Chapter Eighteen

A hovertrain flew along the coastline, morning light glittering off of the waves in flashes that were not unlike the electro-weave fields outside of Paku's farm. The train was a bulky thing, each car shaped like a long, upright parallelogram that were connected by electro fields that pulsed with a purple light. Aramis stood in a corner near the back of one of the thick durasteel cars. He wore a pair of white overalls and a frayed wicker hat, borrowed from Paku. He felt ridiculous.

Lehal Jak was dressed the same as him. The human, who stood near the front of the car, seemed much comfortable in the outfit, however. Between the two of them were several large bundles of electro-weave, ready to be processed and shipped offworld. A couple of other passengers occupied the car as well, each of them watching their own cargo that was bound for the spaceports.

Aramis swayed forward as the hovertrain slowed. He could hear a blaring siren from the outside of the train that alternated between high and low notes. He guessed that it signalled their arrival to the station. A door at the front of the car opened and Uraala entered the compartment.

Instead of the farmer getup she wore a business suit, borrowed from one of Jak's cousins. Aramis figured that, with her background as a blackmarket trader, she could portray her cover as a commodity salesperson well. She carried a datapad in the crux of her arm, and, as she used it to scan one of the electro-weave bundles, one of her lekku fell from her shoulders. She twitched the tip of her head tail ever so slightly, in full awareness that he was watching her. Aramis felt a warm sensation spread throughout his chest as he couldn't help but smile. He lowered the brim of his hat when he glanced over and realized Jak was smirking at him knowingly.

The train shuddered as it finally came to a stop. A great sliding door came open in the side of the car, flooding the interior with blinding light. A pair of customs officials gestured for the passengers to step out onto the platform while they inspected the cargo. Aramis found himself standing on a platform made of sandstone. Great metallic columns rose into the air, supporting a transparisteel roof that was so clear it was almost invisible. A small crowd gathered at the back of the platform as passengers left the cars. Aramis quickly noticed a squad of Imperial stormtroopers examining each passenger as they moved through the security checkpoint. He was momentarily taken aback by the new kit the soldiers wore, an update from the armor worn by the Republic's clone troopers. For reason he couldn't quite place the new gear seemed inferior to the old.

Aramis and Jak waited until Uraala was finished with the customs official, who seemed to buy her cover without complaint. "Are we going to have a problem?" Aramis asked both of them, eyeing the stormtroopers.

"They're probably only checking for proper documents," Uraala said, although she didn't seem overly confident. Aramis glanced around the platform. The security checkpoint was the only exit. There was a twenty meter drop to a brushy forest below them off the edge of the platform. Beyond the checkpoint loomed a huge wall, made up of the same tan sandstone as the platform. A large boulevard like walkway led up to the tunnel that cut through the wall. The trio got into the line, which moved slowly. Nearly thirty minutes later they made it to the checkpoint.

"Documents out," a stormtrooper demanded. Aramis tried to look as relaxed as possible as he stared into the black eyes of the trooper's helmet.

"They're with me," Uraala said, motioning towards Aramis and Jak. She presented her datapad, which the stormtrooper handed to a black KX-series security droid.

"Their permits are in order," the droid said in its slightly monotone voice. The stormtrooper took the datapad back and shoved it into Uraala's hands.

"Don't overstay your welcome snake head," the stormtrooper said with disgust as he stepped aside. Uraala ignored the comment while Aramis couldn't help but glare at the soldier. Jak prodded him through the checkpoint before the stormtrooper could notice.

"Careful," Jak whispered. The trio followed the crowd towards the wall, which towered over them. They travelled through the tunnel and soon emerged on the other side.

The causeway that stretched before them wound itself through the heart of the city, abandoning geometric precision for curvilinear grace. The office and residential buildings on either side of the avenue rose in sandstone turrets like that of pre-industrial castles. Ivy clung to the walls on many of the buildings, leading the eye upwards towards the rooftop parks and gardens that stretched across the skyline. Unlike on Coruscant there were no unending lines of traffic cars zooming overhead. Instead passenger cars hovered near the street, picking up passengers and transporting them at slow speeds near the ground. If it wasn't for the presence of an occasional stormtrooper on a street corner or a reconnaissance droid hovering above the gardens, it seemed the city had not yet noticed the occupation the world was now under.

"Where to?" Aramis asked.

"First we need to change clothes," Jak answered. Aramis and Uraala followed him a short way down the main avenue before he diverged down an alley between two of the castle-like residential buildings. The path narrowed until the group could only walk single file. Just when Aramis was beginning to wonder if Jak was lost they came to a space that widened into a courtyard landing platform. A small droid transport, no bigger than the waist high bundles of electro-weave back on the train, sat on the platform. The building on the other side was broad and short, a sloping roof clad in faded red tile topping the structure. Numerous durasteel pipes erupted from the roof, a cloud of steam rising out of them. "We just have to wait," Jak said as he passed by the transport droid and headed towards a thick door in the side of the building.

The wait extended for nearly twenty minutes, which threatened to lull Aramis to sleep. It didn't help that the chirping of birds that came from every rooftop made him feel like he was in one giant labyrinthine park. And then, quite suddenly, the dull grey door clattered open. A load lifter droid exited the building, shaped like a miniature patrol walker that carried a plasteel laundry basket instead of blaster cannons. "Now is our chance," Jak announced. He jumped through the door before it close, followed closely by Aramis and Uraala. It shut with a loud bang behind them an instant later. Jak went down the hall, which was almost pitch black, until he entered a room that seemed more similar to a factory than a laundry.

Large dome shaped containers vibrated noisily throughout the room, which stretched to either wall of the buildng. Load lifter droids waddled between the machines, some of them carrying dirty laundry, others carrying laundry that was fresh from the washers. Huge cylinder shaped dryers operated towards the back of the room. There wasn't a single organic being overseeing any of it. Jak moved towards a corner of the room. Another droid, this one humanoid in shape, was sorting cleaned laundry by size, placing articles of clothing into numbered bins that rested along a long shelf. The droid ignored Jak as he found the appropriate bin and removed a white shirt.

"What were you saying about the low crime rate on this planet?" Uraala asked as Jak began removing his farmers outfit in exchange for the university uniform.

"The uniforms are owned by the university," he answered with a smirk. "As long as we throw them into a bin before we leave the planet we aren't stealing them. Just borrowing."

"What does your Jedi code say about this?" Uraala asked Aramis as she began removing her business suit.

"As long they were acting for the greater good the Jedi didn't really concern themselves much about property rights," Aramis answered, not really picking up on Uraala's sarcasm. "Jedi would steal people's speeders if they really needed to. Just yell 'Jedi business' and you were good."
"I'm beginning to understand why most people don't miss the Jedi that much…" Jak said with an amused smile.

Several minutes later the trio emerged from the laundry building looking for the world like nothing more than three fresh faced students on their first day of school. All three of them wore white pants, a white dress shirt, and a light blue jacket. Together they exited the back alleys and rejoined the main avenue. Jak continued to lead the way. Soon enough a large circular tower loomed over them that was built like an arena stacked atop itself. Huge columns of white stone rose upwards, supporting multiple towers that rose into the sky. A large plaza of white and black stone surrounded the massive complex, separating it from the city.

"It's like a literal ivory tower," Aramis commented.

"I don't think you're one to talk," Uraala retorted as they made their way across the plaza. Every twenty meters a huge fountain would burst like a geyser from the ground. Other students, most of them wearing uniforms identical to the ones Aramis, Jak, and Uraala had stolen, sat on benches surrounding the fountains. As the trio crossed the plaza the groups of students hardly glanced in their direction.

The passed beneath the higher tier of the university. A ring of tiered stairs lead upwards to grand entrances that were cut every forty five degrees along the circumference of the complex. Groups of students passed through each of the entrances under the watchful of a squad of stormtroopers, who did not seem to be stopping anyone or examining identification documents. Their only purpose seemed aimed towards intimidation.

The trio ascended the steps and passed through the entrance, with only a spare glance from the stormtroopers. They all exhaled only once they were well out of sight. The corridor, shaped similarly to the tunnel they had passed through on their way into the city, had turbolifts lining each side in groups of four. Jak passed them by, instead leading into a central atrium. The courtyard at the bottom of the university was like an enormous garden. Fountains surrounding by floating plants lined meeting areas and park benches. A small restaurant in the middle of it all dispense with caf and small pastries. Winged insects floated in the air, their bright colors breaking up the dullness of the red and black brick floor and the off-white walls. Huge skylights in the walls reflected bright sunlight into the interior. It hardly felt like the inside of a building at all.

The walls along the circumference of the interior were broken up by balconies and windows, which provided the classrooms and offices a commanding view of the courtyard. Spherical messenger droids flitted back and forth high above them, a flock punctuated now and then by a black Imperial reconnaissance droid.

"Did you go to school here?" Uraala asked as they gazed out onto the scene before them.

"I wasn't a student, but I did work here," Jak answered. "Professor Haldas' offices used to up there," he added, looking upwards toward the windows of the higher level windows.

"Your uncle said he's been moved to capital," Aramis said.

"Yeah. But we aren't going get very far in borrowed student's uniforms," Jak said. "I need to find some hard intel on what's been going on since the Empire arrived. I think I'll be able to get into his former offices. He was never one for changing his security passcodes."

"What should we do in the meantime?" Uraala asked.

"Keep a low profile," Jak answered. "Try to stay off of the Empire's scanners. I'll meet you at midday over by the cafe." The group separated, with Jak moving down the periphery of the enormous courtyard.

"Care to join me for a cup?" Uraala asked as she began to step towards the center of the room before having to defer to a butterfly that fluttered in front of her.

"Sure," Aramis replied. "I can imagine a lot of worse ways to pass the time," he added as a black Imperial droid floated overhead.

oOoOo

The woman with the dark blue skin woke suddenly, although no obvious alarm interrupted her sleep. Small slivers of pale golden light illuminated the sorry excuse for a dormitory room that she had been assigned in the LiMerge industrial building on Coruscant. She had only a small cot for furniture. An open clothes hanger was her only amenity. Her training outfit, a black and grey jumpsuit, was the only article of clothing that occupied it. She reached beneath her pillow and retrieved the ring saber that had been given to her by Darth Vader. She held over her head, her dark eyes running over every detail of its construction. She had built her own weapons, but never a lightsaber. She wished very much to take it apart. Unfortunately she did not feel that she would receive a replacement if she wasn't able to put it back to together again.

Suddenly she felt a shift in the Force that called out to her, a repeat of the feeling that must have awoken her in the first place. Assemble. She jumped out of bed and quickly got into her jumpsuit. A few minutes later she found herself standing in a line with the other recruits in the cavernous room where all of their training had taken place. There were nine of them in total. A pale and wrinkled human man had joined the group after the beginning of their training. He seemed to have a deep understanding of the dark side.

During the training some of the recruits had lost limbs during combat demonstrations from their master, who seemed to have a steady supply of prosthetics available and a great willingness to put them to use. Vader entered the room from a circular doorway across from them. A cloud of steam billowed around him, making it seem as if he emerged from the ether itself. A battered and beaten KX-series security droid followed in his wake, pushing a metallic cart. Upon the cart were eight black helmets.

"Your training is now complete," Vader spoke to the assembled group, the hissing sounds of his respirator punctuating each carefully pronounced syllable. "Your skills are now sufficient to serve the Emperor as his Inquisitors."

She watched Vader as he slowly walked down the line. She looked into the black lenses of his helmet as his gaze went over her, but was careful to keep her expression neutral. Some of the others favored diverting their gaze. Vader reacted the same either way, which is to say without the slightest concern.

"Your duties will vary, but the primary mission of the Inquisitorial will be to hunt down and eliminate the remaining Jedi who survived the Emperor's purge. The Empire's spy agencies, the Imperial Security Bureau and Imperial Intelligence agency, will pass along all intelligence relating to this task. Your order will be part of Imperial Intelligence, but you will operate independently. You answer to me and the Emperor, but also to your own internal hierarchy."

Vader paused, taking a step back from the group. "The Dark Side of the Force rewards those with the strength and skill to wield it with great power. Your strength in the Force and skill with your lightsaber, as well as the successful completion of your duties, will determine your rank. First…"

One of the black helmets lifted itself off the cart. It gracefully moved through the air until it hovered in front of the Pau'an man who had once been a member of the Jedi Temple Guard. "The Grand Inquisitor. You are the leader of the Inquisitorius and responsible for the continued training and oversight of this group. Your orders to the rest will not be questioned. But do not forget your place," Vader added with a subtle hand gesture over the hilt of his own lightsaber.

"Thank you, my Master," the Grand Inquisitor said. He took the black helmet, which was shaped similarly to Vader's, and placed it upon his head.

"Next, the Second Brother," Vader said. The next helmet moved from the table and glided before the pale human, who took it with a grin that revealed his yellowed teeth.

"The Third Sister," Vader said. The third helmet rose and drifted forward. This time it hovered before the blue skinned woman. Expressionless she took it and placed it upon her head. It was fitted perfectly. She tilted her head from side to side, finding that the protective back that covered much of her neck did not offer a hindrance to her movement.

Vader continued telekinetically handing out helmets until the entire group had received their rank. "When you return to your rooms you will find the remainder of your uniforms. They, and your lightsabers, are your only possessions." He crossed his arms over his thick torso. "And now, your first assignments."

Vader moved to face the Grand Inquisitor. "You and the Third Sister will take a shuttle to the Obroa-Skai system. The leader of COMPNOR, Ishin-il-Raz, is overseeing the transfer of sensitive artifacts to from the Archive on Obroa-Skai to Imperial Center. He has...limited operational experience. You will provide assistance and advice, and deal with any insurrections from local authorities."

"Yes my Lord," the Grand Inquisitor said. If he seemed put off by the banality of his first mission he didn't show it.

"As you wish," the Third Sister spoke. Vader issued other tasks to the rest of the group, always putting them into groups of two or three. It seemed that their Master did not yet trust them to operate on their own. Perhaps he believed some of them would simply not return.

As the Third Sister adjusted her grip on the ring saber she held behind her back she thought that Vader's precautions were warranted. She had been offered a place within the Empire not long after its founding, and although she had not known that this position in the Inquisitorius was her ultimate destination, the results of turning the offer down had been clear. Death.She had been dealing death to others for almost a decade. Now it seemed she would be doing the same with the government's approval.

"You have your orders," Vader said after dispensing orders to the Ninth Sister, the large Dowutin woman, and the Tenth Brother, the Miralukan man. "I expect complete success. Failure will not be tolerated."

"Yes, my Master," the group said almost in unison. At that Vader spun, his cape billowing behind him, and exited the cavernous room. The Grand Inquisitor glanced towards her, an annoyed expression on his face. Some of the others would be hunting down Padawans who had escaped the purge. Others were tasked with located a Separatist leader who survived the end of the war. And yet the leader of the group would be babysitting a bureaucrat, along with the only Inquisitor who had bested him in combat. The Third Sister met his expression without any of her own, her dark blue, almost purple hued skin making her face seem like hardly more than shadow beneath her helmet.

"I'm ready to leave when you are," she said. "GrandInquisitor."

"Be at the main entrance in five minutes," he ordered with a slightly heightened tenor to his proper Core worlds accent. The Third Sister smirked, finally breaking her neutral expression, and made her way back to her dormitory room. She looking forward to getting off of Coruscant. She moved her ring saber to one side, flipping a switch and changing the power settings from practice to lethal levels. She hoped, dearly, that someone wouldattempt stealing artifacts. "All things in good time," she whispered to herself.