Darth Vader…meet THE INQUISITORIUS!
On Coruscant, Darth Sidious surveys Darth Vader's damaged armor, which lies on an automated table. He asks Lord Vader why he has ruined himself but praises his Sith apprentice for succeeding in his quest to obtain a Sith lightsaber. Lord Vader is recuperating inside a bacta tank. The Emperor reassures him that his droids will have his armor repaired in no time. Through the Force, Lord Vader conveys anger at the suggestion that droids be allowed to repair his armor. Realizing that the armor embodies Vader, the Emperor allows Lord Vader to use his skills as an engineer to adjust the armor. When he is ready, he tells Vader to come because he has work to do. After the Emperor exits, Vader uses his Force powers to telepathically repair his armor.
At the former Jedi Temple, a cloaked figure walks into the hallway, while muttering against the lies of the Jedi Order. Meanwhile as Vader dons his armor, the Emperor informs him that there is an intruder inside the Temple and orders him to deal with them. The cloaked intruder enters the Jedi Archives, seeking the knowledge that he has long been denied. Vader confronts the intruder but the intruder is not intimidated by the Sith Lord and activates his lightsaber. The two engage in a lightsaber duel.
The cloaked intruder boasts that Vader has no concept of the power he wields. However, the Sith Lord uses the Force to hurl the intruder into a bookcase, causing several holobooks to tumble. Uncloaked, the intruder reveals himself as the Pau'an known as the Grand Inquisitor and vows that Vader will die. As the two parry, the Grand Inquisitor believes that Vader came to steal the knowledge inside the Archives for himself, which he would not allow because it was promised to him.
Activating his double-bladed spinning lightsaber, he advances on the armored Lord Vader. However, Vader reveals that he was merely testing his suit and blocks the Grand Inquisitor's advance by shattering his blade with his lightsaber. Thrown to his feet by the explosion, the Grand Inquisitor asks who he is. Before Vader can strike him down, the Emperor orders him to stop. He then introduces a surprised Lord Vader to the Grand Inquisitor. A perplexed Grand Inquisitor recalls that the Emperor gave him permission to explore the Archives in order to train the Inquisitorius but was attacked by this "creature."
When the Grand Inquisitor asks if Lord Vader is his servant, the Emperor counters that Vader serves the Empire and admits that he did arrange Vader and the Inquisitor's meeting. The Inquisitor points out that Vader nearly killed him but the Sith Lord regards it as a valuable lesson. While the Grand Inquisitor is first among the Inquisitorius, Sidious reminds him that the Inquisitorius belong to the Sith. When Vader asks about the Inquisitorius, the Emperor invites him to travel with them to The Works in Coruscant's Industrial District.
Inside a former factory that is guarded by the Emperor's Royal Guards, the Emperor introduces Vader to several Inquisitors including the Sixth Brother, the Fifth Brother, the Seventh Sister, the Eighth Brother, and the Ninth Sister. Jumping down to join his fellow Inquisitors, the Grand Inquisitor introduces them to their new Sith master Lord Vader. The Emperor briefs Lord Vader that the Grand Inquisitor was a former Jedi who resented the Order for denying him access to the Higher Councils and the secrets of the Order. The Emperor exploited his dissatisfaction with the Order. When Vader asks the Emperor if he deliberately sent him into the path of danger, the Emperor reassures him that Vader is special and that the Grand Inquisitor could never have defeated him.
The Emperor tasks Lord Vader with training the Inquisitorius to cut off the Jedi "infection" from the galaxy. Vader vows to begin immediately. The Emperor is pleased with Vader's devotion, explaining that while most Jedi were killed during the Great Jedi Purge only the luckiest, deadliest, strongest, and most duplicitous survive. He tasks Vader and the Inquisitorius with hunting down and destroying the Jedi, regarding them as the greatest threat to their Galactic Empire. The comic ends with a glimpse of Jedi archivist Jocasta Nu hiding in a cave.
- UPC 759606086665; October 4, 2017; Marvel Comics
- Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1 — Imperial Machine
- Star Wars: Darth Vader - Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1
- Star Wars: Darth Vader by Charles Soule Omnibus
- Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection