Beneath the Spires of the Citadel (Naomi)

[Rossos Atrapes]

Rossos winced inwardly at the ache that still gnawed at his neck some days after he had the link to IMP, the mainframe system of the Inquisitoriate, activated. It was a dull, minor ache, but still somewhat annoying. However, with a discipline that came from the sober realization of the repercussions of failure, he ignored it and continued to sift through the information he was being mentally given by IMP; records and projects currently underway, the reports of the hunters and informants that were scattered across the galaxy keeping many eyes on was happening in, out of, and around the Empire.

He made addendums where he saw necessary, always mindful to keep them within the frame that Inquisitor Helghast had so far provided them, which in most cases was rather easy to surmise, especially given his link to IMP.

In keeping with his style of working in the Citadel, he had done most of his work in private, preferring to work by himself than with some of the more deranged members of the Inquisitoriate and its other minions. But in certain cases, IMP could provide only so much information, but it lacked the personal aspect that Rossos found all too necessary, and so he had called in a couple of agents to update him of certain personnel and prisoners.

They were to arrive soon, he was aware. The place of the 'meeting' was not in the office of Inquisitor Helghast, but was in one of the more luxurious offices the Citadel provided; luxurious being a relative term here. It was a bit larger than Inquisitor Helghast's own personal office, and was adjoined by a room where a secretary droid (nothing more than an advanced warning system in truth) would send out calls and arrange times for meetings, as well as alert him to waiting persons while he was busy with making sense of the information IMP was providing. It was reminiscent of the Chancellor's office during the days of the old Republic (but Inquisitor Atrapes did not know this, being born just after the Clone Wars had begun), save for the fact that there were no chairs before the desk of the Inquisitor, forcing visitors to stand while Inquisitor Atrapes sat.

And it was at the desk, but facing the wide window which held a panoramic view of the massive planetary metropolis that was Imperial Centre. Rossos faced this window made of transparisteel, but saw nothing, as he was busy sorting through the reports that IMP had forwarded to him via the link that had been implanted between his shoulder-blades. He would be alerted when the agents had arrived. Just in the corner, a black protocol droid stood and awaited any orders that the Inquisitor might give.

[Naomi Lang]

“Uggghhhh, I hate these things.” Naomi tugged at the restrictive black uniform worn by Inquisitorial officers; plain save for the blood red crest of the Inquisitoriate on the left breast and right shoulder. She despised the thing, as a Nightmare she was typically able to dress as she chose…or at least wear the more comfortable body-suit of the CMC-300 Power Armor.
Next to here Victor chuckled and quickly earned himself a glare, he was the reason for her discomfort; something about showing


professionalism and respect for Helghast’s stand-in. Certainly she would make an effort to wear the uniform when Inquisitor Helghast demanded it, but that was mostly because he scarred the living dren out of her and he rarely demanded her prescence outside of mission briefings.


“Be polite, Agent, Inquisitor Atrapes is one of the best force-hunters we have.” Naomi rolled her eyes at Crestmere and finally gave up on trying to adjust the uniform. The damn things should honestly have been more female friendly. Of course Victor just told her that she should actually wear the thing and break it in.


“I’m well aware of that, Sir.” She tapped a finger against the base of her skull. While the Nightmares had official military ranks as part of the Enlisted Personnel of the Inquisitoriate, they were more akin to Inquisitors (or at least explicators). Everyone simply refered to them as Agents and they had the same ability to interface with IMP as the Inquisitors….as well as having access to all but the most restriced files with their neural implants.


“But he’s not one of us.” Each of the Nightmares had a strong bond as a result of the hell, suferring, and insanity they were forced to face that outsiders weren’t privy to.


Victor shook his head annoyance, or was it mock annoyance? Naomi could never tell with Victor, mostly because half the time she wasn’t even sure that it was Victor who was in control. “Forget about it, that’s an order.”
The two halted in front of of the office doors. Atrapes was already well aware of their presence with the omnicsiceint eye that was IMP keeping vigil over the Citadel, but Agent Crestmere announced them anyway.


“Agents Crestmere and Lang reporting as requested.”

[Rossos Atrapes]

Within the fog of his link to IMP, a small 'message' made its way to the centre of his attention. Crestmere and Lang have arrived.

Inquisitor Atrapes mentally commanded the droid to allow them entrance, and tapped the button on the armrest to have the window begin sliding shut. He had been surprised (but not so very much) at how much he did not know of the Nightmares until his link with IMP had been finalised; the product of long tenures away from the citadel with little contact save for the odd report he would send.

Within the 'waiting room', the droid which served as receptionist looked up from its own link to the computer system.

"Agents Crestmere and Lang," it said, its vocabulator being the normal issue; tinny and garbled, if still understandable, would be the words that the two Inquisitoriate members would hear. "Inquisitor Atrapes will see you now."

The door to the office slid open with the slightest hiss. It could have been silent, but Rossos had specifically had the parameters of the machine changed to give him a slight warning in the highly unlikely chance that he was not aware of someone coming, and meaning him harm in the midst of the Inquisitoriate's seat of power. He knew one could never take too many precautions against disaster. While the catastrophe on Endor was not directly related to him so much as the Navy and Military, he grew much more cautious about allowing his superiority to cloud his judgement following it.

What the two agents would see as they entered the room was probably what Rebels had caricaturised the Imperials to be as a whole. The room was dark, but not very much, only enough to give off an air of intimidation and mystery (though Lang and Crestmere, as members of the Empire themselves, and moreover members of the Inquisitoriate, would likely not feel intimidated all; for the most part except for a few special rooms, the Citadel was designed this way). A high backed chair faced the slowly closing transparisteel window to the bustling metropolis of Imperial Centre.

Inquisitor Atrapes did not turn immediately to regard them. He sat for a moment, letting part of his consciousness seep into the area around them to feel for their states of being and the ripples their answers would create. Lang's annoyance did not reverberate loudly within the Force, but Rossos still felt it anyway; she was not trying very hard to mask it. This sparked a small sense of curiosity in the Hunter, whom had lived his entire life following whispers. It was curious, but not much more, for someone to feel secure enough to only lightly mute their signature. Crestmere felt a bit a more blank than Lang, which raised Rossos' estimation of the man.

"Agent Naomi Lang, Agent Victor Crestmere," he said finally. The chair slowly spun so that the Hunter (who seemed at the present moment to be going up in the world) could see them; his eyes were alert and sharply focussed on them. "I am aware of the odd nature of my call to have reports given in person. However, I shall not try to endear myself to you by giving reasons. I have some questions, which I hope you will answer forthrightly and without hesitation."

He lightly tapped another button, this one on the desk itself, and a projected holo appeared between them. The holo expanded, showing rapidly moving lists and graphs. Names, dates, numbers; information scrolled down the projection quickly. The list stopped scrolling when he had finished speaking, and the small list of names now hovering in the air between them would appear familiar to the Agents. This was a list of the members of Project Nightmare, and specifically, themselves.

Rossos leaned forward as he turned his eyes back up at the names highlighted on the holo. "When I left for my years of hunting, there were only whispers of Project Nightmare. And those weren't the kind breathed into conspirators' ears. During my infrequent returns, it was not my place to snoop about and dig into areas not under my specific purview as a Hunter.

"Now, however," he continued, "I find it necessary to learn of this so that I may be able to use you in the most efficient and purposeful manner. And whom would be better suited to the task of reporting to me the strengths and weaknesses of Project Nightmare's personnel than those who are of Project Nightmare?"

He paused, but only for a small breath, not allowing any response for the moment. "I have been given quite adequate information already, and have formed some preliminary opinions on these questions, but I will not pretend that I am very well versed in this particular circumstance. I wish to know what you feel are your strengths as ... Nightmares (Rossos looked like he enjoyed saying the name), and where you operate most efficiently."

[Naomi Lang]

“I wish to know what you feel are your strengths as ... Nightmares… and where you operate most efficiently.

The two Agents glanced at each, a mixture of surprise and confusion apparent on their faces, though Naomi betrayed from more than Crestmere did. The man had much greater experience in controlling his outward expressions than she did despite the chaos of voices in his head.
None had ever asked what the Nightmares thought of their organization, in fact almost nobody ever asked anything about Project Nightmare.

If the Inquisitoriate was the shadow department of the Imperium, then the Nightmares were the same in relation to Inquisitoriate.
Victor was the one to speak first, being aide to the Inquisitor Helghast unofficially gave him places as commander of Project Nightmare whenever the Inquisitor, and none of the others voiced disagreement.

“Strengths, Sir? Our strength and efficiency lies in our operation as a single unit. Project Nightmare succeeds as a collective, not as individuals.”

Crestmere rested his hands at the small of his back, it was difficult to explain to anyone how the Nightmares functioned. In the field it was as if the individual consciousnesses vanished, with the aid of their neural implants and the cybernetic-network provided by their suits the Nightmares fought as a single, flawless unit. If one dared, the unique nature could be thought of as kin to the battle-meditation of the old Jedi Masters.

“We can work on our own, one Nightmare could easily handle a ten-squad mission. But our effectiveness bottoms out when compared to the whole. Every one of us brings a specialty to the squad that can’t be replicated.”

It was Naomi that spoke, with a much greater degree of bluntness than her partner (nearly elegant for her), but the effect was well achieved.

[Rossos Atrapes]

Rossos's eyes focussed on Agent Lang as she spoke, judging her not only by her speech and voice tonality, but also through the Force; he did not worry about whether his scan was sensed or not. Subtlety was of no use here. He could feel her slight annoyance, and wished to impress that he was in charge for the moment, whether she agreed with the decision or not. "Indeed," he said. "I had come to same conclusion; yet to hear the same coming from yours--" here he cast his gaze to Agent Crestmere as well -- "alleviates any seconds thoughts on the matter I may have had."

"Agent Crestmere," he said, and the hologram shifted down the roster to highlight one name -- Etanial.

"I have found you have converted one of our prisoners. Before I ask of the others, I would like a personal update on his performance and how well you think he is dealing with the changes, and his potential within Project Nightmare. Is there a chance he may revert from our control?"

[Naomi Lang]

Prisoner? Crestmere had hardly thought of Xanatos as a prisoner…more of a detainee. A lost sheep that needed to be guided back to the light so to speak. And he was showing to be quite the promising student. Though distastful as he found the Inquisitor’s opinion of the boy, Victor was well aware of the issue brought forth.


The Agent cleared his throat, “Agent Ethanial is showing to be quite receptive to Inquisitorial doctrine. He is showing a great deal of faith in our cause and fervent willingness to learn.” Victor spread is hands in an uncertain gesture. “But whether or not he is capable of serving is unknown. He is not still not fully aware of the duties required and the rammifications of such. Reversion is ever a possibility, but we will know for certain once he completes his first field assignment and takes part in decontamination.”


Many actions take by the Inquisitoriate put individual morals to the test in the most extreme manners imaginable. Crestmere was loathe to the thought, but if Xanatos proved incapable of following certain orders or coping…… ”If his resolve fails we will be ready.”

[Rossos Atrapes]

Rossos could feel the slight annoyance, but did not feel it necessary to make such a small issue (he felt all held by the Inquisitoriate were in fact prisoners; detainees and such could be let go at a certain point, and his status as a Hunter did not lend itself to detaining people, or letting go those he captured) into a larger one, and thus nodded, though he seemed a bit indifferent to the potential of the new Agent's reversion. If the young man in fact did turn from them, he would die, or be punished and have more indoctrination pushed into him to keep it from happening again.

The hologram shifted once again, this time to detail the planet itself, rotating peacefully between the three Inquisitoriate members.

"I have heard of an upsurge of activity, both overt and covert on Imperial Centre of late," he said, his eyes going blank and cold. There was no question of what kind of activity that Inquisitor Atrapes meant when he said it. "It is disturbing, though not so unforseen that after the death of the Emperor that some feel it would be safer to operate here than before. How are the operations to dispell any notions of safety among these, and to discourage any more such actions being so blatantly committed?"

The holographic image stopped in its rotation, and the point of view zoomed in on the scene of a recent "disturbance"; a mansion of a small time crime boss, where nearly all the people within were murdered. Another part of the hologram detailed the Science facility where the rogue DeVille and a small team had wreaked havoc, as well as the area where she was captured. While this was not uncommon on Imperial Centre, most held enough fear of the Imperial presence here to do such things quietly. Such overt actions were worrisome, and though the rogue DeVille had been captured, the mere fact that she had done so might push others into action as well.

[Naomi Lang]

“How are the operations to dispell any notions of safety among these, and to discourage any more such actions being so blatantly committed?"<o>></o>>
Both agents shifted a bit at the question, even the controlled Victor. At one time Project Nightmare had been focused on eliminating threats that others were not capable of handling or were not willing to risk exposure; threats such as adepts, demagogues, and corrupt officials. Many had fallen silent without explanation and only the occasional rumor of “monsters with blue eyes” lingered afterwards.
<o></o>
But in recent months Project Nightmare had been diverted from these tasks. More action was being taken off-world, fewer assassinations were taking place, and even the regular Inquisitorial soldiers were being withdrawn from combat. It was as if even the elements of the Inquisitoriate visible to the people had vanished into their citadels and shadows.
<o></o>
Victor spoke up, his voice neutral. The upsurge Inquisitor Atrapes spoke up most likely had to do with the inaction of the Inquisitoriate. “We have orders only to interfere with overt threat-level adepts, but we a……….”
<o></o>
Naomi interjected with a none too happy voice. “…aren’t doing a fraking thing. And it’s not just the Nightmares, even other Inquisitors are having their activities suspended." Victor threw a glare in Naomi's direction, trying to get the woman to shut up........and failed. "Orders are coming directly from Grand Inquisitor Valten, ask him if you’re interested. He’s doesn’t tell us dren.”<o></o>

[Rossos Atrapes]

"Orders are coming directly from Grand Inquisitor Valten, ask him if you’re interested. He’s doesn’t tell us dren."

Rossos stayed quiet, looking almost through Agent Lang. "Grand Inquisitor Valten...?" he murmured. "Indeed he would be wise to keep such secrets, if you are also thus inclined to speak when frustrated."

The rebuke was clear; even in the deepest recesses of the Citadel, one must watch their words. Danger was everywhere.

Now Rossos had a clue into his being pulled from Adept hunting to Imperial Centre, and to a 'desk job'. But he'd be stuck in an ysalamiri suit before he did nothing to strike fear into those unafraid of the Empire now.

Perhaps he'd have to speak with the Grand Inquisitor himself. But in the meantime...

"Well we certainly cannot circumvent the Grand Inquisitor's orders..." he trailed off. He looked up to regard Agent Crestmere. "However this doesn't mean we cannot do something to strike at our enemies. Have a number of our outside 'assests' mobilized, and strike down a number of those known entities currently making or having made trouble for the Empire on Imperial Centre. We shall remind them all that they are guests in our house. Write up a list of those you deem fit for making this statement as well as the assets we shall use, and then send it to me for approval, understood? Keep in mind that in some cases, a failed attempt may make more of an impression that a successful one. A reminder that we are watching should be perfect for this moment."

Rossos stood up and began to pace, idly thumbing the button to open the window again. "Things are changing for the Empire; change is in the veritable air, I can taste it. We must not be motionless or unprepared for this oncoming change. Are the Nightmares prepared for an engagement of any size or scope at the present moment?"

He directed his eyes to Lang, expecting the answer to this question to come from her.