Chapter Text
A man knelt before his master. The Pau’an stood with his back against him. The Grand Inquisitor watched the Purge Troopers training below. The sounds of their weapons making contact with each other echoed throughout the walls of the facility. The Fortress Inquisitorius, headquarters of the Inquisitors.
The Pau’an turned to face the kneeling man. His apprentice. Taking note of his features. The once blue hair he had was completely replaced with dark colors. The lack of individuality in him indicated that his life was no longer his own. His entire purpose is to serve the Inquisitorius. To serve the Empire. The Pau’an sneered, sensing the lack of fear in his Apprentice. In fact, he sensed nothing in him. His lessons on mental shielding were too effective. The emotionless facade held by his Apprentice stood strong, despite the training he underwent.
“Get up” He ordered. Obliging, his apprentice stood. HIs eyes glowed yellow, the typical color of dark side users. His face showed no hints of fear or confidence. A blank slate, meant to give nothing to anyone around him.
Approaching his apprentice, he placed a device in his hands. Clicking a button on its side, it unfurled into the shape of a full circle. The standard issue weapon for Inquisitors.
“Congratulations Apprentice” The Pau’An started. “You have completed your training as an Inquisitor. In record time if I might add. It seems the death of your parents served motivation enough to break you faster”
At the mention of his parents, the Apprentice’s emotions flared up in the Force for a short moment, but it dissipated before his Master could take notice. The Apprentice held the weapon in his hand, tilting it back and forth, gauging its functionality, before igniting to properly test its usage. Slowly slashing the double blades, he unignited it, placing it on his back. Satisfied with its performance.
“Thank you Master” He finally spoke. Bowing his head as a sign of respect, regardless of whether he held it for his Master.
“You now hold the title of Thirteenth Brother. And with it, also comes your own assignment”. The Grand Inquisitor replied. He walked towards a datapad, grabbing it and handing it towards his apprentice. “You have been assigned to your home planet of Lothal, where Rebel activity has seen a sudden increase”
“You will work with a special Task Force, lead by Governor Arihndha Pryce, your task is to hunt down the Rebel cell with a suspected Jedi as its member. Failure is not an option, Apprentice”
“I understand Master,” The man replied. He turned to leave the room.
“And remember one thing Apprentice, everything you have belongs to the Empire, your thoughts, actions and words, are not yours anymore” The Grand Inquisitor sneered.
Leaving the room, the man finally let some emotion on his face. Frustration, anger and fear. He let his thoughts drift as he headed towards his ship. He thought back about how he got here, how he became a master of deception. Hiding his emotions through physical means and through the Force. He thought of who he once was, and what his end goal is. Entering his ship, he took off. Repeating a mantra that he has repeated ever since the beginning of his training.
‘I am Ezra Bridger, and I am an Inquisitor’
The Star Destroyer Contingent , hovered above an unnamed planet. Smoke could be seen billowing from its surface. A recent bombardment it seems had scorched its surface. No doubt, it aims to eliminate any form of Imperial resistance. A man stood at its helm, admiring his success. It seems that he is enjoying a long streak of successes. No doubt due to his excellent commanding abilities, he confidently thought to himself.
The door hissed open behind him. A female officer entered the room. She stood to attention behind her superior, and awaited her orders.
“Ahh Lieutenant Wren, thank you for taking the time to come to the Bridge” The commander said, turning to face her.
“I go where I am ordered, Commodore Ursin” The woman replied flatly.
The commander turned to take a datapad from the nearby officer, reading off the data from it. “Sabine Wren, prodigy of the Imperial Advanced Weapons Development, inventor of the Duchess, a weapon which brought to its knees the warriors of Mandalore, scattering them and crippling its military capabilities, allowing the Empire full access to its resources” The commander gestured towards her. “Is this you?”
Sabine sighed inwardly. Her history, not something she would like to touch on. Eventually, she gave her answer. “Yes Commodore, it is I”
Scratching his head, the Commander placed his arms behind his back. “With a decorated history such as this, Lieutenant, why did you choose to be here?”
Biting her lips, she recalled the reason she gave to her Commanding Officer the day she left the weapons division. ”As a Mandalorian, Commodore, I crave battle. I had interest in the science and engineering aspect of the war and now, I would like to involve myself in the more….. Physical aspects”
Staring at her, the Commander was still not satisfied with your answer. “Well, that is truly noble of you Lieutenant, but that does not answer the question” Approaching her, he continued. “The Porgania System is probably the furthest from the action you could get in the Empire, which confuses me about your decision”.
Sabine stayed silent. Her choice to move to the edge of civilization was no accident. She intended to distance herself from not just her history, but also the results of her actions. The Empire praises her contributions towards the Takeover of Mandalore, but she is disgusted by it.
The Commander placed a datapad in her hands, shaking her out of her stupor.
“This represents your new assignment Lieutenant. You will be reassigned to the backwater planet of Lothal, to stem the growing Rebellion forces. This should be something more to your liking, Mandalorian” The commander turned away from her.
Sabine briefly glanced through her new assignment, unsure of whether she liked it or not. A backwater planet like this would leave her far away from other Mandalorians, but it also puts her out there, an easy target for the bounty hunters who roam the Outer Rim. She knew there was no arguing on this decision. She was going to Lothal as ordered, like it or not.
“When will I be leaving Commodore?”
“In two hours time Lieutenant. I suggest you pack your things, how little they are, and head to the landing bays”
Nodding to herself, Sabine left the Bridge, heading straight to her quarters. Sabine’s self imposed exile meant that there wasn’t much in her room that she had. And being the Empire, there were even less items that she could possess to indicate any form of individuality. She pulled a bag from under her bed and opened the zipper, checking its contents.
Inside laid Mandalorian Armor. Her armor. The once bright color was worn out due to years of unuse, but its integrity held strong. It is afterall, Beskar. The sight of her once brightly colored armor brought back memories of her time painting in Krownest. Paints which the Empire banned to bring aboard Star Destroyers. Pushing those memories back, Sabine grabbed her clothes from her compartments, and stored them in a small metal box. Grabbing her items, she marched out towards the landing bays.
The sounds of ships filled the air as she waited for her ride to Lothal. She was early, but there wasn’t much to do regardless. Her mind drifted towards her path that led her here. Her past actions drove the once proud Mandalorians into hiding. Forcing them to form covert enclaves, offering their services for scrap just to survive. As she boarded her ship, she pushed those emotions away. Steeling herself for what could transpire on her newest assignment. Relief filled her mind as she wondered about what could happen on Lothal.
The trip to Lothal wasn’t as long as Sabine expected. After boarding, she spent most of the travel time reading through the datapad, committing to memory details that she believes is important for her assignment. Grabbing her belongings, Sabine walked off the ship, to which she was then greeted by an Imperial droid.
“ Sabine Wren, Governor Pryce has requested that you report to her office immediately. You may leave your belongings with me, and I will bring them towards your quarters”
Nodding to the droid, Sabine hesitantly gave her armor and clothing to the droid. She was never one to easily part with her armor, despite how little she wears it now. But she knows that defying a direct order from her superior would not bode well for her time here. Sabine entered the dome which housed a majority of the Empire’s Lothal Garrison. She eventually found her way towards Pryce’s office, to which she entered.
“Ah Lieutenant Wren, welcome to Lothal” Governor Pryce was sitting at her desk, clearly busy with her work. Besides her stood a man in black, Sabine knew all too well it was an Inquisitor. But not one she had seen as of yet.
Standing up, Pryce gestured towards the man. “This is the Thirteenth Brother, newly appointed Inquisitor of the Inquisitorius. He has been appointed here for the same reasons as you Lieutenant” Pryce pressed a button on her desk, and a holo appeared showing A Lasat, A female Twi’lek, a Human male and a Droid.
“As you know, you two have been assigned to be part of my Task Force. You will be leading the Task Force, in an attempt to hunt down these Rebel Terrorists” Pryce gestured towards the image. She then pointed towards the Inquisitor.
“The Thirteenth Brother is here in order to capture a suspected Jedi who is part of this Rebel cell. Unfortunately, we are unable to determine which of these individuals is the Jedi. As such, it is expected that the two of you are to work together to not only uncover this but to also capture the Jedi. I expect that there would be no complications between two decorated Imperials"
Sabine groaned inwardly at the Governor’s words. She has worked with unscrupulous persons throughout her career in the Empire. But an Inquisitor is definitely not one she would look forward to. Nodding to the Governor, she stood up and saluted. “I don’t believe that would be a problem for us Governor”
The Inquisitor gave a small smirk, eventually he too turned and faced Pryce. “If she proves to be useful for me and the Empire, then we should be fine”
Satisfied with their answers, Pryce went back behind her desk. “Very well then, I will leave you two to get to know each other. I will notify you two should there be anything else. For now, you are dismissed”
The doors to Pryce's office hissed open as the pair left their briefing. Content with what was just revealed, Ezra made his way towards his quarters. It seemed he had no intentions on getting along with his partner.
Sabine on the other hand, would have none of this. She may not enjoy the Imperial life, but she enjoyed failing assignments even less. She forcefully placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him to face her.
She was met with a sharp glare, but it seemed to be more of annoyance than of anger. Even so, Sabine did not let that deter her.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
He stared right at the women holding him back. Ezra was mostly surprised that a simple Lieutenant would dare stand against an Inquisitor.
“What?” He growled. Annoyed that it seems he was partnered with a rather diligent Imperial.
“Don’t you think we should discuss our strategies on this assignment? It seems pretty high profile. I don’t think we should head in without discussing any form of plans”
Ezra thought about her statement, still holding a sharp glare at the Lieutenant. She wasn’t wrong, per say. But Ezra had grown to distrust most Imperial agents, and Sabine was one that he had yet to meet. Realizing that again, her determination was not something that he could get around, he relented.
“Fine,” He replied simply. “We’ll use our room to deliberate”. Turning, he walked towards the direction of their quarters.
“Our room?” Sabine questioned. Had she heard him right?
“Yes, our. Is that going to be a problem?”
Sucking her teeth inwardly, she raised no objections. Instead, she followed in his steps.
Sabine was still reeling in the sight of their shared room. All it consisted of was a bunk bed, a shared space and a shared bathroom. It seems privacy was another concept that the Imperials had little to no care about. Sabine made her way to the bottom bunk, where she spotted her belongings. She also noticed that the Inquisitor had nothing to his name.
Ezra stood in front of her, a defiant look held on his face. He tapped his foot impatiently, he seemed eager to get this part of the assignment done.
“Well?” He questioned. Sabine handed him the datapad, containing the detailed information regarding the so-called Spectres.
“Which among them do you think are Jedi, Thirteenth Brother?” Looking through the datapad, Ezra took note of their names and features.
Kanan Jarrus, Human male, Commonly known as Spectre-1. Mainly seen using a blaster. Considered the Co-leader of the group.
Hera Syndulla, Female Twi’lek of Ryloth. Daughter of Cham Syndulla, resistance fighter and leader of Ryloth. Commonly known as Spectre-2. Mainly seen using a blaster. Considered the pilot and leader of the group.
Droid Model C1-10P. Droid engineer of the Spectres. Commonly referred to as Spectre-3. Considered the mechanic of the group. Has been reported to be used infiltrating Imperial bases with hastily painted disguises. Report to high command should an out of place droid be spotted on Imperial premises.
Garazeb Orrelios. Male Lasat. Former Captain of the Lasan Honor Guard. Main weapon of choice is a Bo-rifle. Considered to be the muscle of the group.
Ezra placed a hand on his chin, contemplating what he had just read. Sabine left him to think in silence, surprised to see a thinking Inquisitor. From what she knew of the Inquisitorius, its members were often muscle heads. Preferring to use their sabers instead of their brains. The sight of the Thirteenth Brother thinking wasn't one she had expected, but it was one that she wholeheartedly welcomed. Her thoughts were cut short as he finally lifted his head to voice his opinions.
“Without seeing them in action, it is impossible to determine. However, I have a strong suspicion regarding the human male”
Nodding her head, Sabine was content with what the Inquisitor was willing to share with her. She expected him to stay silent once more, but was surprised when he continued on about the rest of the Spectres.
“The Twi’lek Hera, would seem to have some form of connection with the human male Kanan” Ezra gave her the datapad back, pointing at the image of Kanan.
“What makes you think that?” Sabine questioned.
“Hera is seen as the captain of the Spectres, yet her code name is Spectre-2 instead of Spectre-1. One might assume that the human took it in order to safeguard the true leader of the cell”
Humming to herself quietly, Sabine was impressed at the thoughtfulness of the Inquisitor. Imperial soldiers were never really known for their brains. Only a handful of Commanding Officers had the capabilities to really see the big picture. But Inquisitors were even less so of a brainy bunch. More often than not, they were viewed as muscleheads, thinking with their fancy sabers instead of with their brains. “What about the Lasat?” Sabine continued.
“This one seems simple enough; ever since the annihilation of the Lasat homeworld, any Lasat lucky enough to survive would harbor hatred for the Empire. Any Lasat brave and skilled enough, would probably pick up arms and stand against the Empire. This one, seems to have more brawn than brain. It should be easy to get into his head and have him give in to his emotions”
The discussion regarding members of the Spectres was going better than Sabine expected. She had learnt much about them, and it was mostly due to the surprising tactical might of the Thirteenth Brother. She looked up at him once more, she noticed that the Inquisitor’s face seemed to have softened. It seems he preferred the planning side of combat compared to its physical sides. She noted that he wasn’t too far from her age, maybe only a year younger than her. Just another reminder of how twisted the Empire must be to recruit young force users and turn them into Jedi Hunters.
“So how should we deal with them if we were to encounter them?” Sabine questioned. She shook thoughts of the Empire’s evil out of her head. She had once considered leaving the Empire and becoming a fugitive instead of rejoining it. But instead decided that she had no right to fight for what she thought was right after what she had done.
“If the human male is the Jedi I am seeking, I will solely engage him. I would suggest you and your trooper squad to focus on the female Twi’lek. Capture her if possible, it would serve to disturb the focus of the Jedi. The Lasat is even easier to deal with. Distract him with hordes of Stormtroopers, so he would not be able to help the other two Spectres.”
Nodding to herself, Sabine felt satisfied about their strategic meeting. She stood up from her bed, and headed towards their shared bathroom.
“Well, I think that’s all we can think about for now. I’m going to clean up”
Ezra gave no mind to her statement. Crossing his legs, Ezra sat down in the center of the room. Letting his mind go through the Force, he meditated to organize his thoughts about the day.