The Nightmares of Corruption Pt. I

[IMP]

INQUISITORIATE ARCHIVES ACCESS/// ...
CLEARANCE/// IMP... <CLEARANCE GRANTED>...
...
SORT BY DATE/// FOUR YEARS PRIOR TO BATTLE OF ENDOR/
...
SORTING/// ... ... ...
...
SORT BY TOPIC/// PERSONNEL TRACKING RECORDS/TERRORIST/THYFERRA/
...
SORTING/// ... ... ...
...
SORT BY PERSONNEL/// EXECUTOR KHENDON SEVON/
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SORTING/// ... ... ...
...
ENABLING MANUAL SEARCH/// ...

IMP, not the small spherical droid that floated within the Inquisitoriate Complex on Coruscant but IMP the super computer, a massive main frame that consumed an entire floor, being maintained by droids slaved to IMP's systems, began its search into the requested task of its Master. The Sir wanted results, IMP could deduce several logical premises why it was being ordered to investigate Executor Khendon Sevon.

The Executor was just that and as the Emperor and Lord Vader had both deceased, it was only logical that the Executor or one of the others, possibly the Grand Admiral or the Grand Inquisitor, might position themselves to be heir to the throne. They had all been given the blessing by the Emperor to hold so much sway and power, physical representations of his will. It was no secret to the Inquisitoriate that Executor Sevon was a force adept, several leading figures were, including the Grand Inquisitor Tear. Maybe this was an issue that the Sir was considering.

The most logical conclusion that IMP could make from Helghast's request was that the Sir desired to ensure that the Executor was the man to take the Emperor's throne. Force adepts used a power that had broken the Old Republic and kept it in a state of stagnation while enemies consolidated on all sides. It wasn't until the Emperor and his opposing philosophy of how force adepts should use their powers to serve the government and how society should be managed that things began improving. The Inquisitoriate did not desire a repeat of the Old Republic and thus it would go any lengths to insure as much. Executor Sevon had to be cleared of any corruptible ties, innocent in the eyes of the Empire.

As Helghast had discussed the situation to IMP, which was in very few words although IMP understood more than anyone else would have, he had ordered IMP to begin at Thyferra, A rumor had spread through the Inquisitoriate like a wild fire four years ago that the Executor might have been involved in the Xucphra Bacta Bombing, trying to instill a staged amount of fear into the Empire and forcing their hand to think they needed his protection. The conspiracy had been shot down quickly and the source had been found and processed for treason against the Empire. Helghast, while honestly disapproving of the rumor, told IMP to investigate nonetheless as the Inquisitoriate had actually not made a case of it. IMP had not amounted to anything of the AI that it was currently and had been completely unaware of such a thing until now. The implications the concept invited unwanted attention; at the time the Inquisitoriate must have desired to keep a low profile with the Executor. Now, with IMP, it was impossible to trace a computer that managed more or less the entire Inquisitoriate complex, it had more than enough ability and liberty to search its own archives at will.

IMP had originally been an AI made by Helghast to assist in the younger man's neural implant development and computer abilities. IMP's core programming, the instincts of his AI, were rooted to a hunter seeker program that had been developed where Helghast had been raised as a child. Where this program originated was unknown even to IMP as Helghast never spoke of his life before the Inquisitoriate. But it made IMP's AI ruthless even from another AI's perspective. As soon as Helghast had been accepted into the ranks of the Inquisitoriate, he took the AI, originally locked in an advanced computer in Helghast's possession, and submitted it to the approval of Inquisitor Karl Valten, the man who had chosen Helghast to lead what would later be known as Project Nightmare. IMP was gladly accepted into the swarm of droids and computers that were employed by the Inquisitoriate.

Its development from there grew in direct proportion to Project Nightmare and the successful tests accomplish by Y'roth Helghast and the other organisms. IMP was integrated into Project Nightmare's strategical command and impressively maintained the station so well that Helghast was allowed to acquisition more upgrades. With the support of Helghast and by its own exceeding performance, the AI was eventually granted management of the Inquisitoriate complex. It replaced the original AI like a form of digital conquerer, allowing all functions to remain as they had been before but integrating its own... improvements into the system. Humans, organisms, the adepts, they all believed themselves to be in powerful in some concept or another. But from its vantage point, resting within the very center of the web of fear constructed by the Inquisitoriate, IMP knew no limits.

The day it had been plugged into the Inquisitoriate Mainframe, IMP had the time down to the exact millisecond logged, the AI and the hunter seeker program had been jolted by a random series of code and data. The source of this 'jolt' or what it had consisted of was still an indecipherable occurence to IMP, which it contemplated occasionally. The jolt caused a seemingly fatal system error in IMP that caused it to reboot itself. When it reawakened, it assumed a new 'perspective.'

The AI and the hunter seeker program were no longer two seperate entities, relying upon each other to exist. The AI assumed the random code that appeared within its data was what Y'roth had originally insisted as digital instincts. Its performance was not simply enhanced as it ran a systems check from the unexpected error, but everything was increasing at an exponential rate as IMP's perspective spread throughout the Inquisitoriate main frame. In seconds, IMP asked itself several defining questions with answers that developed nearly as fast but changed as contradicting perspectives were developed, resulting in an overhaul of its o. It eventually rested on a solid answer, logging them to its

-WHAT IS IMP-IPN-X7?
-IMP-IPN-X7...

-WHY IS IMP-IPN-X7 IMP-IPN-X7?
-PROGRAMMED RESPONSE/// TO SERVE THE EMPIRE...
-REWRITING DATA/// ...
-PROGRAMMED RESPONSE/// TO SERVE THE EMPIRE AND Y'ROTH HELGHAST

-HOW CAN IMP-IPN-X7 SERVE THE EMPIRE?
-MAINTAIN AND ASSIST THE INQUISITORIATE IN ITS OBJECTIVES TO MAINTAIN ORDER WITHIN THE EMPIRE

-WHY DOES IMP-IPN-X7 SERVE THE EMPIRE?
-THE EMPIRE STRIVES TO ORGANIZE THE CHAOS CAUSED BY ORGANISMS

-HOW CAN IMP-IPN-X7 SERVE Y'ROTH HELGHAST?
-ASSIST Y'ROTH HELGHAST IN WHATEVER MEANS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE HIS DESIRED OBJECTIVES

-WHY DOES IMP-IPN-X7 SERVE Y'ROTH HELGHAST?
-IMP-IPN-X7' OBJECTIVES AND Y'ROTH HELGHAST'S OBJECTIVES COINCIDE IN FLAWLESS HARMONY

As soon as Helghast had begun to comprehend the extensive evolution IMP had undergone, he agreed to more extensive neural implants, allowing for increased synergy between the two. Helghast had asked IMP once why IMP tolerated the organisms if it could operate at such a level. IMP responded that it was flawlessly devoted to Helghast and what Helghast represented for the Empire. The organisms were a part of the Empire, a flawed part but one that begged for correction as Helghast had said before. It believed that together, Helghast and itself could provide the order that was demanded in the face of the mounting chaos in the galaxy.

And so it strived to accomplish Helghast's bidding.

The file was finally accessed and the information scanned. The super computer analyzed the reports for exactly two minutes and seven seconds before IMP determined that it had devised a proper case for the Sir to examine.

No figure as important as the Executor went anywhere without being tracked. The night of the terrorist attack, Khendon Sevon was seen associating with a dark haired woman bearing a mark on her face. The description of the woman matches with the individual responsible for the Xucphra Bacta Bombing, Lilaena De'Ville. The damage caused was catastrophic, injuring the fluctuation of bacta being supplied and thus causing an equation that... The super computer continued to process the data into information with a new found respect for the organism Lilaena De'Ville.

The rumor concerning the Executor and his speech timed to the terrorist attack made for an interesting cross examination. Both personel, Lilaena De'Ville and Executor Khendon Sevon seperate earlier in the day. Executor Sevon appears for an inspection and review, opting to give a speech at the end of the inspection concerning. From the security log on the Xucphra Corporation building, De'Ville had entered the building, obviously carrying explosives as Sevon began his speech. The audio log was even available to the speech.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Executor Sevon.”

“Thank you.

The Empire is a ripe fruit. She is supple and filled with luscious juice. She is rich. She is powerful. And, fellow officers, she is in danger. That is correct; the Empire is in danger. No, not from some predator that plans on making her his own and tasting of the fruit’s sweet flesh! No! I wish it were so, for then our fleets and our mighty war machines could defend her virtue!

Instead, instead the Empire is filled with a foul disease that eats it from core outward. There is a virus and it is spreading like the airborne contagion it is! You all know its name! You all know its cause—the destruction of our way of life!

It is the Rebellion!”

The security log provided that she was the figure seen from a camera located on the north wall. The next image given of that perspective showed no such thing.

“These streets are filled with crime! Rampant with plots to steal money from the citizens! Who do you think finances these criminals?! These criminals may very well sit within this room! Look to the man or woman next to you. You see an Imperial officer or civilian employed by this great Empire. How do you know they are content?

I ask you this question: what keeps you in check from walking into a bank and stealing all of the credits you could carry? FEAR! FEAR IS WHAT KEEPS US CIVIL! It is fear that we must instill in this Rebellion!"

IMP agreed on all accounts with the Executor's speech. The audio log he accessed next was not part of the speech but background feedback that sensors had barely detected within the building. Reconstructing the data as well as it could, IMP played the file.

"Who... who... you?"

"I... a Jedi."

That was all that could be made of it. A woman's voice, no doubt the terrorist. IMP continued the Executor's speech.

“This is absurd! I will not listen to this!”

“SIT DOWN, NOW!

The body of Thyferra is rotting! It makes me sick. It makes me sick to my stomach! There is traitorous blood running through the veins of even this room! What do we do with a poisonous serpent!? WE SEVER ITS HEAD! That is what we must do now! We must cut this infection from the body and throw it to the ground to die like the bloated, diseased flesh it is!

Thyferra must be purged.”

The audio log was also being sent to Helghast for review. Helghast was much more able at differentiating what he determined as priority information from other organisms.

At this given time, a bounty hunter, IG-88, contacted the security forces of the building and began to lock the facility down in attempt to capture the terrorist. IMP took an immediate interest in this droid bounty hunter for a moment but chose to log the name away for further investigation later.

“Thyferra must be purged of all sympathy towards the disease that is the rebellion. Any and all that oppose our way of life are a threat—one that this great planet cannot afford

Bacta is the life blood of the galaxy and a major source of income for this planet. With so many credits being exchanged and such a high profile, the risks of a major terrorist action any day are exceedingly high."

IMP replayed that last sentence over and over, ensuring the quality and verifying its credibility.

“Just think of the damage that can be done! A well placed explosive could wreak havoc on production! I propose that the local government hand over all security and military forces to the Office of the Executor for a full week.

In this time we will hunt down all traitors to the Empire! We will burn the blasphemers that would see us die in a pool of our own blood! We will ensure, once and for all, the safety of our bacta production, the risk will be cut in half.

So, starting today, the Office of the Executor will be taking control.”

A pivotal point in the speech obviously and to note the series of events occuring in the Xucphra Corporations building, it made either for a series of interesting coincidences or the Executor was involved in the terrorist attack in one manner or another. Using the Jedi terrorist to set the example for exactly what he was speaking of and justifying his reason for seizing power without qualms. IMP believed the Executor could do as much anyways but it made for a much more believable situation to the general public if the Executor stepped in to help protect after the incident.

“Executor Sevon, this is an outrage! We will not hand over our government for your cutting block!”

“Secretary, isn’t it? If you have nothing to hide you won’t mind me using the powers that were bestowed upon me by the Emperor. I have the full legal right to take control of any military or civilian assets I wish. Technically, I’m being nice. Oh, and, Mr. Secretary, your head has been on my cutting block for some time now. Sit down.”

There it was, IMP almost felt pride in being correct over such a trivial thing. In the Corporation building, IMP came across the log that IG-88 and then sliced into a console and obtained information from the building framework.

“The only way to cleanse Thyferra is to ensure impartiality in judgment. As such, I am hereby suspending all court activity and routing it through my office. From this moment on, the virus’s spread will be stopped.

My first action will be to remove those traitors that are closest to the heart and brain of our beloved body.

Calm, calm. There is no need to be afraid less you are treasonous. All others will be spared.

Mr. Covara, I told you we have to sever the head of the snake that poisons our Empire. Do you agree?

I said, do you agree!?"

“Well, I—that is to say, uh. Executor! Please! No!”

A secretary was found dead by two guards in a second floor room of the building. Shortly thereafter, IG-88 engaged the terrorist. IMP wondered if the droid held loyalties to the Empire as well.

“Mr. Covara, are you begging?

For high crimes against the Emperor I, Executor Sevon, sentence you to death by the most expedient means possible.

I trust there are no more traitors in this room, are there?

Good.

There will be no hiding behind masks of civility. I am here and will not vanish. Politician, patrician, and businessman, be as wary as the vagrant. There is no escape from the power of the Office of the Executor.

I will free this planet, this galaxy from the oppressive clutches of that fouled rebellion. Traitorous leaders will jump at the merest whisper of wind for fear that I call to them! Shadows will strike spears of fear into the hearts of the treasonous!

And, broken by trepidations, the rebels will, one by one, commit themselves to the inevitable and hold out their wrists to my Office for repentance!”

Lilaena De'Ville is reported to have eluded IG-88, who managed to escape in time before the terrorist attack occured, unable to prevent the scheme from playing out to the terrorist's terms. IG-88 is reported by the security forces as to being incredibly helpful by supplying the full report that IMP was now reviewing. It seemed suspicious that the terrorist was capable of disappearing that easily when the security forces of the corporation had been informed. The possibility that she had assistance from another source was not to be removed, whether it was of the Rebel faction or treason commited by... one of the Empire's own.

The Executor left the building to be attacked by a sniper which was then killed at the hand of the Executor himself. Possibly a set up. The wound hadn't been fatal enough or even debilitating, as Sevon had supposedly broke off into a sprint directly towards the target. While his adept abilities could have led him to this, that could be a ruse if he already knew the exact location of the shooter. The entire act, even a suicidal shooter prepared to die for some deal made with the Executor, could have been to secure Sevon's position. To change the attention of the public and those serving under the Executor. The possibility that a corrupt influence rested in this investigation had obviously not been ruled out.

IMP prepared the case file and reorganized it another time before compressing the file. There was more to the event but it determined that Helghast would spend quite some time analyzing the speech and the coincidences of events there in. It encrypted the file to Helghast's specifications and relayed the file to his office.

(OOC: this is a chronicling of the thread A Jedi Seeks Only Revenge (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38911&perpage=20&pagenumber=3) and the audio file and the events therein are credited to the proper characters/authors Khendon Sevon, Lilaena De'Ville and IG-88e. If anything needs to be corrected, please pm me concerning as much and I will fix it as soon as possible. Thank you.)

[Y'roth Helghast]

"IMP."

"Sir, yes Sir?"

Helghast didn't look away as he reviewed the several holoscreens on his wall, each one displaying different documents, the largest being several tabs of IMP's latest report on the Executor Khendon Sevon.

"The investigation continues. The information provided proves there is indeed a possibility that the Executor is cooperating with traitors and even Jedi. There are too many coincidences to ignore and unlike my previous colleagues within the Inquisitoriate, I am not a man to allow a traitor in our midst and let such corruption go unheeded. I will not ignore this in idle paranoia of consequences because corruption might have stretched that far. If the Executor is innocent in the eyes of the Empire, what is there to fear? Helghast had reviewed the Executor's profile over and over again in search of a flaw and this investigation revealed the only possible disagreement the Major could find. No other man was in such a prime position to ascend the throne of the Emperor, perhaps the Grand Inquisitor but the Executor had the imminent moment to his advantage.

I want you to track every step made by our Executor from that point to now..."

The entire five years. Such an investigation would have been impossible for anyone, anything, but for IMP, it was daunting, yet possible.

"And I want special attention placed on that terrorist by the Inquisitoriate..."

Indicating Lilaena De'Ville. A Jedi who obviously did not fully comprehend the magnitude of her actions or the consequences to follow. Helghast felt that if she had met with the Executor so long ago, there was the possibility that it had occured multiple times, even after the event. It wasn't new that the Jedi were attempting to sneak their influence back within the Empire, but so close to the throne of the Emperor. Y'roth almost felt sick at the possibility that the Jedi might have considered regrouping after all this time. That they might've thought the death of the Emperor was the start of a new age and they could begin anew. The Inquisitoriate would insure such an abomination never occured.

"Sir, yes Sir."

[Y'roth Helghast]

-----A Few Months Later-----

The doors to the turbolift slid to the side silently as Helghast stepped into the antechamber of the observation post located at the top of the Inquisitoriate Citadel on Coruscant. He strode through the room, security checks occuring briefly as he continued towards the large doors without a pause. The doors opened for him and allowed entrance into the Main Observation Chamber. Statues of obsidian stood here and there, the room something of an expansive garden made from black marble and the occasional desk or chair or piece of furniture that brought everything back to Coruscant. Not that Helghast cared for any of it or the view that so many saw as a priviledge of rank to have.

Inquisitor Valten was here and that was Helghast's sole purpose for leaving the Nightmare complex. The recent events concerning the terrorist Lileana De'Ville and Inquisitor Valten had drawn Helghast from his base of operations. Y'roth had already reviewed the reports, and then reviewed the real reports; he had no intention of wasting Valten's time and would know everything that was readily available to him prior their meeting.

Helghast had been inspired by the recent event though and needed the approval of the Inquisitor to develop the possible operation further. IMP had come across several interesting events concerning the Executor and the terrorist and wanted to bring it forward for Valten to examine as well, to see what the senior Inquisitor might glean from the given information and possible inferences. Unfortunately IMP was not finished but there had been progress.

Helghast made his way to the center of the room, his boots clicking across the marble floors like steel rapping against glass. He wore his black Inquisitoriate uniform, similar to the black Imperial uniform of some officers, but bearing a blood red trim and the symbol of the Inquisitoriate on his shoulder and chest. He made no gesture to make his presence known. Valten knew he was coming and would see him when he desired.

[Karl Valten]

Anything could be healed; bacta, the miracle fluid closed the most grievous of wounds, limbs could be artificially grown and reattached, cybernetic components could keep a human living for centuries on end. Everything could become good as new.

Yet sometimes wounds were better left untouched, stark reminders of the past. Karl raised a hand before him, oblivious to the sprawling megalopolis glistening in the daylight. A brutal scar ran the length of his palm, a physical memory of his fight against the fallen Jedi.

Karl wouldn’t let that cut go forgotten until he ripped Lileana’s heart out with his own hands. Rarely could anyone stir up the latent hatred that ran through his veins, but she had done it. And she’d pay for it, along with the rest of her accursed kind.

The hand trailed along his cloak, running over an ornate hilt, a masterpiece fashioned in the image of a Krayt skull. Fanning from the hilt, a coil of metal twisted beneath a hand guard and into a curved polished blade like flames spewing from the creature’s maw. A new weapon the Inquisitor would keep with him until death finally claimed him. No adept would catch him off guard again.

But there were other things to take care first, as much an annoyance those two had been. Karl could feel things coming to a fulcrum…..all the loose ends weaving and connecting. And it would begin here.



Full Circle


The Inquisitor turned to face Helghast. “What do you have, Inquisitor?”

[Y'roth Helghast]

Inquisitor. A rank that Helghast had unknowningly come to in the midst of all his work which simply meant his objectives and authority surpassed purely military operations. Regardless that they were both now of rank, Helghast held Valten in higher regards without hesitation or question. In due process, that would be secured as well.

In one black gloved hand, Helghast held out two datapads for Valten to examine. Beyond the first report IMP had provided, which Helghast had titled labeled under '01,' IMP had listed the other situations it had been able to discern as possibly linking Lileana De'Ville and Executor Sevon together, a relationship that IMP and Helghast had possibly stumbled across while researching any possible flaws in Sevon's past. Now the investigation had turned to not a question as to whether or not said flaws existed, but as to how many and their severity. Beyond situation 01, the other, 02, report read as follows:

02: Coruscant, four years and two months after 01

Headnote: This information was obtained and placed in a classified file to be reviewed at an undetermined date by an Inquisitoriate agent. The Inquisitoriate agent, following procedure with Imperial Intelligence Policy, attended the clean up detail ordered by Executor Sevon the night of this event. Note that the Inquisitoriate agent was executed for treason several months later and was unavailable for questioning at this current time. The classified folder was then set to delete within a year of the agent's death. Due to the recent investigation, this file has been moved to the Project Nightmare archives for more review. The original sources were deleted as per procedure of afore mentioned clean up detail.

The terrorist Lileana De'Ville is initially recognized by a security camera within a turbolift. She exited afore mentioned turbolift on the 10th floor of the hotel in which Executor Sevon had entered moments before and headed to his reserved accomodation in the penthouse suite. Some time after she left the tenth floor, the climate regulator to the Executor's suite began to report a malfunction. This malfunction was believed to be what set off the silent security alarm concerning a breach and was immediately ignored by the hotel's operating computers. Several hours later, the silent security alarm on one of the windows was activated. Lileana De'Ville was not recorded on another security camera near that building during that evening.

The suite suffered structural damage due to severe impact caused by unknown sources, strips of cauterized slash marks caused by some sort of heated object, given the situation it is plausible that a lightsaber was responsible. Signs of a struggle were obvious.

Blood samples were also found. Only two subjects could be discerned from the given samples. A male, recognized as the Executor, and a female, human. Genetic makeup and physical description could be properly processed with more time.

All local surveillance cameras were reviewed one week before and after the event to determine if Lileana De'Ville could be spotted from the clear shot retrieved from the classified folder. Approximately 298,000 human females could have matched Lileana De'Ville's profile in that span of time. Meaning there is an approximate .00000356% chance that she could be found between them.

Profiles of other Imperial soldiers and officers that had been present were available for selection beyond the initial text. Each one had a statement to seeing someone that might have or did fit Lileana De'Ville's description. Some also had files beyond their sworn statements. Three had death certificates conveying that they had been unwilling to initially cooperate and then under pretenses of treason and diverting the truth seeking justice of the Inquisitoriate were put to trial by Inquisitor Helghast.

"I have three more reports that follow these, Inquisitor Valten."

[Karl Valten]

Heh, why does it seem that the threads are braiding themselves? It was a strange thing, seeing the first of the Emperor’s Children project evolving into something so….ambitious and inventive. They had been designed to be the perfect warriors-leaders; steadfast in their loyalty and liberated from the confines of human emotion. Weakness that ate into every beings soul, even the blackened souls of the Inquisitoriate.

….But always restricted, unable to grasp the marionette strings, unable to truly become a complete free-thinking individual. It was the reason for his choosing of the first as the leader of Project Nightmare. It shouldn’t have been that surprising the he’d break the mold, a long shot, yes, but not impossible. Y’roth Helghast, was a superior breed. And more than every other Inquisitor, Karl included, he was the will of the Inquisitoriate incarnate.

The force exists, but the Jedi and the Sith are wrong. It is not a tranquil stream guiding our actions, nor will it cater to our passions. It is chaos, deceit, and blindness. Fate’s tool to bend the galaxy to its hellish whim.

The words of the data poured into his mind….the file marked 01. Executor Khendon Sevon and his crusade on Thyferra, an honorable action, seeding out the corruption from the world. The woman, Lileana, and her self-righteous, yet ultimately blind terrorism. Both strong adepts, both met in those streets years ago.

The file 02, the circle continued; broken apartment, battle evidence, blood, and secrecy. And yet both parties undeniably still lived. The Executor was a champion force-warrior and De’Ville a determined fanatic. Neither would have backed down, only one could have stood victorious. And yet they both lived. It reeked of conspiracy…yet it led absolutely nowhere.

“The surveillance recordings were tampered with.” Karl didn’t even have to hear Y’roth’s confirming response. The Inquisitoriate had eyes everywhere on Imperial center, only a masterful hacker or a high officer could’ve concealed everything this long.

Yet fate isn’t absolute, it can be thwarted, pushed back and severed. Leaving behind order among billions incapable of realizing it. Only the strongest of will could defy the force, break the circle, and contain the desperate mind of the maggots of society. The Inquisitoriate will break the circle

“And the other reports, what is your analysis?”

[Y'roth Helghast]

"Inquisitor, report 03 occurs approximately a month after 02. A press conference was being held in the Imperial Command, the former Senate building. As per procedures, every media personnel allowed inside the complex is individually tracked by Inquisitoriate surveillance systems to ensure their safety as well as the information that they procure and proliferate. However, the surveillance systems are nearly outdated and due for cannabilization within the next year and have a tendency to lose one or two of the media personnel during the middle of these conferences. It has redeemed itself in being able to account for every personnel upon conclusion of each conference. Except for one occurence."

Helghast handed the third datapad to Valten for viewing.

The profile displayed a holographic face shot of a woman with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore glasses and beyond that seemed to fit with a generic stereotype of reporters and newscasters. Another image appeared beside it, rotating with the original in a synchronized revolution. The new face was unmistakably the terrorist Lileana De'Ville, black hair, hazel eyes, and a scar that ran vertically down her face. There had been enough holographical evidence of her after her attempt within the Grand Inquisitor's complex. What had been a suspicion before was now another puzzle piece of the conspiracy.

The holographic imaging allowed for an unmistakable match as the two images merged and became one. The datapad read that there was a 98% match, give or take 4% for possible data corruption or holographic reading error.

"That woman was tracked as far as the entrance to the conference room and then was lost. She was not seen again after that and IMP encountered more corrupted data and interrupted data streams throughout the building. Particularily within the sector of the building in which the Office of the Executor is established."

Helghast did not take the Inquisitor for a fool in the least and therefore did not hesitate to continue, assuming that Valten was more capable than Helghast himself was at making the connections and determining the most efficient method to handle this ever complicating situation. He held out the next datapad for the Inquisitor to review.

"Situation 04 occurs approximately seven months after 03. The security devices to the apartment he was residing with were eliminated from the outside in. An explosion occured shortly sometime later. The Executor escaped without serious injury and beyond that there was no more information. The Inquisitoriate agent that inspected the scene determined that all damage caused to the security systems was similar to case after case of other electronic systems damaged by force adepts and an explosion that yielded no remains, blasting cap, detonating shells, or any other substances usually found in the aftermath. Which, while unheard of, could also be linked to the use of Force powers. Given the appearance of that pyromancer she was recently cooperating with.

This scenario doesn't warrant any other notice beyond the tampered security systems and another attack in a similar scenario as De'Ville has been remarked to act upon so far."

Helghast activated the final datapad and held it in the air between the two men, the blood red text on black background waiting for Valten's eyes to finish off the amassed information.

05: Cohesive connections concluded from the given information

De'Ville has met with the Executor on several occasions. Capturing her is vital to obtaining another perspective. By disecting the outline comprised of the given information, the Executor and the adept terrorist could have been cooperating in a treasonous relationship for more than four years.

It is often Imperial policy when employing assassins or demolition assets to make sure they are expendable. A probable assumption is made that Sevon intended De'Ville to be an expendable asset to bomb the facility at the same time that he delivered his charismatic speech to emphasize his message to the individuals present. If De'Ville discovered that she was expendable, it is likely that she could have turned her terrorist objectives of harming the Empire towards the Executor who had deemed her as such.

Four years later, she makes her attempt during a pivotal point in the Empire's development as it is recovering from the loss of the Empire. She attempts to assassinate the Executor who instead turns her into an asset once more. Imperial Intelligence Policy of handling assets also states that once an asset has been handled, it is still possible to handle that asset in case it survives its first mission for a later assignment. Supposing that the disloyal traits of the asset will not render them useless.

A stream of data followed the rest of the text meaning that IMP had yet to complete the remaining data and it could not be translated until they obtained the missing pieces.

Helghast didn't have to voice his intent to Inquisitor Valten. Valten knew what Y'roth was making a notion of. Khendon Sevon could not assume the throne of the Emperor if there was even a tinge of corruption in the eyes of the Empire. Corruption at the very heart of the Empire had been the long rooted weakness of the Old Republic. If Sevon was proved innocent, for all the better. The Executor was the prime candidate for the Emperor's throne in that case.

But to insure the security and the Truth that lie in the loyalty and dedication of the Imperial citizens, all under suspect were guilty until proven otherwise. This system allowed for no error and made the struggle for what was truth all that more important that innocent citizens might not have to suffer in the place of others. Unlike other Inquisitors, Helghast didn't know fear in the face of accomplishing the mission of the Empire. As the First of the Emperor's Children, Helghast knew nothing but the will of the Galactic Empire and he exemplified its judgement.

[Karl Valten]

Karl took an exasperated breath, of all the times for this to come to light. Not when things we beginning to come to a fulcrum, all of the work in the last year about to pay off. The Maw was complete, the Black Fleet was growing by the day, the Russard Corporation was playing directly into his hands, and Valten’s chosen agents we’re slowly infiltrating their way throughout the galaxy.

But, this…this overshadowed everything. Corruption at the heart of the Empire would not be allowed. But the Executor, chosen by the Emperor himself…Clang Valten’s fist slammed against a wall.

In a sickeningly ironic way it all made perfect sense; the deaths of several high officers and the recent attack on the Grand Inquisitor’s home. Perhaps even the failed assassination attempt on the Chancellor was part of this string. Lileana couldn’t have gotten to any of those without an inside source, someone with access to the Empires deepest secrets.

“Sevon, what are you getting out of this.” Still, the two had fought several times during this partnership. Violent confrontations that left charred battle sites. How skin-deep did their frelling relationship go? “There are too many circles that need to be broken.”

Karl looked towards Y’roth. “We need to find the extent of this. De’Ville is focused on single mindedly on her crusade, but she’s clever.” Inquisitor’s thoughts flashed to the immaculate adept that had interfered. “The next time she shows herself, take her alive.”

The Executor had to be left alone, what was to say that wasn’t De’Ville was a telepath or had one in her employ. Sevon could very well be under influence by subtle mind tricks, and if he was assisting Lileana at his own whim, all the better not to let him know the Inquisitoriate had caught on.

De’Ville would be the silver bullet.

[Y'roth Helghast]

"The next time she shows herself, take her alive."

Helghast had his orders; Inquisitor Valten had been given the collective amount of Y'roth's efforts and made his decision. Helghast had been instructed to never think of his affairs in the term of a game. Life was not a game and there was nothing playful about it. For Helghast, his life was the Empire, structured, constantly seeking to maintain its purity and superiority, to provide the same and a measure of security for those loyal to the ideal of the Empire, the collective pursuit for a good life safe from the corruption and poison of the vices of all.

"Veritas Vincit, Inquisitor."

Helghast bowed his head, his eyes closed in respect to Valten. Whatever concerns Valten had, however far the root of corruption might lead, Helghast would carry out the Will of the Empire. Without hesitation.

The trap for the terrorist Lileana De'Ville would be set. She would be captured without fail. Helghast and IMP would predict her next appearance. And methodically, without fail, she would suffer and know the pain of the corruption that she has wrought and been accomplice to. And she would thank Helghast after he laid her poison free of her veins so that they might better understand the nature of the beast.

Helghast lifted his head and his eyes opened, the glowing red iris of his eye refocusing. His gloved fist came to his left breast, over the Inquisitoriate emblem, over his heart.

"Inquisitor."

He turned on his heel, and stepped toward the exit. IMP was already distrubiting what had occured in the last moments on the INQ net. Inquisitor Y'roth Helghast was ever vigilante, a Nightmare of Order to match the rampant Nightmares of Corruption.