Nine years, five months, and nineteen days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or forty-four years, five months, and nineteen days after the Great Resynchronization.
It had to be admitted that without the Grand Admiral's presence, the meeting between the chief engineer of the shipyards, Nick Reyes, and Moff Ferrus had gone on in a less tense atmosphere. As if the mere appearance of the Chimaera, its loading and departure, together with most of the free ships in the fleet, had allowed the Grand Admiral's political and technical assistants to breathe more freely. Despite the fact that the Grand Admiral's flagship and his starships had left only an hour ago, the impression from that short conversation... That wasn't something you forgot. In the current, post-Battle of Endor times, few subordinates could boast that they had delivered bad news and still lived.
"He wasn't particularly happy with your conclusions," Felix remarked, pouring a full glass of Corellian whiskey for his friend. The chief engineer winced and downed the glass in one gulp.
"Another," he asked. The Moff looked at his companion questioningly but said nothing. The amber-colored liquid flowed into the glass. But this time Felix filled it only a third, ignoring his friend's disapproving glance. Getting drunk on duty was bad form. Calming your nerves was another matter.
Tossing a few ice cubes into both glasses, the Moff handed one to the engineer.
"I don't think you should worry about it," he said, taking a sip of whiskey. The alcohol burned his throat slightly and settled with a pleasant warmth. "After all, he's not a stupid, um... person; he understands that his projects require expenditure."
"I'm not worried about the hyperdrive for the Golan at all," Reyes grimaced, taking a sip. "That much is clear — hyperdrives are needed. If he'd explained even for a moment the reason why he needs an orbital station that is not only invisible but also capable of independently relocating via hyperspace, it would be easier for me..."
"And what would that change?" Ferrus wondered. "Suppose Thrawn tells you the reason he needs mobile Golans — then what? What changes?"
"Well, at the very least I could have talked him out of this adventure!" Reyes bared his teeth without malice. Given the light of his optical sensor, it came out rather menacing. "I mean, it's just insane! Orbital defense stations aren't built to fly on their own! That's what Star Destroyers are for — practically the same size and armament! His entire fleet is mobile, my guys worked like damned to get every ship repaired in the shortest possible time. And he, as soon as he heard that the Golan would need a hyperdrive of the same class as the one installed on the shipyard, just grunted. And ordered me to continue working! Can you imagine?"
"And what, exactly, bothers you?" Felix wondered. "You'd have had to repair the Golan anyway. And make it invisible..."
"There you go again," Nick picked up. "Why does the station need a cloaking field? Simple question — why? An orbital platform is built to defend, not to hide! Its mere appearance is enough to make attackers think seven times before attacking. And if we hide it — then what? What good is it? Under a cloaking field, you still can't monitor what's happening outside it. Not to mention that when that device is active, those under it can't contact anyone or receive orders from command. You just sit in a metal box in orbit, beyond the planet's gravity pull, with nothing but blackness around you. My guys experienced those delights firsthand — the feeling is so awful it's indescribable. You just want to get out as fast as possible. Anyway, that's fine, the fleet personnel will be on the Golan, I don't care about them. But the cloaking field on the shipyard... Can you imagine what it's like to work cut off from everyone, as if you're in some ass-end of the galaxy? And on top of that, you have to work on starships? No psyche can take that!"
"I don't think the cloak will be working constantly," Felix grimaced. He knew that his usually calm friend was currently on edge. Little sleep, lots of work. Naturally, the psyche couldn't take it, and even a phlegmatic like Reyes was exploding with emotion. "That device consumes a fair amount of power."
"And that's exactly what I'm saying?" Nick twisted his face. "I calculated the necessary power consumption. If we turn on the cloak, my guys will have to work under emergency lighting. And in red light, it's not so easy to figure out the color of wiring or sensors. And what about those asteroid operations? First, we reflash those Hutt 'diggers' with their crappy operating system, then test them on asteroids, then in his presence test how they crack asteroids and ships... The strike frigate isn't the sturdiest structure to begin with, but no, he started punching holes in it with the diggers. Good thing he didn't activate remote mode — otherwise there would have been a complete fireworks display. By the way, do you know what he ordered me to do?"
"Besides that, by Thrawn's order, almost all of your technicians boarded Star Destroyers with spare parts and left for who knows where?" Felix clarified.
"That's what worries me most," Nick admitted. Taking another gulp, he grimaced as a melting ice cube hit his mouth. "He keeps everything a secret! Absolutely! Where did my people go? How long will they be gone? What will they be doing there? And now I have to not only repair those Hutt escort frigates, the Carrack, and the damaged Strikes, but also work with asteroids! Can you imagine? As if I didn't have enough other work?!"
"Don't get worked up," Ferrus advised him. "Times are tough for all of us. But remember how it was before Endor? We almost always worked in emergency mode compared to the current situation. After a serious beating, starships had to be repaired and returned to service in a matter of days, even though regulations called for week-long work. And all because of the Rebels. On the one hand, Thrawn can be understood too — he's a military commander, and our semi-civilian needs and justifications aren't particularly interesting to him, nor are our requirements. He's a commander. He sets tasks, and we have to manage on our own."
"That's exactly what's annoying," Reyes sipped from his glass. "At first, it seemed like he wasn't the same kind of martinet as the other grand admirals. That he understood the conditions we have to work in. Honestly, when I heard that several groups of mechanics from Bilbringi and almost twenty thousand fleet technicians were flying to us, I was even happy. Imagine how we could have expanded? My guys on the shipyards wouldn't have had to work three shifts. And what's the result? We have a huge number of tasks, and not only did he not give me extra people, but he took mine away! And on top of that, he issues orders straight out of science fiction — 'Calculate whether it's possible to install hyperdrives on type-one orbital repair shops to change their location,' 'I want to know if the V-150 Planet Defender ion cannon can be used in space and what would be required for that?' 'Prepare a report on which starship systems need to be repaired after an ion cannon barrage to restore its systems and enable a hyperspace jump; develop equipment packages for the fastest replacement,' 'I need ready options for equipment to install on Golans for moving them through hyperspace.' And then testing those diggers on asteroids, installing cloaking devices on those rocks. And not just installing — he had special wishes there too! I barely held back, but I told him that the best course would be to find at least one fourth-class hyperdrive, the kind the Kuati put on second-type orbital shipyards like ours, if he wanted his Golan not to be torn to pieces. And you know what he told me? 'You'll have them, get to work.' Just like that! As if he had his own hyperdrive factory! I don't know why they consider him a legend of the Imperial Navy, but this guy clearly wants the impossible! And if we had a supertanker full of aurodium sitting in orbit, well, no — we've only got captured freighters with fuel. At least the warehouses are now filling up with ore, equipment, and spare parts..."
"Listen, Nick," Ferrus cleared his throat. "I understand it's hard for you in the current situation, but you still shouldn't overstep. Your guys are working for three, but after all — Thrawn ordered them placed on fleet rations! With one decision he enlisted all of them into military service, which means career advancement, privileges, increased salaries based on seniority. Yes, they'll have to bone up on some documents," the chief engineer snorted in irritation, perfectly understanding that the category 'some' implied thousands of regulations, circulars, and simply orders that the now-military engineers and technicians would be guided by in their work. "For their overtime they get proportionate pay — and that's no small money. If before both pay and expectations were low, now everything has increased in proportion — both salaries and work requirements per se. Cause and effect, so there's no point complaining about such a decision. Just accept it as a given. Hell, I already have a line of volunteers on the planet wanting to go to your shipyards! And they perfectly understand that it's no picnic there, but with other alternatives, they're even worse off — either work for deci-credits, or no work and no pay. Civilian specialists are trickling in from all over Imperial Space itself — and they're ready to take the oath and work two, even three shifts in a standard day!"
"Even so?" the red filter blazed with a greedy glow. "And how many volunteer technicians are there?"
"About three hundred already," Ferrus stroked his chin. "Young, of course, fresh out of training, and their skill level is low..."
"To hell with skill level," Reyes waved his hand. "Send them to me immediately! I'll put them on rough work, and move my own guys from those posts to more skilled jobs. I have about twenty high-level technicians who can go through a certification board and get junior engineer patents! Put them in charge of those new recruits of yours. Stick them where they can't mess up, and also keep them away from the secret projects."
"There won't be any problem redirecting them to you," Felix admitted. "They're almost all civilians, so sending them to the fleet would be silly. And spending months drilling into their heads what military engineers learn in years is a waste of time. But there's a certain hitch."
"What?" Nick deflated. He knew perfectly well — if Ferrus voiced a problem, it was a real problem, not something that could be solved in a few minutes.
"Lieutenant Colonel Astarion," the Moff named the 'problem.' "Thrawn seems to have decided to create his own counterintelligence and security service rolled into one. And this lieutenant colonel is in charge. He rejects every third volunteer for one reason or another. The reasons aren't stated, but as I understand it, the issue is a 'dark' past. With fleet personnel transferring to serve under Thrawn's command, it's one thing — send inquiries to previous duty stations, run them through a couple of procedures, and even then, Astarion sends many into the planetary garrison. At best, six out of ten make it into the fleet. But with civilians... we don't have enough 'security' personnel to make the process fast, so those specialists are stuck in a bureaucratic machine. However, I'll try to discuss this with him — for now we have enough fleet specialists to plug holes in all or almost all starships that are operational. But with civilians... the lieutenant colonel seems to be one of us — by the way, he's the one who got you the rhydonium..."
"I already hate him sight unseen," the chief engineer lamented. "So much headache with these digger modifications..."
"And who has it easy?" Ferrus grinned. "I'm starting to feel like a crime lord — never thought I'd have to coordinate black market trade of rebel trophies. In my own sector! But I can't say it's bad — in a week the sector's revenues have tripled compared to the annual turnover. I can finally pay my subordinates' salaries in full, buy necessary equipment to maintain garrisons without handouts from the Ubiqtorate or the Imperial Ruling Council from Orinda. And we haven't even started selling infantry weapons yet, keeping them to arm the militia — among the volunteers there are plenty who want to serve under the victorious Grand Admiral but aren't fit for fleet, pilot, or army service. But they'll make excellent militia units — to replace the stormtroopers we don't have many of. And the pirates Thrawn hired are pretty toothy — the loot keeps flowing. Just from Yazuo Vane alone, since the patent was signed, the sector has taken more than one and a half million credits as its share. And there are so many freighters that it's time to organize our own cargo fleet. But Thrawn ordered them left alone — he needs them for combat operations."
"At least the money from Thrawn's realized trophies and privateers allows me to motivate workers to stay for overtime," Reyes said more calmly. He gave an eloquent glance at the opened bottle of whiskey. Thought for a moment and shook his head. No, he'd already had his ration for today. He needed to check how work was progressing on the shipyards, at the factories, give instructions, and catch some sleep before the Grand Admiral returned from his campaign and started demanding the impossible again.
"Yeah," Ferrus chuckled. "Could I have ever thought that I, an Imperial Moff, would one day have to deal with such nonsense — trading to pay salaries and buy equipment... Oh, by the way!" remembering something from the conversation with the Grand Admiral, the Moff turned to his computer. "There's something interesting. He ordered me to look for spare parts on the black market for Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers."
"Why illegal ones?" Reyes frowned. "We seem to have Rendili as allies, and those ugly bricks with engines are their design. He could always order them if he really wants to get himself into trouble with those slow-moving pigs. I already told him that on the shipyard, we can repair and upgrade a maximum of thirty-nine of those ships."
"That many?" Felix was surprised.
"Three can fit into each yard bay, and one can be placed on the outside of each bay," Reyes explained. "That makes twenty-seven 'inside' the docks and a dozen outside. But I honestly have no idea where he'll find that many old starships, plus sixteen thousand crew each... But I didn't ask questions. I looked over the data from the Coalescence and said that yes, we could quickly modify a Dreadnought to carry two squadrons of TIE fighters onboard. Though I don't think he actually intends to acquire such ships."
"Don't be too sure," Ferrus smiled mysteriously. "There's something interesting here. First, he commissioned me to contact Lianna..."
"The actual Valles Santhe?" Reyes' eyebrows shot up. "I wonder if he knows she doesn't exactly love the Empire? Even though she trades with everyone."
"I don't know what he knows, but the fact remains — I intend to discuss a contract with her for purchasing a huge number of TIE fighters and interceptors. Potentially I also need to test the waters for selling us full-cycle production lines — an orbital construction facility — if only to produce fighters."
"You know, they say grand admirals are geniuses," Reyes sighed. "Not arguing, Thrawn might be a military genius, but in economics... Does he have any idea how much a full-cycle orbital construction facility costs, even just for producing TIE fighters? From processing to finished product... It's a useful thing — given its significant automation and ninety percent droid personnel... But it costs..."
"About the same as two Imperial-class Star Destroyers," Ferrus grinned. "And that was in the Empire's best years, when Sienar Fleet Systems was in favor. Now the cost of such an orbital factory is four hundred and fifty million Imperial credits."
Orbital TIE Fighter Workshop.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Reyes nodded. "As I recall, they produce about three full squadrons of fighters per day over three eight-hour shifts. Does he intend to create twelve hundred fighters a month? No, I'm not arguing — with a certain approach, you can modify the production process to produce not fighters, but interceptors, or bombers... You could even trade them with other Imperial Remnants — again, if the deal works out and Valles Santhe agrees to build a factory for Thrawn, instead of waving him off like all the other warlords who came to her with similar proposals. Still, I think buying such a facility is a whim, completely detached from reality."
"You're just afraid you'll have to stick a hyperdrive on that station too," the Moff of Morshdine sector laughed without malice.
"If even you thought of it, then Thrawn might have considered it too," Reyes said darkly. "If he wants it that badly, let him find some Secutor and saw its hyperdrive off. I think my guys can work with such a unit to make it move the station... But the problem, the main one, is something else! What a colossal amount of resources would go into running such a factory? Not to mention that for that same money you could buy many more fighters from the Ciutric Hegemony. That three-kilometer station would need about fifty thousand human personnel to operate normally! And not just any technicians, but top-class engineers and mechanics! Just imagine how many ships it would take to equip such a horde with fighters? Hundreds of starships! And even if all our ships lost all their fighters at once, we'd still have more than necessary... And besides — do we have that many pilots?"
"We don't have even a tenth, even with the ever-increasing number of volunteers," Ferrus admitted. "However, you're wrong about the ships..."
"In what sense?" Reyes tensed.
"Imperial Space intends to transfer to us one Imperial-class Star Destroyer that's being completed at the Bilbringi shipyards," Ferrus reminded of already-known information. "One of the privateers intends to deliver us a Gozanti-class armored transport..."
"You understand that none of that is the real thing," Nick grimaced. "Unless they're in the modification..."
"Alright, I won't torment you," Ferrus grinned, turning the screen of his monitor to face the chief engineer. "Thrawn commissioned me to purchase spare parts for one hundred fifty Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers. Second-class hyperdrives, engine parts, power buses, capacitors... The list is huge and will run about seventy million."
"Oh you..." Reyes caught himself. "That's interesting information, of course, but... there aren't even that many ships of that type in the Corporate Sector! Who has such old junk in such quantities? No, even the corporates have no reason to keep such a fleet — they have several hundred Victories..."
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Felix noted. "Why would the Grand Admiral spend such enormous funds if no one has that many ships for sale?"
Reyes was silent, reflecting on his friend's words. He mentally sifted through information about Dreadnoughts, trying to remember where he had heard about an entire fleet of a hundred fifty or more Dreadnoughts...
A fleet of Dreadnoughts...
"Felix, you're not trying to say that..." he began, looking at the smirk on the Moff's face. "No, it can't be just like that..."
"Nick, he wiped out an entire sector fleet without losing a single ship," Ferrus reminded him. "I don't know where the Grand Admiral gets such luck, but let's hope it doesn't abandon him. I'm sure all your guys, along with the new technical teams, have flown off precisely for those ships."
"And what then?" the chief engineer inquired. "Even if he did find the Katana fleet, he still needs crews, tibanna, fuel, just to maintain it… And from Orinda you can't squeeze out practically anything!"
"You know," the Moff of Morshdine Sector said, lowering his voice, "if Thrawn defeats the rebels with such ease and digs up ancient secrets, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he one day takes the head of the Empire. And we'd better be ready to serve the right being."
"You think Thrawn has his eye on the Emperor's place?" Reyes asked in an equally quiet whisper.
"I'm at least certain he absolutely doesn't like that the Imperial Remnants, with hundreds of Star Destroyers and millions of stormtroopers alone in their arsenal, are sitting idle while he, with a small fleet, is thrashing the rebels," Felix reported. "I'm seeing a rise in the number of volunteers coming to us—and among the greenhorns, experienced officers with extensive service records are already appearing. The military likes what he's doing. High salaries attract civilian specialists. Moff Getelles from the Antemeridian Sector is interested in whether I would be so kind as to arrange a meeting with the Grand Moff to discuss delivering new Strike-class medium cruisers to his fleet, provided the latter continues striking the rebels. He even has a couple of targets to propose. The Rendili folks got wind of the hunt for spare parts on the black market and are asking if they can be of any help, hinting that if you add a few dozen million, they'll supply identical parts—factory-new and brand-new. And those bastards were already sizing up defecting to the New Republic! Sith take it, even aliens are coming to me asking if they can be useful in some supporting role. Nick, do you realize what that smells like, when even non-humans perk up and want to work for Thrawn's policies?"
"In-fighting among the Imperial Remnants," Reyes said meaningfully. "I'll never believe that Grand Moff Kaine, or the Imperial Ruling Council, or even Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel himself would just give up power… No, I'd sooner believe they'll try to kill him one way or another."
"But look at it from the other side," Moff Ferrus suggested. "If the Empire really does move against Thrawn, and he doesn't lose… And if he managed to win with only a few Star Destroyers and a few cruisers, and even managed to strike the enemy on the other side of the galaxy, capturing rich spoils, then with the Katana fleet in his pocket—he could easily not only put several sector rebel fleets in their place, but also conquer Ciutric Hegemony itself! Krennel has barely fifteen major warships, and here we have two hundred heavy cruisers alone! Not the newest, but with the right approach they can be turned into real gems! And with that kind of fleet he can at least avoid losing. And with his tactical genius—no, I'm definitely betting on him. As for the rest… How grateful do you think he'll be to those who stay by his side and don't abandon him in a tough moment?"
"I never would have thought you were so ambitious," Reyes said, scratching his neck.
"Appetite comes with eating," Felix said meaningfully. "I'm not calling you to anything, pal, just advising… Remember, the number of people close to the future Emperor might be strictly limited."
"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Reyes remarked. "I don't know, maybe everything is as you say, but personally I'd rather watch him for now. Maybe the Dufilvian sector, Nkllon, and the commotion in the Sluissi sector—that's all he can achieve."
"And if not?" Moff Ferrus clarified.
"And if our Grand Admiral does turn out to be a damn victorious and lucky commander, then I'll bet on him," Nick Reyes sighed. And then he added:
"But I'll be demanding a salary to match!"
* * *
Definitely need more technical personnel.
Many times more.
The plan to assault the Hast shipyards is taking certain shape. Rough drafts that can be used one way or another. By the time Lieutenant Rederick and Lord Fodeum Sabre De'Luz complete their infiltration mission, a period of information gathering and plan adjustment will begin.
As far as I know, no one except General Grievous and the Separatists in relatively recent galactic history has used large-area ion cannons in space combat. For one simple reason: building a huge dreadnought just to be able to fire a ring cannon capable of disabling an entire fleet… Well, really, who would ever think of that? It's far more efficient to keep pouring trillions of credits into building battle stations the size of planetoids…
Still, the production or replenishment of technical personnel needed to be increased. The scouts sent to the location of the Katana fleet successfully located the ships. Exactly where Captain Hoffner had indicated. Conditionally, one could say that this being is loyal. And motivated. During a brief stop at Tangrene to load the first batch of "diggers" for field trials onto my flagship Star Destroyer, a very short but meaningful conversation took place with both Moff Ferrus and Chief Engineer Reyes. And while the former continued to execute my orders unquestioningly, within his competence and reasonable initiative, Mr. Reyes, as a man more on the civilian side than the military, allowed himself to demonstrate that he had an opinion of his own.
On one hand, that's good. A subordinate of that level shouldn't be an uninitiative executor. He should receive an order and find ways to implement it optimally. Moff Ferrus understands that. Mr. Reyes—not quite. He and his people worked too long in conditions far removed from the clear order the Empire was accustomed to, so a certain level of snobbery and self-importance exists in them.
The Battle of Endor, the infighting among the Imperial Remnants and warlords, the victories of the New Republic, and the subsequent fragmentation of the Empire led to a significant portion of former Imperials now wearing "rebel" insignia. The Remnant governments had no choice but to "plug the holes" of rear-line military posts with yesterday's military personnel or inexperienced youth. The peculiar caste system of military engineers began to steadily decline. As did labor productivity—where military personnel did everything precisely, quickly, and responsibly, understanding they were part of a huge system, its cogs, civilian specialists sometimes found hundreds of excuses and justifications for their delays. Young officers, who hadn't overcome their lightweight perception of reality and lacked sufficient personal discipline, indulged this state of affairs. Higher command was forced to accept these "rules of the game"because there was simply no alternative. The result, so to speak, speaks for itself.
So I had to make a "knight's move"not only to increase the pay of rear-service workers, like those at the orbital shipyard, but also to effectively conscript them into military service. Not the most well-thought-out step, since most civilian specialists are incapable of obeying military discipline. But there was no other way—such a move would allow me to attract even more specialists to my service, possibly even poach military engineers from other Imperial Remnants. Or, more obviously, a line would form for a "long credit" of civilian specialists who could only dream of such salaries at their old jobs. And here the notorious "fork" comes into play—either meet the requirements and get the salary you're due, or say goodbye to service and pay. Because Imperial laws regarding negligent workers are harsh. And for the military… yes, the conversation there is short—court-martial and punishment. Well, Lieutenant Colonel Astarion is a competent enough fellow and he chose worthwhile assistants from naval intelligence to sift the wheat from the chaff at the preliminary stage. After all, on Tangrene itself there are plenty of facilities that need specialists—and civilians can find work there. Maybe not as high a salary as the military, but still higher than anywhere in ordinary engineering companies and on civilian shipyards of the Empire.
Cloning as such won't solve this problem at its root—priorities need to be set correctly. Gaining access to the Katana fleet frees my hands in matters of operational tempo and large-scale offensives into New Republic territory. I need crews—and lots of them. If I can, reluctantly, allow former civilians onto some patrol ships one in a while, then ships that will operate strictly on the front lines—that's practically sabotage. I have no intention of shooting myself in the foot and then running a marathon. Therefore, until the issue of manning the fleet's ships is resolved, even thinking about spending Mount Tantiss's resources on cloning everyone possible is wrong.
Even when I learned that the Spaarti cylinders actually worked, I thought about visiting Kamino. Despite the Kaminoan uprising, despite Palpatine's refusal to use clones in the army after the proclamation of the New Order, Kamino… was not destroyed. It was simply… not mentioned. Just like that. Even during the Clone War, few officers of the Grand Army of the Republic knew not just the way there, but even the coordinates of that planet on a galactic tactical map. In Palpatine's records recovered from Mount Tantiss, such information existed. Along with details of how brutally the Empire crushed the Kaminoan uprising after winning the Clone War.
No, they weren't wiped out, destroyed, bombed, or eradicated root and branch—the cloning race and their production facilities. The Empire took tight control of the Kaminoans' business, taking huge percentages from every deal they made. Kamino never produced a clone army again—until recently. After the Battle of Endor, Kamino fell under the control of the Zann Consortium, and with such a base, the Consortium's leader, Tyber Zann, was able to spread his influence across practically the entire galaxy. However, when the New Republic began striking his positions again and again, some Imperial Remnants joined in, along with the Hutts, the Pyke Syndicate—who trade the drug spice—and a large number of other third-party forces, including pirate fleets hiding in holes all over the Outer Rim, some of which consisted of hundreds of capital ships.
Yes, strange as it may seem, this whole motley crew managed to knock Zann from his dominant positions. No one knew where Tyber had vanished to, having lost almost everything. There are still a few Consortium enclaves in the galaxy, like Shola, Hypori, and Saleucami, which are stubbornly holding out against the enemy's onslaught. In fact, according to reports from the Noghri on Hypori, various Consortium factions are independent groups that have somehow coexisted with other criminal elements. Most of them are "protected" either by the Pykes or the Hutts—and that's already a state-level force.
So, back to Kamino. Not a single starship sent to that planet has returned. After their capture by Zann, the Kaminoans stopped providing their cloning services on the galactic stage, and their fate is unknown. However, I remembered from the books I'd read that Boba Fett, in a later period, dealt with the Kaminoans and flew to their planet for medical procedures in an attempt to combat his aging. Therefore, Kamino has not been destroyed or ruined, its population is alive. But what prevents free access to the planet? An astronomical anomaly? If so, what kind? An enemy military fleet? Quite possible—the fact that Tyber Zann's disappearance and Kamino's inaccessibility occurred at roughly the same time is too strange.
There were other cloning races in the galaxy. However, they either made insane demands for payment for their services—and were protected from direct capture by mercenary fleets—or were under someone else's control. Like the inhabitants of the planet Khomm in the Deep Core. Consequently, my only tools remaining are the Spaarti cloning cylinders. Imperial engineers simply could not increase their numbers, or repair the four thousand damaged ones. They seemed to do everything by the book, because it should all work, but… it doesn't. Even though Mount Tantiss is being slowly but surely settled, its reserves are flowing into the general fund of my forces, and exploration of the labyrinth under the mountain continues, yielding more and more valuable finds, this has no effect on the number or production speed of clones.
The only consolation is that Palpatine is a very resourceful ruler. Who very much loves commemorative trophies. And the latter, according to historical, antique, and other reference works, are worth a lot. A very lot. I'd even say—indecently a lot. Just the jewelry in Palpatine's vault has been conservatively estimated at half a billion Imperial credits. Of course, that's a very approximate, likely even inflated, valuation of antiques. Which must still be sold. Well, Captain Hoffner will soon receive some new instructions. Let's see how effective anonymous underground auctions hosted by the Hutts and in the New Republic can be.
This, in fact, prompted me to give Moff Ferrus the go-ahead to conduct negotiations with Valles Santhe—the management company she inherited from Sienar. And here I was satisfied, essentially, with both tactical and strategic successes. If Lady Santhe refuses to sell us an orbital fighter production facility—which will most likely happen, since this nearly fully autonomous full-cycle production line can be relatively easily (if you know how and have the right equipment, software, and skilled workers) retooled to produce not only fighters but also interceptors and bombers. There are three such facilities in orbit of Lianna—and they fully meet the needs of all Lady Santhe's clients without exception. So, negotiations will most likely end with signing contracts for the purchase of huge numbers of TIE-type craft. But by that time I will already know enough about Lianna's defense system to find an answer to the dilemma—take by force or try diplomacy again.
Of course, I understand that I could continue to buy the equipment I need, or try to recreate industrial lines through reverse engineering. But that takes time and enormous expense. Reyes roughly calculated the cost of one such assembly line for me. Even if there are tens of billions worth of jewelry and valuable items inside Mount Tantiss, I'm not willing to spend several billion just so military engineers can "get their hands in." When financial resources tend to run out, one should "cut the sturgeon a bit."
Still, Mount Tantiss is a true treasure. Its construction must have cost a pretty penny. Even despite the fact that in the past there were already structures built inside the rock during the Old Republic era, several thousand years before the present during the Mandalorian Wars, the scale of the project is stunning. The fact that inside, besides warehouses, there are also laboratories, workshops, its own farms for producing food, hangars with shuttles, and other amenities necessary for the comfortable living of more than a thousand beings—is impressive. It's just a pity that even this miracle of engineering won't allow maintaining an army of even a couple million people. No matter how resourceful and foresighted Palpatine was, the food production capacity is limited and was designed to supply a garrison according to Imperial military standards, plus a few thousand people from the Emperor's own retinue.
The garrison on Wayland is undoubtedly in a good position and requires practically no resources from outside. And this fact unequivocally suggests that it would be good to replicate this same project—somewhere else. Less… populated, perhaps. But again—these are all strategic plans. However, it's clear without words—over time, the facilities at the Mountain will have to be evacuated. They are too valuable to leave unattended, and certainly too valuable to allow destruction. Relocating the Noghri here, as happened in the events of the galaxy far, far away that I know, would also be pointless—even harmful. It would only be a matter of time before the Skywalkers showed up on the planet, having discovered its coordinates one way or another. Or, after implementing my strategic plan, after the campaign at the Sluis Van shipyards, Palpatine himself might drop by to see what's left—in any case, such a valuable resource as the Noghri would be lost to me. But leaving this little people on their home planet—Honoghr—is also fraught with risk. And the issue here isn't even that their world is contaminated with chemicals and the ecology leaves much to be desired, and the Empire has for decades promised to help fix the situation but only pretends to help. In reality, the Imperials continue to do everything they can to prevent Honoghr from healing from the technological catastrophe of the past, because that ensures the loyalty of this people. The reason the gray-skinned saboteurs need a completely different planet, unknown to the galaxy, to live on is something else. The Noghri, despite initially obeying only Vader and later Thrawn, are widely known among Palpatine's power circles. After he begins his campaign to reconquer the galaxy, it's only a matter of time before he ends up on Honoghr, if only for appearances. The coordinates of that planet in the Emperor's data from Mount Tantiss have been erased, but cross-references and mentions can undoubtedly be found. Consequently, it's only a matter of time before Palpatine's followers, after his campaign begins, drop in there too.
For the same reason, Myrkr is not suitable either. Yes, the planet is not that widely known in the galaxy, but its coordinates are known at least to Karrde and his organization. Therefore, there is a high chance that a Noghri settlement on Myrkr, if they are relocated there, would also be compromised. I need a completely unknown world, or one that is as inaccessible as possible. And there are some problems with that. Because finding such a planet is not as easy as it seems. And offering the Noghri such a gift at the present moment also does not align with my plans for winning the hearts of this people. I need to act more subtly here.
In the events I know, the Noghri shifted their loyalty from the Empire to serving Leia Organa Solo not only because she was the daughter of Darth Vader, whom these beings revered and considered their master. But also because the meeting of the Alderaanian princess with the Noghri led to her traveling to Honoghr and uncovering the deception about planetary restoration. The Noghri realized the Empire had betrayed them and switched their allegiance to the one who offered them an entire planet. One teeming with life and posing no health risk as such. And… if that plan worked, why not adapt it for myself and implement it in my own interests?
Is it underhanded toward the Noghri? Yes, from a certain point of view it's even hypocritical—to tell the same Mara Jade that I am open with allies, while simultaneously doing nothing to resolve the problems on Honoghr. At present, my involvement in the Noghri's lives has been limited to the fact that after a long period of disfavor, they have returned to carrying out my orders—on planets as far from the presence of the Organa and Skywalker couple as circumstances permit. From time to time, Imperial transport ships arriving at Honoghr deliver food and other necessary supplies, as well as ever more droids to combat the ecological crisis. But not all of these droids operate according to their original programming—some have been converted into reconnaissance units, recording everything happening on the planet near Noghri settlements. When a new ship arrives, its technicians perform scheduled maintenance and necessary repairs on the droids and download data from the mechanical spies. This is how I track the absence of any extra ships or beings on the planet.
I do have a certain course set for finding a new world for the Noghri. And it is directly linked to the search for the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Guardian. Digging through my memory, reconstructing the chain of events I know again and again, I eventually concluded that Guardian was the second Executor-class Star Super Destroyer to serve the New Republic. I also recalled that the ship was in orbit of some remote, habitable planet. But the name of that planet isn't notable enough to simply remember it offhand.
Unlike another planet directly tied to the history of the Noghri. Yalara. A world hidden from everyone by some cloaking device built by the Jedi. This planet appears in one of the quests in the computer game Jedi Academy, and the protagonist visits it. Where he encounters Noghri. Who had been sent there by the Empire to acquire the cloaking device.
Only certain questions arise. Questions I can't find answers to in my memory. Either because I don't know, or because I don't remember. And digging through one's own memories isn't exactly simple. The Chiss mind allows you to break facts down into their components and analyze them thoroughly. But the less substantial a memory is, the more fragmented, the harder it is to "recall" it in detail. And it takes a considerable amount of time. It took me several days to recall the details of the protagonist's mission from Jedi Academy on Yalara. As unfortunate as it is to admit this fact, I didn't pay much attention to the less pivotal moments in the Star Wars universe. Still, working through my own memories helps progress my understanding of many critical points.
So, Yalara. The coordinates of this planet are unknown. They aren't in the galaxy's navigational guides, they aren't in Thrawn's records on code cylinders, they aren't in the Empire's databases. And, most regrettably, they aren't in the Emperor's information library.
Dry facts — at some point between Darth Vader's discovery of the Noghri and the events of the game Jedi Academy, Noghri squads were sent to Yalara with a known objective. They achieved their goal. And in the process, they wiped out the entire local population, which was underdeveloped and hadn't made contact with the rest of the galaxy. That's precisely why the Jedi built a cloaking field, hiding an entire planet from both scanners and visual observation. Interesting technology. I'd like to study it.
Luke Skywalker sent one of his Jedi students, Jaden Korr, to Yalara. Quite an... interesting character. But he's a separate conversation.
Korr arrived on the planet, found the Noghri there, engaged them in battle, and won. The New Republic gained control of an entire fertile planet with a cloaking function. However, as far as I know, Yalara was never mentioned again in the history of Star Wars. Neither was the fact that the Republic ever assimilated the cloaking technology from this planet in any way. Why? There could be hundreds of reasons. But the most obvious one — the device can't be replicated. Or perhaps the technology isn't as perfect as it seems. Or maybe it was used later, but "off-screen" of the events I know.
However, a number of questions remain. Who sent the Noghri to the planet, and when? Where did those who dispatched the Death Commandos to this world get its coordinates? Why weren't the Noghri recalled from there? Do the Noghri clan matriarchs on Honoghr know about their mission?
Well, let's file that thought away. While the Chimaera and its escort are moving toward the target, there's time to analyze the current situation with the Noghri. Lately, I've had fewer and fewer free hours for these kinds of "brainstorming sessions" less time for sleep as well. Thankfully, I managed to set up a small workout area in my quarters to gradually improve my physical fitness. Admiral or not, the last thing I need is to grow a paunch from a "desk job." Besides, physical exercise helps clear my head and thoroughly unload the body, which allows for the most efficient recovery of physical strength during my short periods of sleep.
So, the starting point — the end of the Clone Wars. It was near the nineteenth year before the Battle of Yavin that the disaster on Honoghr occurred — a Separatist ship carrying chemicals was shot down by the Republic and crashed onto the planet. Darth Vader found the Noghri already during their ecological catastrophe. Therefore, there are two confirmed facts that allow us to take the final year of the Clone Wars as the starting point for when the Noghri began serving Vader. No, I could certainly call Rukh over and ask him directly — when Vader became their master. But that would at least damage my reputation with the Noghri due to ignorance of such simple things. I'm sure Thrawn knew that date with certainty — after all, Vader transferred control of the Noghri to him in return for a great service rendered to the Sith Lord by the Chiss, when Thrawn was already serving the Empire in a fairly high rank. Consequently, since the Noghri met not Anakin Skywalker but Darth Vader, his first arrival on Honoghr must have occurred after Darth Sidious's apprentice's battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar and after Darth Vader acquired his well-known heavy breathing and distinctive armored suit with stylish helmet.
Analysis of the second date. When exactly did Jaden Korr fly to Yalara, and has the planet been discovered already now? The answer is one — no, it hasn't.
Digging through my memories, I eventually concluded that Jaden Korr hasn't even begun his Jedi training yet, and moreover, he hasn't even been created yet. Yes, "created," not "born." Jaden Korr was never born — he was a genetic experiment by Grand Admiral Thrawn in the field of creating Force-sensitive beings. I once read about this fact on Wookieepedia, but I never encountered the original texts of Jaden Korr's adventures after Jedi Academy. Consequently, if no experiments in creating Force-sensitive clones are conducted, then Korr won't fly to Yalara. That doesn't negate the fact that someone might fly there. But a fact is a fact. Even without Thrawn's memories, one can conclude that he hadn't started the cloning experiments and genetic manipulations that led to Jaden Korr's creation before I took over his body. Why? Because at the time of my meeting with Joruus C'baoth on Wayland, Thrawn had no way to obtain DNA samples of a Force-sensitive being from anywhere. Luke Skywalker, unlike his father, doesn't casually distribute genetic material in his youth. His sister's children haven't been born yet, and obtaining a blood sample from her... Let's just say it would be difficult.
Let's return to analyzing the date. I don't know exactly when Jaden Korr flew to the target planet. In the universe, I was more interested in events and characters than chronology per se. If the date wasn't critical for understanding the situation, I didn't focus on it. Another point — the events that caused Skywalker to send Korr to Yalara. The emergence of a movement called the Disciples of Marka Ragnos. A schismatic sect of Force-sensitives who intended to revive the spirit of the long-dead Sith Lord Marka Ragnos, who died about five thousand years ago. A pressing question — is the sect active now? I assume not, because if my memory serves me, it was created by one of Luke Skywalker's failed students.
Darth Vader's son didn't start training new Jedi now, or even next year. When, exactly? Another gap in dates. But it was definitely after the defeat of the Reborn Emperor — because it was his threat that proved to Skywalker the absolute necessity of bringing the Jedi back to the galaxy. The problems of training a new generation of Jedi undoubtedly existed, but they're irrelevant to the matter at hand now. So, Skywalker trained several Force-sensitives at his Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV, and one of his students left, creating the sect of the Disciples with their own intentions...
Stop. File that thought. A student who left the praxeum to pursue his own goals.
Why does this seem familiar? A student who left... Correct!
In the early period of the praxeum's creation, Skywalker had many problems, including with the unquiet ghost of another Dark Lord — Exar Kun. Yes, the young Jedi defeated him, but they lost several students. However, that's not what matters now.
Another point — practically all of the renegades from the first batch of new Jedi were destroyed by Skywalker himself or with the help of his family members. Consequently, if my estimates about Palpatine's resurrection and final death in the tenth and eleventh year after the Battle of Yavin are correct, then the first class of Jedi was recruited around the eleventh year after the destruction of the first Death Star. Perhaps later.
Therefore, Korr trained under Skywalker and his assistants — later. But if so, then my assumption that Jaden was created is mistaken. Yes, he could have been grown in a cloning cylinder, but... again, I remember that certain relatives who knew him from childhood facilitated his referral to the praxeum. So, it's still an error. Or is it?
Although, on the other hand, what difference does it make whether the kid is real or artificial? I don't intend to conduct experiments in creating genetic hybrids — whether Force-sensitive or not. Simply because the history I know shows that nothing good came of it — just a bunch of psychopaths. Better to spend that time creating more of the clones I need.
Okay, the conclusion that Korr wasn't trained in the first wave of Jedi is correct. Otherwise, he would have been mentioned in Kevin Anderson's Jedi Academy trilogy. Yes, those books existed... But there was something else. This trilogy had a side novel that told how among Skywalker's first students was Corran Horn, who came there to learn the Jedi way in order to search for his wife, Mirax, who had disappeared because...
No. That can't be.
Mirax Terrik-Horn was captured by a pirate gang called the Invids under the command of Leonia Tavira. That woman and her group have already shown themselves in the present, and I have certain plans for them... Plans that are already in motion. Well, now it's clear why the operation plan came to me so quickly and seemed so familiar.
An interesting flashback, but let's get back to business.
So, the events on Yalara took place sometime between at least the eleventh year and no later than the sixteenth year after the Battle of Yavin. Why is that? Because the last date marks an event known as the "Black Fleet Crisis" the New Republic faced the Yevetha and their fleet of Star Destroyers, captured from the Empire after the Battle of Endor. Four to four and a half years...
A wide range. Korr likely trained later — around the twelfth to fifteenth year after the Battle of Yavin. Because I clearly remember the final of the plot involved a battle on Coruscant. And there were far more Jedi there than the two and a half Padawans Skywalker could have trained in the first, or possibly even the second, wave. If I remember correctly, even with Korr, no more than a dozen students were training at the same time. So, several years had passed since the events of Palpatine's final death. And for some reason, I feel the most likely date is the fourteenth year after the Battle of Yavin. Intuition, not logical deduction. Relying on such reasoning should only be done as a last resort. However, if we set the dates aside, these events aren't very important anyway, as they will definitely occur in the future.
Okay, thought filed. Now we'll cut away the unnecessary.
The last Imperial commander of the Noghri — Thrawn. He will die in the events I know about this year. After this, the Noghri will cease to be aggressively hostile toward the New Republic. Entirely. Consequently, the order to seize Yalara was given before Thrawn's death. Then why didn't the matriarchs recall the group from the planet after the Grand Admiral's assassination? The most likely answer — because they maintained radio silence. Why? So they wouldn't be detected. Then why didn't whoever sent them take measures to capture the planet and station a garrison and some substantial units of the Stormtrooper Corps there? Or... no, Imperial soldiers were on the planet. Or were they Imperials who went over to the side of the Disciples of Marka Ragnos? The latter is more likely. This assertion is supported by the fact that in the game's finale, the New Republic destroyed not only the Disciples but also the stormtroopers serving the sect, as well as an Imperial-class Star Destroyer. What caused Imperial military forces and equipment to fall into the hands of the Disciples? An alliance between the Empire and the sect, or was it some group of renegade Imperials?
The latter is most likely. And they almost certainly appeared on the planet after the Noghri had been there all that time. Because if the Empire had been present on Yalara all along, it would have been more logical to place not just a garrison there, but a huge base, shipyards, production facilities... Any Imperial Remnant would give its right arm to possess such a world.
However, let's return to the questions — who sent the Noghri to Yalara? Definitely not Thrawn — he would have unequivocally used the planet's advantages to the fullest. And before Thrawn, the Noghri were commanded by... Darth Vader.
Consequently, based on this simple logical chain — which might be incorrect — Darth Vader either possessed information about where Yalara was located, or had data pointing to its location, and the planet was found by the Noghri themselves.
In any case, the Sith Lord took this secret to the grave...
Or did he?!
Let's return to the episode with the Disciples of Ragnos. One of Jaden Korr's missions was a journey to a planet with acid rain. And there stood a Sith Dark Lord's fortress. Vader's psychological profile indicates that he partially copied the mannerisms of his teacher, Darth Sidious. And Sidious preferred to have personal residences — Mount Tantiss will not lie — where he stored much of value. Therefore... How likely is it that Vader's fortress contains data for locating Yalara? Too intriguing to pass up such a guess. After all, checking this hypothesis doesn't require much time or attention from me...
If only I could remember the name of the planet where that fortress is located. Ask Pellaeon if he knows where the residence, possibly a secret one belonging to the second most powerful person in the Galactic Empire, is located? Yes, that would be amusing. But inappropriate.
However, is there any reason to despair?
No, there isn't. Because the most important question is actually — how did the Disciples of Marka Ragnos themselves learn the coordinates of Yalara? After all, they arrived there much earlier than Jaden Korr. And again... how did the New Jedi Order learn about the planet? Apparently, they found its coordinates in one of the Jedi holocrons. And where did Skywalker get the holocrons? He searched for Jedi heritage all over the galaxy. He also stole a certain amount of data sources from the Reborn Emperor during the latter's campaign. After all, at that time, the younger Skywalker had turned to the Dark Side and become Palpatine's right hand...
Stop. The order of cause and effect is disrupted. The Disciples of Ragnos were on Yalara. They also encountered Jaden Korr in Vader's fortress on the planet with acid precipitation. But in what order did this happen? First the fortress, then Yalara? If so, it's quite possible that the Disciples obtained the coordinates of Yalara precisely in Vader's fortress. A working hypothesis that requires verification. If only I could find that planet with the Dark Lord of the Sith's residence. All I remember about it is acid precipitation but a breathable atmosphere — at least, I don't remember the Jedi running around in a spacesuit in the game. He only used the Force to protect himself from the acid... Of course, that could just be a game mechanic, but... it matches the events described in the literature too perfectly with the reality I've ended up in. What if not just the books are realized in this universe, but also the games? Meaning game events and what were game mechanics are actually part of the reality of this universe's events? And if so, then...
That means somewhere out there, there's a Kyle Katarn, and... Galen Marek.
My mood immediately soured. If the former is still a relatively typical Jedi whose life is fairly well documented, then the latter... His story ended rather vaguely at the end of another computer game — the second part of The Force Unleashed. He captured Vader on Kamino and intended to put him on trial... Although, Boba Fett, working for Vader, chased after Marek's ship. Let's imagine for a second that this game is also part of the reality I've found myself in. Therefore, Galen Marek is not a fiction either. And if so, then after the finale of the second part of that game — whose events definitely took place before the Battle of Endor, when Darth Vader was alive and well — there are two possible scenarios. The first, so-called "canon" one — Marek actually captured Vader, but the latter was rescued by Boba Fett. And it's unclear whether Marek is alive or dead after this. Given his anti-Imperial stance, it's better if he's dead. But if not — then why hasn't he shown up by now, and Luke Skywalker is still considered the only Jedi in the galaxy? I doubt that conventions like "The game was released after the Thrawn books, so Galen Marek doesn't exist and Skywalker doesn't know about him" actually work in reality. No, this whole ball of lore is certainly intertwined.
Which leads to the second conclusion. Did Galen Marek actually capture Vader? After all, there was also a "non-canon" scenario where Marek intended to kill Vader. But he was stabbed in the back by a clone of Marek and died. As did all the rebels who participated in the attack on Kamino, where the plot of the second part of that game ends... Although, there was also a story expansion where this backstabbing clone went to Endor and killed Princess Organa — who had become a Jedi by then because Luke Skywalker had been killed in the first part of the game in the "non-canon" scenario...
Okay, stop. Cut the craziness. All these "non-canon" scenarios are easily disproven. Luke Skywalker is alive. The Empire was defeated at Endor. Organa-Solo is still not a Jedi. Consequently, if the events of the The Force Unleashed game duology influence my reality at all, they followed the "canon" scenario. Where Vader was captured after the battle on Kamino and so on...
For the first time, I felt my head ache. Since my consciousness appeared in this body, there hasn't been a hint of such an ailment. A cruel irony about thinking too much being harmful? Funny.
So, Yalara is generally a decent location for a secret base. The Noghri could be relocated there, securing their support. The assets from Mount Tantiss could be secretly moved there, and forces could be gathered there for at least the next two to three years. Accordingly, several more items are added to the list of tactical objectives — find the acid planet (if it isn't another secret world), visit Vader's fortress, find Yalara. And here I thought the galaxy was losing its edge.
After a short audio alert, Mara Jade entered the cabin. Despite her attitude toward the little creature, she allowed the ysalamiri to remain on her shoulder.
"The decryption team relayed an urgent message," she said, holding out a datapad. Intrigued, I unlocked it with my code cylinder. What could be so important that the red-haired beauty brought the report herself?
Scanning the decrypted lines of Major Molo Himron's report on the conversation between Niles Ferrier and Booster Terrik, I paused for a moment. Something clearly didn't add up. Neither the timing calculation nor the reference to "closeness" to the target... Unless... An interesting thought. And very much in his spirit. Which means our little "prank" has been discovered. And that spells trouble. Very big trouble.
"Captain Pellaeon," I activated my comlink, mentally calculating distances, ship velocities, required time... Yes, we're too far from the base, unfortunately. But if we do everything right now, the time gap will be small. "Which Star Destroyers have already delivered personnel and cargo to the Katana Fleet?"
"According to the schedule, that's the Nemesis and the Stormhawk, sir," the Chimaera's commander replied without hesitation. "They offloaded technicians, specialists, and stormtroopers for guarding the dreadnoughts and their repairs an hour ago, and now they're waiting for the Belligerent and the Adamant with the next shipment..."
"Contact Captains Schneider and Astorios," I ordered, trying to keep my expression impassive and my voice steady. "Send them the rendezvous coordinates and hurry them along. Have them leave their corvettes to guard the Katana Fleet. I need the Star Destroyers and their air wings as soon as possible. Contact Captain Yazuo Vain — he operates in the region near the operation site. He must be at the rendezvous point ten minutes after it begins."
"It will be done, Grand Admiral," Pellaeon replied with a slight pause, then immediately signed off. Well, at least he didn't demand explanations.
Setting the comlink aside, I looked at Mara Jade, who was standing opposite me with suspicion on her beautiful face.
"Trouble?" she inquired.
"Not at all," I allowed myself a slight smile. "It's just that a trap is being prepared for us at the scheduled time for the Errant Venture's appearance."
"Is the operation canceled?" she clarified.
"Absolutely not," I shook my head. "Since our opponents want this, we'll participate in the ambush."