Fortress Inquisitorius

"There's a fortress. Where they take Jedi. Where the Inquisitors come from. It's a place of torture. It's the place I escaped."

―Cere Junda to Cal Kestis^[2]

Fortress Inquisitorius was an underwater stronghold located on the ocean moon Nur in the Mustafar system. The stronghold served as the central seat of the Imperial Inquisitor Program following their expulsion from their previous Inquisitorius Headquarters on Coruscant due to an Incident in 14BBY. The existence of the fortress was hidden from the Empire at large, although rumors swirled of a "dark site" where Force-users from across the galaxy were extradited by Imperial forces for interrogation, torture and study. The bodies of Jedi killed during the Great Jedi Purge, were kept in a tomb within the lower levels of the bastion, while a significant garrison of stormtroopers, Purge Troopers, and Imperial officers worked alongside the Inquisitors and Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader to further their mission of hunting Force sensitives.

In 14 BBY, during the Great Jedi Purge, a mission involving the Jedi Cal Kestis and Cere Junda resulted in significant damage to the facility, as well as the execution of the Second Sister by Darth Vader. In 9 BBY, the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and members of the Hidden Path resistance group also infiltrated the Fortress in a successful effort to rescue Alderaanian princess Leia Organa, who had been kidnapped by the Third Sister on Mapuzo. Despite extensive efforts by the Imperial military to secure the facility, their forces were unable to prevent the Jedi and their associates involved from invading the fortress or escaping the planet.

Description[]

Layout[]

"They broke them, beat them down, and turned them to the dark side."

―Cal Kestis, after BD-1 inspects the Interrogation Chamber^[2]

The Fortress Inquisitorius was located on the ocean moon Nur which was orbiting the planet Jestefad in the Mustafar system.^[6] It was built to complement Darth Vader's personal residence Fortress Vader^[7] on Jestefad's smaller twin world^[8] Mustafar, and was constructed using black stones from Mustafar.^[7] Though an imposing blade-like spire rose from Nur's corrosive waters, much of the Fortress was under the waves and embedded deep into the moon's surface. The entirety of the facility was heavily guarded by a garrison of stormtroopers and bristled with a number of turbolasers.^[2]

Located at the top of the citadel was a central hangar bay that stretched around the tower and hosted Lambda-class T-4a shuttles, Imperial transports, and the Inquisitors' ships, such as the Scythe. TIE/ln space superiority starfighters were docked on racks on the ceiling of the hangar, similar to that of a Star Destroyer. At least four entrance doors were located on each side of the hangar. Any ships entering went through thorough scans whenever arriving or departing.^[7] A deployment system and launch bay was also used to deploy Viper probe droids in hyperdrive pods to scour the galaxy for Jedi.^[5] Near the surface underwater was a grand hall that stretched from the hangar to the entrance into the inner sections of the fortress. Access to the inner fortress was granted via passing a security checkpoint^[4] which featured security scanners that detected any weapons, bombs, or other threats to the fortress.^[7]

Inquisitorius - OWK — The Inquisitors in a meeting room.

The Office of the Inquisitorius,^[7] also known as the board room,^[3] was a conference room not unlike those of the later Death Star, with the head seat being reserved for The Grand Inquisitor. It was a large room with a window that could see out underwater. It also had a strategy table in the middle of the room and was guarded by two stormtroopers.^[4]

The fortress' dojos were the training rooms of the Inquisitorius, where Inquisitors and Purge Troopers honed their lethal skills. The fear-based, dark and abusive nature of this training was diametrically opposed to that of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Deep within the Inquisitors Prison Block, captured Jedi and other Force-sensitives were kept to experience the next level of interrogation, torture, and experimentation. The design of the prisoners' holding cells and interrogation areas were specifically intended to break the spirits of those interned there. The central interrogation chamber of the Fortress was a torture room where captured Jedi and Force-users underwent the dark procedures necessary to transform them into Inquisitors. Under direct orders from Emperor Sheev Palpatine, this facility was specifically designed to psychologically and physically drain a prisoner's will, forcing them to acquiesce to the indoctrination of the Inquisitors.^[2]

Security systems[]

"I think I've just found out what they're hiding down here. This place isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi^[5]

FortressInquisitoriusJediMausoleum-OWK — Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers the Jedi corpses housed in the fortress.

The security systems within the Fortress were a complex network controlling bridges, wings, gates and portals. The fortress was protected by shields controlled by a multi-shield system that could be compromised or disabled. This information was contradicted by Hidden Path member Kawlan Roken, however, who asserted the stronghold was unshielded as the Inquisitors believed no one would be foolish to attack it directly.^[5] A number of other security features, including laser gates and ray shields, were employed in the detainment wing of the Fortress; the former were modified extensively at the instruction of the Grand Inquisitor following a successful prisoner escape.^[2]

The entire fortress was designed with the ability to be purposely compromised or flooded to prevent the escape of prisoners. However, it was also possible for areas of the Fortress to become flooded unintentionally if the shield system was compromised, rendering it unable to protect the Fortress from hydrostatic pressure. The Fortress may be vulnerable to flooding if airlocks are open while the shield system is disabled. Sectioned wings of the Fortress are designed for maximum security and stability in extreme undersea conditions. A complex system of partitions provides the ability to flood an entire wing or specific sector in response to any escape attempt by a high-value detainee. Structurally reinforced shielding is able to withstand an external breach or change in pressure at any depth.^[2]

History[]

Early history[]

FortressInquisitoriusConstruction-Devoted — The Fortress Inquisitorius during its construction

Fortress Inquisitorius was a facility made operational by the early Imperial Era,^[2] with some construction happening^[6] in 19 BBY.^[1] At that point,^[2] it was not yet the main base of the Inquisitorius, who instead operated from a headquarters located in the Works of Coruscant.^[9]

In the wake of Order 66, Jedi Knight Cere Junda was imprisoned in the stronghold and questioned relentlessly regarding the whereabouts of her Padawan Trilla Suduri and a group of Jedi younglings under her care. Even the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader became involved in her torture, and despite a prolonged period of silence, Junda eventually cracked and gave up the location of the younger Jedi. Suduri and the younglings were subsequently captured and imprisoned in Fortress Inquisitorius, resulting in the Padawan turning to the dark side of the Force and becoming an Imperial Inquisitor known as the "Second Sister." When Junda learned of her protege's fate, she used the dark side to break out of her confinements and escape the facility.^[2] Around the same time, the Jedi Knight Iskat Akaris was also briefly imprisoned at the facility before being transferred to Coruscant.^[10]

Becoming the main base[]

In 14 BBY,^[11] the primary headquarters of the Inquisitorius on Coruscant became potentially compromised after an incident involving Darth Vader and a pair of rogue Inquisitors resulted in the death of Maklooq, an Imperial Senator. Hoping to maintain the organization's clandestine nature, Darth Sidious had the Inquisitorius move its main operations^[9] to Fortress Inquisitorius on Nur.^[2]

During that same year,^[11] during the Second Sister's hunt for the surviving Padawan Cal Kestis, she acquired a holocron containing a list of the locations of Force-sensitive youths across the galaxy after confronting him on the planet Bogano and took the holocron to the fortress. The Fortress Inquisitorius turned out to be the scene of a mission that resulted in the Second Sister's death at the hands of Darth Vader due to her failure and betrayal when Kestis and Junda stormed the fortress. Despite Vader's presence, Kestis and Junda narrowly escaped with the holocron.^[2]

Obi-Wan Kenobi's break-in[]

See also: Rescue of Princess Leia (9 BBY)

In 9 BBY,^[12] the Third Sister, Fifth Brother, and Fourth Sister spearheaded the hunt for Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi from Fortress Inquisitorius. Shortly after the Search for Princess Leia, during which Kenobi escaped capture, the three Inquisitors conferred in a meeting room in the fortress regarding their next step. The Third Sister, who had been given overall command of the operation by Lord Vader, had three viper probe droids launched into space to monitor the locations where Kenobi was likely to emerge next. One of the droids discovered Kenobi on the planet Mapuzo. After a skirmish, Princess Leia Organa, who was accompanying Kenobi, was taken into captivity and brought to Fortress Inquisitorius.^[4]

The Third Sister interrogated Organa regarding the location of Kenobi and a network that had helped him evade capture on Mapuzo. At the same time, Kenobi and a traitorous Imperial officer named Tala Durith planned to rescue Organa. Using her credentials, Durith gained access to the fortress and helped Kenobi enter and navigate the facility. Kenobi freed Organa, although a seeker droid alerted the facility to his presence. After fighting off Imperial forces, Kenobi, Durith, and Organa made it to the hangar, where they were surrounded by Imperial forces including the Inquisitors. Before they could be captured, a pair of anti-Imperial network T-47 airspeeders arrived and safely extracted them.^[5]

Behind the scenes[]

Fortress Inquisitorius Rey concept art — Concept art of Fortress Inquisitorius by Jean-Francois Rey

Fortress Inquisitorius was first mentioned, albeit indirectly, in the twentieth issue of the comic series Star Wars: Darth Vader, which was written by Charles Soule and published by Marvel Comics^[9] on August 22, 2018.^[13] It later debuted in the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the first installment of the Star Wars Jedi series by Respawn Entertainment.^[2] During the development of Jedi: Fallen Order, the design concept of Fortress Inquisitorius changed more than any other location featured in the game. Concepts considered included an asteroid base, a base hidden in a gas giant or nebula, a hyperspace-capable battle station,^[14] and even an Imperial Tribunal Citadel.^[15] Concept art for the final design of Fortress Inquisitorius was created by artist Jean-Francois Rey, and inspired by Gothic cathedrals.^[14] In the Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi television series, scenes in the Fortress' meeting room were filmed in^[16] the virtual LED set^[17] known as the Volume.^[16]

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the similarily named Citadel Inquisitorius was the headquarters of the Inquisitorius, though it was based on the Deep Core world of Prakith.^[18]

The novel Ahsoka, which is set in 18 BBY,^[19] features the Inquisitor known as the Sixth Brother contact his personal headquarters, but it is unclear^[20] if that refers to the Inquisitorius Headquarters on Coruscant or the Fortress Inquisitorius building, which both existed during that time.