An Appointment with Atrapes

[Eliessa Corta]

Eliessa stood in front of the Inquisitor's secretary, the sanctuary of the heavy wood desk giving the young man only an illusory safety as he sat bolt upright behind it.

"I had an appointment with the Inquisitor" Corta said with the pliability of cold durosteel, "My time is every bit as important as his"

The secretary doubted that, but wisely did not say so. "I understand Ma'am"

"Judge" Corta corrected instantly.

".....Judge" the man repeated, conceding his error with appropriate humility, "...Im certain Inquisitor Atrapes will be here any moment....It is a matter of some import that keeps him"

Eliessa smiled, quite charmingly in fact, yet the young man's unease increased inspite of it and he instinctively knew the gesture did not bode well, his excuse fizzling out to silence. "I dont care if Atrapes has to miss his own cremation to keep this appointment," she placed a palm flat on the desk and bent forward -causing the secretary to fold his neck back, quite artfully, in order to keep a respectable distance between their two faces - "..Get the damn man here immediately" The secretary reached awkwardly forward to his communication console - difficult to do, stretch forward while continuing to lean back but he managed like a champion. "Good fellow" the Judge said, straitening once more.

Eliessa turned a half-glance to her own assistant who had been standing as stalwalt as a mouse, and just as quiet, behind her. The look was disdainful, but not directed to the girl. It bespoke of the Judge's impatience with what she considered self-important miliarty types that she had come to know so well over her lifetime. An arched eyebrow softened her look before she turned back to Atrapes' secretary and resumed a hard stare.

"Well...?" She was waiting.

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide shifted her weight from one foot to another, uncomfortable in every way that was possible in such circumstances.

She didn't belong in this room, in this company, in these shoes. Her toes pinched and the clothes felt false...She was out of her element in every way she could imagine. Yet Eliessa had insisted it was "what was needed."

Good god...was the Judge insane?

Having come into Corta's household, (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19113) into her protection, the Judge had now deciced Adelaide should be in her employ also. And so here she was, briefcase in hand, tailored suit adorned and wallah! she was Personal Assistant to Eliessa Corta, Coruscant Sector Co-ordinator of the Order of Solomon, of the Intergalactic Judiciary Department. Del thought there was probably an 'honorable' or a 'worshipness' in the title some where too, but Corta wasn't a big fan of it. In fact, amongst her peers, she was known by another title - and for various reasons Corta had not enlightened her to - was simply called The Hangman. Del's imagination had come up with a few explanations of its own for that one.

However, Assistant she was (fancy name for lugger-arounderer of the briefcase) and into the mouth of the dragon she'd come.

The Imperial Empire...the Inquisitoriate, no less. Not that Adelaide had heard of them before this visit but there had always been rumors. Stories told her by her ex-husband Aurelias Kazaar. (http://sw-fans.net/forum/member.php?u=3483) His absolute hate for the Empire and its fanatics had left an indellible impression on her. The fear was not easy to shake. The best she could do was try to hide it.

Standing quietly, half-relieved that the Inquisitor was not there and eager to be gone, Adelaide's hope to escape any encounter with such a man was dashed by the sheer force of Eliessa's will. There would be no denying the Judge. Adelaide consolled herself with the knowledge that all she had to do was hand the briefcase over when asked and then wait out in this anteroom for Corta's meeting to end.

Simple. Right?


"Well...?" Corta demanded of the secretary, and from behind them, a subtle cough announced the presence of Atrapes, who, when all eyes turned round to him, stood framed neatly in the doorway, watching.

[Rossos Atrapes]

Indeed, Atrapes did stand there, with a certain quiet authority. Behind him, the foyer of the Inquisitoriate Citadel was calm and peaceful, but sterile; with a number of fountains and plants to somewhat soften the building's severe austerity. None really knew, but this was a later addition to the Citadel.

"Follow me, if you would be so kind, Judge Corta," he said as the two women's eyes turned to him. "We can discuss some of what you wish to on the way to my office."

[Eliessa Corta]

Eliessa gave a slight inclination of her head, indicating to Adelaide to come along, and followed Atrapes' lead a half-step behind him so that they weren't quite abrest of each other.

"Im not sure you'll like what Ive come to talk to you about, Inquisitor" she said, her face forward yet her eyes roving their surroundings taking in the civility the fountains effected. The irony of such gentle calm in the headquarters of the Inquisitoriate was not lost on her.

"You may wish to wait until we have the privacy of your office before I broach the subject"

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide swallowed hard. She didn't like moving further into the heart of the Citadel, but didn't dare lag. Walking unobtrusively behind the Judge and the Inquisitor, briefcase in hand, she kept her head down and her ears open praying they'd be out of there quickly.

[Rossos Atrapes]

"You may wish to wait until we have the privacy of your office before I broach the subject."

Inquisitor Atrapes clasped his hands behind his back as he walked through the greenery and soothing sounds of water, and laughed lowly. The sound was at odds with the environment on some deep existential level. Still, the Judge and her assistant followed behind the Inquisitor.

"None shall disturb us while we walk. Each here knows their place and what is expected of them," he replied. "All know I am indisposed until our discussion is ended, unless it is a matter of paramount priority."

They drew near to the end of the room, and as if anticipating them, the turbolift doors opened while they were well out of the sensors' range. The fact that Atrapes' finger twitched slightly at the same moment was lost in the folds of his cape.

[Eliessa Corta]

The trio filed into the lift, Adelaide sidestepping around and behind the Judge to take her place again in the background. The doors closed silently on them.

"As you wish" Corta said, and stretched her hand behind her towards Adelaide, who, in a flurry of reaction fished out a single sheet of paper and passed it to the Judge.

Corta, in turn, handed the sheet to Atrapes. "We seem to be missing a few Moffs" Eliessa said, a blandness in her voice that belied her conviction. "Recognize the names?"

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Corta and Atrapes had their backs to her and Adelaide took the opportunity to study the Inquisitor at a safe vantage.

He was a tall man, distinguished. His hair was thick and groomed tidily, his uniform impeccible - in fact, his whole presentation was of a smart and polished individual who was well in command of himself. No real surprise there when one is speaking of an Inquisitoriate Officer. He had a rich voice, a nice voice and Del could see he could easily disarm a person with his words if he so chose. Yet, the goose prickles had risen alarmingly all over as she had no choice being cloistered in such close confines with a man of his power. She was never more glad of the Judge's forthright manner - it gave her a feeling of strength, though it wasn't her own, it gave her courage nevertheless.

Adelaide shifted her eyes to the numbers lighting on the turbolift panel and wondered anxiously if this lift was unusually small or if it was the company alone making her feel trapped.

[Rossos Atrapes]

The Inquisitor did not move to take the sheet from Judge Corta, but instead read the names while she held the paper. He read it quickly enough to seem that the lack of movement on his part wasn't an overt insult, but merely a useless gesture as he turned away.

"Moff of the... System. Treason. Treason. Treason," the Inquisitor sighed. "These names are those listed as treasonous, self-serving, and sentenced to arrest by the Grand Inquisitor during the announcement made by our Empress."

The turbolift stopped without giving any notice, and the doors slid open nearly as silently. Atrapes immediately began to walk again. "Why do you bring this list to me? Does it not make sense that if they are sentenced to arrest that we would arrest them?"

The hallways they strolled through now shared little in common with the main foyer, though glossy black dominated the visible spectrum of colours. There were no decorations to soften the harsh austerity of the design and execution of this building's interior. While Adelaide might have not noticed the slight undertones in his voice, Judge Corta was sure to catch the very slight tone of amusement lacing the Inquisitor's words.

[Eliessa Corta]

"Treason.." Eliessa echoed with a half-laugh, "An ambiguous enough term to serve the purpose, I suppose Inquisitor" She returned the list to Adelaide, unperturbed by Atrapes lack of interest.


"Weren't in the Inquisitoriate pocket, were they?" she offered. "Didn't like the sound of another Tarkin at the helm, mm?"

[Rossos Atrapes]

"In this time, unification under one is what will save this Empire, and the order that it brings to those under its rule. Treason, your honour, may be an ambiguous term for an ambiguous concept, but the ramifications of allowing those who dissent - especially those in positions of power - to go free is far too dangerous. Otherwise, our mission for the betterment of the galaxy will be for naught."

Atrapes said this with an affable air, his mien one of a man who held his views with a gentle severity: gentle in his words and arguments, severe in his execution of those. He made no reply to Corta's other, barbed comment, while appearing to listen intently to any reply she made to his statement.

They made their way through the door at the very end of the corridor, which slid open and revealed a slight antechamber, with a droid connected to the desk. Atrapes made no motion or gesture to the droid, but merely continued to walk through the door on the other end of the small waiting room into his office proper.

Like Belargic before them, they would see first the large windows showing the expanse of Imperial City glowing beyond, the only obstructions to the view being Atrapes' large glossy black desk and high-backed chair.

Around the shadowed walls of the room were various pieces of art, some holographic representations, others actual canvas and paint. There were a few more than Belargic had seen; more motionless people with solemn faces and eyes staring out into the room proper and the owner's guests in particular.

"Please, sit." He said, and two comfortable-looking hoverchairs gracefully moved to positions in front of his desk while moved around it to sit in his chair. "Now am I to assume you will register a complaint about missing individuals charged with crimes against the Empress and the State?"

[Eliessa Corta]

Corta took her seat while Adelaide stood just in the doorway, not expected to participate. She was, much like the fine art on the walls, to be a silent observer only - providing, if necessary, the odd paper or stylus for the Judge's use.

"A complaint?" Corta had the grace to contain a laugh and sat crossing her legs demurely.

"I'm here as a courtesy, really. To advise you of our Judicial Investigation in to these -- until very recently I might add -- severe threats to the stability of the Empire and their inordinately fast removal."

[Rossos Atrapes]

"Advise? A warning, perhaps?" Atrapes was smiling now, with slight condescension. Despite this look, Atrapes's voice grew a bit more chilling to hear; the two women were not aware, as far as he had been made aware from reports and reconaissance, of either his, or anyone's abilities with the Force in the Inquisitoriate. He scanned the Force around the two women, and found that Corta was sufficiently eased with the meeting as it had been going. Her assistant however had a most delicious sense of unease and fear. It gave him a detached sense of satisfaction, to know and feel this fear; a nod to the growing power and reputation of the Inquisitors, and thus an eased road to the goals of the Empire, and of himself.

He was glad, in the deepest part of himself, that he was born with this gift. To be given the ability to more easily shape the progression of civilisation itself was something he would forever cherish. He was glad that these women weren't born with the same gift, moreover. Corta would have been a much more difficult foe should she have been given control over the Force. But then, she would have been most likely killed, or within the Inquisitoriate herself. Atrapes allowed a slight wave of amusement to run through him at the sense of how fickle the flow of history was.

[Eliessa Corta]

"Take it any way you please, Inquisitor" the Judge replied, watching Atrapes carefully. "I dont expect the news to alarm you, sitting here, as you are, in your high tower"

Her smile remained in place, resolutely so.

"Just know that the days of the military, the Inqusitoriate in particular, running rough-shod over citizens rights without any recourse, are numbered.

The Judiciary will not turn a blind eye any longer"

For far too long, those who were sworn to uphold justice and the orderliness of Galactic Law had slinked about behind the folds of their judicial robes, prattling like a gaggle of old women about the glories of the Empire and the need for a heavy hand in making change. Corta was not of the same breed, and there were many like her who - with this recent dictorial placement of Miranda Tarkin in the chair of Empress - felt the time was ripe for change on many fronts. The Order of Solomon would at last get its teeth back and bite some Imperial arses. The analogy made Corta smile, no doubt Atrapes' arse deserved good chomping.

"It would do you good to note we are not ignorant of the events unfolding in Bothawai"

She threw that out there to see what Atrapes may or may not know regarding the brash new Moff they had recently installed there.

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide felt the Inquisitor's eyes light briefly on her and she quickly looked to her toes. The conversation between he and Corta had remained civil, but the underlying jousting between them was easily apparent. She felt more uncomfortable than ever.

She turned her focus on a framed painting of an old man standing beneath a tree, dappled sunshine filtering through its leaves to glisten as though there had just been a light rain. It was extraordinarily beautiful. Sneaking another glimpse at the Inquisitor, she wondered just what type of man could appreciate such fine work yet have a reputation this office brought him.

Kimiiki Crei appreciated the finer things, she recalled, a certain distaste filling her mouth. She turned back again to her toes.

[Rossos Atrapes]

"The Judiciary presumes that it has jurisdiction over the Inquisitoriate?" Atrapes asked, just as blandly as Corta had spoken about treason only a few moments before.

"The Inquisitoriate is tasked with finding and rooting out those dissentors who remain hidden within and without the Empire's borders, as well as acquiring information from individuals Imperial Intelligence is unable to," Atrapes began.

"As such, we are a department of Imperial Intelligence, but not a subservient one. The Law, your honour, is embodied in the Empress, and formerly the Emperor. If you wish to investigate the Inquisitoriate's methods and execution of our goal and mission, I suggest you speak with the Empress herself, and see if she disagrees with the Inquisitoriate's manner of upholding her Will."

[Eliessa Corta]

"No need to explain to me, Inquisitor," she said dismissively. "I am quite aware of how the Inquisitoriate operates, and, as for jurisdiction--" she continued smoothly, "Well, we are talking change aren't we?"

Atrapes had been quick to assert the power card, Corta thought with satisfaction. She was stepping on toes, apparently, and the idea pleased her.

"But you are mistaken in one thing, I must point out" Corta added soberly, "The Law is embodied in the Law, and we are subject to it. The Empress is the highest authority, but that does not negate the laws that allow the Galaxy to function. Or would you rather we had such chaos?"

No doubt, that was exactly what Atrapes would rather.

"But" Eliessa added, "An audience with the Empress would be an honor, should that ever be granted. The general public might be very interested to hear her views on it."

The Judge was skating on thinning ice, she knew, and her only relative safety lay in the high profile of her public office. However, personal safety had been a concern of the Judiciary for much, much too long. Corta would not bow to such fears.

[Rossos Atrapes]

The Inquisitor did not reply immediately, but instead, stood and walked over to the window, looking out at the City.

"The Law, your honour, is not immutable," he finally said. "It can be changed, refitted, to fit the particular needs of the moment. The Law should never be an obligation or duty unto itself, because it is so fickle and changeful."

He turned back to the Judge, and his voice gained the consistency of durasteel wrapped in fine cloth. "You are looking at these particular circumstances, I believe, from a point of view that I cannot espouse. The highest good, Judge Corta, is not selfish greed. Nor is it the Law. It is the Empire, your honour. Without the military to enforce the Law, it would have no strength. Without the fear of what it means to lose the protection of the Law, people will stray into the chaotic anarchy that the Rebellion denies, but misguidedly promotes through the restoration of the Republic.

"The Judiciary does not serve the Law, but the Empire. The Law does not enact authority and justice, nor does it prevent anarchy; that is the Empire. The Empire does not serve the Law. The Law, your honour, serves the Empire, the same as I do, and for the same ends. The Law does not grant orderliness and justice to the Empire, but the Empire grants those things to the Law."

Atrapes clenched his hand into a fist as he spoke the words, his voice steadily gaining more passion though throughout he kept himself and his voice restrained. He fixed the Judge with a strong, burning look.

"I give you the same advice that I gave you a moment ago. Tender your proposal for an investigation to the Empress. The Judiciary holds no jurisdiction over the Inquisitoriate, we answer to the Empress, and her alone. If the Empress orders the Inquisitoriate to submit to an investigation by the Judiciary, then, and only then, will I, or any Inquisitor, submit to its authority. And any sentences placed by the Judiciary upon an Inquisitor must be assented to by the Empress before they can take effect. Until then, we will continue to do as we have done before. Do you understand me, Judge Corta?"

[Eliessa Corta]

Corta smiled, "They teach you all that at the Academy did they?"

It seemed to her that Atrapes had his logic all backwards. The law wasn't fickle - man was.. Rossos spoke of the law changing to fit the need of the moment - who's moment? And who did the changing? Surely he didn't believe such rubbish? Law had been established to protect against just that exact misuse - the grooming of it to the benefit and protection of select few. The Law established that what was illegal or criminal for one, was illegal and criminal for all. Of course, the Empire was a dictorship by and large, Corta was well aware, and the problem she faced was that the abuse of such law was just what everyone throughout the Empire had all gotten so used to. The Order of Solomon strove to change that.

"You'll have to pardon me Inquisitor, but do I understand you expect me to seek permission to conduct an investigation?" The idea was ludicrous, and Eliessa had no qualms about saying so. "You enjoy a certain respectful protection being The Inquisitoriate, and it is with that respect that I came here. There will be no asking, Inquisitor Atrapes" she said firmly. "The investigation is under way already. Only time will tell what Empress Tarkin will agree to in terms of prosecution and redress concerning any action brought against the guilty. It is too soon to say."

She signalled to Adelaide to come forward, and the girl did so immediately, handing Eliessa the briefcase.

"Will you grant me access to the documentation you have on the allegations against, and the treasonous activities committed, by these specific Moffs on my list?"

She pulled once more the sheet of paper from the case and held it out unwaveringly to the Inquisitor.

[Rossos Atrapes]

"No."

The answer was brief, but seemed to stop in mid-air. It seemed a bit too short for someone who used his voice as much as Atrapes did. Atrapes himself didn't say anything else until he sat back in his chair, and settled himself in it.

"Until the Empress has given you and the Judiciary the authority to conduct this investigation, I can not and will not give any other answer."

Atrapes leaned back into his seat, and ran his fingertips across the desk in a seemingly idle gesture. "Documentation will be released only upon the prosecution of those individuals to whom that documentation pertains, for the use of prosecution and nothing else. The Inquisitoriate is conducting its own investigations at the moment into the dealings of our prisoners and their associates, as well as some whose names have not been made public, and after such is completed, we may decide to share our findings, or we may not. Whatever end will serve the Empire best, your honour."

[Eliessa Corta]

The Judge remained quiet for some time, measuring the Inquisitor for a few moments and absorbing all he'd said.

At length she spoke, returning the paper back to the briefcase with care. "I cant say the postion you've taken is surprising Lord Inquisitor, though, I do admit to a certain disappointment. The ascendence of a new Empress had brought with it a great hope by many of us for change -- yet, it is apparent that those who serve Miranda Tarkin in the highest realms, those such as yourself, are determined to hold onto the old tyrannical and elitist archetypes, unwilling to accept that serving the Empire does not equate to unlimited and uncensured acts of bullying to realise your goals."

She stood in preparation to leave.

"The Judiciary Department is not interested in your findings, Lord Atrapes. I would advise you, though, to move quickly with your investigation - the likelihood of these Moffs living long enough to stand trial is as thin as the pretext on which you prosecute them."

She stepped aside from her chair and the furnishing moved back to its originating station.

"Thank you for your time" she said, "You can expect to be hearing from me again."

[Rossos Atrapes]

"Perhaps, Judge Corta."

Atrapes's enigmatic remark was the last thing he said while they were in the room. He found his eyes drawn to Adelaide again, the woman moving to follow behind the Judge. There was a niggling feeling about her in the back of his mind; like he was missing something important, but he said nothing and waited until they left the room, the door hissing shut behind them.

His eyes did not move until the door blocked them from view. His finger moved to the button he had been waiting to push since his fingers had trailed along the doorway, and tapped it lightly.

"Yes, Inquisitor?"

The holographic representation of the Inquisitorial Agent coordinating the security in the Citadel foyer bowed.

"Judge Corta and her assistant are leaving. Search them and allow them to leave afterward. Pay special attention to finding listening devices."

"It shall be done, Inquisitor."

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide stepped from the turbolift to exit into the far end of the Citadel foyer, her sense of dread easing with every footfall she took towards the gleaming glass exit doors now finally within sight.

Corta hadn't said a word since she'd handed Del back the briefcase and they'd left Inquisitor Atrapes office, but had retained a fixed expression making her look rather austere. Adelaide could not tell what the Judge had thought of the meeting and the apparent lack of any real result gained from it. She assumed, quite correctly, that Corta would keep the opinion on that subject to herself - or atleast not share it until they were clear of the Inquisitoriate proper.

Almost out...Adelaide cheered inwardly, her pace increasing unconsciously, so that when her progress was cut off abruptly by an intercepting security officer, she was quite unprepared and expelled a startled yip.

"Oh!...What...?"

The officer had plucked the briefcase from her hand and was steering her determinedly to the left toward a door marked "Private."

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" demanded the Judge who, likewise, was being maneuvered into the side room.

Adelaide looked around her, fearful, and Eliessa gave her the slightest of head-shakes, directing her to not resist, but to let things play. Del complied, but her whole body felt juiced - the fight or flight instinct kicking in and it took everything she had not to try to run. Those glass exit doors had been so close!

[Eliessa Corta]

"Please stand over here" directed the officer, who looked to Corta to be, what? Twelve? "Just a standard check, Ma'am. Please, just in front of the screen. Ma'am...in front of the screen. Here...Ma'am. Thankyou."

Eliessa gave him a withering look as she realised just what they were doing and recalcitrantly obliged, stepping in line beside an obedient Adelaide who was already in place and twisting her fingers nervously. A standard check...bollocks. Atrapes was afraid they were wired and his beligerence had been recorded. He wouldn't much fancy being the poster-boy for injustice in the evening edition of GNN, she supposed.

The second officer stood behind a chest-high pulpit-shaped consol and flicked a few switches which initiated an electronic scan, filling the room with a low fizzing hum. This was a very effective security tool, an innovation from the minds of Russard Industries. It would scan thoroughly all objects in front of the screen (ie: The Judge, Adelaide and the briefcase, which had been set on the floor beside them) for any surveillence devices. It was extremely sensitive and so far had not been known to ever miss.

In this instance, there wasn't anything for it to find and though the 'twelve-year-old' instructed the scan to be repeated twice more, it remained that way. The Judiciary Department was clean.

"You done?" Corta inquired laconically, not moving despite the fact that Adelaide was barely restraining herself from bolting from the room.

[Rossos Atrapes]

The Security Officer looked down at the machine's technician, who nodded.

"Completely clean, sir," the tech said. The Agent turned to the two.

"Indeed, Madame Judge. You are free to go."

If only they knew how rarely that was said in the Citadel at all. Perhaps they might have had an inkling of it, but nevertheless, the two made their way out of the 'glass' doors of the Citadel, and further along the pathway from it.

It took a moment to realise that they weren't walking alone.

"Continue walking as if this wasn't unexpected," Atrapes's voice murmured lowly from his steady gait beside them. "The holocameras are watching, remember."

[Eliessa Corta]

Eliessa was used to dealing with the unanticipated, the unexpected. She had lived long enough to know that she should never be surprised at anything anyone ever does. It is the humanoid nature to be unpredictable. However, the arrival of Atrapes at her side caused her to almost do a double-take - only his warning made her forstall a second confused glance at him.

She kept her face forward as they walked the short distance to where her transport waited.

"What are you playing at, Inquisitor? If this is your idea of cat and mouse and cheese, you can knock it off right now"

Her tone was sharp, more from being thrown off balance than from any real sense of rebuke.

Beside her, Adelaide's face had grown ashen. The girl was not up much for this kind of stress, Corta noted. Perhaps it had been to soon to throw her into the mix of Judiciary life. Oh well, too late now she supposed.

[Rossos Atrapes]

The Inquisitor didn't reply, but they continued to walk until they entered the transport, Atrapes in tow. Atrapes sat, and if one looked hard enough, it seemed like he shimmered a bit in the light of the failing day. Not as if the light shimmered off of him, but more like watching a hologram turn off smoothly; his person seemed to blink and an intangible something was removed from his person in the space of a nanosecond. It happened quickly enough that nearly anyone would consider it a trick of the light.

"I would think that you were very aware of the intrigues that go on in structures and institutions like the Inquisitoriate, your honour. Much cannot be said there for fear of what may come of it," the Inquisitor said as the transport lifted off, and sped back through to the busier areas of the City.

He didn't give either of them time to reply. "There is not much time for me dawdle here playing word games, Madame Judge. I am not suspected of anything within the Citadel; of any politicking or intrigue. Thus, I am safe for the moment, but if any should hear of this conversation, it would not be only myself that would face the consequences."

With that clear warning as to the nature of this conversation, the Inquisitor reached to his side and pulled out a datapad froma previously unnoticed pouch on his belt. "I still cannot give you the full list of the Moffs that you proffered to me in the turbolift. Not even I am cleared for such information. But I can give you what I have compiled on a number of them, both arrested and still free: their acquaintances and contacts, both public and private. Legal and criminal."

The Inquisitor tilted the datapad so the Judge could see the writing on the screen: names, ages and places, all organized according to certain Moffs, each labelled Subject 1, Subject 2, and so on; there were no names of Moffs on the screen. Further study on the names would most certainly allow them to find that while most of the Moffs in the list were not yet arrested, they were announced on the infamous list of treasoners by the Inquisitor at the behest of Grand Inquisitor Karl Valten.

However, he did not offer her the datapad, but once he was sure she knew what it was he was holding, he secured it back in the pouch, and waited for the smart woman to figure out that he was not offering this for nothing.

[Eliessa Corta]

Eliessa, for the second time that afternoon, watched Atrapes in silence trying to make up her mind about him. She didn't trust him, not by a long shot, and this vague offer of shared intelligence raised more misgivings than it did allay them. However, the Inquisitor and his datapad were not to be dismissed lightly. She steepled her fingers.

"What is it you want, exactly, Lord Inquisitor?"

[Rossos Atrapes]

Atrapes smiled lightly, though beneath that smile in the glint of his teeth were daggers and vials of poison.

"The Grand Inquisitor is finding himself very busy trying to shore up the support which has pushed the Empress into power; while at the same time also trying to root out our enemies. The Inquisitoriate has been largely inactive out in the Galaxy for some time due to this." The Inquisitor said this all with a slight air of bitterness and disdain.

"I believe you are aware of the destruction in the residence of one Kimiiki Crei some time ago? I have been investigating that and other incidents in Imperial City itself, and I am not pleased. But until the Grand Inquisitor allows it, I am unable to do anything about this information."

Pressing a button on his left bracer, a small compartment opened. He pulled out a small data-chip. "On this data-chip are names, resources, locations, and activities that normally would have been destroyed without thought had the Inquisitoriate been fulfilling its duties. The Judiciary I am sure can do much with this. Do with it what you will, but I want some assurance that at the very least Imperial City will no longer be so restless and that criminals such as Crei, and those who destroyed him are not so free to move around."

[Adelaide Kasperian-Kazaar]

Adelaide busied herself with opening a side compartment in the armrest of the transport and withdrew a bottle of water, pouring herself a glass. She refused to make eye contact with Atrapes and looked instead through the tinted glass windows at the cityscape just beyond.

[Eliessa Corta]

Corta didn't even glance at the data-chip, but kept a stern gaze locked on the Inquisitor.

"You insult me by suggesting that the Judiciary is doing otherwise" she stated bluntly. "I couldn't care less about what your Inquisitoriate is, or isnt, accomplishing while its leaders are busy manipulating politics and violating citizens' rights." She warmed to her diatribe, "And if one scum-lord like Kimiiki Crei happens to get what's coming to him by the likely hand of some other scum-lord, then I wont be loosing any sleep over it - and neither should the Inquisitoriate."

She paused here, her eyes narrowing, "Unless the Albino was a friend of yours, Lord Atrapes. Is that why you are so concerned? The Nightmares perhaps missing out now on some financial kickbacks...?" The accusation came like a slap to the Inquisitor and Eliessa saw it. So she went for the throat.

"Put your chip back in your pocket and keep your dirty little secrets. I wouldn't waste my time trying to filter through what is truth and what might be mere fantasy by some imaginative junior operative of yours hoping to get noticed. What I want from you, Inquisitor, is simply your co-operation - given from your personal sense of duty, or obligation, or even-forfend-conscience. Give me the information I asked you for and give it willingly, and it may just mean something. But I tell you right now, I wont be reeled in by your baits and lures when I can do my own sleuthing just as efficiently and without bias."

[Rossos Atrapes]

"Well," the Inquisitor said with sigh, "I suppose that is a no, just I had said no to you before."

If he had been angered by her wild accusations, he showed no hint of it. "You should be afraid, your honour, if a crime lord did kill Kimiiki Crei. If that person could kill Crei, what is to stop them from killing you? Or another official of the Empire? Execution of justice belongs not to those, but to the Empire, and they who are given the authority to enact it. To allow otherwise is to invite a breaking down of Imperial order and eventual anarchy."

His face was now impassive, but he did put the chip away. "Do not throw accusations at me or the Inquisitoriate, Judge Corta, that you have no evidence for. What you seek is not my cooperation. What you seek is the subordination of the Inquisitoriate to the Judiciary; you seek power, your honour, whether for the Law or yourself, it matters not. And for all the Judiciary is trying to do, it is still unable to get much done... efficiently, is it not?"

Atrapes didn't smile, but there was an air of smug satisfaction to him as he said the last. "The Judiciary may be investigating these events themselves, but they, and you, are making little to no headway as evidenced by crime lords and their ilk still rife in Imperial City itself, and will be unable to do so nearly as fast as Imperial Intelligence and the Inquisitoriate can. I offer a way to streamline the entire process; while the Inquisitoriate cleans up the political house, which it will do anyway, the Judiciary can do the same with the civilian. Choose your battles wisely, your honour. I do not doubt your virtue in this task you have set yourself, but it will do little good and only fragment the resources of the Judiciary. Set yourself to this task of making enemies of many Inquisitors after we have stabilised and shored up support behind the Empress."

[Eliessa Corta]

"Thats very generous of you, really it is Inquisitor. But I think you best look to your own issues of whats being done, and whats not. I've received reports that some of the Moffs on my list have already been misplaced (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=295487&postcount=37)by you people. Hardly excites me to place my trust in your methods - no matter their speed."

The "reports" Corta had received had been vague, at best, but Atrapes needn't know that. It was enough to place some threads of doubt in his own inviolability - Corta could only have received that information through someone within the Imperial forces involved in the incident itself. Her connections were more intrusive and proximal than he may have first considered.

"If I have made an enemy of you, I am sorry for it - for that wasn't my intent. I would have appreciated your help, but it comes with stipulations that I will not concede to. I am doing my duty as I see it needs to be done and this makes the Inquisitoriate defensive. You and I both know why that is, I think."

Corta signalled to her driver to slow. "I think we have accomplished all we can today. Is there some where we can drop you, Lord Atrapes?"

Eliessa was a determined woman. She was a driven woman. Rossos could recognize the traits in her as easily as they were recognizable in himself. The battle lines were being drawn and Corta was not blind to where on the field the pair of them each stood. Atrapes held the orderliness of the Empire and the sanctity of his Empress' office paramount to all things. Corta held the people within the Empire itself in the highest considertion. The two ideals should compliment and support each other. It was a crime that it simply was not so. It was this simple juxtaposition that would set Corta and Atrapes, and their respective Offices, against one another in the months to come.

"Perhaps you wish to return to the Citadel?" she offered politely.

[Rossos Atrapes]

Atrapes shook his head in the negative to her politeness. Inside, his mind was racing. Several transports had been lost; though as always Atrapes never considered the situation merely from what had happened or what he had seen, but the implications of that as well.

The Inquisitoriate, he had eventually decided, was more than torn between Tarkin's Loyalists, and her Detractors. Someone else was pulling strings in the Inquisitoriate's shadowed halls, and Atrapes was slowly searching whoever they were out. But that... that was not information that Corta should, or would ever, know. Despite the internal divisions, the Inquisitor was not worried for the Inquisitoriate's fate at the hands of Judge Corta. She'd find little damning evidence, though perhaps some circumstantial; the Inquisitoriate was skilled at hiding its actions from the view of even the Empire it served. But first, to set some hounds upon those having to do with the transport of the Moffs. Corta's sources would be found in a standard week at the most. Leaks within the Inquisitoriate's missions and actions would not be suffered, unless they were planned for.

"Here will be fine," he said, casting a quick look out the window. The speeder slowed and stopped, and Atrapes opened the door. He began to step out of the transport, but held himself back.

"Do not overestimate yourself, madame Judge," he said. "The Empire does not readily create people such as you, and so I urge caution. You are treading into territory that you have no clue about, and setting yourself against something that you have no comprehension of."

With those last words, he stepped out of the transport, and made his way through the crowd. Despite his distinctive uniform and cape, he quickly disappeared in the mass of humanity.

[Eliessa Corta]

The transport pulled away from the curb and soon intergrated smoothly into the forward-flow of Imperial City traffic.

Corta leaned back against the padded comfort of the vehicle's seats and removed her glasses, twirling them slowly by the frame's arm with her fingers.

"Well, that was fun" Adelaide remarked tartly beside her. The girl was visibly relieved to be free of the Inquisitor's very unsettling company.
Corta "hmm'd" a response and nibbled the end of her glasses thoughtfully.

After a moment, she settled her hands in her lap and closed her eyes to unwind a little before they arrived back at the Judiciary. It was a small trick she'd leaned years ago and found the deliberate relaxation of 10 minutes could recharge her for the rest of the day and long on into the evening. The visit with Atrapes had been taxing, despite what her resolute calm may indicate. She'd better make the nap 15-20 minutes.

Adelaide turned to look back out the window, but Corta spoke turning her back again, "When we get back to the Judiciary Building, open a confidential file on Inquisitor Atrapes." Eliessa pushed her shoes off, one foot blessedly freeing the other. "He is now officially a Person of Interest."