Varik Ice
The Broken King
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a Centralized Headquarters and training facility for the Imperial Inquisitorus
- Image Credit: Kalist Base - Star Wars: Empire: The Wrong Side of the War
- Canon: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Military Base Name: Imperial Inquisitorus Headquarters
- Classification: Military Base, Training Facility, Branch Headquarters
- Location: Zenith Prime
- Affiliation: Galactic Empire
- Population: The facility contains not only a significant population of Inquisitors, Initiates and Prospects as well as training and instructing staff, but also a large number of military personnel from the Army and Navy. Some of the personnel are assigned to garrison the base, while some units are trained and raised here; various special forces classes are also handled at this facility, so there are dozens of special forces and Intelligence candidates present. Along with these, are various miscellanous and maintenance staff, some of which double as military personnel.
- Accessibility: Although isolated from major population centers, the facility's location is not top-secret; various Imperial Personnel have travelled to and from the base. However, only Imperial personnel with the correct access codes are permitted entry to the base at all, and the more high-security sections are only permitted to Inquisitors, High-Ranking personnel, Imperial Intelligence and specifically assigned Stormtroopers.
- Description: Built into a large mountain, the Inquisitorus Headquarters gives the impression of a fortress. Fortifications and mounted defenses are stationed across every opening and vantage point, with large hangar bays carved into the side of the mountain and guard posts at varying levels. There is no ground entrance for this facility, and it can only be accessed via shuttle or somehow scaling the incredibly steep mountain face.
Upper Echelon: Contained within the higher reaches of the mountain base, the Upper Echelon is only permitted for individuals with the much higher security clearance, and is where the most sensitive information is kept, such as those relevant to investigations or operations concerning the Inquisitorus. Here is also where chambers for personnel such as High Inquisitors, higher-ranking Intelligence personnel and the Grand Inquisitor can be found.
The Pit: In the very base of the Mountain is The Pit, nicknamed by the soldiers that have spent so much time there. Dimly lit and intentionally oppressive to keep the pressure up on prospective recruits, this area of the facility is used specifically for training potential Inquisitors, Initiates, and special forces candidates alike. It has rooms simulating various environs and threats, as well as areas for live-fire exercises and simulated interrogations.
Sector X-1: Used for training regular Infantry and Naval units as well as Officer candidates, X-1 is a top of the line training facility staffed by highly-valued instructors and veterans who pass on their experience and accumulated knowledge to the recruits brought there. The facility is purposefully placed above The Pit, with observation rooms to the training down below to increase morale and encourage hero worship of special forces personnel; X-1 produces some of the Empire's finest soldiers, and is second only to the cutting-edge facilities on Kamino.
The Big Stalk: An odd nickname for a large area that juts out from the side of the mountain due to its appearance like an alien eyestalk, this area is used for housing Royal Guardsmen and Special Forces units who garrison the base, and is also where the commander of military forces at the base resides.
Clawbird Memorial: Intended to only continue to cultivate the culture of Special Forces hero worship amongst the soldiers, this statue with a memorial of an Advanced Recon Commando team stands tall at the Hangar Bay where all new arrivals turn up, being the first thing they see of the base. At the base of the statue is a plaque dedicated to the Clone Troopers and all Imperial military personnel who have fallen in battle.
DEFENSES
Reinforced Deflector Shield: Surrounding the mountain in a protective bubble, this shield is intended to protect from Naval or Orbital bombardment and attacks; it is highly durable and resistant, though will eventually fall if bombared with enough Ion attacks in quick succession. Although it can hold back all forms of fast-moving weapons and bombs, smaller vehicles such as Starfighters, speeders or tanks can pass through, as can any sentient who simply walks through. The shield can be temporarily opened in areas for incoming Imperial Ships.
Turbolaser Defense Cannons: Large turbolaser cannons designed as a last line of defense against attack from above if the shield is lost, these cannons are able to pack a significant punch even against relatively large vessels. Though there are several across the mountain, they cannot be moved from their position and are locked in place, causing there to be a couple of blind spots for them.
EWHB-12 Heavy Repeating Blasters: Emplaced at various chokepoints throughout the innards of the base and also at the outside defenses, these Repeating Blasters are not only manned by trained Stormtroopers, but can also be automated to fire at intruders and cover the retreat of security forces further into the base.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Originally found as a half-finished project, it isn't entirely known how long this base has existed within the Mountain. Imperial researchers currently speculate that it was a project of the Warrior-King of Zenith Prime before he was deposed by Imperial military action, but this cannot be confirmed. Finding it in such a state, Varik Ice saw potential in the unfinished fortress.
Shortly after being appointed Grand Inquisitor-Regent, Ice made the order to have the facility restored and repurposed, in order to properly organize the training and housing of not only the Inquisitorus, but Special Forces personnel and others within the Army and Navy alike. The base was rapidly expanded upon, with building work heading not only upwards, but downwards as well.
The Upper Echelons of the base were finished first, providing an area for overseers of the construction to not only keep the work organized and plan effectively, but begin using the facilities at hand in aid of the Inquisitorus and Imperial Intelligence. Soon after, training facilities in the lower areas were finished and proper defenses began to be created and placed around the sides of the mountain.
The 'Big Stalk' was last to be made, built once all other work was done to properly organize the garrisons stationed there. With the construction work finished, attention was turned to training a new generation of Inquisitors in particular, with training methods and doctrines being revamped and rewritten in accordance with the facilities now available to those who handled instruction.
