Shade Aero
"Urgent news. A group of unknown persons has bombed the Republic Senate building..."
Click.
"...at eighteen hundred hours on the sixth, the servers of the InterGalactic Banking Clan were destroyed. An unidentified worm virus brought down the bankers' entire network. The leadership of the Banking Clan is withholding comment. In the prelude to these events, a massive hacker attack was carried out on their servers, resulting in the theft of sums totaling three billion credits. What is this? A coincidence? Or..."
Click.
"...please comment on the latest events," a swarm of correspondents badgered a representative of the Banking Clan's board of directors.
"Is it true that in addition to funds, personal information of clients was also leaked from the Banking Clan?"
"No comment," the Muun snapped, hiding his face with his hand.
"Back!" the correspondents were pushed away by Judicial Forces from the Republic's Judicial Department.
Click.
"...Corellia has urgently brought the right to a new Republic capital to the floor for discussion. Many on Coruscant disagree with this and demand that Corellia not..."
Click.
"...Kuat Drive Yards has interrupted equipment supplies to the Republic due to the inability to pay for the latter."
Click.
"...Hoersch-Kessel Drive stated that it paid all debts to the Techno Union before the Banking Clan's collapse happened. The Techno Union fundamentally disagrees with this statement and accuses Hoersch-Kessel Drive of..."
Click.
Turning off the television, I turned around in my chair to the hall.
"Well, gentlemen? The world has officially gone mad," I concluded, folding my hands in front of me and scanning the faces of those gathered.
"Shade, you said you would act carefully," Yuri spoke up, keeping his face calm but with a fairly angry accent. "The Republic has been in a fever for a week, and the situation continues to worsen by the hour!"
"Yuri, for your information, we barely had time to do anything."
"Barely?!"
"Yes."
"What does that mean?"
"The three billion withdrawn from the Banking Clan's accounts—that was our doing," I nodded. "A reconnaissance-in-force, so to speak, a blow to the bankers' reputation and a diversion from ourselves. But everything else—that wasn't us. Moreover, Damask did everything to ensure he was forgotten. Please note there isn't a word about him in the news. And I don't even know if that news got lost or if it was intentionally suppressed in the media; after all, dark adepts have long since woven their web across the galaxy."
"But this is to your advantage too."
"Not exactly. I planned to use the theory of controlled chaos. But here, it seems Damask is just striking out blindly, not caring where or how, as long as there's more of that chaos. Unlike us, he has nothing left to lose at this point."
"Oh? And I thought the opposite..."
"Well, you know. There are only a couple of these Sith. And they've been hiding for a thousand years, weaving their intrigues—I think anyone would snap here. Another thing is that I underestimated Damask... and couldn't even have imagined such a turn of events. Unlike Hego Damask, we have something to lose; at the very least—our connection between Mandalore and Tatooine is severed. Even for a non-Force sensitive, flying to the Unknown Regions is... problematic, to put it mildly," distracting myself from the topic of conversation and remembering the reports of what hell was now breaking loose on the trade routes, I added thoughtfully: "I wonder how the Trade Federation will wiggle out of this vacuum?"
"Chief, what are you getting at?"
"To the fact that the pirates have slipped their leashes. And we, most likely, have a lot of high-paying work."
"Thought of something?" Warren immediately clarified.
"Something like that... But the thought needs shaping. Yuri, closing the subject—we aren't involved. So don't look at me with that gaze; better get the Mandalorian currency into circulation faster. Hutt peggats are certainly saving us, but in these circumstances, it's better to use them for more serious projects."
"No problem with that. I've already issued the corresponding order and reached out to friends on Mandalore," a nod toward Duke Kryze. "Within a week, the banks will fully exchange the currency, and the peggats will be reserved for your purposes."
"Good. Returning to the Republic, let's just say—the situation for us is ambiguous, even if many of you think otherwise. Yes, the fact that the Republic is falling apart certainly pleases me, however, there is a weighty 'BUT'!" I raised a finger, emphasizing the word with both intonation and gesture. "It lies in the fact that the Republic, however crookedly, awkwardly, with all its corruption and other delights of 'democrazy,' handled the obligations placed upon it. It was relative peace in the galaxy on a global scale. And as much as I dislike the Jedi, I can't help but admit that they were the ones gluing this cesspool together all this time, resolving global conflicts. Essentially, the Republic rested on them. Now, instead of quietly and gradually eating the Republic bit by bit, we are being forced to choke or simply survive. Pirates, mercenaries, slave traders—so many of them will appear now that we'll be exhausted fighting them off. And I'm not even talking about the megacorporations, which will try to bite off a bigger piece of the pie and, in fact, are already sizing it up. It follows from this that a global fight is unavoidable, and we simply aren't ready for it. There are simply too few of us."
"But our likely opponents also have few forces," Kryze spoke up. "We are few, but we are not defenseless, and we can give a bloody nose to any corporation."
"Yes! Exactly, Kryze. And we need to play from that. While the soup is brewing, while the parties are sizing each other up, we need to find an ally. An influential ally to whom we will be useful, and who will be useful to us. One who will have the capacity, some kind of troops, and most importantly—already prepared resources for realizing our goals."
"What about the rear?" Don clarified.
"Work on the rear remains a priority. We aren't deviating from the previous plan, but the problem is that strength and resources are needed right now, and both are things we would only acquire in five to ten years according to the plan. We don't have that time."
"Shade, are you sure anyone will even bother us?" Dis inquired. "I mean, in the general chaos, we're nadone't to anyone."
"If only. Let me remind you that Tatooine has a strategic location in the Outer Rim, plus, as we've discovered, its depths are rich in very valuable metal. Mandalore, meanwhile, has beskar deposits. Someone might think—is it worth getting involved? Others will figure out—how best to seize it. In any case, only those in the Unknown Regions will be able to sit this out; otherwise—even the Outer Rim worlds will get hit. Resources have to be drawn from somewhere, right? And from whom?"
"True enough..."
A short pause hung in the room, which was broken by Skirata:
"What are your orders, Mandalore?"
"Let's start in order," thoughtfully tapping a beat with my fingers on the table, I weighed an idea in my head. "Ordo, who negotiated with the Trade Federation about hiring Mandalorians to guard their high-value cargoes?"
"I did."
"Excellent. Then contact them and invite their representative to Tatooine. Say that I want to offer not just a profitable contract, but an alliance. And to make them think faster, pass along the test results of one of the prototype plasma reactors. That alone will definitely interest them."
"Understood."
"Boss, why specifically the TF?"
"At the moment—it's the most rational megacorporation. The Trade Federation, as strange as it sounds, is a Trade Federation. It's a coalition of free trading companies gathered into one group. I emphasize—free! The TF has a good reputation, serious capacity, and most importantly—despite being traders, they don't rake in credits for the sake of credits. I've reviewed the reports of Mandalorians working on their ships. The TF actually cares for its employees, providing them with very good bonuses and payments; furthermore—it tries to replace organics in the most dangerous positions. Comparing them to the Techno Union, I'd rather do business with the TF, even if their capacity doesn't compare to, say, Hoersch-Kessel Drive. And as for monsters like Kuat or Corellia, I won't even mention them."
"I understand."
"Next, something must be done about Damask."
"My lord, finding him in this mess will be a non-trivial task!" Loki spoke up.
"He doesn't need to be found. We need to find the one who will lead us to Damask. And fortunately, I have a lead. On Naboo, there is a certain nobleman by the name of Palpatine. It's not certain, but according to my assumptions, he might be connected to the Muun. Loki, we need to find this guy and shadow him carefully. If I'm right, he'll lead us to Damask."
"Understood. We'll find him," the scout nodded.
"Further... I have a question for all of you." Pausing, I scanned the people. "Why are there still no planetary shields on either Tatooine or Mandalore?!"
"In progress. Purchasing and installing such equipment discreetly is very difficult," Kryze spoke up. "It's not prohibited in the Republic, but it is controlled, and it costs an incredible amount."
"All the drilling stations combined were cheaper," Lars muttered quietly into the void.
"At the moment, we have installed two of the six towers on Mandalore. Now we're waiting for the rest of the deliveries."
"Come on, Kryze, move it, move it! Forget secrecy; the towers must be up by the end of this month! Yuri, that applies to you too."
"Oh... And where to get the parts..." the elderly man sighed wearily.
"We can help with that," Avalon intervened. "To power each tower, we can use an enlarged plasma reactor developed in your institute. We can also assist in the construction of the towers, however, for both, it will be necessary to introduce the Spark into the system. Lord Aero, I request your authorization to introduce the Spark into Mandalorian space."
"You're suggesting using the shipyard for construction?" I clarified.
"Yes."
"Permission denied. For the Spark, the priority is building the base in the distant regions. If it's absolutely necessary, use transports, but do not bring the ship itself here from the Unknown Regions!"
"Accepted."
"As for construction, we'll try to involve Jabba. Smugglers will deliver anything, anywhere. I've actually scheduled a meeting with the Hutt; he arrives the day after tomorrow."
"Mandalore, are you sure you can negotiate with the Hutts now?"
"Hutts worry about their own lives, placing them above others. Given that we specialize in eliminating specific targets, it's unlikely anyone will be brilliant enough to push us, especially in the new reality. Well, and if I'm wrong, we can always move from threats to actions." The Mandalorian nodded, and I switched to the Terrans: "Avalon, what about the Kaminoans?"
"The sample will be ready in a month. The task we set requires time."
"Good. And what about the base?"
"Only clearing the terrain for the base is underway. However—we've already started erecting factories; the process is twenty percent complete. We've also practically launched twelve abandoned factories. Another twenty-five are in progress. Out of one hundred and eleven objects—twenty-three are beyond restoration, the others are still in question. Construction rates are increasing every day; we are ramping up the number of worker droids."
"Excellent."
"Beep-beep!" Ziro suddenly responded.
"What is it?"
"A call from the Jedi Temple."
"Let them call back later; I'm busy," I waved it off.
"Accepted."
"Right. Now..." shifting my attention to Warren, I leaned forward. "Warren, my brother."
"?"
"Tell me, what about the fighters you were preparing for our large-scale operation?"
"Nothing. The guys are in a bit of a slump because the operation was canceled," the man shrugged.
"Tell them not to relax. Reorganize the squads; we need eight groups of three hundred souls each; now a more serious matter awaits them."
The people immediately began stirring, and the clan heads showed extreme interest in their entire demeanor.
"Preparing a new campaign?" Fett clarified businesslike, smirking.
"Not exactly. We need ships. Big ships. Building new ones is long and expensive; we have neither the time nor the money. And we need big ships, no smaller than the Spark with the same functions."
"Uh, well, I don't think the TF will be very happy if a new ally takes their Lucrehulks."
"No, we won't touch the Trade Federation. Besides them, there is at least one other power in the galaxy that has multi-kilometer vessels at its disposal."
"Kuat?" Ordo guessed.
"Exactly. Kuat, in its essence—is the only megacorporation that builds massive multi-kilometer ships, including for the Trade Federation. And though formally, on paper, these vessels are listed as transports, they are designed so that in case of big trouble, up-arming them won't be difficult. According to our intelligence, Kuat is going to refit these ships. In two weeks, eight vessels of no less than battleship class will gather at the Kuat shipyards. They will be virtually without escort, only engineers and many, many droids. This is a good chance to acquire serious ships in one go."
"Ahem. Chief. I only have one question: we'll swipe this beast, but where will we put it? We barely hid the Lucrehulk—and haven't really adapted it. Rather, we adapted it, but not right away, and you were the one who did it. It's specific tech; it's not sold on every corner. And here we have Kuat battleships... Where do they go?!"
"To refitting in the Outer Rim. We need mobile shipyards and large transports, as the Spark isn't coping, and modifying already finished vessels is much easier and faster than building new ones. I don't plan to bring them into the Inner Rim."
"I fear that after this—we will definitely be visited," Kryze said detachedly.
"Kryze, wait on the 'visited' part; how are you even going to steal them?!" Yuri exclaimed. "Kuat is an impregnable space fortress. Coruscant isn't defended the way Kuat is! Plus, these ships have massive crews in the thousands. No, Mandalorians are the best, of course, but three hundred people for such a ship... In my opinion—it's a bit too few, don't you think?" He looked at the smirking Mandalorians.
"Yuri, if you haven't realized yet, these guys are down for any trouble," Lars shared his frustrations.
"Yes, I know, but there must be limits!" But after scanning the Mandalorians, the man sighed sadly: "Psychos."
"Actually, this venture isn't as crazy as one might think," I shook my head. "The main task will fall on the droids that need to be reprogrammed. Then arrange sabotage and leave in time. We have enough capabilities to pull off this operation. We just need to plan it correctly, and I assign this to Loki and Skirata. Your fighters, Skirata, have most frequently participated in the seizure of others' property, so I think—you'll work well together."
"Heh-heh-heh, yes, Mandalore," the woman struck her chest with her fist.
"One thing, a vital point. For this job, you'll have to prepare and modify your armor, as well as use different weaponry. You'll have enough time to work out the plan and prepare for it. Main thing—remember, they must not realize who is actually behind this. Is everything clear?"
"Yes."
"Excellent, moving on. Radiy, did you find Nome?"
"Rugess Nome died in an accident."
"How? When?" I practically jerked. That was a surprise; I had already wanted to go and negotiate with him.
"A little over a month ago. His ship crashed in hyperspace."
"Damn... Is this confirmed information?"
"At the very least, everyone is firmly convinced of it, and the investigation data says so too."
"Well... Suppose it's too early to bury him. Darksiders aren't that easy to kill."
At this point, chuckles were heard.
"I'm serious. You cut one of those in half—he'll catch up to you and remind you of himself."
"In this case—he is most likely dead. The found debris supports this. Dropping out of hyperspace, the ship literally fell apart. Damask poured huge sums of money into finding the debris, so most likely this one is dead."
"Fine. What about his caches?"
"At the moment, agents are checking everything they can reach, but so far without results."
"Hm..."
"However, we have several leads that also need verification. One leads to Alderaan, to the warehouse districts; another to Mustafar. In the first case—suspicions are raised by a hangar that is supposedly sealed by the owner himself; in the other, we found traces. The Bith's personal ship was wiped, that's true, but the technical droids that flew with him—they remembered all the places."
"Hm..."
Mustafar, Mustafar... Something familiar. Loading an image of the planet onto my helmet display, I examined the beautiful green world. High mountains that didn't have white caps on their peaks, clean wide rivers, sparse uniform forests, and a blue sky.
"What is known about the planet?"
"A quiet, peaceful place. The flora and fauna are extremely mild; pleasant temperate climate. It has small Force sources, which is why it was once colonized by the Jedi for training and preparing the younger generation, but after the last conflict four thousand years ago, it fell under the control of dark adepts. The planet gained its own representative in the Senate; since then, it has been considered inviolable territory. On the planet itself, there is a cloud city—the only civilized place, where mostly extremely wealthy representatives of the Republic's Core Worlds fly. Alderaanian aristocracy, Coruscant Senate, and so on."
"Something like a tourist city for the elite?"
"Yes. We've used it and occasionally sold some curiosities found during excavations there."
"Did Nome go there often?"
"Rugess Nome was never there once," Radiy shook his head. "But a certain Tenebrous—practically lives there. At least, through third parties, he owns half the city."
"Concentrate on Mustafar. I have a feeling that's what we need."
"As you command, Lord Aero."
Thus, listening to reports, consulting, and giving instructions, the extraordinary meeting proceeded. When it concluded, I lingered in my chair, watching everyone leave. But besides me, Warren was in no hurry to leave either.
"Something else?" I asked my friend when we were alone.
"Shade, where is Talia?"
"In her quarters. Taking care of the kids," I shrugged, putting away the tablet with notes. Ziro is an ideal assistant; he makes the notes as they should be, I just have to check them.
"Is she alright?"
"In what sense?"
"When I last spoke with her, she shouted at me and kicked me out the door."
"Hm..."
"Also, she practically doesn't show her face. Well, and about the fact that you've assigned a couple of Terrans to her, I won't even mention. And if you add that you recently complained about moles..." The Mandalorian trailed off meaningfully.
"You're right, Warren," taking off my mask, I sighed heavily. "Something really is wrong with Talia."
The Mandalorian frowned and showed by his look that he was ready to listen.
"Talia was raised and trained as a tool. A tool that belongs to Damask. Remember, you were catching a mole when I flew in? On that same day, Damask ordered Talia to eliminate me. The girl subconsciously and intentionally tried to do everything she could to get caught and not cause that harm. She can't resist the order; it's either programming or some other junk, don't ask me. However, she tried—and in the end almost shot herself. I disrupted, if you could say so, the correct operation of the program; that's why she's short-circuiting like this. She regularly raises her voice, might raise a hand, snaps at everyone who bothers her."
From such revelations, the Mandalorian's face lengthened.
"Are you sure it's safe to leave her with the children?"
"I'm sure. Phobos and Deimos—are her anchors. She won't touch them; she'd sooner kill herself. And she doesn't raise her voice around me."
"And what is to be done about it?"
"Nothing for us. Aala has flown out for the one who made her this way. She's already found him, found his assistants, the equipment, and is already flying back here."
"I hope everything will be alright."
"I hope so too..." I sighed.
"Hang in there, brother. Hey, want me to cheer you up?"
"Surprise me."
"Remember, we had the 'Split' breakthrough gunship on the agenda?"
"I remember, and?"
"It's already being finalized. With the new plasma reactors, the ship's main problem—energy supply—is being solved. A month or two and we'll have a finished design for an excellent strike ship. And we can even build it. If we modify the MandalMotors factories, the production time for such ships will be reduced from six months to a couple of months per unit."
"Still too long," I shook my head. "We need more capacity, especially since we can afford it."
"You think so?"
"Yes. I didn't ask your people to agitate the nearby systems for nothing. There are resources there, and workers."
"Ah."
"In any case, thanks Warren. The news is indeed good."
At this, the meeting finally ended, and I took up the study of the news. I needed to understand where the galaxy's course would lie and what forces were forming.
***
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