Author: I fucking hate beuracracy, why do I need to book an appointment online when I am FUCKING PHYSICALLY IN THE BUILDING AND YOU HAVE NOT BEEN DOING ANYTHING AT YOUR DESK FOR PAST 20 MINUTES LITTERALY SCROLLING YOUR PHONE.
After filling out the forms in building I walk up thinking I can just do it, and your not doing anything anyway, but nah I need to go fuck myself book online for next week at the most inconvenient time for me for a procedure that is supposed to take 3 minutes max. Fml.
Also at the end I will talk about what I thought about Maul Shadowlord so if you dont want spoilers dont read it.
Anywho, late chapter because you know, start of May, beautiful fucking weather, national holidays and having to spend time at extended family plus other bullshit.
***
The journey to Coruscant stretched across three long weeks inside the Iron Reaver.
Hyperspace was a constant blue-white tunnel outside the viewport, unchanging for days at a time, and something I learnt is that the longer you stare at it the creepier it looks and gives me a splitting migraine, something the naval personnel did not tell me because this is a apparently common knowledge.
God I felt stupid.
The Gladiator-class cruiser felt both immense and strangely intimate during the initial head splitting voyage. Its corridors echoed with the low thrum of engines and the occasional heavy footsteps of stormtroopers or Mandalorians moving between decks.
Cargo bays were packed with trade goods, spare parts, and the carefully hidden racks holding thousands of deactivated battle droids and two hundred Vulture droids insurance no one outside the inner circle knew about.
All of which are deeply hidden and with us having an official invitation from a person like Paellon, then customs can go kiss my exhaust pipe.
I spent most of my time on the bridge or in the small ready room attached to it, but the long days blurred together.
Mornings often started with training, like always Atii dragged me into one training room almost every day. She was relentless, circling me with that sharp grin, her staff cracking against mine as she tested every improvement I had made over the past months.
Sweat dripped down my back as I blocked, countered, and occasionally landed a hit that actually made her acknowledge it with a surprised laugh. "You're getting faster," she said one morning, breathing hard as she lowered her staff after a long exchange.
She stepped closer, close enough that I could see the faint flush on her cheeks and the way a strand of brown hair had escaped her tie and stuck to her neck. "But you still hesitate right before you commit. Stop thinking so much."
I wiped sweat from my forehead and gave her a tired smirk. "Easy for you to say. You've been doing this since you could walk."
She tilted her head, "Well... Technically since before I could walk"
I just deadpanned at her.
Afternoons were filled with completing reports that are sent through from Elyria while evenings were quieter. Jaster often joined me and a few others in the officer's mess, he and Elara had grown noticeably closer, this is progressing way too fast what the hell? Should I start writing out wedding invitations?
Torv would sit nearby like a silent guardian, occasionally offering a grunt of approval or a dry comment and well Rusty moved among us like a tall shadow, his purple photoreceptors glowing as he offered tactical insights or dry observations about us meatbags.
Also I took to learning space tactics from Reza who is surprisingly a patient teacher he taught me as much as he could in these 3 weeks about vectors, firing ranges, various tactics and doctrines like the infamous Tarking Doctrine which he called an utter foolishness and waste, and not going to lie after comparing it with other doctrines and what I have seen from the movies and even back on earth it's just useless.
Yes having big ships and installing fear into everyone but add the fact you also exploit a large population, you are discriminating them and putting them down at one point they will break and their anger will override their fear of you and because you also oppressed loyal citizens they will not rise up for your cause or fill the ranks, instead like what happened in original stories ships, system and people will defect in droves or simply carve out their own spheres of influence when they sense weakness from you.
Plus the ship and weapon designs empire uses suck absolute ass, what do you mean you have a starfighter (TIE) with no shields and limited live support systems even for the best of your pirates? I get it if a star destroyer could carry hundreds and hundreds of them but a standard star destroyer might only carry around 72 TIE fighters. A squad of 16 X-wings or so could wipe the floor with them even if they had the same skill and experience.
And if they are loosing? They can just hyperspace the fuck away even if their main ship gets blown up meanwhile if a TIE fighter gets dropped into a system and their carrier ship gets blown up they are stuck there until someone picks them up or a star weirds sucks their souls or whatever those space demons things do.
By the time the fleet finally dropped out of hyperspace near Coruscant, I felt both exhausted and strangely sharper.
The blue tunnel vanished.
And the planet-city filled the viewport like a glittering, endless sea of lights...
Is that 2 fucking executor class star destroyers?!
***
The blue-white tunnel of hyperspace collapsed.One second we were streaking through nothing, the next realspace slammed back into existence with a deep shudder that ran through the Iron Reaver's frame. And there it was, Coruscant, and 2 huge starships that could level the entire couruscant defence fleet by themselves.
The planet filled the entire viewport like an endless, glittering machine. An ocean of lights stretched from pole to pole, layer upon layer of cityscape stacked so high it looked like the surface had been completely replaced by metal and glow.
Hundreds of thousands of ships moved in and out of orbit every single second making it look like a living, chaotic river of freighters, passenger liners, military vessels, private yachts, and cargo haulers weaving through invisible traffic lanes with terrifying precision.
My brain actually stuttered trying to process it.
Reza stood beside me on the bridge, hands clasped behind his back. "Coruscant is home to trillions of beings, or at least the ones we know about," he said quietly. "The lower levels have no real governmental presence with entire sectors down there having been cut off from the surface for centuries with even lower levels not being contacted for millenia. We hear stories… literal gang wars that last decades, cannibalistic cults, things that stopped being sentient a long time ago."
He paused, then added, "About fifty years ago an expedition pushed down to level 674, mind you level 1313 is considered the under level so something almost 700 levels deeper? They found normal people at first but a lot of locals there had mutated. The expedition also walked straight into a war between two so-called nations fighting over a water reservoir that was literally just industrial waste piped down from the upper levels. Oxygen is sparse that deep and entire continent-sized areas on different levels haven't seen artificial light in millennia. There are also various monsters, some differ level to level that locals called them 'the dark ones', apparently they hunt and devour anything that goes in there or gets too close to them, light of any kind burns them."
He flicked a small attached holo onto the side display. Various holo pictures of different creatures appeared, in one of the image it looked like a nightmare cross between a Falmer from Skyrim, a bat, and a ghoul pale, elongated, with too many joints and eyes that reflected the camera light like shattered glass.
Another one looked like the spooky tall dark beings from metro and then there is something I can just call a volatile on steroids, there are also different monsters with reports of more species hiding in these continent sized dark zones.
I stared at it for a second, well fuck. I should not complain about being born into this body, I could have ended up as one of the shmucks down there.
I then looked back at the glowing planet.
With my eyes drifting to the defense fleet, hundreds of Imperial warships hung in high orbit like a steel wall. Star Destroyers, cruisers, picket ships… and two Executor-class Star Destroyers looming among them like black monoliths.
Even from this distance they were absurd, one of those things alone could probably glass a continent in less than it takes to boil water for tea.
Thrawn was right, I think to myself.
Instead of pouring the entire galaxy's resources into one giant laser ball that dies to a single proton torpedo, they could've built an armada of these.
Way more practical, way more terrifying.
Still costs the annual GDP of like forty systems to build one, but at least they move quickly and don't explode dramatically after killing one planet.
Before I could say anything else, traffic control cut in, voice sharp and no-nonsense. "Unidentified fleet, this is Coruscant Imperial Orbital Command. You are approaching restricted space with an unusually large military escort. Identify yourselves immediately and state your business. Any aggressive maneuver will be met with lethal force."
I straightened in the command chair and opened the channel. "This is Governor Kael Voss of the Elyria system, responding to a personal invitation from Grand Admiral Pellaeon for Empire Day celebrations. Our escort is for security following recent assassination attempts and instability of the system we are in that is plagued by pirates, corruption and smugglers."
I so wanted to throw in the fat bastards name in there so its just on record that he is doing a shit job as a sector governor.
There was a long pause, I could practically feel them scanning every ship in our formation.
The voice came back, noticeably colder. "Stand by for verification, Governor Voss. Your escort size is… irregular." I leaned back, exhaling slowly as the channel stayed open.
Well shit, hopefully they accept bribes or Paellons name scares them.
We had arrived, and already, the eyes of the Empire were watching our every move.
***
Imperial traffic control reacted fast, three heavy customs corvettes who look like they are meant to absorb hits with the ridiculous shield reading we are getting and two heavy patrol cruisers broke away from the main defence grid and accelerated toward our fleet, weapons systems hot and targeting sensors painting every ship in our formation.
A crisp, no-nonsense voice cut across the comm. "Fleet of Governor Voss, hold your position. Your escort is excessively large for a planetary governor. Explain your intent and prepare for boarding inspection."
I can hear the distate from his voice about him being from the outer rim, great.
I stayed seated in the command chair, forcing my voice to stay calm and measured."This is Governor Kael Voss, our escort size is due to credible threats against my life dating back to a year ago. We have faced multiple bounty hunter attacks on our convoys in recent weeks, in addition to ongoing pirate activity in the sector as well as smuggler. We are also carrying high-value trade goods and personnel. We are here at the personal invitation of Grand Admiral Pellaeon for Empire Day."
The silence that followed felt heavy. The customs vessels continued closing in, their guns locked on. The voice returned, colder this time. "Your explanation is noted, but protocol requires verification. Stand by for boarding teams and send proof of the invitation and corresponding transponder codes."
I glanced sideways at Reza. He gave a tiny nod as he send throught the codes and invitation, but I could see the tension in his jaw.
I leaned forward slightly and spoke again, keeping my tone respectful but firm. "I understand the need for caution, but we are already running behind schedule. We were waylaid by pirates en route and had to take a longer path to avoid further ambushes. Grand Admiral Pellaeon is expecting us. Any further delay may cause unnecessary complications."
Please buy it. Please buy it. Please buy it, otherwise I will have to resort to bribing or take them on a sanitised tour that was prepared in advance.
Another long pause.
I could practically feel the officers on the other side weighing their options and checking things over, finally, the voice came back, grudging but official. "Permission granted to proceed along the designated transit corridor and to the designated docking area. Any deviation from the assigned path will result in immediate lethal response. Welcome to Coruscant, Governor Voss."
The channel closed.
Thank god for the grunts not caring and fearing the higher ups, god I love corrup- I mean good customs.
I exhaled slowly. "Take us in. Stay exactly on the assigned vector, no deviations."
Our fleet began moving forward carefully.
As we passed deeper into the inner defence layers, the sheer scale of Coruscant's protection became overwhelming. Hundreds of Star Destroyers hung in perfect formation with hundreds of defence platforms with TIEs and TIE bombers zipping through in patrols.
Then we drew closer to one of the two Executor-class Star Destroyers.It was colossal up close, is it Lusankya? I heard that in legends as soon as it was built it was buried under coruscant for dear old palps as a get away vehicle if shit hit the fan so is it another one? I know that in total around 19 were built or so and at this point in empire they probably built around 13 maybe?
It loomed like a black mountain in space kilometres long, high and wide a literal country in space, its hull stretching for kilometres and bristling with turboloader batteries, point defence cannons and proton torpedo bays as well as hangar bays large enough to swallow entire fleets.
Probably could do what Infinity in Halo did which is disgorge fucking destroyers/cruisers from it, if I am ever able to I am going to build infinity and make it a star ship carrier... for starship carriers.
Our Gladiator-class star destroyer Iron Reaver which when I first saw it up close seemed so huge but in comparison it felt tiny beside it, a literal flea to an executor like that.
Reza spoke quietly beside me. "That's one hell of a ship, I have seen a matador 2 during clone wars and I though that one was a behemoth but these 2 have a reading that places them as being 3 times as powerful, not to mention also bigger, the fact that there are 2 of them means that the emperor will probably make a proclamation for the empire day and plans to host a massive celebration."
I stared at the massive vessel as we passed it, feeling very small and very exposed.
The transit corridor opened ahead a cleared lane through the chaos of traffic, reserved for high-ranking officials, military, VIPs, and special guests.
Our fleet moved into it, the large escort trailing behind us like a deliberate show of strength.
We had been allowed through, but every gun on every ship in that defense fleet was watching us and I am anxious to admit but they have more guns on these ships than I have people on board of my ships.
***
The descent to the surface took nearly forty minutes our fleet was funnelled into a restricted military-commercial corridor, moving slowly under the watchful eyes of Coruscant's defence grid.
As we broke through the upper atmosphere, the planet revealed itself in full, coruscant was not a world. It was an endless, living machine.
From horizon to horizon stretched an ocean of towers, spires, and mega-structures, glittering under artificial sunlight and neon, billions of lights burned in every colour imaginable: gold, sapphire, crimson, emerald forming rivers of traffic that flowed between kilometre-tall buildings.
Immense bridges and skyways connected floating platforms the size of cities, the beauty was staggering, almost hypnotic the sheer architectural ambition, the impossible density, the way every inch of the surface had been claimed and built upon for twenty-five thousand years.
But beneath that beauty was something oppressive, the scale crushed perspective even from inside the Iron Reaver, I felt tiny.
A single person in a machine that had devoured its own planet.
The lower levels were invisible from up here, swallowed by layers upon layers of city, but I remembered Reza's words about what lived down there in the dark.
The designated landing zone was a vast military-commercial spaceport carved into the upper levels of one of the planetary sectors, as the Iron Reaver settled onto its assigned pad with a deep metallic groan, the rest of the fleet spread out across neighbouring platforms.
The noise hit us the moment the hangar doors opened a constant roar of engines, announcements, and millions of beings moving in every direction, not to mention the wide array of different droids.
I stepped off the main ramp first, the air smelled of ozone, hot metal, recycled oxygen, and a thousand different spices and exhaust fumes, some species I literally have not seen before, one looks like a protoss but with 4 arms and no legs another like a giant sentient ant and a humanoid that looked normal but his entire head split to 6 sides like a fucking demigorgon, what in the fuck.
The platform itself was enormous, easily able to hold dozens of capital ships, yet it still felt crowded. Stormtroopers in pristine white armor stood in rigid formation along the perimeter.
Imperial officials in crisp gray waited near a reception pavilion, their expressions carefully neutral.
Behind me came the full escort, Torv walked at my right shoulder like a moving wall of armour. Jaster and mandalorians spread out and descended in disciplined ranks, their beskar catching the artificial sunlight. Atii stayed close, eyes scanning the crowd with sharp caution.
Rusty's tall black frame drew stares as he moved with mechanical grace, apparently some people still have PTSD from clone wars.
Mira and Lira followed with the support staff, while Reza oversaw the final shutdown procedures aboard the Iron Reaver and giving orders and ensuring security.
The palace guard fanned out around me as three hundred additional stormtroopers and Varn's unit formed protective perimeters around the ships and protected the crews and droids that are going to get the trading cargo out.
The sight of us, made the Imperial officials visibly tense not in fear but because they got the notification that I am on an invite from someone important and they do not want to fuck up.
One senior official stepped forward, a tall man with a thin mustache and the rank bars of a colonel "Governor Voss," he said, offering a polite nod. "You are expected. However, your escort is… larger than anticipated for a planetary governor. Coruscant security protocols are strict."
Oh for fuck sake not this again.
I met his eyes calmly. "Recent assassination attempts and bounty hunter activity forced us to take precautions. We carry high-value cargo and personnel for the Empire Day celebrations. Grand Admiral Pellaeon is aware of our arrival."
The colonel hesitated, clearly weighing his options while staring at the Mandalorians and the sheer number of armed troops behind me.
Oh come on, the coruscant garrison, imperial army and stormtroopers not to mention palace guards and inquisitors are counted in millions, what in the fuck is my group going to do, we wouldn't even be able to take over this port since it houses AT-ATs and other walkers, starfighter support and a literal army group.
He then received a call and he picked it up, I can hear someone talking on the other side, and the officials face didn't reveal much but I can see his eyes tightening.
After a long pause, he gave a stiff nod. "Very well. You have been assigned secure quarters in the upper Diplomatic Spire level 5042, for the quarters itself in the spire it is on the upper Level 439 East, block A. Your... men will have to stay within the star ships and you can take up to 300 guards and 100 servants there, Transportation has been arranged Welcome to Coruscant."
Well, his tone at the end turned a bit more sweet but the sweetness was artificial as fuck, probably hoping for a tip.
Sorry brother, I am just a governor of a backwater system cant spare any change.
As we began moving toward the waiting convoy of armoured shuttles that look like they could tank a turbolaser from a ship, they are a white and bulky design while my own shuttle looked more sleek and silvery, clearly for comfort.
I looked up at the skyline, well building line because there is no sky to be seen between the mile long buildings, the towering spires disappeared into the clouds and above with the highest points of the city needing oxygen recyclers and pumps and no balconies since, well they are no longer in the atmosphere.
Billions of speeders moved in organized rivers between buildings so tall they seemed to pierce the sky. The beauty was undeniable, a monument to sentient beings ambition spanning millennia.
But underneath it all, I felt the weight of eyes everywhere, We were no longer on the edge of the galaxy. We are quite literally standing in the heart of the galaxy, and every move we made from here on would be watched if it isn't already.
***
The spire itself was a marvel of engineering, tall and sleek with hundreds of thousands of windows, tall, green balconies and walkways. The building itself was 4 spires going up in a spiral among eachother, all connected via walkways and turbolifts, and these 4 spires itself had branch like spires going every which way, honestly, it looks beautiful when the sun shines on it the building itself gleams bronze and with all the greenery and the dark blue privacy windows it looks majestic.
The diplomatic reception hall on the upper levels of the Spire was elegant without being gaudy, tall windows looked out over the glittering canyons of Coruscant, and soft lighting reflected off polished marble floors.
Grand Admiral Pellaeon stood near the centre of the room, taller than I expected with corded muscles underneath that white outfit and surprisingly enough a vibroknife and a custom made blaster on his hips, he was surrounded by a small group of officers and officials, few of which were aliens which is surprising considering that the empire is pretty xenophobic.
The moment he saw me, his face broke into a warm, genuine smile. "Kael," he said, stepping forward and clasping my forearm firmly. "It is truly good to see you here son. You've come a long way since I last saw you as a boy on your parents' estate."
He turned slightly, gesturing to the others. "Many here knew your parents well like Admiral Jaron here, he served alongside your father during the Clone Wars during like the Muunilinst , Umbara and Ringo Vinda offensives. While Director Vell worked closely with your mother on several Outer Rim cultural preservation projects."
The greetings that followed were surprisingly warm, Handshakes, respectful nods, and a few quiet stories about my parents small memories of Armand's tactical insight during fleet manoeuvres or Elena's ability to cut through bureaucratic nonsense in negotiations.
For once I wasn't just the young governor from a backwater system or another official or politician. I was son of Armand and Elana Voss, a son of their close friends that were killed.
There were a few raised eyebrows when they noticed the size of my escort, the Mandalorians, the stormtrooper contingent, Torv looming like a wall at my side. One older admiral even murmured something about "bringing half an army to a celebration."
Sigh
Here we fucking go again. I am getting tired of repeating myself.
I addressed it calmly. "Pirate activity has increased again in my sector. Someone has also been sending professional bounty hunters after my convoys. With everything that has happened, and the valuable cargo we're carrying for the celebrations, I didn't want to take any chances."
Pellaeon nodded with understanding. "A sensible precaution. The Outer Rim remains volatile, we'll speak more on that later."
After the formal greetings, I turned to my people. "Go settle into the assigned quarters and set up proper shifts. Torv, stay with me."
Only Atii, Torv, and a small group of stormtroopers accompanied me as Pellaeon led us to some reserved room for a more intimate welcoming gathering. If I didnt tell Rusty beforehand to stay in the back and inconspicuous as much as he can he would have probably went with me.
They might like me and think positively of me but I don't want to answer questions of where exactly I got a droid that looks like CIS super tactical droid but on steroids and what his capabilities are, if he is not with me or out in public I can just give excuse I found him and he is just a fancy protocol droid.
We made our way to room and as soon as we stepped in the first thing that hit me was that it was spacious and comfortable dark wood panelling, soft lighting, and a wide window overlooking one of the glowing city canyons.
A small group of officials and officers were already present, talking quietly over drinks and light appetizers, probably ones who while not friends of my parents are friends or at least allies of Pellaeon, speaking of he was a very gracious host not afraid to splurge a bit seeing that there is the exotic Chandrillan water spice wine or the Naboo packaged crystal water, even delicacies from across the galaxy, fancy.
We talked about many things the challenges of governing the Outer Rim, recent trade improvements, and a few light-hearted stories, he asked about Elyria's progress, and I gave measured but positive answers, highlighting stability and loyalty to the Empire while carefully downplaying the full scale of our industrial and military growth though making sure to show how proud I am of it all.
Even gifting him and others small tokens of appreciation and bringing with me some elyrian food and alcohol for them to taste.
At one point I was so distracted listening to a story about my mother from one of her friends that I didn't notice Pellaeon glancing at me and Atii with a small, knowing smile, we were standing closer than strictly necessary her shoulder occasionally brushing mine as we moved through the room.
The gathering stayed relaxed, drinks were poured, small plates passed around, and the conversation flowed easily between strategy, old campaigns, and the current state of the galaxy.
For a few hours the tension of the long journey eased.
When it was time to leave, Pellaeon clasped my shoulder warmly. "Rest well, Kael. Tomorrow will be a long day."
Torv, Atii, and the stormtroopers escorted me back through the secure corridors to our assigned quarters in the Diplomatic Spire.
The quarters were luxurious high ceilings, expansive windows showing the endless sea of lights, multiple bedrooms, a large common area, and a secure command room already set up by my people.
Palace guards and stormtroopers had established overlapping shifts Torv immediately began checking every corner and access point with a paranoid fuelled detailed care.
I stood by one of the large windows, looking out at the endless glowing cityscape, damn this planet is beautiful. Though I am glad that these windows are sound proofed because the noise is insane when you are this high up where shuttles, fighters, starships and speeders are flying about.
***
The next few days blurred into a careful exploration of the upper levels and surrounding areas.
We moved in a tight but not overly conspicuous group Torv never more than two steps away, Atii staying close on my left, Rusty gliding silently behind us along with others like Lira and Mira, and a rotating mix of Mandalorians and stormtroopers providing outer security.
Coruscant never slept. Ever.
Even in the mid-levels we visiteed, the city was alive at all hours. Endless rivers of speeders flowed between towering spires with massive holographic billboards projecting Imperial propaganda on full blast + repeat: grand images of the Emperor, proud stormtrooper formations, slogans like "Strength Through Unity" and "Order Brings Peace."
Music and news broadcasts played from public terminals, celebrating the coming Empire Day with sweeping orchestral scores and footage of past military parades however, underneath the polished surface, tension simmered.
I noticed it in small things like groups of people would fall silent when stormtrooper patrols passed or in certain plazas, whispered conversations would stop the moment anyone in uniform drew near.
A few times I caught snippets of talk about "the Jedi incident" people speaking in hushed voices about a fugitive named Cal Kestis who had caused chaos on the planet not too long ago some called him a terrorist while others whispered the word "Jedi" with a strange mix of fear and hope.
Rebel activity was clearly rising even though the events of Andor, rebels and movies is years away, graffiti in lower-access alleys showed crudely painted Rebel symbols, not the iconic ones but various iteration with words like
"Death to the Empire" and "Bring back Republic" that had been hastily scrubbed but still left faint outlines, one evening in a public marketplace we saw Imperial security droids, an early version of K-S2O dragging away a man who had been handing out pamphlets in a back alley, no one dared look too long.
The heavy security was everywhere with checkpoints at every major transit hub and probe droids by the tens of thousands floating silently overhead along with that plainclothes agents mixed into crowds, their eyes too sharp, their movements too practiced.
The air itself felt thick with it a constant, low-level pressure that made every laugh in the crowd sound slightly forced, Atii walked beside me through one of the upper plazas, she kept her voice low. "Feels like everyone's waiting for something to snap," she muttered, eyes scanning the rooftops. "All this shine on the surface, but you can taste the fear underneath."
I nodded. "The propaganda is working overtime. Empire Day is supposed to be a celebration, but it feels more like they're trying to drown something out."
Rusty, walking a step behind us, spoke quietly. "Public sentiment analysis from open and private/illegal channels shows a seventeen percent increase in anti-Imperial chatter in the last standard month. Most of it is quickly suppressed, but the undercurrent is growing. My calculations predict that within 6-8 years there will be riots annually each year, that is if the empire does not squash it down with an unprecedented brutality that will make people hesitate for next riot. Further analysis shows that a probability of armed insurrection within the empire like with the Confederacy of Independent System is high and climbing. Prediction. 42% probability that within next few years a major secession or a rebellion happens."
My clanka.
You have no fucking clue how right you fucking are. Rebellion starts around 8BBY and I dont remember where I heard it but apparently between 14BBY and 9BBY there is a massive riot that the empire supresses with a ruthless brutality that leads to even more riots and people joining the budding rebellion.
We spent hours walking the allowed sectors, we visited grand plazas where massive holograms replayed the Emperor's speeches. Boy he sure does look like a shrivelled nut sack all right.
We passed enormous statues of past Imperial victories, more like republic ones but just re-named. We ate at a high-end restaurant where the staff was overly polite and the prices absurd, I swear they charged us more because we are visitors.
Everywhere we went, the contrast was jarring unimaginable wealth on the surface, and the knowledge that just a few kilometres below us, entire civilizations who lived in permanent darkness.
One afternoon we stood on a public observation balcony overlooking one of the vast city canyons. The drop was so deep the bottom disappeared into shadow.
Jaster joined us, arms crossed, staring down into the abyss. "Reminds me of seeing the contrast between the city domes and the old undercities on Mandalore." he said quietly.
"Beautiful on top. Rotting underneath." Every night we returned to our secure quarters in the Diplomatic Spire. The contrast was striking: luxurious rooms with panoramic views versus the knowledge that we were being watched.
Rusty ran constant counter-surveillance sweeps while Torv checked every room personally.
The pre-Empire Day atmosphere grew thicker with each passing day, more parades in the streets. More holographic banners and more security forces on every corner, I swear I saw one of the red cloaked elites of our dear old emperor prowling on the rooftops.
Honestly, that motherfucker looked cool as hell, he just stoon on the edge of the roof with his crimson armour and robe, his staff at his side as the wind whipped his cloak. Man was aura farming and he knew it worked.
***
The day before Empire Day, Grand Admiral Pellaeon requested a private meeting, I was taken to a heavily secured room deep within the Diplomatic Spire.
The doors sealed behind us with a heavy thud, and the low hum of active jammers filled the air, no aides, no guards or even windows.
Just the two of us sitting across from each other at a plain table, Pellaeon studied me for a long moment before speaking. "Tell me honestly, Kael. How is Elyria truly doing? Not the polished reports. The real state of your system… and the sector under Jerjerrod as a whole."
I answered carefully but directly. "Elyria while it had its starting difficulties is beginning to become more stable and is in process of growing with trade routes being expanded and factories producing, along with new settlers that are arriving steadily. The three neighboring systems we've brought into... closer cooperation are starting to stabilize as well. But the sector as a whole is rotting. Jerjerrod himself is corrupt and incompetent, he has allowed corruption to fester with entire pirate and slaver fleets that are operating with near impunity for years and in some cases for him and his closest associates. The tribute demands keep rising while actual protection keeps falling. My people have had to handle most of the real security work themselves with no help, direction or even acknowledgment not to mention probably threw out the few pirates that were not allied with him to the edges of his sector like to Elyria."
Pellaeon nodded slowly, his expression remaining composed but attentive."I suspected as much, as much as I wish we could just arrest him, his name carries weight not to mention his own prestige and ventures have... made him friends in high and low places. As long as he doesn't do anything overtly and undeniably treasonous we cannot go after him, but that doesn't mean you have to take it lying down Kael as you have shown, your rapid growth has raised eyebrows in certain circles. The size of the escort you brought with you also raised questions."
He leaned forward slightly eyes narrowing. "Be honest with me my boy. Why such a large force? Why so many heavily armoured mandalorians and stormtroopers, frankly I am surprised you did not have the star destroyer hanging over your quarters."
I met his eyes. "Because I don't feel safe," I said plainly. "A year ago my parents died in a clear assassination" I touched my scar.
"And I almost went with them, after the recent bounty hunter attacks on not only my convoys but even attempts to land infiltrators, I believe someone is actively probing me. Those weren't ordinary pirates, in fact they weren't pirates at all, they were mercenaries or worse. Professional soldiers. They had better ships and better equipment. I wasn't willing to gamble by arriving on Coruscant with minimal protection."
Pellaeon remained silent for several seconds, then gave a slow, measured nod. "A prudent decision. The galaxy is becoming more unstable anti governmental activity is increasing all across the board, we have confirmed sightings of Jedi operatives in several regions not to mention the rising criminal organisations, rumours are that Maul himself is leading one such organisation. The situation in the galaxy is… delicate. I advise you to remain extremely vigilant, if you encounter anything unusual anything at all report it directly to me. Bypass the usual channels."
He paused, then added with a faint, knowing look. "And try not to draw too much more attention while you're here, Governor. You're doing better than most expected. Keep it that way, oh and by the way you should visit Thrawn when you have the chance, he is arriving early tomorrow morning."
The meeting ended shortly after, as I walked back through the secure corridors toward our quarters, flanked by Torv and a small security detail, Pellaeon's words lingered.
***
Later that evening I sat alone in the secure section of our quarters, the lights dimmed low, the latest security reports had just come in. Torv and his teams had been thorough, no one had attempted to breach our perimeter, no slicing attempts on our encrypted channels.
And no obvious surveillance but there had been observers, with 3 separate incidents during the day: 2 men in civilian clothing who lingered too long near our landing zone, a woman who had been watching our group from a café across the plaza, and another pair that had followed us for several blocks before disappearing into the crowd.
Nothing aggressive.
Just watching.
I rubbed my eyes and moved on to the trade report Rusty had compiled, we had done well. Most of the refined duranium and Elyrian crystals had sold at strong prices. The native textiles and a few choice artifacts had gone even better in total we had turned a solid profit enough to cover the entire journey's expenses and still leave a healthy surplus. We had used part of the credits to purchase high-end medical equipment, advanced processor cores, and several crates of rare components that were difficult to get in the Outer Rim.
The rest had been quietly routed back through secure channels.
I sent a quick encrypted message to a logistic officer back on the ship: Keep one of the highest quality cultural artifact from the sale list. Especially the one with the intricate carving and embedded crystals. Thrawn is arriving tomorrow morning. It will make a good gift.
I leaned back in the chair and let out a small chuckle. Pellaeon had been bigger in person than he looked on the holo. The man had real presence. It is pretty funny that thrawn was the opposite he seemed so tall and through the hollo but was just slightly above average.
I stared out the window at the endless sea of lights stretching across Coruscant. Tomorrow was Empire Day, hopefully I dont have to dodge blaster fire or falling buildings.
*Spoilers*
You read?
I am writing about Maul shadowlord so spoilers
If you are reading this still then allright.
First off, they fucking KILLED every single one of my favourite characters like Scorn and Icarus, presumably lawson is fucking dead as well. Cant believe they killed darth mauls cat - aka spy bot, rip I loved the little bot. Also MY LOVE ROOK KAST fucking died, I was so dissapointed at that, but apparently the actress in an interview said that she tried to sound like vader pulled her lungs out through her throat, which honestly. Fucking metal, I just wished we got to see more of her.
Also darth vader aura farm was kind of cool and he was moving like fucking Jason Vorhees going through walls and shit like in a horror movie and Marrok and Crow fight scenes were absolutely fucking cinema, like the screech they make when they sync up their running towards Mauls group?? Hello peak department?
But undeniably best thing about it all was the animation and VFX sounds, it was just 10/10 like Mauls lightsaber had his own scream/shout imbedded into it whenever it swung you could hear it, also coolest death (at least that we could see because rook kast death was shrouded in a fog so we only heard it) was icarus, my boy took 8-10 blaster shots, managed to throw 3 knives into stormtroopers and then charge towards another 3 while getting hit with more bolts and he threw himself and them into a fucking ACID PIT and we actually see him and others dissolve, probably one of the most graphic deaths in star wars.
Overall the show gets 9.7/10 from me, cant wait for season 2.