A/N: This is set immediately after the Inquisitor interrogates Zare Leonis in "Rebel in the Ranks".
The Inquisitor curtly walked away from the interrogation room. The officers lining the hallway all stood at attention as he strode past; they could only relax when the turbolift doors finally enclosed the dark agent out of sight. The Inquisitor had just spoken with today's hero of the Academy, the one who singlehandedly pursued the rogue cadets. There was no rush to go back to his Star Destroyer now when he knew where his next potential recruit was located. If Zare Leonis was as talented as his sister, taking him to his master would be almost enough to make up for his failure in capturing the Padawan who could apparently just walk in and out of Headquarters without consequence.
Questioning everyone who was near this "Dev Morgan" was actually the Inquisitor's own initiative; he didn't trust ISB to be thorough since anyone could unknowingly be under the influence of the Force. Dev Morgan was barely a Padawan, but one could never underestimate the failings of the weak-willed.
Speaking of those he couldn't underestimate, there was one person he had yet to interrogate. He ran the scenario in his mind. He would approach the Minister delicately, asking her only the most necessary questions, thank her for her time, and leave. Or, more likely, she would demand him to answer for the Padawan's second escape (or third, counting Agent Kallus's first sighting) and then take several cycles trying to have the last word in another verbal duel.
What an exhausting human. He could think of no other bureaucrat as invested in wasting his time as her. He had spent the past few weeks avoiding Minister Tua by limiting their interaction and communicating with her using the Agent as a proxy. The Inquisitor's actions seemed counterintuitive to his new '"mission" but to remain aloof was better than to sour what little goodwill they had in the first place.
There was no real reason she could have seen Dev Morgan, but the sheer destruction the miscreant wrought made the Inquisitor wonder the scale of the insurgent's operation. To snatch a decoder right off Agent Kallus's desk would not have been an easy endeavor, after all. The Minister might have been involved without knowing it herself. It was also likely the Minister could have seen the boy passing through the halls or something equally trivial, and such information could be used to reconstruct a timeline of the boy's actions.
Whatever she knew, though, was probably not worth the effort when he had other things to attend to. He thought on as the elevator brought him to the lower training platform, the scene of the attack. It was a grisly, embarrassing scene. Bits of the sabotaged AT-DP walker were still scattered about the wide field and numerous droids were clearing the debris. He looked up at the upper level deck, and the Inquisitor could see Agent Kallus conversing with the Commandant and Taskmaster. The Agent must have seen him enter for he glanced at the alien, but Kallus didn't address him, choosing instead to gesture towards something with a jerk of his curiously bearded head. The Pau'an followed the direction only to see a flash of blue and yellow among the wreckage… Minister Tua? What was she doing here?
She seemed busy barking orders at a gray-clad worker but before the Inquisitor could collect himself, she turned and her eyes widened at the sight of him.
"Inquisitor?!"
The alien immediately stiffened his posture as he approached Maketh. When he was within earshot, he addressed her as if he hadn't noticed her surprise. "Minister."
She, in turn, crossed her arms, an unimpressed frown directed at the Jedi hunter. "I've already sent an incident report to Agent Kallus. You'll find all the details you'll need in it. Now if you'll excuse me, I must attend to matters of import."
Though she tried to turn around, the Inquisitor stopped her by placing a hard hand on her shoulder. If she was so determined to waste his time, so would he. And Force willing, perhaps she actually knew something of value. "Actually, the report will not suffice. I have my own methods, and they must be followed for a proper investigation."
"Inquisitor, I am a busy woman, so please-"
His grip was firm. "It will only be a few moments."
Rolling her eyes, she dismissed the worker who was more than eager to leave the presence of the terrible figure in front of them. Maketh faced the pale disturber with a huff as she shrugged away his hand, and his lips edged up into a smirk. The dynamic was different now, and they both knew it. He was no longer a newcomer in a foreign planet; he was investigating his objective, the Padawan, and that was squarely under his jurisdiction. The Minister, especially one from such an obscure planet, was also no doubt ignorant of the Force. It wouldn't be difficult sifting through her thoughts.
"When was the last time you saw Dev Morgan?"
"Oh, I don't know. Cadets went in and out of the complex, and I had little interest in the errands they ran."
"Had you ever spoken with the boy?"
Her voice spiked with irritation. "You would know that if you just read the report, but no."
"So you didn't keep track of the younglings who had full access to your office?"
She gritted her teeth while the Inquisitor simply smiled haughtily at her. The Inquisitor didn't have to read her mind to know there was nothing in her files worthy of much security anyway.
"No. I trusted the cadets of Lothal to be honest. And anything noteworthy would have been encrypted and inaccessible anyway."
"You didn't think anyone would attempt to access classified information illegally?"
She narrowed the funny little hair lines atop her eyes. "And commit treason? Inquisitor, these cadets are young-"
"And two young cadets betrayed the Empire today."
"One of whom who was not a real cadet! The other boy may have been seduced by Dev Morgan's tricks!"
"Even more reason the Academy should have been more careful with their security. And what do you know of the Jedi, of the Force, Minister?" He stared her down with marked disapproval. Although Maketh was well above average height for a human female, the Inquisitor still towered over her and her ludicrous hat. "Mythology should not be conflated with truth. What makes you think that Jai Kell was… tricked?"
The questions surprised her, and she hesitated before bouncing right back. "I-I may not know the specifics, but Jai Kell didn't fit the profile of a rebel. It's obvious that Dev Morgan tricked him. Just because Kell is well, um, gifted, doesn't necessarily mean he's dissentient. It just doesn't make sense for him to betray his pupils!"
The Inquisitor took a brief moment to study her emotional core. Her confusion was genuine, nearly childlike in its naivety, which meant she was truly ignorant. Perhaps it was understandable, even preferable, that the ways of the Old Republic were forgotten, but it was a wonder how such lay creatures could serve the Empire.
A gloved hand covered his chin as he feigned deep thought. "Matters regarding the Jedi are rarely clear, but that is not something you have to concern yourself with. This is a matter for ISB and the Inquisitorius to handle. What are you doing down here, Minister? This isn't your responsibility. The air field is still being cleared, and it's hazardous to be-"
The woman jabbed at his chest plate, her eyes full of fire. "I do as I see fit, Inquisitor! I am not so out of touch to rely solely on flimsi reports from you and Agent Kallus, especially when something like this happens right under my nose!"
The Inquisitor leered at her, and she merely leered back as he swatted away her finger. How unpleasant. "Do calm yourself. I mean no offense; I simply believe this sort of environment is not conducive to rational thinking." Before the restless politician could protest, he added quickly, "Perhaps going to your office would better help you remember the details of the incident. I insist."
Palming her forehead, she relented. "Fine. Let's get on it, then!" Practically stomping to the elevator, the Inquisitor followed her reluctant lead.
Kallus, meanwhile, gave the Inquisitor a look of concern, but he turned back to the Commandant and Taskmaster to continue their apparently completely engrossing and utterly important discussion. The human male was even sporting an amused smirk all the while. So that was it then? The Grand Inquisitor had to handle this ferocious mynock of a minister by himself?
The Inquisitor made a mental note to one day find the most remote and savage garrison in the universe, preferably one in some forsaken desert, and anonymously recommend the Agent to be reassigned. Then he'd see if the most favored son of ISB lasted more than a day before he died frothing in the mouth.
One day, Agent. One day.
The lift back up was perhaps the longest he had experienced, discounting perhaps the lift he took to seek audience with the Emperor. The Minister's arms were still crossed, and they didn't exchange a word until they approached her office.
She finally piped, "Really, is this necessary? I just don't see the point of it all." If the Empire only did what was strictly necessary, it wouldn't have an infinite amount of divisions of the military and government, would it? But he refrained from provoking her outright. Instead, he had other ideas to get her to talk. Slowing his steps to trail behind her, the Inquisitor took furtive glances to make sure nobody saw him stretching out a hand in the air. Constricting the Force on her, the tension on her shoulders multiplied; weariness and frustration seeped into her bones. The Agent did say simple aggression was not working. Subterfuge in the shadows was always more of the Inquisitor's approach anyway.
The trick took effect immediately, for the Minister was noticeably more agitated as she sat down. "So, Inquisitor. It seems like you and I have plenty of leisure since you insist on lollygagging instead of letting me do something productive."
"I assure you, this is a matter of great import." He allowed her no chance to react to his false civility, speaking on. "Did you notice anything suspicious the past few weeks?"
"No, I didn't notice anything suspicious since I had no reason to be suspicious of anything. I knew Unit Aurek. Their records had always been impressive." She briefly looked away with… disappointment? "It was comprised of reliable, hardworking cadets. Cadets with futures."
He cared little for the easily retrievable information about the boys, but he did care to note she spoke truthfully and with sympathy. It was obvious she held affection for the Academy, but one would be hard pressed to find a nurturing spirit in a politician. Reaching out just a bit more, the Inquisitor explored the emotional centers of her mind. A great helping of annoyance was the centerpiece, as was sympathy, as he suspected. To his amusement, there was also a dash of fear and suspicion mixed in. So the Minister still loathed him, did she?
"How did the system not catch Dev Morgan's lack of adequate credentials?"
She grimaced, in obvious distaste. "He had the very basics filled, and you should know that the Academy occasionally receives cadets from powerful families with their profiles redacted. We all had assumed it was on a need-to-know basis… And we only needed to now."
"So another failure of the administration. How surprising."
"Don't wear out your welcome so quickly, Inquisitor. If you're here only to hurl insults and complain then I suggest you find a cantina to do so!"
Ah yes, he could feel her anger burst right there, like a single bolt from a blaster. Red-hot, short-lived, and more sting than actual damage. If she weren't so grating, he would have considered it nearly endearing. Humans, especially humans, always assumed anger was a hard defense, a wall to raise against the accuser. But he was trained to know better. It was an opening, the exhaust port of an emotional mind. He lingered in her head, scoping for any points he missed. Behind her anger was a shadow, something that always followed her fickle flares, and he needed to know what it was. He needed to press on.
"I am not. It bears repeating: this a mark against the Academy and the government of Lothal. Minister, if a child could infiltrate our ranks, what does that say about your authority? The Empire's authority?"
For once, she had no reply. Rubbing her temples and sighing, she finally spoke with a placating voice the Inquisitor knew she affected for appearances. "I am well aware of what yesterday's act of terrorism means. I am doing all I can to make sure it doesn't happen again, Inquisitor. All of us are!"
She couldn't possibly be backing down now. He could just feel her anger bubble in her mind, and if he could have one more opening, one more outburst… He mustered all his condescension into a single statement.
"Are you, now?"
Maketh's ochre eyes practically bulged out and the Inquisitor sensed her blood pressure spike. He suppressed a triumphant smile and merely waited for the human woman to barrage him with words. She would be so distracted by the sound of her own voice that she'd never notice that he was unearthing her weaknesses with her help.
But the verbal abuse never came. Just as she opened her mouth, a crimson drop suddenly fell from her nose and stained her blue coat. The sudden metallic smell of blood stunned the gaunt being, while the woman stared in shock at the red dot.
Not even a single second passed, but the drops kept coming and dark rings spotted her jacket front. The drops turned into a steady flow, with blood now gushing out. She covered her nose in vain as blue cloth washed into a copper mauve. She instinctively craned her neck back, at which the Inquisitor cringed. What was she doing?
In a moment of bewilderment, the Inquisitor reached over and grabbed the sides of her funneled hat and practically swung her head down. "Do you know nothing of your own anatomy?! The blood will trickle into your respiratory system, choking you or worse!"
Red beads flew out as she spat, "NOT HELPING!" But the Inquisitor already had a hand over her face as he frantically tried to reconnect with her mind, to urge the Force to stop this ridiculous, useless function of the human body, but the Minister's mind was too chaotic for even the Grand Inquisitor to grasp it. Alarm, disgust, and squeamishness all repelled his influence.
How could humans be so fragile, so easy to burst with even the slightest provocation? He wasn't even prying that deeply! Even with gloved hands, he could feel the foul warmth of the liquid life seeping out of the woman's flesh covered bony coffin that entombed her weak excuse of a brain. He freed a hand to practically smash the table interface, opening a comlink. "Send a medical droid to the Minister's office! Now!"
Right then, as if the Force conspired to make the entire situation even more preposterous and damning, the door slid open.
"Wh-"
It was Agent Kallus. Beholding the scene in front of him, he stood frozen, his finger hovering over his datapad mid-tap. He gaped at the Minister, the Minister gaped at the Inquisitor, and the Inquisitor gaped at the Agent.
There was a proper explanation for everything of course. But when the Inquisitor's hand was tightly wrapped over the Minister's mouth and nose, her blood practically dying his gloves red, and when she looked alarmed and struggling, it was very hard to not make certain assumptions.
Time seemed to have stopped. The Jedi hunter was half in mind to use a mind trick to ward away the Agent, but before the Agent could even begin to articulate his deserved confusion, distant and hectic beeping seemed to get closer and closer until the source of the noise shoved Kallus aside to enter the room. The medical droid!
"Move aside, move aside, medical droid coming through," loudly rang the droid.
The Inquisitor immediately let go of the bleeding politician. The droid summoned numerous metal appendages from its chrome red belly, one cleaning the blood, another placing a cloth over her nose, and with another nudging her to urge her to follow it. "The patient must follow me to the medical bay! Vital signs are normal, but I am detecting signs of hypertension!"
"I'm fi-" Maketh was nearly thrown off her chair by the clamorous droid, and before anyone could utter another word, she was pushed out the office and was led down the hall to the medbay.
The Inquisitor didn't even bother to look at the Agent. The alien already knew what he was doing; the damn Agent was probably staring at the door stupidly, refusing to look at him although he probably wanted to. As if there were any way to clarify this nauseous situation!
Kallus finally dared to turn his head towards the Inquisitor and break the silence.
"… Do I even want to know?"
The Inquisitor peered at the one-woman carnage covering the table with a mix of awe and disgust.
"She was tired."
