Empire of the Lost

[Aculia Voland]

The New Imperial Inquisition

Basic Description
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The New Imperial Inquisition otherwise known as NII, is the Empire's Force Sensitive Internal Security Service. Based in its fortress on Ossus atop the ruins of the once great Jedi enclave, it has become its own independent agency with a broad mandate including securing artifacts and knowledge about the Force, maintaining the safety of the Empire's populace from the various hostile Force users that encroach upon its borders, assisting Imperial intelligence, advancing Imperial science, and even increasingly getting involved in the running of the Empire through political maneuvering and influence. Inquisitors can most often be found in the Empire proper or just outside of its borders, but sometimes may be seen further away if the situation demands it. Rarely, if the Empire's manpower is stretched or they are fighting a defensive war, they can be seen on the battlefield, but the Inquisition is loathe to step on the toes of the more combat focused Imperial Crusaders and tend to defer to them in such situations.

The Inquisition strives to strike a balance between the Dark and Light sides of the Force, careful to view the Force as more of a tool for their purposes rather than dogmatically following any particular doctrine, at least in its new reformed form. Particular Force powers are considered neither "good" nor "bad", rather it is their application by the Inquisitor that determines that. That is not to say, however, that individual Inquisitors cannot lean one way or the other, and that there is not the occasional tension within the Inquisition over the best methods to resolve a situation, but is the official position.

Duties

Artifact and Knowledge Collection​

The first chief duty of the NII is collecting dangerous and powerful artifacts and securing them for the Empire's glory, and, if necessary, use in the its defense. This includes, but is not limited to, various Force-imbued weapons, Jedi, Sith, and other associated holocrons, various devices and machines, Kyber crystal deposits, and essentially any object which can potentially be a boon or harm to the Empire. These are carefully stored away in various deep vaults on Ossus, usually never to be seen again unless needed.

The NII also collects knowledge about various Force cults, powers, and users throughout the galaxy and adds them to the remains of the Jedi Archives on the planet so that they can best determine how to protect Imperial interests with it. It is rumored there are techniques and spells written down that are as simple and harmless from creating a field of flowers to as dangerous as potentially killing entire worlds, although none but the Inquisition knows exactly what their archives contain.

Monitoring and Enforcement Against Force Sensitives.​

The second chief duty of the NII is the monitoring of, and if necessary, enforcing the laws of the Empire against Force Sensitives in its borders to ensure peace and stability within the Empire. They maintain multiple holocrons of the Force Sensitive children born within Imperial borders and registered citizens with a high Force potential, as well as track and are responsible for permits to outside Force wielders who wish to travel legally within Imperial borders. They are also oftentimes called upon to crack down upon the various Force cultists and criminals who crop up in the Empire which regular law enforcement is ill-equipped to handle.

Imperial Intelligence and Scientific Cooperation​

Another duty of the NII is assisting the NISB and various Imperial scientific divisions with their work given their nature as the most common Force Sensitive organization that the average Imperial official away from the frontlines might see. Their skills in the Force are particularly useful to the various intelligence when it comes to interrogation, intelligence gathering, and certain covert operations with regard to the former and in ways too numerous to count for the latter ranging from the scientific study of artifacts all the way to advanced genetic engineering.

Political Influence and Maneuvering​

Although not a formally described duty of the Inquisition, given their more internal and ubiquitous nature they are often heavily involved in politics. It is not uncommon to see an Inquisitor serving and advising a high ranking military or political official, and many go beyond this to acquire significant political and military backing for their own purposes whether that be in pursuance of their official duties or their own personal power and ambition much like the days of the old Galactic Empire. A wise ruler will thus keep close tabs on the NII and its operations, for it is not unheard of for some of them to harbor ambitions above their station.

Various Miscellaneous Duties
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In many aspects the NII is the "catch-all" Force Sensitive agency within in the Empire in the sense that due to spending most of their time within the Empire's borders or near to them they are often closest to various sorts of trouble that local law enforcement or perhaps even the local military forces cannot handle easily. As such it is not unheard of for an Inquisitor to be pulled aside to help solve various local problems if an appropriate agency is not available, although those making the request usually must have good reason to convince a member of the NII to break from their usual duties.

Training and Ranks​

Recruits of strong Force potential of any age, gender, and species are typically welcome in the NII, as the Empire cannot afford to be picky when it already tends to be stretched thin. They are trained in the basics of lightsaber combat and the various different power schools of the Force, and then led to take on advanced training. Most of the Inquisition's recruits tend to self-select into either what the Jedi would traditionally call the Consular or the Sentinel path, that is focusing most of their attention on their Force powers or taking a balanced approach that encourages a sort of jack-of-all-trades focus between lightsaber combat and Force powers, as those who take the more lightsaber and combat-oriented approach tend to join the Crusaders.

The Inquisitors are led by the Grand Inquisitor, who is assisted by a council of High Inquisitors, who reports directly to the ruler of the Empire and sits on the ruling Imperial Council. Below them are the regular Inquisitors and then Acolytes, effectively trainees who have just graduated from basic training and need real field experience to be promoted to Inquisitor proper. Although rank is not strictly correlated with power in the Force, and indeed sheer knowledge or political influence can allow a weaker individual in the Force to climb up the ranks, the Grand Inquisitor and High Inquisitors usually tend to fall near or above in power to a typical Jedi Master, the Inquisitors proper Jedi Knights, and Acolytes usually at Padawan level.

Equipment​

Although there is a standard Inquisitor dress uniform, namely Imperial gray uniforms with black boots and golden crossed lightsaber pins, there is no standard armor, uniform, or lightsabers given out after the reforms of Aculia Voland. This is because each Inquisitor, while part of a whole, is unique and knows best how to use their powers and skills in service of the Empire, so they are instead given a rather generous budget to select their own armor and craft their own lightsabers or other weapons as they see fit. While there are those who have argued against such reforms in favor of standardization, they have become unusually quiet since Aculia ascended to the position of Grand Inquisitor.

History

The history of the NII is the as old as the Empire itself, being formed in Lianna in its early days, although then under the NISB. It and its agents were instrumental in the initial expansion into Galidraan and Belderone, and stabilizing the early Empire, before fading somewhat into the background after the ascension of Emperor Kilran, though still serving loyally. With his death and with the rise of hostility of Force Sensitive rebels and potential insurgents, along with the return of the powerful Aculia Voland and her appointment as Grand Inquisitor, the Inquisition has taken a more active, organized role, seeking to stabilize the reign of Empress Kanni and ensure peace throughout the Empire.​