Shipwright Zion wasn't excessively conflict-prone.
Usually not.
But at the same time, he sometimes regretted that the Empire was in the past, and now he couldn't just order stormtroopers to shoot the annoying sentient.
"I said no!" He didn't like repeating himself either.
But apparently, the sentient foisted upon him was too stupid not only to work where he was told, but also to understand from the first time that advice wasn't needed here.
"But why?" Alexander Oni wouldn't calm down. "This is a perfectly combat-capable and valuable technology!"
"Because you decided so?" Ryan already had several biting responses prepared for the unfit "student."
"No!" The boy insisted. "The Latti are truly underestimated! We just need to intervene and not let them all be cut up for scrap! No, you yourself understand what potential they have."
"Really?" Zion's artificial eye gleamed. "This is a low-grade, poorly armored, technically imperfect, absolutely useless unit in modern warfare, whose place is on the scrap heap of history. All its versions."
"Yes, it has no shield, yes it's a relatively slow ship with light armor, but we can make it into what the Dominion needs!"
"The Dominion already has everything it needs!" Zion cut him off, pointing at the ship models displayed on the shelf to the right of his office entrance. "We have Super Star Destroyers, Star Destroyers, interdictor destroyers, heavy cruisers, interdictor cruisers, 'pocket' Star Destroyers..."
"But this is a support landing craft!"
"What's wrong with Lambdas and Sentinels as landing and support craft?" Zion inquired. "Not to mention the Delta-class shuttles. They are all excellent ships that, most importantly, we have licenses to produce, we have the equipment, we have deployed assembly lines. Why dig the Latti out of the trash heap of time and try to breathe life into it again?"
"Because I inspected the warehouses allocated for them on Tangrene on your orders!" The boy was practically blazing with anger. "There are tens of thousands of them..."
"So you didn't complete the inventory and don't know the exact number?" Zion darkened. "What have you been doing the last few days then?"
"I did everything you told me! The inspection is complete! I examined every one of those ships! I described every one of their malfunctions! I compiled defect lists with my team of technicians! And you know what? Out of one hundred twenty-seven thousand ship units we have in storage, which cannot be demilitarized and sold, one hundred twenty can be airborne within a week!"
"Only one hundred twenty units?" Zion grimaced. "Should have left that scrap metal where it was found, not wasted fuel transporting it here. Junk..."
"One hundred twenty thousand! One hundred twenty thousand low-altitude assault transports! Infantry and cargo configurations! You rejected them as scrap metal that can't be demilitarized and sold to civilians..."
"Because that starship was originally built for military purposes!" Zion raised his voice. "Remove its cannons, launchers, take out the missiles — all that remains is a shell with engines and two cabins as tall as a small walker! We'll spend more money dismantling this scrap than we'd make from selling the demilitarized version!"
"That's why I'm proposing not to sell our stockpiles! We've already sold at least fifty thousand units across the galaxy, not to mention the mercenaries from Kavil's Corsairs, the Tammuz-an sector, and we've supplied them to the Defense Forces on every Dominion planet..."
"Because production of Lambdas, Sentinels, Mus, and Deltas can't keep up with the needs of the entire state! We're equipping the fleet and the armed forces reserve with necessary equipment — the Defense Forces can fly old machines, they won't go blind from it!"
"But we can modify the Latti to make them truly combat capable!" Ori wouldn't let up.
Young.
Stubborn.
Annoying.
He'll go far.
Zion lightly massaged his eyeballs with his fingers.
He needed to prove to the kid that his idea was garbage.
"Fine," he said. "Let's compare the machines. Speed of the Latti in infantry configuration."
"Fifty meglights, six hundred twenty kilometers per hour in atmosphere," the young shipwright said without hesitation.
"And no hyperdrive," Zion added. "And no shields. And the armor is armor in name only. Armament: three light anti-personnel laser cannons in ball turrets, one in the rear and two in the forward hemisphere. Also four beam laser cannons, two mounted on the wings that can only fire forward, and the underslung ones on the sides are too energy-intensive to use constantly."
"Plus there are eight air-to-air missiles on beam racks, four under each wing," Alexander said readily, rattling off numbers. "And two mass-driver missile launchers with ammunition for up to thirty missiles. And it can carry up to thirty soldiers with a pair of light reconnaissance walkers and grav-sledges! Not to mention a medical droid! And the maximum crew is only four sentients! Minimum is just one pilot. And it costs only sixty-five thousand credits."
"Uh-huh," Ryan summarized in a bored tone, writing the data on a flimsi sheet in a column, then drew a vertical line. "In Republic prices, but that's a minor detail, we'll compare in those. Now let's move to the Lambda. Speed: fifty meglights in vacuum, eight hundred fifty kilometers per hour in atmosphere, has primary and auxiliary hyperdrives. Armament: a pair of twin laser cannons and three blaster twin-mounts. Or four laser cannons and a rear blaster twin-mount. Or the modification particularly favored by Imperial military: eight laser cannons. See the difference, kid? Three modification variants. Not to mention you can install a tractor beam generator. And generally you can put various weapon configurations into it, whatever's on the market that fits the energy consumption and size parameters."
"But it can only carry eight to twenty passengers or soldiers depending on the modification."
"Only they'll be protected by strong armor and shields, so they won't die from the first hit," Zion countered.
"But the crew is six!"
"Minimum is still one."
"But it costs almost four times more!"
"But you can't shoot down a Lambda with a single MANPADS or rapid-fire laser," Zion argued. "And yes, this ship delivers fewer troops — but it delivers them. Not to mention that in case of a crash, the pilots can survive — in a Latti, the crew is doomed."
"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you!"
"Hold on, we're not done comparing yet. Let's get to the Sentinel, which is the main infantry landing craft and can deliver fifty-five soldiers, six speeders, and five tons of ammunition to the surface with protection not inferior to the Lambda at a similar cost, and it becomes quite sad, doesn't it?"
"But we have a good production base!" The boy wouldn't relent. "The Empire abandoned the Latti because they didn't need full air cover for advancing units. Because the Imperial army was the most advanced and numerous in the galaxy. They could secure battlefield advantage with bombers and support artillery..."
"Why 'could'?" Zion was surprised. "They still can. Read the intelligence reports about how the New Republic and Alliance infantry are swimming in blood on the battlefields. But the Imperials aren't at a party either — it's a life-and-death slaughter out there. So a lightly armored target there is a gift for an anti-aircraft artillery crew or a portable surface-to-air missile system, nothing more. Lattis wouldn't survive in modern warfare."
"All because you haven't even looked at the proposed modernization plan!" Ori exclaimed.
"I've seen thousands of these plans in my lifetime! Some were even implemented. And you know what came of it?"
"Tens of soldiers and missiles raining down on enemy heads?"
"No, shady businessmen laundered money, and then the modernization projects were shoved into a far corner like a nightmare."
"Listen! We now have the opportunity to let the Fo-F'ean improve the Latti. Strengthen the engines, remove the wing laser cannons, air-to-air missiles, increase the armor, or even, through upgrading the power plant — install at least a weak deflector shield!"
Without a word, Zion turned to the workstation, familiar actions taking him to the root directory where he selected the necessary equipment samples, then transferred them for projection.
In an instant, a hologram of a ship hung in the air, its external resemblance to the Latti that had worn out its welcome today was undeniable.
"Meet, student," Zion said with undisguised grumbling. "MAAT. High Altitude Assault Transport. Developed, like the Latti, on the slips of Rothana Heavy Engineering. Essentially it's an attempt to give the Latti more survivability and prolong the vehicle's agony in military procurement. Costs one hundred thousand credits, can carry at least twenty fully equipped soldiers, speed similar to the Latti, but the armor is medium instead of light. Has a weak deflector shield, armed with laser cannons and missile launchers. Crew of four sentients, one pilot and three gunners."
"I've never seen anything like it," the young shipwright admitted, looking at the little ship almost with delight.
"Not surprising," Ryan snorted. "This piece of flying excrement didn't last long in the Imperial Army and Navy. Precisely because the Imperials abandoned support ships. Preferring narrowly specialized landing and assault vehicles combined with massive use of bomber aviation and orbital fire support, the Empire, like the Dominion, has no need for such ships. Rothana took desperate measures to improve the battle-proven LAAT design, resulting in the MAAT losing most of its armament — for example, the nose laser cannons — with their equivalents moved to the hull with expanded firing arcs, but it gained thicker armor. In the new Imperial doctrine, landing and assault vehicles were no longer used for direct fire support of troops, making much of the weaponry obsolete. For better aerodynamics and handling in atmospheric flight, two additional wings were added. Mass-driver accelerators were removed and missiles were placed on underwing pylons. Yes, the MAAT performed excellently at all altitudes and flight modes. The ability to conduct orbital insertions remained, without forcing the mothership to enter the planet's stratosphere or low orbit, exposing itself to enemy anti-space defenses."
MAAT.
"How ugly it is," the young man grimaced.
"This is a warship, not a model on a catwalk," Zion reminded him. "A combat starship can look like a piece of rock, but it must do its job. Take, for example, the Rendili-built Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser. It's ugly as sin. But it can still take a punch. It's no coincidence that the remnants of the Katana fleet and Imperial Dreadnaughts modernized to their standard weren't sold but transferred to the Defense Forces for station duties in remote worlds. As training combat ships, they're still good. Even if their maintenance costs the Dominion a pretty penny. But once we have plenty of Provocators and 'pocket' Star Destroyers, they'll be decommissioned. But that's not all I wanted to show you. Look, another attempt to jump on a departing hover-taxi."
The next hologram looked even more angular and frankly menacing.
"Imperial Assault Transport," Shipwright Zion introduced the new ship. "Another creation of Rothana's gloomy geniuses. Speed characteristics are the same as the Latti — same engine models, nothing else fits, same for power plants. Can deliver eighteen fully loaded soldiers to the enemy, and its armament does boast something serious. Two mass-driver missile launchers, like on the Latti, a pair of light laser cannons, and the same number of blaster cannons for covering the landing force and area clearance. Ah yes, no shield here either. But the armor is decent. Although that didn't help them stay in service — ten years ago they were already in service in extremely rare units, mostly due to some commanders' particular love for Clone Wars heritage. Rumor has it that eventually Darth Vader took this equipment and placed it somewhere. But I don't know the details, it might be nonsense and gossip."
Imperial Assault Transport.
Judging by Alexander Oni's expression, the boy had finally become dejected.
In part, he could be understood.
When the Dominion laid its grasping hand on the Empire's mothballed equipment depots, it was forced to use everything it could to boost its combat effectiveness.
The Latti didn't escape this fate either.
But precisely because of their technical shortcomings in current war realities, they were used exclusively for the Defense Forces.
Where the regular fleet had already cleared all possible serious threats and encountering camouflaged turbolasers or anti-aircraft artillery was not expected.
But for delivering cargo, reconnaissance teams, hired squads — like those Sith who served as vanguard units clearing hostile flora and fauna on new worlds — these ships were perfectly adequate.
Despite being obsolete, these transports were quite suitable for routine operations.
The Defense Forces lacked advanced transports — Thrawn had ordered them used primarily for equipping the regular fleet and army, with surpluses sent to storage.
Yes, there were large numbers of old Republic shuttles and transports that could be used in the rear, but the Dominion needed money.
The more, the better.
Migration policy, buying out slaves and granting them citizenship, subsidizing small and medium businesses, exploration, colonization and development of new planets, building logistics chains both in the core territory and in annexed regions, expanding mining and manufacturing industries, orders on the black market and within the state, planetary development, public sector salaries, insurance, pensions, work on improving Dominion defenses, purchasing patents and technologies abroad…
That was just what immediately came to mind.
And there were other types of expenses, while revenues…
A significant portion of enterprises hadn't yet reached profitability, and might never achieve that peak in the foreseeable or even distant future.
Among the major capital that remained in the Dominion after its creation and expansion, there weren't many willing — not directly tied to state leadership — to open foundries, enrichment plants, and so on.
Only in the Bosph sector was there a full-cycle enterprise of this kind, where the Dominion's share was less than half — the local owner willingly cooperated and invested the profits into expanding her production.
Private business was mostly concentrated in household supplies and services, which wasn't bad either: all or nearly all defense industry was in Dominion hands, which largely didn't encourage large capital formation in this sector.
Yes, one could say that Baroness D'Asta and Lady Stark were shining examples of excellent growth in this field, but they were directly tied to the Dominion.
The state had already shoved Lattis wherever it could, and the rest were simply rusting in warehouses.
In the end, there were VERY many of them — after all, they were developed for the needs of a multi-billion person galactic army, and built for years in enormous quantities.
Even the law enforcement agencies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, customs, and others used Lattis for movement between ships and in orbit — partially disarmed, of course.
Cargo versions also found their place on the internal market, though not without difficulty, it must be noted.
Mercenaries using Clone Wars-era equipment had a decent opinion of the Latti, but even they couldn't absorb such huge stockpiles.
In foreign trade, the market was more or less saturated too, because modernizing the ships would be a pointless expense, and in an age where every forward position or even moderately developed planet might have a battery of rapid-fire lasers or anti-air missile defenses, things become even sadder.
You can't endlessly drain money or resources from underdeveloped and relatively unprotected worlds of the galaxy — the demand for such equipment isn't that great.
As a person responsible for optimizing shipbuilding and repair, Ryan couldn't afford to keep in storage what had minimal demand on the external market.
The internal one wasn't just saturated — it was overflowing with Lattis; there were significant reserves there too.
But what remained…
It's actually easier to scrap them and melt them down for metal, which can then be used to produce "standard" transports or shuttles.
The kid is just trying to reinvent the same hyperdrive—and that would be fine.
Under conditions where the state isn't in a "hot" war with half the galaxy and a "cold" war with the other half.
Yeah, youth is pretty foolish when it comes to initiatives, because it doesn't want to accept the realities of the surrounding world.
The boy chose a dead-end way to make a name for himself as a designer, so he'll probably burn out soon.
And, in fact, Ryan will stop having a young and promising kid breathing down his neck.
And no one doubts he is promising—the engineers at Rothana took several months to propose a modernization plan for the Latti and get the MAAT.
And the Imperial Dropship Transport was developed in parallel with the Latti anyway, they just finished the project closer to the end of the Clone Wars, when it was a bit raw, and so it never went into series production.
It took years to refine the IDT prototype into a workable model—and even then, rumors say Darth Vader himself pushed this project, which the Imperial Armed Forces didn't need, and so it died.
Had this conversation happened a year ago, Zion would have crushed the kid into the dirt without a second thought, flattening his ego to the level of the basement floor of the Moff's residence on Tangrene.
Considering they were currently in orbit, the result would have been unequivocally good—he'd have no more competitors.
But on the other hand…
The Dominion had fulfilled its promise—one of the orbital docks captured at Sluis Van had passed into Zion's full ownership.
And that's exactly where the "Provocator" project was born, and where the first two prototypes were now being built.
Yes, it wasn't a full-scale orbital shipyard like he dreamed of, but which of his former opponents even had their own full-cycle shipyard?
No one.
The Sluis Van orbital dock was capable of constructing two line-class ships the size of an Allegiance-class Star Destroyer in pressurized docks with oxygen pumping, which sped up work on the project.
His shipyard was in orbit of a planet, where the necessary mining and foundry production facilities were located on the surface, allowing him to smelt the required parts for hulls and load-bearing structures himself.
Electronics, instruments, mechanisms—all could be bought and installed from Dominion enterprises.
And the hardworking Fo-F'eans were excellent workers who loved their craft and creating something new just as much as he did.
On the other hand…
If he was busy working on creating the latest tech, who would oversee repair and modernization issues?
Who would he pass on his decades of experience to?
Ryan's children were irritating, his family was irritating, stupid people and other sentients were irritating too.
And, to be honest, he was itching to do construction, not waste time on modernizations.
Over in Karthakk, that cheeky engineer was whistling away, working on the "Reaper" using a methodology developed by Zion himself.
And he was perfectly content.
Not annoying.
So maybe the kid should be given something suitable to do?
Otherwise, he needed to conduct scheduled restoration work on the Lusankya, which he couldn't wisely refuse—you don't argue with the Iceheart.
"Bring your schematics here," he grumbled. "Let's see what your fevered brain has cooked up from this junk."
Alexander looked at him distrustfully, but a second later shoved an information chip into the holoprojector's receiver slot.
A hologram of the Latti appeared, broken down into structural systems for easier study.
And here's the Latti, also known as LAAT/i.
"And then what?" he looked at the kid. "Are you just going to stand there like a post until I figure out what you changed in the schematics?"
"But you're a shipwright, you understand everything…"
Oh, sacred integrals, how irritating he was.
"Lesson number one, apprentice," Ryan said reluctantly. "If you want your project to attract attention—press the person you're presenting to. First and foremost, the project's implementation is needed by you. Not by an evaluation committee or military acceptance. Know your craft, your project down to the smallest detail. Don't hope that among the receiving party there will be a genius like me who'll figure everything out himself and understand it's good. For the most part, they'll insist you've invented junk or something that's already been rejected. So have an understanding of what you've invented. Remember—even bolt fastenings or weld seam types you'll have to defend if there's someone in the committee smarter than a stool. So, don't waste my time more than usual and tell me what you propose to implement and how you intend to fight surface AA systems, since you decided to push your project into the Dominion."
Ori visibly perked up.
"First, I decided to change the cockpit layout. In the original Latti, the pilot sits first, followed by the weapons operator. I want to change that approach. The gunner needs to see what's happening in front of him—not just through instruments, but in case of ECM work—with his own eyes. The nose position is perfect for bringing all onboard armament into combat readiness except the rear rapid-fire cannon—that will have a separate operator."
"Already three crew members."
"Yes, but I planned to assign automation to control the rear turret…"
"Stupid. Standard automation can't match the reaction of a human organism or any other sentient," Zion objected. "And installing advanced electronics is expensive."
"Yes, but…"
"Continue."
"The pilot, of course, moves to the second cockpit. Since crew survivability in the Latti was minimal, I thought we could install ejection systems, like those used by Incom in their X-wings…"
"Brilliant. Proposing we approach the Empire for permission to buy the patent for ejector seats?"
"No! We have captured X-wings, I studied their layout and seat design—we can make the same, but better and more compact. In case of ship damage and inability to land, the crew ejects and lands in the seat, which has miniature engines and everything necessary for the pilot's survival in enemy territory."
"Well done," Zion grimaced. He expected more. "You've invented a portable emergency kit. Again. Your chances are dwindling, kid. Thrawn and Pellaeon are already bored with your presentation. I even know what they'll ask next."
"Then tell me."
"Armor. Armament. Protection. Hit the key parameters."
"Among my inspection group were Fo-F'eans who noticed the power plant is bulky. It can be improved, freeing up three times more energy. By improving the engines, we get speed comparable to the Lambda, and shields for the ship at the level of those installed on our fighters and interceptors. Of course, they won't save it from heavy and medium artillery, but they'll give the modified Latti a chance to withstand anti-aircraft rapid-fire artillery."
"In other words, the battlefield needs to be cleared of large artillery launch systems first," Zion summarized.
So what kind of assault ship is that?
A couple of shots from a medium cannon—and it's "stripped."
"I also proposed increasing the armor by two orders and bringing it up to medium," the kid continued. "Full armor plating of the fuselage and external elements will protect the machine from kinetic weapon shrapnel."
"But it won't save it from anti-air missiles," the shipwright reminded.
"Yes, for that I think an anti-missile kit would work, which we'll install instead of air-to-air missiles. Automation will independently detect target acquisition via thermal or telemetric guidance channels of the anti-air missile and either shoot them down with onboard weapons or launch an anti-missile that takes out the projectile."
Given that anti-air missiles with fragmentation warheads are long gone due to existing armor on small craft and transports, one anti-missile would be enough to neutralize the threat.
Well, that's more interesting.
"The launch mass-driver installation and its set of air-to-ground missiles for hitting armored targets and enemy fortifications also remain. We can carry fifty troopers and a certain amount of useful cargo, which could be additional ammunition, light vehicles, support droids. Oh, by the way, I also plan to keep the medical droid…"
Essentially, besides the anti-missiles, ejection, and swapping pilot and gunner positions, Oni hadn't invented anything new.
It's just a modified MAAT, crossed with an IDT…
"The rear rapid-fire cannon covers the rear," Zion pointed at the hologram's stern. "Let's assume. What will you do about the flanks? Suppose your ship actually reached the target and hovered over it. Left and right—enemies, the gunner fires at targets in front, and meanwhile the enemy can shoot your soldiers right through the open landing shutters."
"I… assumed the crew would scorch a significant safety zone before landing," Alexander said, embarrassed.
And there are the shortcomings.
Thinking, Zion pulled the construction closer, then went into the armament catalog, called up a hologram of the heavy infantry weapon he was interested in, and with a light hand motion attached it to the spots.
"Um… Sir, what is that?"
"A Merr-Sonn Z-6, modernized in the Dominion to replace the Imperial E-Web," Zion explained. "Currently undergoing testing and will likely be adopted as the main heavy blaster for infantry and assault units. Merr-Sonn sold the patents and production line quite cheaply, as the model's popularity had passed and they have more 'successful models.' We have several million of these in storage, and they were considered obsolete. But our guys from the Stormtrooper Corps used them as heavy support weapons and, well, the little machine turned out to be not bad. After modifications, only the rotary barrel and top mounting handle remain from Merr-Sonn. The grip and trigger mechanism have been moved to a diagonal on the right, increased ammunition, barrel stabilization when firing, inertial dampeners, ability to mount tactical 'attachments,' and much more."
The Dominion Z-6.
"But that's a weapon against infantry and lightly armored vehicles," Oni furrowed his brow.
"First—it has two types of feed gas," Zion pointed at the massive tibanna cartridges. "Easily switches from ionized gas, meant for damaging electronics and droids, to regular 'anti-infantry.' Since your Latti has missiles and laser cannons, let them handle enemy heavy vehicles on the battlefield. And the Dominion Z-6—for covering the landing from infantry actions."
"And independent power from gas cartridges won't put a load on the power system!" the young shipwright understood.
"Develop the necessary mounting so it can be fired from various positions," Zion advised. "Mount it on a stiffener rib next to the landing hatch—and when it opens, the landing or evacuation is supported by a weapon of extreme rate of fire and lethality against enemy infantry. Next. For the stern, I'd recommend installing a transparisteel blister so the second gunner can also observe the enemy not just through a monitor, but visually. A laser rapid-fire cannon is good, but if a cruiser or corvette attacks you—it won't help. But if it's an atmospheric interceptor, starfighter, or something similar—then again, I'd suggest the Z-6. It's a bit weak for piercing enemy shields, but thanks to the ionized gas, it'll really mess up a pursuer's day. Besides, I'd advise presenting it not as an autonomous combat unit, but as a transport for delivering infantry. The Dominion often uses interceptors to escort landings, so the rear cannon is mostly needed for the same purpose as the onboard rotary blasters. Pay special attention to repulsors—since you have Z-6s on the stern and sides, there's a small energy surplus. Need to put it somewhere. Also, the main drawback of the Latti for our fleet is dimensions. The Empire didn't buy transports and shuttles with folding wings for nothing—it saves space on landing decks. So look at the wings, they need to be made foldable in travel mode, and they're not particularly needed during maneuvering outside the atmosphere anyway."
"But folding them up isn't an option—they'd take up too much height in the landing cell."
"In your place, I'd consider an option with shortening the wing length and servos on the launch systems so they can press against the Latti's sides from below. That way the highest point for the ship would be its launch mass-driver installations. And that's just over six meters, which is lower than the central wing of the same Lambda… Wait, the mass-driver cooling system here is outdated, need to refine here… The lubrication system is shared, separate it into individual parts for each installation—weapons, engines—all separate."
"That will add hassle for mechanics and maintenance…"
"Don't care. But greater lifespan and less frequent maintenance, lower chance of breakdowns due to contamination of technical fluid or its early depletion," Zion muttered, studying the tech more deeply. "A lot of work. You only looked at the basics, but if you go into details… Work on the project more thoroughly. Break it down to the level of units and assemblies. Everything that can be lightened—change. Maybe it'll be possible to install a hyperdrive… Though why is it needed here? It's a close-range assault landing craft! Maybe it won't go into the regular fleet, but for sale…"
"I made the ship for the Dominion!"
"…or for the Defense Forces," Ryan added. "Doesn't matter, in a word. It definitely won't be a replacement for the Lambda or the Guardian—shields and armor will be weaker, but it'll definitely find its own niche… The main thing is to do everything right. Understood the task?"
"Of course, Shipwright Zion!" the kid lit up with the idea. "Together we'll refine the technical part and…"
"Shut down the hyperdrive," the shipwright cut off the enthusiastic apprentice. "Your idea—your headache. I have things to do. Now you do too. Succeed—I'll think about appointing you to the small craft development department. Fail—I'll rot you away at the farthest defensive station as the third assistant junior technician for cleaning sanitary zones…"
"But that's droid work!"
"Exactly," Zion smiled predatorily. "Want to earn the right to be called a shipwright—be ready for every project, every opinion of yours to send you to the backwaters of the universe in case of failure. The shipbuilding business doesn't forgive mistakes."
"Then it's better not to invent anything at all if one mistake can cost a career," the guy deflated.
"That's exactly why only the best of the best are known among us," Zion explained. "That, by the way, is the second lesson. Enough for today. Go to the workshops and work on your trifle. And I don't want to see you until you build a prototype for testing. Even better—five. That's all, dismissed, apprentice."
When the door to Shipwright Zion's office closed behind Alexander Oni, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
A great conversation.
On one hand, he got rid of the annoying kid and nothing would distract him from urgent work on the Lusankya.
On the other hand…
It might work out.
Even if the Dominion doesn't need such machines, there will definitely be a buyer in the galaxy willing to purchase such an assault landing craft.
If it weren't for the ban on selling the Empire anything except TIE fighters and TIE bombers, the Lattis gathering dust in storage would have long gone to the Imperials begging across the galaxy.
It so happens that Signus no longer produces the familiar Imperial Lambdas and Sentinels, and much else.
Only the Dominion.
And Grand Admiral Thrawn has no intention of strengthening his enemies.
On the other hand… If you develop an assault landing craft that only looks good but isn't particularly useful in practice, you can both make money from enemies and ensure your own advantage on the battlefield.
And let the kid think for now that he's working for the good of the Dominion.
Nothing worthwhile will come of it anyway.
Shoddy technology.
* * *
"Ground groups withdrawn to a safe distance," Captain Pellaeon reported.
Only two minutes had passed since the order was given, and the directive had been delivered to the executors.
"For precise targeting, we'll use a stormtrooper unit," General Cain added.
"Any information from the group that penetrated inside?" I inquired.
"No, sir. The Force-sensitives couldn't do anything either. Attempting to cut through the beskar doors led to additional blockades. As far as we understand, the locking rods are now not only horizontal but also vertical," Captain Pellaeon explained. "Master Meilis tried to melt the doors but quickly exhausted herself. Shelling from ground guns only confirmed our fears—the structure is not only reinforced permacrete but has a layer of beskar between the wall and ceiling slabs. Explosions near the walls indicate the same reinforcement method for the above-ground part from all sides…"
"Begin. Paired shots with damage control from the surface and a report after each hit."
It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to restrain my inner fury.
It seems whoever Alpha-66 got the information from, it was incomplete—the base's creator took care of his object's security.
All parts of the above-ground structure, no matter where we tried to enter—it's reinforced permacrete, with beskar "layers."
Yeah, there were clearly at least two approaches to creating defensive structures here.
The first—capital.
That's what influenced the use of beskar and permacrete.
To understand what the latter is, you need to know it's used for building landing pads at spaceports, paving roads, ballistic missile silos (in the past), and everywhere there's a risk of destruction from high temperatures.
Permacrete, like ferrocrete, duracrete, and other types of construction materials, has the same quality as earthly concrete—over the years, it only gains strength.
And whoever spent a fortune on creating beskar reinforcement, "layers," and doors with mechanisms capable of holding the doors against being blown open by powerful Force-sensitive sentients using that same Force clearly understands fortification.
Unlike whoever created the defensive structures on the principle of "more of everything."
Which leads to the thought—the base changed hands, from a "smart" owner to an "idiot."
And I'm starting to guess who they both were.
All our hope lies in heavy turbolasers—we'll have to work hard to punch a way inside.
How many direct hits such a structure can withstand is impossible to say.
The permacrete marking and fortification method isn't even known to the Ubiqtorate database.
Therefore—it's a custom order.
So custom that the creator of this base perfectly understood that with such expenses, he'd only justify the value of the process taking place inside the base.
Yeah, in the end, it's not a live Grand Master Yoda locked in there, is it⁉
No, right⁈
This fortress must contain something important that required the person who created the base to spend such a fortune on beskar.
Beskar, damn it to an electron stream!
A material that's clearly alloyed here with other refractory and strong elements to give it incredible strength.
Simple beskar gates we could have blown open with orbital bombardment from the right orbital position, ignoring the material's value.
But these Hutt-spawn doors seem to absorb energy!
Actually—they just dissipate it thanks to a brilliantly developed alloy of unknown name.
"Third salvo," Pellaeon commented quietly.
The heavy turbolasers of the Guardian from the bow pluton fired another paired salvo.
The holographic display on the bridge dutifully drew segments of green threads hitting the roof of the outermost and central entrances.
Not knowing what would be inside after such bombardment, we had no right to risk and fire at the entrance where our people had entered.
Yes, bombardment over your head doesn't add to your health—but the enemy who cut off your way back adds even less.
Yes, they might already be dead—caught in a trap.
Or they might be captured, wounded, or victorious.
And it's unlikely they'd appreciate having tibanna and tons of permacrete with beskar reinforcement debris raining down on them.
I certainly wouldn't like it.
And the golden rule of morality in my execution states: "Treat allies as you want them to treat you."
"They have a good construction contractor, I must admit," Pellaeon muttered, watching the report stating only the first cracks had appeared on the roof of the superstructure.
For understanding—six hits from a heavy turbolaser would be enough to leave a crater the depth of a five-story building where a small city once stood.
And here, only cracks…
I glanced quickly at the monitor.
After the fifth salvo, there were more cracks.
"Connect another battery," I ordered. "Fire from five turbolasers at each penetration point."
Using proton bombs or torpedoes in such a situation is useless—we don't know if there's something explosive under the roof inside.
After all this effort, while our trophy teams dismantle everything that can be taken from this planet, I wouldn't want to blow up the base we came for.
The power of one proton bomb far exceeds a turbolaser shot, so you never know if you've dropped too many or too few bombs until you see your own "Death Star" detonation.
Whatever happened to our fighters inside, the more penetration points we have, the easier it will be to send as many stormtroopers there as possible.
But first—battle droids.
This base has cost me too much.
"Sir," the watch officer approached. "A report has come in from Vice Admiral Kalian. His ships have arrived in the Tammuz sector and Kavil's Corsairs are preparing to attack. Tracking stations and intelligence assets report that a fleet under General Solo's command is moving toward Kamino."
While we're here, the Alliance is going after my trophies...
Well, well.
You'll have plenty to keep you busy, ladies and gentlemen.
"Continue," I ordered. "Sixth salvo, gentlemen..."