Noventa - A Star Wars Story

It had been a long night of waiting for Jelna, being brought aboard the shuttle, back up to the Imperator. She had been left in the interrogation chamber, sitting at a spartan table. A small, metal mug of caf had been left with her, though if it hadn't been drank quickly, it would be quite cold.

Finally, the door hissed open, as the Inquisitor walked in, two Stormtroopers following her, taking post positions on either side of the door. The Inquisitor stood over the desk, before sliding into the seat across from the blonde. "Comfortable?" Her voice, overly mechanized, was cold.

"I've had better nights, but I've also had worse," Jelna answered truthfully. She glanced at the stormtroopers and smiled at both of them. The former ISB officer possessed a certain admiration for them, but also a bit of snootiness about them. They were muscle, effective at that, but were not trained to think. That had been why Zerra had impressed her so.

"Are the guards really necessary? I'd think ya would need every trooper on the field keepin' order."

"You and I both know, appearances are important. We have standards, after all. The Rebels never had a flair for the dramatic." The mask half opened, keeping her mouth and nose covered, but exposing her carmine flesh, the brightness of her eyes. Her hands folded onto the table, before she raised her hand. "Leave us." The two stormtroopers quickly turned on their heels, moving out of the door, before it sealed shut again.

"Tell me, Agent. Do you know how talented you are?"

Jelna remained rather still as she listened to the Inquisitor speak. By the end of it, she straightened out her posture from the casual wanderer to Maribelle herself. "Of course," she replied, accent adjusted as well, "And yet, you have me at a disadvantage. The Inquisitorius was always privy to more information and resources than the ISB."

"Your task was to keep the more mundane threats contained, but bound by the doctrines of the Imperial Military Machine. Our branch acted on the will of Vader himself, and allowed us a bit of... leeway." Her eyes shined with the smile hidden by her half mask, "Special dispensations were always our thing. And now, here we are. How you managed to escape the notice of Lord Vader, or any other member of the Inquisition..." she trailed off, leaning forwards, resting her chin on her hands.

"... is such a mystery to me. Perhaps fate or luck protected you. But such a keen mind. You could have been one of us..."

Jelna lowered her eyes, her lips a thin line. "You offer me so much praise, but I would not claim any significant talent in the Force. And to be honest, I always thought of it as rubbish."

The former skeptic leaned back with a small smirk. "But now I have evidence of the contrary."

"Thinking it's rubbish was the plan. Showed just how well COMPNOR did their job. Wiping out any memory of the Jedi in such a short time." The Inquisitor seemed wistful, looking at the former ISB agent.

"And that evidence, is just a shadow of what you could learn. It is a new age, you know. A future that is always in motion, ready to be shaped by those with the power to do so."

"Could, but that was never allotment in my life." Jelna's smile broadened. "Unlike the Inquisitorius, the ISB had their agents as cogs in a machine. I prefer it that way.

"Too many ambitious people and you end up having power struggles. There were far too many leading up to where we are now."

"Which was a plague that hollowed out the Empire from within. Some rumors say that was how the Emperor designed it, so that no one would be strong enough to challenge his authority. Or think of banding together to do so. A shame, that his paranoia and over confidence played into his undoing." The scarlet colored woman laughed a bit, and then shrugged. "But you aren't curious? Not one bit, at exploring what you could do, what you could be? Surely, this isn't the first time you've felt something." Leaning back in the chair.

"Have you felt it, the Darkness that permeates that planet? Even here, it's touch creeps through everything like inky tendrils oozing into the very machine of this ship."

"People did band together to oppose him but not to the extent he had anticipated. The Rebellion was not fueled by a lust for power and perhaps that is why they succeeded." Jelna looked around the room, her expression turning more pensive. "I would not have been a good agent if I was never curious. This is the first instance where I have felt such a phenomenon, even so far away. It is almost hard to remember a time without it."

"It did wash over everything. And for a brief moment, there was peace." She seemed distant at that. "But you are right. It created the perfect environment for hope to bloom into a rebellion."

"Have you... tried to experiment with the feeling? To see what you could do?"

"I have not experimented with it. I did not see reason in pursuing such a pervading feeling." Jelna shifted in her seat to maintain her posture. "There is something odd about this planet, isn't there? Something more than mundane resources for the Admiral."

The Inquisitor nodded. "There is. I've only felt it in one place before, and not to the extent that it is here. The Spire, on Stygeon Prime." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the Agent before her. "I've had visions of this place, and while I have some explanation already, what disturbs me is just how strong the Force is I haven't felt something like that since before the Clone Wars." Leaning forwards, tilting her head. "Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"

"I could have been drawn to this planet without even realizing it," Jelna mused, "Or it could have been mere coincidence."

The blonde leaned back into her seat. "Does the Admiral share your feelings then? Or is this another example of 'need-to-know' in Imperial personnel?"

She chuckled at that. "We've briefed each other on what may need to happen here. Though she is not a firm believer in my talents, she understands my place, and I hers. It is mutually beneficial." She tapped her fingers, for a long, too long moment. "You must not have come here alone. Your friends, I am sure they are worried about you? Especially taken for so long?"

"The Admiral would worry too if you were absent for such a lengthy period too," Jelna remarked. She looked idly and continued with, "But not as much as a comrade. I did not notice any of your brothers or sisters with you."

"As you said, you believed most of us gone. I believe the same, though if Jedi can remain in hiding for decades, why not Inquisitors. Hope isn't something I feel for them, though. Just means less competition. Or maybe more." She shrugged, and then shook her head. "I'm not going to try and extract information from you. Likely, with your training, you would only give me false leads, and play mind games where we try to outwit each other. While entertaining, you and I both know it would be fruitless." She stood up straight.

"So here is what I am going to do. I, am going to be honest with you. As long as you are honest with me. With your reputation, your training, why did you not try to rejoin the Empire, either with Grand Admiral Sloane after Jakku, or with any remnants? Why run, for so long?"

And we had just spoken about the lack of comraderie leading to the downfall of the Galactic Empire. Jelna kept a blank face and wondered if such a thing would be true. Torture was a difficult task, one that often gave false information. But the combination of suitable techniques and circumstances had served her well before. She wondered for a moment if she was better at it than an Inquisitor of all people, but it did not matter much to her.

Jelna smirked at the mention of reputation. Surely her career had been successful but she had never considered herself one among Tarkin, Thrawn, or Sloane. But she was even more amused at the thought of honesty. Now that is another tactic for extracting information.

The blonde shrugged. "My area of expertise was the identification, interrogation, and disposal of covert operatives. Most of them are now open supporters of the New Republic."

"And so you are on the run from them. Just the same as Sloane's faction." She mused for a moment. "Still, that does bring some understanding. This is a rather out of the way world. Would take weeks for a real threat to come out here." The Inquisitor turned away for a moment, as if she sensed something. Pondering, deeply thinking.

"Why did you rush the stage? Just a tactical decision, or was there something more?"

There was temptation to lie but, with it pieced together, there was little point in it. The next answer, though, even Jelna was not sure about. "It was the obvious target. I had no time to hesitate," she finally answered, which was true.