by R. E. Graham
His boots thumped against the hard floors as he walked up to the front desk. A young blonde woman sat behind the counter at her terminal and greeted the Inquisitor without a smile. “How may I help you inquisitor?”
“As I understand it. Two rotations ago a squad of KoP agents brought a Ms. Eva Primus into custody. I need to speak with her” Varius said keeping his face like stone.
“Eva Primus is currently unavailable as she is being interrogated at the moment.”
“I see. Well, I need that interrogation finished promptly as I need to speak with her.”
The blonde became visually uncomfortable at Varius’ growing discontent. “Inquisitor, I apologize but I cannot do that.”
That’s it. I’ve had it with these dullards!
Just before he could lay into the female agent another voice spoke up boldly.
“What seems to be the matter here?”
The Inquisitor looked up to see a tall gray-haired man walk out from one of the rooms behind the desk. There was a long scar on his left cheek that ran from under his chin to the edge of his hairline. Varius noted the blazing star symbol on the collar of his all white officer’s uniform and recognized his authority.
“Hello Inquisitor Varius, I am Legatus Tye Aquilas. I apologize for my personnel’s reaction to your abrupt landing last night. Is there something that I could assist you with?” the tall man asked as he brought his arms behind him in a relaxed parade rest.
“I need to speak with Eva Primus. Shouldn’t take long.”
“Ah yes, Ms. Primus. She is currently being interrogated at the moment by one of our operatives.”
Varius smiled. “Yes, your assistant here was just informing me of that. Nonetheless, I need to speak with her, immediately.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but we are in the middle of an investigation and the soonest I can make her available will be later this afternoon” Aquilas said confidently.
“Hmm…well, perhaps with the free time I will have that I can look through the chestcams of your field agents from the night of the warehouse raid?”
“Are you implying something Inquisitor?”
Varius smiled. “Not at all. I have heard that you successfully subdued a rebellion, her rebellion…” he said pointing towards the interrogation room, “…and I am certain that every single one of your agents acted responsibly as their positions dictate and didn’t do anything that would require an inquisitor investigation into the KoP operations here on Eden.”
Tye clenched his jaw tightly and broke eye contact. “Please give me a moment to prepare her for you.”
“Thank you” the Inquisitor said as his eyes followed Legatus Aquilas down the hall.
The agent at the desk tried to make herself look busy as the two were left alone. He placed his arms behind his back and pulled a small silver disk from a pocket on his belt and gripped it tightly in his gloved hand.
Varius noted cobwebs that had gathered in the corner of the ceiling. They can’t even keep a room clean, much less maintain peace on a whole planet.
He was shaken from his internal thoughts as he heard a pair of boots coming from the hallway. Tye Aquilas was followed by a shorter man with an agitated look on his face. He was unrolling his sleeves and Varius noticed a cut on his knuckle.
“She is all yours Inquisitor” the Legatus said with his arm extended.
Varius nodded warmly and walked to the interrogation room with his hands tucked behind him. Both men watched angrily as the Inquisitor walked out of sight.
“Sir, what is this all about?” the agent asked Aquilas.
“It doesn’t matter. Inform Inquisitor Titus. We’ll let him deal with this.”
As the blonde bent down to use her comm system Tye stormed out of the detention center to return to his personal office.
Two guards stood watch outside of the interrogation room. Varius nodded at them as he went inside. The thick blast door slid shut behind Varius with a hiss. The room was pretty much empty except for a flipped over metal table and chair, and Eva Primus chained to the wall. There was a cut above her right eye that bled, and she had multiple bruises on her forearms and one nasty one on her right cheek. She wore ordinary citizen clothing, nothing that would peg her as some sort of freedom fighter. But Varius had dealt with enough would be terrorists to not trust his eyes initial conclusions.
While her outer appearance may look of a woman defeated, her eyes didn’t. She glared at Varius with incredible intensity.
“Hello Ms. Eva Primus. I am Inquisitor Varius.” He said as he leaned against the door and stuck the silver disk to it. Without a noise the door had become disabled by the disk and would not open until he disengaged it. He looked about the room once casually and noticed the camera built into the wall. He took several steps toward the table.
“I have reviewed your file and read all about your group and your desire to acquire firearms.” He flipped the table back over gently and the chair along with it. He sat down as he continued. “I can only assume that your objective with weapons would be to begin terrorist guerilla warfare against the sovereign government of the Corre Republic that controls this world.”
Her eyes burned but she refused to speak.
“You have some very serious accusations cast against you” Varius said as he pulled out his jammer and set it down on the table.
Eva’s expression changed to confusion.
“That’s better. Now you can talk with me a little more freely” the Inquisitor said as he smiled widely.
“I don’t know why you’re here. I’ve already spoken to two other inquisitors and they didn’t believe me either.”
“They didn’t believe what Ms. Primus?” Varius asked as he crossed his arms.
“Yes…I was involved with the Eden’s Forgotten Legion. But our goal was peaceful protest.”
“Of course, it was” Varius said jokingly.
“Look, do you want the truth?” Eva asked annoyed.
“That’s why I’m here. Please, continue.”
“Several months ago, a man named Rian Kennedy joined our group and I eventually made him my personal right-hand man. It wasn’t too long before he went behind my back and started to stir up the group and make them angry at the governor on Eden.”
The Inquisitor held up a hand. “I want to know specifically about what happened at the warehouse in the industrial district.”
“That’s what I’m getting to” Eva shot back.
Varius gestured that he was sorry and for her to continue.
“Rian riled everyone up so bad that they decided they were going to arm themselves and strike at the head of the serpent. They were set to meet at the warehouse to purchase weapons from some arms dealer. I tried to stop them but was locked in a room in our headquarters.”
“Who was the seller?” Varius asked as he sat up in his chair.
“They only called him the Shadow Man. I never wanted to attack the Republic. I’ve seen what happens when you fight against the government oppressors and I wanted to save them from that fate. I got out of the room and rushed to the warehouse. Sadly, by the time I got there it was already swarmed by KoP agents and their Mechs. The fools had no idea what they were getting themselves involved in.” Eva’s expression changed from bitterness to being softer as her eyes fell to the floor.
I need to know the truth. I’m running out of time! It won’t be long before they notice the camera is disabled.
“Ms. Primus, I need to know what really happened at the warehouse. Something else had to be going on. I went there and saw what must have been a warzone at one point. Your little peaceful group must have been up to something else. What sort of weapons were they purchasing?”
Her head shot back up. “I am telling you the truth! That bastard Kennedy lead my people right into a trap. And I have no idea what sort of weapons they were buying.”
“You know, I looked through the KoPs files on the incident and there wasn’t any record of a Rian Kennedy among
the dead. Is it possible he is still alive?”
“I sure hope he is so that I can kill him myself!”
Varius chuckled out loud. “Doesn’t sound very peaceful of you.”
“What else should I do to the man who got all of my people killed?!”
The Inquisitor stood up. “What else do you know about this Shadow Man?”
“Nothing. No one would tell me anything else.”
“Then I suppose that we are finished here…” he said as he reached over for the jammer.
“I have evidence!”
Varius’ hand stopped. He looked up at her and pulled his arm back. “Where?”
“Hidden. You have to get me out of here.”
“Not a chance.”
Suddenly there was a bang at the door followed by a muffled voice. “What’s going on in there?”
Eva’s eyes pleaded with him. “They will kill me if you don’t get me out of here. And with me goes the proof you are after.”
“You are asking me to break multiple laws, as an inquisitor I cannot…”
“Oh, come off your pedestal. I know how you inquisitors operate. You have all kinds of leeway to bend laws to fulfill your objectives.”
Again, the guard outside banged on the door.
“I know where you can find the arms dealer!” the woman blurted out. “But you will never find him if you don’t get me out of here.”
Varius turned away in thought. He turned back to her and walked over. He pulled out a thin metallic strip and peeled off the back. He stuck it to the back of her neck below her collar and pushed the center of it. It beeped loudly, and Eva’s eyes grew very wide.
“You know what that is?”
She nodded slowly.
“Good. Then you know that if you try to betray me in any way that I will blow your head from your shoulders. I will release you long enough to help me learn what I need. After that I am bringing you back here to pay for your crimes.” He took a small burner lighter from his belt and cut through the chain from her right arm. Then he placed a magnetic binder ring to her right wrist and one around her left.
“Oh, come on!” Eva said disapprovingly.
“Place your right hand up to your left” Varius ordered.
She grunted in protest as she reached up her right wrist to her left. The two binders connected magnetically then locked together. The Inquisitor freed her left arm from the chains.
“Do anything suspicious and it is all over for you” Varius said with as much gruff in his voice as he could manage.
Eva nodded again as there was more banging on the wall.
Varius motioned for her to get up against the wall and he got on the other side of the room. Before he removed the disabler disk from the door and put it back into his belt, he peeled another remote bomb and stuck it to the wall behind him. The door slid open and the two burly men armed with stun batons stepped into the room. The crackle from the batons was ear piercing in the small room.
They both turned to see Eva but before they could spin back Varius chopped the guard on the left in the head. He collapsed to the ground as his comrade jumped back. Eva put her arms over the man’s head and pulled back tight on his neck.
The Inquisitor stepped forward and swiped the baton away from the guard. He then punched him with his right fist. The guard was instantly knocked unconscious. He slumped to the ground and Eva slid her binders off his neck.
“Follow my lead. Don’t draw unnecessary attention to us” Varius said as he made sure the hallway was clear. He put Eva in front of him and used his left hand on her shoulder to guide her.
The woman at the front desk noticed the pair strolling down the hallway. “Inquisitor?”
Varius held his other hand up and smiled cheerfully. “I am going to borrow Ms. Primus for a few hours. I will bring her back shortly. I promise.”
As Eva and Varius went out the door of the detention center the blonde woman hit a button on her comm system. “Legatus Aquilas, the Inquisitor is taking the suspect into his own custody.”
“What?!”
Chapter 5
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 9
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Inside the Keepers of Peace Command Center
Eva tried to keep her face calm and somber as Varius guided her down several corridors toward the elevator. KoP agents on all sides went about their business. Some were bringing other citizens of Eden in for processing while others went about other duties.
Several armored KoP agents on either side of the pair noticed them and stood up. They didn’t make a move, but Varius noticed their automatic rifles in hand. He nodded sternly to a team of them on his left and kept on his way.
“Hold it right there Inquisitor!”
Varius looked to his left to see Tye Aquilas stomping his way down a short hallway. Two guards followed close behind.
Eva carefully stepped behind Varius as the rest of the room froze.
“Legastus Aquilas I require Ms. Primus’ assistance with a case. I will return her promptly to your care to do with as you see fit. As soon as my business is concluded.”
Aquilas crossed his sleeved arms and the shoulders of his officer’s jacket puffed up slightly. “You have no jurisdiction to confiscate my prisoner. We are in the middle of an investigation into her connections with other groups around the planet.”
“Well, no, I actually do. According to ordinance 7562 subsection three I have authority to override any Keepers of Peace operation to conduct my own investigation” the Inquisitor said as calmly as he could.
“Yes, but we are amidst a pacifying operation against her terrorist organization which makes her an enemy of the state, thus my prisoner. Inquisitor Varius, hand over my prisoner immediately or you will be found as an accomplice.” Aquilas smirked confidently.
“Accomplice? On what grounds?”
“Your behavior in this is already risen some concerns. You first hot drop into Lucifer without orders, then act aggressively towards my men by not powering down your WarMech. We have footage of you fleeing the scene of the warehouse where her people were buying firearms was conveniently burned to the ground. And I have just heard from the detention center that you incapacitated two of my agents. It seems to me that you are here to rescue her.”
While the two men puffed out their chests to one another Eva scanned the room watching for any of the guards who were looking to make a move. That was when she saw him. Across the wide room a door slid open and a man dressed in the traditional KoP officer uniform stepped out. A burning rage consumed Eva as she drew the Inquisitor’s sidearm and aimed it at the man.
“Rian Kennedy you are going to pay!” she screamed loudly. The man saw the threat and dove to the floor.
Varius spun around in time to smack the handgun downwards just as the first round was fired. It ricocheted off the stone floor and flew into a stack of metal boxes on top of a desk. He expertly wrestled the pistol from her hands and holstered it in one smooth motion. He put his arms up to signal everyone to calm down.
All of the armed guards in the room had their rifles up and aimed at both of them.
The Inquisitor realized some of the guards aimed their weapons at him which made his blood boil. “Legatus order your men to lower their weapons.”
“I can’t do that. Turn her back over to my custody and clear your name.”
“Alright.”
Eva looked at the Inquisitor in horror as he lowered his arms. He touched a button on his left gauntlet that set off the bomb strip in the detention cell. The explosion shook the floor and the guards became temporarily distracted.
Varius turned to Eva and grabbed her shoulder. “Run!” he shouted as he pushed her towards the elevator.
Tye pointed his finger angrily at the fleeing pair. “Apprehend them!”
Three guards activated their stun batons and stepped in front of Eva. The Inquisitor yanked her back and charged forward. He blocked the first gua
rd’s strike with his baton at the forearm and threw a punch right into his helmet. The reinforced knuckles bashed his head with a hard punch and he fell to the ground in a heap.
Varius deflected a strike from the middle guard while the one on the right went for Eva who backed up several steps. She found a baton of her own that laid on a desk and picked it up. The guard laughed loudly at the challenge as he aggressively swatted it from her hands with his own baton. Eva held up her bound hands and said, “Woah now.”
The guard didn’t see Varius slide behind him and before he realized what happened his head was being smashed into a desk. In one quick motion the Inquisitor grabbed Eva by the collar and half-dragged her along with him to the stair well.
Just then the elevator doors opened to reveal inquisitors Titus and Vega. Both looked very confused at the sight of Varius pulling Eva Primus.
“Varius?” Titus asked puzzled, as he stepped forward.
“Stop them!” Aquilas shouted to the two surprised men from across the room.
Varius slammed the emergency stairwell door pad and it slid open. Eva followed closely behind, and the Inquisitor quickly attached the disabler disk to the door just as it closed. Several people could be heard beat repeatedly on the door as the pair fled up the stairs.
While Eva was huffing loudly, Varius had already scaled the stairs and was at the top. Alarms began to wail loudly throughout the compound. He leaned over the railing and shouted, “Woman you need to move!”
“Woman…I’lll…show you…woman!” she grumbled as she climbed upwards. “I’m way out of shape for this.”
Varius hit the door pad and was met with a kick from Vega. Instinctively the older inquisitor caught the kick with his hands and he flipped him on to his back.
“This isn’t what it looks like, I don’t want to fight you Vega” Varius said as Eva stopped behind him.
The younger inquisitor rolled to his right and up into a crouch, hands ready to fight. “Too bad, because I do.”
Vega rushed forward to strike. Varius parried multiple attacks and followed with an elbow to Vega’s face as he tried to draw his own sidearm. The gun fell down the stairwell and the older inquisitor kicked his attacker in the chest. Vega stumbled back through the doorway.
