborer. In many ways, she had made peace with it. The Emperor himself enacted the planting of Imperial factories on Lothal, and who would question his Imperial Majesty? Besides, this was an opportunity to give back to her home. By bringing law and order to this poverty-ridden lothrat-infested dirtball that was still somehow squandered by bumbling farmers who didn't know its true potential.

Maketh realized the murky mauve sky was beginning to turn a gentle blue, the stars only a freckle in the west. Slices of light reflected off the round domes of Capital City's principal buildings that surrounded Imperial Headquarters. She snapped back into attention, walking back to her chair to get to work.

Her first order of the morning was meeting a certain Pau'an. It was most disturbing, Maketh thought, that the Inquisitor's full dossier in the system was restricted to all but the most powerful in the Empire— which excluded her of course. All that was available in his profile was that he specialized in catching Jedi, and was part of a legion of Force users sanctioned by the Emperor. So, basically nothing besides what she could already deduce from his title alone.

In fact, the profile didn't even include a name. He was simply 'the Inquisitor' as if he were born from the shadows for the sole purpose of hunting down the mythic sentients of the Old Republic and not born on Utapau with a name given to him by his parents like any other being. Something about the whole thing gave Maketh chilled caution. The Inquisitor came with Agent Kallus's compliments, but Maketh considered that to be an ominous sign more than something congratulatory. She knew of Kallus's work in Lasan, and if the Inquisitor had anything to do with that tedious Base Delta Zero business, he was probably another simple brute who did all the dirty work for the Empire. But again, his barren profile told her nothing.

Secrets were always suspicious, and considering her circumstances, Maketh couldn't help but let her mind run with paranoia. The insurgents were known to visit Lothal only periodically, so calling this planet their base of operations was a broad assumption. The sole draw for the Empire here were its raw resources, something the alien visitor would have nothing to do with. So what was a high and mighty Inquisitor doing here in Lothal?

Perhaps he was unstable, sent far from the Core Worlds to deal damage in a place that was as disposable as its inhabitants. Perhaps catching the so-called Jedi ringleader of the rebellion was a cover for a plan far more insidious.

Perhaps he was sent to replace her, as drastic as that sounded… But then again, if the supposed Jedi and his child padawan were all it took to defeat him and escape the Spire of all places, perhaps the reputation of Inquisitors was exaggerated. Although, if Kallus was also having difficulty catching the troublesome troupe, it could just have been that they were both—dare she say— incompetent.

If only Governor Pryce were here. Maketh had double the work load trying to handle having both an ISB Agent and Inquisitor on the planet. The Governor was probably drinking Alderaanian wine with a five star Nerf steak somewhere closer to the Imperial Core.

Maketh couldn't think of it further as her honored guest entered the office right then. She put away her datapads the moment she heard the sliding of the door.

"Minister Tua," was the Inquisitor's simple greeting, his hands behind him as he walked towards her desk. A typical power stance, the Minister noted. Not like his broad silhouette needed help to appear large and menacing; his bone-like complexion and bloody tattoos gave Maketh a start. She took a hurried gulp of caf to swallow the lump in her throat. He was far more intimidating in real life than any hologram could suggest... and did the temperature drop?

"Ah, Inquisitor, I didn't expect you so early! Please, take a seat."

The Jedi hunter glanced at the chair in front of him before he dismissed it by looking straight back at her, his bright yellow eyes fixed on hers."My business will be short. All I require is your cooperation and resources, and I shall be on my way."

A ray of sunshine, he was not. With a forced smile, Maketh defaulted to her catch-all government worker repertoire. "Of course. What can I do for you?" Maketh was suddenly grateful for the semi-circular desk that separated the alien from her. There were rumors that Inquisitors were as brutal as their master, and she could believe them now. Despite being slightly intimidated, the haughty half of her couldn't believe he could be so rude to a minister.

Paying no heed to her unease, the Inquisitor enunciated his every syllable like a proctor in a diction test. "I require planetary authorization codes so my investigation can be conducted unhampered."

"Ah ye–" Maketh cut herself short. Planetary authorization codes? The codes only she, a minister, had access to? The alien's presumptuousness was only exceeded by the length of his forehead! Folding her hands on top of her desk, she shot him a skeptical look, her annoyance far outweighing any apprehension she had. She was not another of one of his military lackeys!

"… Might I inquire as to why? You understand, I can't part with these codes so easily, even to your authority."

An expression that could only be described as thinly veiled annoyance covered the face of the Inquisitor. "Might I remind you that I was personally dispatched by order of Darth Vader? He has a reputation for being… impatient. I am merely expediting matters along, Minister." His shining eyes, so eerily unblinking, bore into Maketh, and she nearly looked away. But this was yet again another display of dominance, and she would not back down in her own office!

Maketh knew that if the Inquisitor used her own codes, her name would be attached to the data trail he would leave in his wake. Damage reports, witnesses, logistical receipts… If he really was incompetent, she was not about to be held responsible for his inevitable mistakes, thank you very much! With a firm but charitable tone, she replied, "Very well. I'll make a request to ISB for new codes to be issued to you. After all, you should be rewarded personally! It would not do to give you my codes and allow myself to get all the credit for your work, would it?"

A brief pause lapsed, but a smirk broke the Inquisitor's stony visage, surprising Maketh. "I am touched, Minister. You make a fine politician, caring so much for those around you." His thin, long arms finally emerged from his back as he made open gestures towards her, just as Maketh wondered if they were glued to his body. "I can see why the Empire thought you fit to go back home. This planet needs all the charity it can get."

His voice was so overbearingly smooth that Maketh almost reeled, barely suppressing a flare of irritation. What was he insinuating? That she deserved this "punishment"? The nerve! This was exactly why she loathed the restriction on Inquisitor profiles— he had all the figurative ammo in his belt from her profile, while poor overworked Maketh had to make do with half-arsed summaries with less detail than a junior holonovel.

But now she had a perfectly good reason to probe him. She had been in Coruscant long enough to know the political tug-of-war, and the Inquisitor was just a soldier. She, of all people, would win this game.

"You flatter me. Just a reminder, it'll take a few standard days to process the request. Although…" Placing her hand on her chin, she looked away as if lost in thought.

"Speak your mind," was his encouragement.

Got you now. "I doubt anyone in the ISB has high enough clearance for your profile, so perhaps we could speed things along?"

The Inquisitor's smug smile immediately dropped. "I don't catch your meaning."

With a plastic, cheerful smile, Maketh spoke on as she swatted the air. "Oh, you know, they may need a few measly details, just enough to fill out the basic application. As you said, Darth Vader is an impatient man. No harm done. We are under a blockade after all, ISB can get quite touchy about protocol!" Grabbing a nearby datapad, she brought up a blank document in front of her and tapped away. "How about we start with a name?"

"My… my name-" The Inquisitor's puzzled look broke into offended shock. His eyes narrowing at Maketh, she had the sickening feeling he was trying to read her.

"Why yes," said the Minister, with a nervous roll of the eyes, "I can't just call you solely 'the Inquisitor' when there are others!"

"And what would you do with such a thing? Call me by name? It would be no more appropriate than for me to call you Maketh."

His sudden call of her name made her flinch, but she went on. "I am simply suggesting this because-"

"Minister," intoned the Inquisitor icily, "Perhaps I have given you the wrong impression, but let me blunt: I did not come here for your power plays and tea parties. If I seem overbearingly domineering, and if that threatens you, then good."

He continued with a dark growl, crossing his arms. Maketh suddenly noticed his incredibly sharp teeth. "You may not be military personnel, but I outrank everyone. My mission is to catch a potentially dangerous and completely criminal character who may be a Jedi, and as your superior, that is to be the top priority of this planet. That is all."

Oh no. She pushed her luck too far, and Maketh could feel the hair on her neck bristle with terror. Quickly dropping the datapad as if it were hot coal, she did not dare look at the Pau'an.

"R-right, of course, I meant nothing by it! Forget I said anything at all…!"

When was she the type to throw caution to the wind? Although she was staring at his boots, the cold professionalism dripping in his every word was obvious.

"You are a Minister, and I am an Inquisitor. That is all we need to know to carry out our duties. Is that clear?"

"Yes, clear as day…!"

"Look at me."

Now it was her turn to be shocked. "What?"

"Do you not understand Basic, Minister?"

Very slowly, she could only manage to lift her head to peer at his dreadful bloody claw-like markings on his face.

"I can sense your fear."

"I-"

"And you should consider it motivation." A smug smirk replaced his frown. "I am confident as long as you do your job— and I, mine— this threat will be disposed of before it reaches anything…" He looked briefly out the window behind her before returning his gaze on her. "… Of importance."

Stupid, stupid Maketh. To think she'd try to pry information off a master of mind tricks and ancient sorcery… Living in Lothal made her forget that the efficient machine known as the Empire was slow to forgive even the most minor of mistakes. And this was a potentially lethal misstep.

But wait. What he said finally processed in Maketh's mind, and her eyes widened. The Inquisitor was not sent to protect the interests of the planet; he was merely sent for containment, as if the Jedi were hazardous material. He was a specialist, not an administrator.

Meek from his rebuke but brave from her own ire, she spoke softly. "… Are you-are you saying Lothal is of no importance?"

He looked nearly bored. "Do you think otherwise? Lothal only serves as a stepping stone for the greater Outer Rim. It's why the Jedi must be stopped here before they spread to other systems like the pests they are."

That was it. She had thought likewise, that Lothal was inconsequential, and she was sure the rest of Command thought so too. But to hear the thought voiced aloud made her irrationally angry. Who was he to judge the planet after only spending mere days on the surface? Who was he to disregard everything she did despite her distaste for the Outer Rim? Lothal was her life's work! Fear dissipated into indignation and Maketh's heart pounded with adrenaline, something the Inquisitor evidently picked up for he took a preemptive half-step backwards.

She defiantly glowered at the Inquisitor, her hand curled into a fist on the table."How dare you! I can understand criticism against bureaucracy and politics, but I won't stand to let an-an alien slander my homeplanet!"

It was a foolish move, one that the Minister would probably regret, but she didn't care. To her surprise, the Inquisitor didn't look… violent. Instead, he looked nearly amused.

"… Alien? Is that what this is about? Do you find me offensive, Minister?"

"Offensive?!" With an incredulous look, Maketh pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You were sick enough to join the Emperor's force of attack dogs just to go around the galaxy killing Jedi!"

Devoid of humor, he demurred, "Being an Inquisitor is not a voluntary service."

"Do you think that I wanted to be a minister on this forceforsaken-"

"Allow me to clarify," he cut in, "You either join the ranks or you die. This career is my life, as much as your position and this planet are."

Faltering for a second, Maketh knew he was attempting to diffuse her but she was slighted. She would not allow the Inquisitor to pass it over with his smooth talking. "Inquisitor," said she, bitingly, "You may outrank me, and everyone else, yes, but I am the one responsible for the planet and its people. I know what's best for Lothal, so don't tell me how to do my job!"

Any amusement in him was quickly extinguished, and for a moment Maketh thought he'd reach right over the table with his awfully long arms and strangle her. A heavy silence lingered for a few seconds more than what the Minister considered comfortable, and now she was reconsidering her outburst. It was all fun and games until there were the rumored "mysterious accidents" that accompanied the agents of Vader, after all.

The Inquisitor finally spoke, with a clipped tone. "… There is no need for us to argue about this. I can be patient. Request the codes since I'm sure ISB will find a way to fulfill an order from the Minister herself. If that's everything, I'll take my leave." Without another word, he turned and left, taking the shadows and cold with him.

… Was that it? Was there really no catch for openly defying an Inquisitor of the Emperor? She apparently lived to see another day, but Maketh only thought it anticlimactic.

She may have made no progress on shedding any light on the enigma called the Inquisitor, but neither had he made any progress curbing her authority. They were at a standstill, and that was enough. The Minister took that as a victory, all things considered.

Her caf was cold now, but she downed the last of it anyway for her dry throat. What a way to start the morning. Her job was about to get more interesting, but the Minister didn't know if that was for the better.

The Inquisitor entered Agent Kallus's office, a room that looked nearly identical to the Minister's. The Agent was waiting for the Inquisitor, his casual posture on his chair telling. Setting aside a datapad, the Agent gave him his full attention. "You look tired, Inquisitor. Any luck?"

The alien ignored the remark. "She is not as weak-willed as you described. It will take more than riling words for the reins of this planet to be handed to us."

Kallus leaned forward, his face perched atop his folded hands. "It was worth a shot. I assumed the Governor's absence left us an opening. We'll wait until another opportunity comes. Do try to get on her good side until then."

"Don't take this as anything more than an exchange, Agent," spat the Inquisitor. "My help for yours. I couldn't care less for local squabbling."

The Agent smirked, nodding in agreement. "I expected nothing less. But you are a rare asset, one completely uninvolved with local affairs. How could I let this pass?"

"I am not a pawn for another one your games." While untold threats shadowed the Inquisitor's words, his tone softened, reluctantly admitting his reality. "But I am a servant, as are you. Try not to abuse my service."

"Of course. But for the benefit of the Empire, Lothal must fall into military hands. The Minister must trust us for that to happen. It should even make your own work easier."

The Pau'an was unconvinced. "So my next objective is to familiarize myself with Minister Tua?"

"If you can't make her fear you, that is the next best option, yes. Surely even an Inquisitor knows the benefits of allies?"

"I prefer to work alone. Even this is too much entanglement."

Kallus merely scoffed. "You're sounding more like the Jedi you hunt! I'm not asking you to take her to dinner, Inquisitor, just that you make her resources readily available."

Although the Inquisitor nodded, he gave the Agent a hard look before leaving. Catching Jedi was one thing, but befriending a thoroughly irritating government worker was another. If only all things were easily resolved by a lightsaber...