Inquisitorius Headquarters
The Inquisitorius Headquarters, a skyscraper, was under the control of Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith. This structure was situated in the Works, a sector of Coruscant, a Core World that served as the capital for both the Galactic Republic and subsequently the Galactic Empire. Previously known as the LiMerge Power building, this derelict tower functioned as a clandestine refuge for Darth Sidious. He utilized it for meetings with his Sith apprentice, Darth Tyranus, publicly recognized as Count Dooku, following the initiation of the Clone Wars. Later in the conflict, upon sensing Grand Master Yoda of the Jedi Order on [Moraband](/article/moraband], the ancient Sith homeworld, the two Sith Lords performed a dark side ritual within the tower. Despite the ritual's failure, Sidious and Dooku intended to employ it to entice Yoda, thereby eroding his resolve and further weakening the Jedi Order from within.
Subsequently, the tower became the central base for the Inquisitorius. This was a dark side organization within the Empire, comprising Imperial Jedi hunters whose mission was to eliminate any surviving Jedi after their destruction, which followed the rise of the Galactic Empire. After [Darth Vader](/article/anakin_skywalker], Sidious's newly designated Sith apprentice, was introduced to the Grand Inquisitor by Sidious, they journeyed to the tower. There, Vader encountered the other members of the Inquisitorius. Following a pursuit involving two rogue Inquisitors that resulted in chaos on Coruscant, Sidious commanded Vader to relocate the Inquisitorius off-world to Fortress Inquisitorius on Nur. He also granted him the planet Mustafar to establish his personal stronghold.
Once the Inquisitorius had vacated the tower, it was repurposed as living quarters for the Emperor's Royal Guard. To maintain complete isolation for these carefully vetted bodyguards, they were only permitted to leave the tower for direct transport to the Imperial Palace for their shifts, returning to the building for breakfast each morning. During the Royal Guard's occupancy, an assassin droid programmed by Ochi infiltrated the tower with the intent to poison the Guards' food. This was done to convey a message to Palpatine on behalf of the Crimson Dawn.
Design
During the Imperial Era, the structure that came to be known as the Inquisitorius Headquarters was initially the LiMerge Power building. This planet-based Coruscant skyscraper was located in the Works, an industrial district, and served as the capital of the Galactic Republic. Its base featured three prominent fins converging at the structure's midpoint. A smaller, secondary structure extended from one of these fins, connected to the main building during the Clone Wars by several dilapidated walkways. A sizable, central, cylindrical pillar with a conical top rose from the mid-section. Also situated in this mid-section was a secret hangar equipped with multiple upward-opening hatches, enabling ships as large as a Punworcca 116-class interstellar sloop to enter and exit. Upon entering the hangar, the ceremonial chamber, adorned with statues, was located to the left. By the time of the Clone Wars, the tower's exterior was in a state of disrepair, with areas showing wear and damage.
By the early days of the Galactic Empire, the tower featured a large central chamber, a conference room, and a leisure area. During this period, the exterior had undergone upgrades and repairs. The secondary structure was converted into a landing platform, and the multiple walkways were replaced by a single pathway. In the leisure area, the Inquisitors had the option to consume alcoholic beverages and sit at the tables. This area also included several corridors, one of which led to a walkway outside the building and a small, degraded platform.
History
Before the Clone Wars
Following the death of Qui-Gon Jinn at the hands of Darth Maul on Naboo in 32 BBY, Count Dooku journeyed to this concealed location. Before his departure from the Jedi Temple, he engaged in a conversation with Yaddle, a member of the Jedi High Council. The Jedi councillor grew suspicious of Dooku when he stated he would not attend the funeral of his former Padawan and close friend on Naboo. Shortly thereafter, the Serennian Count left the Temple and headed to The Works, unaware that he was being followed by the Jedi Master.
Upon reaching the building, the Jedi discovered Dooku conspiring with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious inside. Yaddle revealed herself, but when Dooku's allegiance became clear, she was compelled to engage him in a lightsaber duel. Dooku defeated his former ally, executing her after coldly stating he would grant her peace. This act pleased Sidious, drawing the former Jedi closer to the dark side.
The Clone Wars
Bringing good news
After the opening battle of the Clone Wars and a lightsaber duel against the Jedi in 22 BBY, Count Dooku, who by this point was the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems and secretly the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, traveled in his personal solar sailer to the tower in the Works district on Coruscant. He did this to meet with his Sith Master, and the tower served as a secret retreat and storage for Sith artifacts.
Upon Dooku's arrival at the tower's hangar, he was greeted by his Sith Master, Darth Sidious. He informed him that the war between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy had commenced. Sidious was pleased by this news, as it marked another milestone in his plan to destroy the Jedi Order and seize control of the galaxy, declaring that everything was proceeding as planned.
Breaking the Jedi Order
In 19 BBY, the Grand Republic Medical Facility was briefly placed on lockdown to enhance security. This followed a mission to Level 1325 aimed at capturing rogue clone trooper CT-5555 after he allegedly attacked Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, secretly Sidious. During this lockdown, Sidious relocated his collection of Sith artifacts from the abandoned tower to the medical facility, fearing that the Jedi might discover the tower. Following the mission to Oba Diah, Grand Master Yoda embarked on a mission to Moraband to uncover the secrets of preserving one's consciousness after death. He also sought to identify the Sith Lord who had been manipulating the Jedi and had created the clone army for them.
Yoda's quest led him to Moraband, the ancient homeworld of the Sith. Apparitions of Sith Warriors conjured by the Force Priestesses alerted Sidious and Dooku to Yoda's presence on Moraband. Dooku was then informed by his super tactical droid, Commander Kraken, that his master was summoning him to Coruscant to meet. After Dooku arrived from his flagship, Sidious greeted him and led him to the tower's ceremonial chamber. This chamber was lined with statues arranged in a circle around a sacrificial altar basin at its center. Sidious then initiated a ritual, utilizing Dooku's blood and Force-bond to connect with his former Jedi Master, Yoda. He also employed Force lightning and chanted in Balc, a Sith language.
Through this ritual, Sidious was able to exploit the Force-bond to create Force Illusions on Moraband, hoping to break Yoda's will and tear the Jedi Order apart from within. In these subsequent illusions, Yoda found himself back on Coruscant in the Works aboard a LAAT/i gunship with fellow Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Clone Captain CT-7567, and a squad of clone troopers. They were tasked with a mission to the tower after detecting a rogue shuttle that infiltrated Coruscant's security grid, believing that Dooku was onboard. Initially confused, Yoda nevertheless ordered the mission to continue, believing they were close to uncovering the mystery of the Sith and that the Sith must not be allowed to escape, even if it meant executing them.
After the LAAT/i landed in the hangar of the abandoned tower, Yoda, Skywalker, Rex, and the clones discovered Sidious and Dooku in the ceremonial chamber. Dooku attacked the group with Force lightning, killing Rex and the clone troopers. Skywalker engaged Dooku in a lightsaber duel and managed to kill the Sith Lord, despite Yoda's protests. Regardless, Yoda pursued Darth Sidious to the outside of the tower, with Skywalker arriving shortly after. After dueling with Sidious, Skywalker was defeated and rendered unconscious.
Sidious continued fighting Yoda, attempting to break his will by forcing him to choose between saving Skywalker and learning Sidious's true identity to stop his future actions. Yoda chose to save Skywalker, allowing himself to be struck by Force lightning. Sidious then ended the ritual, eliminating the spiritual plane they were on, having failed to break Yoda's will. Defeated, Sidious stated that they would need more time to defeat the Jedi, while Yoda gained a new perspective about the Force that the Sith would not be able to foresee.
Reign of the Empire
Use by the Inquisitorius
Following the rise of the Galactic Empire and the destruction of the Jedi Order in 19 BBY, Darth Sidious, now the Galactic Emperor of the newly formed Galactic Empire, established the Inquisitorius. This dark side organization was tasked with eliminating any remaining Jedi. After [the Grand Inquisitor](/article/the_grand_inquisitor], the leader of the Inquisitorius, briefly dueled Sidious's new Sith apprentice, Darth Vader, Sidious introduced them and informed Vader about the Inquisitorius, which was based in the tower, now known as the Inquisitorius Headquarters.
The tower had been renovated with a new landing platform, a large chamber, a conference room, and was guarded by the Emperor's Royal Guard. There, as the Inquisitors trained in the main chamber, Lord Vader was given command of the Inquisitorius and tasked with training them. After some time, Vader and the Grand Inquisitor met in a conference room to review a list of potential Jedi survivors. They were assigned to track down Jocasta Nu, the Chief Librarian, whom Sidious considered a high-priority target.
Years after Order 66, following a mission to hunt down former Jedi Master Eeth Koth, Darth Vader and his team of Inquisitors, including Fifth Brother, Thirteenth Sister, and Tualon Yaluna, arrived in their Zeta-class shuttle and landed on the tower's landing platform. They were greeted by the Grand Inquisitor and two Kallidahin servants, who held Koth's captured newborn. Vader and the Grand Inquisitor then proceeded to the conference room to discuss Jedi survivors and the status of Project Harvester.
After their return from the planet where they had killed Koth, several Inquisitors, including Eighth Brother, Seventh Sister, the Grand Inquisitor, the Inquisitors who accompanied Vader to eliminate Koth, and the Second Sister, were present in the tower's leisure room. There, Akaris and Tualon were at a table drinking dust juice and discussing recent events, until Vader confronted them and ignited his lightsaber.
As Vader stood before them, the two Inquisitors were stunned, while the others reached for their lightsabers in confusion. As Vader brought his lightsaber down on Akaris, it was blocked by Tualon. After a brief scuffle, the two Inquisitors escaped through a corridor leading to an unrenovated outside walkway and platform in a deteriorated state, and fled to the city. However, Vader eventually managed to kill them. Following this incident, Sidious decided that the Inquisitorius should be relocated off-world. Vader then requested that Sidious grant him the planet Mustafar, the site of Vader's greatest defeat, to serve as the location for his personal castle, to which Sidious agreed.
Consequently, the Inquisitors were assigned a new headquarters, Fortress Inquisitorius, located on the water moon Nur near Mustafar. Having been constructed early in the Imperial Era, the Fortress Inquisitorius had already existed as a major base of operations while the LiMerge Building was used as headquarters.
Royal Guard base
Following the Inquisitorius's departure from LiMerge for the Fortress on Nur, the skyscraper was repurposed as living quarters for the Emperor's Royal Guard. This was due to the need to isolate them from the Imperial population for security reasons, as well as their knowledge of Palpatine's deepest secrets. The Guards followed a strict schedule, having breakfast at the tower each morning before donning their uniforms and departing for the Imperial Palace via shuttle. In 3 ABY, assassin Ochi, working for Qi'ra and the Crimson Dawn, infiltrated the tower using ASN-909, an ASN courier droid modified as an assassin droid. He had it poison their food with Ziroxin-12, timed to kill them as Palpatine would be arriving before them. Royal Guard Major Erstin Deez skipped breakfast to go directly to work, prompting Ochi to shoot him with his sniper rifle coated with yurfloo poison instead. Unaware of the attack, the Guards donned their uniforms and headed to the Palace, dropping dead as soon as Palpatine and Mas Amedda entered the chamber.
Behind the scenes
The tower, named the Inquisitorius Headquarters in the 2018 canon comic by Charles Soule, Darth Vader (2017) 20, was originally created for the 2002 prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. In the StarWars.com episode guide for "Sacrifice," the final episode of the animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, released in 2014, the tower was described as the "Coruscant tower" in a caption. The tower was first introduced in the Star Wars Legends continuity through the novelization of Attack of the Clones, released before the film in 2002. In 2012, the Legends novel Darth Plagueis identified it as the "LiMerge Building." This name was canonically confirmed in the 2018 reference book Star Wars: Complete Vehicles.
The LiMerge Building was first depicted as the headquarters for the Inquisitorius in Soule's 2017 Star Wars: Darth Vader comic series. The building made its debut in that role in Darth Vader issue 6 before being explicitly identified as their headquarters in issue 20. In the novel Ahsoka, the Inquisitor known as the Sixth Brother contacts his personal headquarters, but it is unclear if that refers to the former Li-Merge Building or the Fortress Inquisitorius building, which also existed during that time.