Nine years, nine months, and twenty-eight days after the Battle of Yavin…
Or forty-fourth year, nine months, and twenty-eighth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Five months and thirteen days since the Arrival.)
The Chimaera, like a significant part of the regular fleet, was undergoing emergency repairs.
The damage our starships sustained in the battles of Sarapin, Ruun, and Brentaal IV isn't as critical as, say, that of the Imperial Space destroyers, but it still needs to be fixed before the main event begins.
Until then, I had to work from the palace on Ciutric.
Grand Moff Ferrus had just finished his rather positive report, informing me that the mining of approaches to the Dominion was complete.
I mean — the right kind of mining.
The kind the enemy doesn't know about.
Now all that remained was to deliver the stations with gravity well generators and ion mines to the borders, and then the first line of defense would be ready.
"Grand Admiral, sir," a guardsman's figure appeared in the doorway. "Captain Vivant requests an audience."
"Show him in."
Putting the device aside, I watched with interest the man who had taken responsibility for the desertion of eleven Imperial Space Star Destroyers from the battlefield.
A captain of average height, and overall, from his personnel file, one could say he was average in everything.
A capable officer, but only as an executor.
Without imagination or tactical thinking.
Grand Admirals chose such men as commanders of their flagships — competent, but docile.
Vivant served under Grand Admiral Afsheen Makati, who died four years ago during an attempt to hold the Corporate Sector under Imperial control.
"Sir, Captain Vivant reporting!" the man announced his arrival quite briskly.
"Have a seat, Captain," I said, nodding toward a chair that, like its twin, was positioned near my desk. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"First, I wanted to thank you and your subordinates for the medical assistance and for saving me and my comrades in the Battle of Brentaal IV," the captain said, glancing at the stump of his left arm.
It had been torn off below the elbow by shrapnel during the explosion and detonation on the bridge of the Endurance.
Now the man tucked half his sleeve to keep it from dangling loose.
"You fought bravely in a battle that was doomed from the start," I said.
"We intended to surrender," Vivant winced. "If Commodore Shohashi and his squadron hadn't arrived, capture awaited us. No one wanted to die for Orinda, who abandoned us without help. The ship commanders were willing to sacrifice the purity of their honor to save themselves and their subordinates. That wouldn't have happened if we had known we weren't going to be abandoned at the first opportunity. As the Imperial Ruling Council did."
That's why Shohashi, under whose command the Red Star and her squadron were stationed a few light-years from the Brentaal system, appeared at such a crucial moment.
Extend a helping hand, save someone in a desperate situation, and they will be grateful and loyal to the end of their days.
Given that I already knew from Sate Pestage the names of the ships whose crews Orinda considered least loyal, all I had to do was act proactively.
"This isn't the first time the Imperial Ruling Council has disposed of subordinates this way," I said.
"Is that so?" Captain Vivant's eyes widened.
"Are you aware of what happened to the Star Destroyer Tyrant and the interdictor cruiser Star Web?" I inquired.
"Only that they are on combat duty on the northeastern borders of Imperial Space."
"That's not true," I countered gently. "Orinda, through Lord Quest, used those ships to eliminate Baron Ragez D'Asta after he expressed his desire to join the Dominion. The ships were sent to the Vinsoth system, where they destroyed the Baron's corvette and the Baron himself. Afterwards, Lord Quest ordered the ships to remain in the Tragan cluster, despite the fact that this sector already belonged to the Dominion."
"They were provoking a conflict with you?" Captain Vivant tensed.
"I suspect they simply intended to exploit our warning about destroying any border violators," I said. "To finally bury the information about who destroyed Baron D'Asta and why."
"Abomination," Vivant ground his teeth, his one fist clenching so hard his knuckles went white.
"Politics," I offered a more common synonym. "I presume your Star Destroyers were also meant to become bloody sacrifices in the behind-the-scenes struggle."
"We had an assignment…" the commander of the Endurance hesitated.
His reluctance was understandable — he was an experienced officer and couldn't fail to realize that the appearance of Shohashi's ships wasn't as simple as it seemed.
But even that fact made him think before opening his mouth and revealing classified information.
"I know what it was," I nodded, as if not noticing his pause. "An attack on the Rendili StarDrive shipyards to capture the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya."
If Vivant was surprised by what I said, he made a great effort not to show it.
"Your assignment was a trap from the very beginning," I explained. "The Imperial Ruling Council decided to attack Rendili after a New Republic news release. And that release was specifically designed to lure as many enemies of the New Republic as possible into a trap. The Empire, the Dominion… Coruscant needs a major victory after all the defeats they've suffered recently."
"Again — politics," Captain Vivant grimaced.
His nostrils flared, showing that the man was breathing heavily — the first stage of an agitated state when hormones override logic.
"I know that among the twenty-three destroyers Orinda sent to Rendili, your Endurance, as well as the other Imperials, were considered by the Ubiqtorate as disloyal, ready to desert and join the fleet under my command," I continued the conversion-recruitment operation.
"That's not entirely true, sir," Captain Vivant said. "Such talk — about joining you in the campaign against the New Republic — certainly circulated among the crews. And among the personnel at Bilbringi and Ord Trasi shipyards as well. You were taking action while Orinda was not. But after Captain Abyss deserted, the situation changed fundamentally. We felt the pressure; we were shuffled around fronts and bases until it became clear that our intention to fight under your command didn't sit well with our own command. That's how we ended up on the southern borders."
"You may disagree with me, but later you were sent into that battle, with full knowledge that it was an ambush," I continued. "And once trapped, you couldn't even call anyone for help."
"That's right, sir," the man replied. "Our ciphers were invalid; our IFF codes were blocked."
"You were abandoned."
"Yes."
"I assume that with the destruction of the Ubiqtorate, the tendency among your ships' crews to discuss joining the Dominion has resurfaced," my statement earned an approving nod from Captain Vivant. "And at this point, we have a rather complex situation."
"I've managed to speak with the commanders of the other ships that were saved," Vivant said. "Sir, if you have no objection, in light of Orinda's betrayal, we would like to formally join the Dominion. Or better yet — tell everyone how we were sent to the slaughter without any chance of achieving our objective!"
"Oh, you're mistaken there, Captain," I said. "Lord Quest achieved his goal, and even more than he anticipated."
Vivant frowned.
"Forgive me, but I don't understand, sir," he stated frankly.
"It's simple, Captain," I replied. "Lord Quest initially set out to achieve several goals at once. It's impossible not to notice the redeployment of hundreds of ships. It's impossible not to understand that such a high-profile event as the restoration of the Lusankya would inevitably provoke a response. It's also impossible not to anticipate that the New Republic would try to keep the ship at any cost."
"We were sent to certain death, sir, we understand that."
"Actually, I think falling into an ambush followed by destruction wasn't the only goal. Yes, Quest thereby got rid of the crews of ships that might have called the remaining armed forces to mutiny and switch to my side. It's also quite possible that the advisor understood the need for a swift attack on the Lusankya — and it might have worked if not for the ambush. In either scenario — capture or destruction of the ships — Quest and Orinda come out ahead. In the first case, they have an excellent ship; in the second, they have no disloyal military personnel and a pretext to attack the New Republic. After all, it's easy to claim that your strike group was flying across the galaxy not to Rendili, but somewhere else, say, to the southern sectors to establish new colonies or something similar."
Vivant was silent, digesting what was said.
"But we were saved," he said after a couple of minutes of silence.
"Yes," I replied. "And now your ships are in the Dominion. Your crews are recovering from the battle. And the ships, though not in the first priority, will receive the necessary repairs."
"Even before that, we are ready to swear allegiance to you," Captain Vivant repeated with emphasis. "The Star Destroyer commanders believe that our public statement and oath of allegiance will be precisely the ideological blow you can use for propaganda purposes. I've heard that thousands of former Imperial military personnel are flocking to you from all over the galaxy."
"That's true," I agreed, preferring not to mention that among them are many agents of states unfriendly to us. The Jensaarai and counterintelligence are working themselves to the bone to filter them out from the general stream of refugees. "Your idea is quite effective."
"In that case, can I inform the other captains that we will soon become citizens of the Dominion?" Vivant clarified.
"That's the problem, Captain," I said. "By implementing your proposal now, I would give the Imperial Ruling Council a reason to accuse the Dominion of interfering in the Empire's internal affairs. The very fact that your ships took the same course as the Red Star squadron provides grounds for speculation and accusations. For example — poaching military personnel. A situation like that, which Orinda wouldn't even bother to investigate in detail, could lead to an attack and a new round of the Imperial Civil War."
"Are you refusing us?" Captain Vivant exclaimed, stunned.
"I believe I've made myself clear enough."
Vivant, meeting my gaze, stood up, straightening his uniform with his hand.
"In that case, we are grateful for your help and repairs. As soon as our wounded are transportable, we will leave Dominion territory and…"
"Sit down, Captain," I said. "We're not finished."
"With all due respect, Grand Admiral, you made it perfectly clear…"
"That the situation is complicated," I said. "So there will be no quick resolution. At least not until Dominion Intelligence can evacuate the relatives and family members of your destroyers' crews to the home territory. The Ubiqtorate may be destroyed, but their services are clearly not needed to repress civilians."
"You're right, sir," Vivant slumped back into the chair, massaging his temple with the thumb of his right hand. "A deadlock. Of course, a significant part of the crew are young people, well-trained, and not many of them have families, but…"
"Leave the concerns about families to my intelligence service," I advised. "As I said, there's no way to openly announce your joining the Dominion. Although I won't hide it, your Endurance, an ISD-II, as well as nine 'Mark Ones': Elegant Force, Fate Crucible, Messenger of Retribution, Striking Sword, Star Hammer, Shining Star, Medusa, Wyvern, Griffon, as well as the Victory-class Swift Strike — these are colossal forces that would greatly help the Dominion in matters of self-defense and upholding its own interests. But I cannot accept you openly right now."
"I understand, sir. You would become a target for attack."
"I myself have long been such a target. But I don't intend to risk the Dominion needlessly. Unfortunately, I can't talk about this now, but there are far more powerful threats in the galaxy compared to the New Republic and Lord Quest. It's not in my interests to give them additional levers of pressure. You will become part of the Dominion — but this will be announced officially much later."
Surprise and incomprehension flickered across Vivant's face.
Well, I couldn't blame him for that.
Because the process of his "legalization" is quite "delicate."
No matter what "legend" is concocted for the public, the mere fact that eleven Star Destroyers left with Shohashi could be enough to trigger an attack.
But there was no other way — if Eric hadn't taken these ships under his protection, either the New Republic would have captured them, or they would have gone "independent."
Which is, in fact, exactly what I want to achieve right now.
"Our specialists will patch up the critical damage to your ships, after which you will be transferred to another part of the Dominion," I explained. "There, they will be repaired and upgraded."
"And if spies infiltrate Dominion territory, they won't be able to pinpoint our location," Vivant understood.
"Precisely," I said. "Hiding your location within the Dominion is pointless — everyone saw your ships in Orinda's orbit. Therefore, through diplomatic channels, I will inform the Imperial Ruling Council that the rescued Star Destroyers have been repaired by our specialists and are returning to Imperial Space under their own power. By that time, Intelligence will have done its work, evacuating the individuals your people need. I think, Captain, it won't be too difficult for you later to broadcast on the HoloNet from far beyond our borders and tell your story, declaring that you no longer wish to serve the traitors on Orinda."
"So I understand, I need to distance myself from the Dominion in every possible way," Vivant caught on instantly.
"Exactly," I confirmed. "My specialists will help you prepare a speech with the necessary context and the right points. You will disappear from the galaxy's view for a time. Events will occur soon that will draw attention away from you, so you can rest assured — even if a hunt is launched for your ships, it won't be with the most significant forces."
"But I dare to hope that in the future we will be able to settle scores with the Imperial Ruling Council?" Vivant asked.
"Absolutely, Captain," I agreed. "You, your fellow captains, the crews, and your ships will play a significant role in the Dominion's future. I hope I don't need to explain that while the ships are being repaired and the wounded are recovering, Dominion counterintelligence is working to identify potential enemy agents. When that is complete, everyone who agrees to serve the Dominion will be offered a contract, a salary, and the preservation of all previous merits, years of service, and duty station."
"Glad to hear that, sir," Vivant smiled. "I hope we won't be stuck sitting around on endless patrols without the chance for combat practice."
"Of course you won't, Captain," I assured him. "As soon as your starships are repaired and upgraded, you, in accordance with the role of 'deserters,' will be operating in a remote part of the galaxy. There, where your skills and talents are needed most."
"Understood, sir," the commander of the Endurance rose from his chair.
But this time he did it confidently, not at the peak of suppressed irritation.
"I will be aboard my ship, awaiting orders," he informed me.
"Of course," I agreed. "But first, Captain, I recommend that you and those of your officers who were seriously injured during the battle visit the company 'IsoTech-Dominion' and get a prosthesis for your arm. I'm sure you'll be interested in the possibilities of special orders. Once you begin serving the Dominion, all necessary standard prostheses and implants required for a full life will be provided under the medical insurance of Dominion military personnel. Completely free of charge for the recipients."
Captain Vivant couldn't hide his surprise at this.
The Empire had no such generosity — invalids and cripples had to buy advanced prostheses at their own expense.
The state didn't even provide the "budget" versions for free.
Therefore, military personnel were often discharged for wounds, thrown out onto the sidelines of life, where they were conveniently forgotten.
Then, picked up by the Rebel Alliance, they would unleash their righteous fury on the rebels.
I, on the other hand, said in plain terms that nothing like that would happen.
In my view, it's simple — if a soldier goes into service and is ready to sacrifice his life for the interests of the state, the least the Fatherland can do for him is to show him, not with words but with deeds, that he has not been forgotten, wounded or crippled, when he is no longer as capable as before.
Otherwise, the command's actual attitude towards its soldiers differs little from its attitude towards droids.
"It will be done, sir," he said crisply.
Already at the door, the commander of the Endurance stopped, then turned and looked at me.
"May I speak frankly, sir?" he asked.
A strange phrase in its form.
"I assumed our dialogue was, in principle, honest and open," I remarked.
"That's true, sir, but..." The captain hesitated. "Stepping outside official communication, I must say to you: 'Thank you!' I cannot recall such humane treatment of subordinates, of Imperial soldiers, among all those under whose command I have served."
"Even from Makati?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Especially from Grand Admiral Makati," Captain Vivant emphasized. "Until now, I did not believe the rumors that the non-human grand admiral was far more humane than the rest of the humans. But now I see that it is no exaggeration. I regret that the crews of the lost ships did not learn this."
"I also mourn your fallen comrades," I said, and that is no exaggeration.
Shohashi could have appeared at the very beginning of the battle, but he had his own mission in the Brentaal area...
Besides, "the client must ripen."
Captain Vivant left noticeably more inspired than he had entered.
Well, I had already solved the problem of secretly modernizing the Imperial-class into Triples at the Karthakk base; now only a small matter remained.
Activating the comlink, I called the subscriber I was interested in.
Time to clarify a few things.
* * *
The Delta emerged from hyperspace far beyond the orbit of Tangrene, stopped by the operating gravity well generators located in the depths of enormous asteroid-stations that had generously thickened the defenses of the Dominion's experimental shipyard.
"Shuttle Delta-I, identify yourself and transmit access codes," the control panel instantly came to life.
And on the scanners, dots became visible — patrol TIE Interceptors were approaching the ship. They were completely uninterested in who was inside the shuttle.
The key point was correctly entering the codes.
"I think we should hurry with identification," said Mara Jade, piloting my personal ship. "I don't think those guys," she pointed at the monitor displaying information from the scanners, "are in the mood for conversation or have the time to wait."
"Absolutely," I agreed, inserting a code cylinder into the socket on the panel. "Grand Admiral Thrawn, here for an inspection."
"Welcome to Tangrene, Grand Admiral. Stay put," a controller's voice ordered after receiving the identification codes. "A patrol ship is being dispatched to you. Be ready for inspection."
"Copy that," Jade said into the microphone, disconnecting the comm system. "An unusual greeting, I must say."
"The security system on Tangrene is the highest level in the Dominion," I said. "For the Guardsmen and the counterintelligence responsible for security in this system, safety is paramount. No exceptions — not for me, not for you, not for anyone else. Everyone who flies here undergoes inspection and scanning. The secrets on this planet are too valuable to allow even a single mistake."
"Under Palpatine, there was nothing like this," the red-haired girl remarked.
"And we do not answer to Palpatine," I reminded her.
Docking with the patrol shuttle under the control of a Guardsman, a quick search during the transfer from my ship to the 'local' one, and then continuing the journey into the depths of the Tangrene system.
All of this took about an hour, but compared to the hours spent inside the Delta during the flight from Ciutric to Tangrene, it was trivial.
Security is worth the time spent.
"Rather a winding course," commented the Hand, who was sitting in the shuttle's cabin opposite me, piloting the Lambda. She was glancing out the viewport while I continued studying the working documents, and Rukh was traditionally occupied with his routine business — pretending to be part of the interior.
And I would have liked to know which part of the passenger cabin he was currently in.
I assume behind Jade's back.
"The pilot is maneuvering along the fairway between the camouflaged asteroids," I explained. "Surrounded by cloaking fields, they pose a huge threat to any starship that decides to fly to Tangrene without proper authorization."
"Isn't that too dangerous?" Mara asked, casting a wary glance at me.
"For uninvited guests — certainly," I replied. "For us — no. The pilot receives data from a crystalline gravity grid that is tuned to our course and transmits information about the movement of mass-bearing objects within a fairly wide radius."
"Creating such technology on an industrial scale requires enormous resources," the girl said.
"The question of security has no price," I countered. "But yes, you are absolutely right — hundreds of millions have gone into creating such a defense system for Tangrene. Tens of billions for placing the camouflaged asteroids and supporting infrastructure on the Dominion's borders. And the process never stops."
"Judging by everything, you're storing something very valuable here," the girl squinted, realizing I was not inclined to ignore her questions. "Something besides an orbital repair station and a few factories on the surface. Isn't that so?"
"We came here precisely to lift the veil of secrecy," I confirmed, glancing out the viewport.
The ship approached the outer orbit of Tangrene and set a course that would take it to the far side of the planet.
"Golan stations — the second line of defense, aren't they?" Jade asked, apparently noticing three dozen orbital defense stations drifting in orbit.
"Actually, the third," I corrected. "The second is a mixed remotely activated minefield, which we just crossed. Mines of various types attack an enemy ship if it manages to break through the camouflaged asteroids."
"I can't imagine how much you spent on the reactors inside those rocks to constantly maintain the cloaking field," Jade declared.
"We had the opportunity to test the best specimens," I said.
Let the purpose of this flight be to lift some veils of secrecy for the Hand, but telling her certain details would be unnecessary.
For example, that the cloaking fields on the asteroids, Golan stations, type two orbital repair shipyard, asteroid stations equipped with gravity shadow generators, V-180 ion cannons, and W-165 planetary turbolasers operate in conjunction with hundreds of mass-detector sensors located a hundred light-years from Tangrene.
Ships that have access to Tangrene have a special recognition system that the equipment on those sensors reads when it detects the ship's approach.
If the identification is positive, the Tangrene perimeter garrison already prepares for the first option: stop with artificial gravity, inspection, identification of the pilot, verification of cargo, and subsequent escort to the planet by their own forces. That's why we saw only one asteroid station — because the Delta-I is 'one of ours' for that base and every corner of the Dominion.
While we fly toward our destination, the inspection parties of the base's perimeter Guardsmen have already shoved my shuttle into the inspection zone and are checking for 'beacons' and the like.
Even if an enemy managed to attach one to my ship, it wouldn't get past the first or second line anyway.
If the ship doesn't match the data from the Tangrene base, it will be 'greeted' only by the endless and carefree space of the star system.
And with further advance, enemy ships will first run into the camouflaged asteroids filled to the brim with rhydonium mines.
If anything remains of the enemy after overcoming fifty kilometers of the 'asteroid' belt, they will then have to traverse an exciting tens of thousands of kilometers through a minefield. There they will find both self-propelled mines, ion mines, and indeed all possible types. Constructed from low-observability materials and remotely triggered.
If they are lucky again, they will have to face the Golan stations, which are camouflaged using stygium crystals. The station crews can see the enemy, but the enemy cannot see them. Of course, such a system is not too reliable — that's why our 'Golans' are significantly more heavily armored, rearmed with far more lethal weapons — ion cannons and planetary turbolasers in addition to conventional artillery.
In case of success on that front as well, the enemy will have to contend with Tangrene's two planetary shields and space-defense artillery.
Not to mention that the orbit is full of automatic launchers with anti-ship, shaped-charge rockets and proton torpedoes.
And on the surface — ten fully equipped legions of stormtroopers, dozens (out of a planned hundred) squadrons of Xg-1 assault gunships. As well as interceptors, fighters, and so on...
But Mara Jade absolutely did not need to know that.
Intentionally for her.
Nor that all man-made objects in this system — asteroids, stations, even the shipyard — are equipped with cloaking systems and engines, allowing them to change their spatial position according to a complex schedule. Not to mention that the shipyard and stations are permanently fitted with hyperdrives.
For protecting less important planets, stations without installed hyperdrives are used — often they are removed immediately after transportation to the site.
This concerns stations stolen from orbit of Sarapin, Coruscant, Balmorra, and so on.
Those that we secretly purchase from the 'Golan Arms' company are delivered in disassembled form by bulk carriers.
Well, those produced in the Karthakk system... As a matter of fact, those are the ones currently guarding Tangrene. The first batch, after all.
Tavira sends them to the Dominion fully equipped, outfitted, and filled with the resources and mechanisms we need.
Yes... There are about five logistics lines and methods of delivering everything needed from the Karthakk system alone. And each one does not intersect with another for security purposes.
The only thing that could breach the integrity of this defense and strike Tangrene directly is the superlaser of the 'Death Star.'
And, presumably, the analogues that equip Palpatine's super-dreadnoughts.
"Come on!" exclaimed Mara Jade, staring out the viewport. Realizing that answering questions was not the same as familiarity, the Hand pulled herself together... hmm... avoiding a pun, I'll say 'got herself under control.'
"Has something struck you, Lady Jade?" I asked.
The red-haired girl cast a cautious glance at me, as if trying to decide if I was mocking her.
But from my calm expression, she clearly understood that she was merely imagining it.
"There is," she murmured embarrassed. "I saw the orbital shipyard and... let's say I'm a little surprised."
"Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly?"
This time her right eye twitched slightly, and her lips pressed together as if she was restraining herself from saying something rash and utterly thoughtless.
The girl took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.
Her facial features smoothed.
It seemed she had overcome her impulsiveness.
"There are three Executors there," she nodded nervously toward our destination.
"They are there," I confirmed. "As are other starships."
"Ten Imperial-class and an equal number of Avenger-class heavy cruisers," well, she had counted them quickly.
"Exactly right," I nodded in agreement. "These are the ones you know well — In Amber Clad, Nemesis, Bellicose, which have completed or are in the process of modernization under the 'Triple' program. Ten Star Destroyers — that is the Imperial-class captured at Raxus Prime, undergoing modernization and reconstruction to become an Interdictor. It is called Zakhvatchik. The other nine are trophies from battles with Ennix Devian and the faction ×1. Disrupter, Detainer, Stopper, Lurker, Interceptor, Trap, Strangler, Angler, and Lurking in the Shadows. On Tangrene, they are being rebuilt to fill the shortage of ships of this type in the regular fleet. The Avenger-class cruisers face roughly the same fate, but under the Immobilizer program. Instead of four gravity well generators, only two will be installed on ships of this type."
The girl looked at me for a while, then returned her gaze to the repair grid, literally plastered with ships, barges, shuttles, and construction-installation devices.
The process never stopped for a second.
Here worked the best specialists in the shipbuilding field that the Dominion had at its disposal.
Sapients — not only humans but also representatives of other races — worked in several shifts, carrying out work at the orbital shipyard in an endless stream.
While the orbital repair shipyard (and its smaller first-type 'workshop') was by default designed to have about two thousand people who were supposed to carry out all work activities, Nick Reyes had introduced several work shifts. Using Tangrene as an example, this experiment demonstrated high efficiency and speed of work to us and was later tested at the Karthakk repair workshops.
Now this approach has been implemented at all Dominion shipyards without exception.
And, combined with high salaries, this approach yielded results, increasing the commissioning of ships two or three times faster compared to the typical time allotted for work during the Empire.
At present, only 'Kuat Drive Yards' and its subsidiaries operate on this scheme in the galaxy. And even then, only for large orders. For routine ship repair work, they, like everyone else, use one work shift per standard day.
"Three Executors," Jade repeated. "One of them is the Lusankya, isn't it?"
"Exactly right," I said. "To be precise, at the moment they are located from us in the order of their acquisition by the Dominion in combat-ready condition. The first is the Guardian."
The girl looked at the starship.
"Admiral Drommel's flagship," she licked her lips, not taking her eyes off the mighty ship.
"Yes, the very one whose spare parts you hunted and led me to," I confirmed. "And as of now, the ship is virtually complete. Currently, a series of tests and installation of additional equipment are being conducted on it."
"The blue 'lighting' is quite an interesting solution," declared Mara Jade, trying hard to hide her sarcasm.
"That is stygium," I explained, watching the girl's pupils dilate. "Exactly right. A stygium-based cloaking system is being installed on this ship. It is currently being tuned. The blue spectrum glow is dictated by the emergency lighting operation."
Mara Jade gave me a suspicious look but remained silent.
It seemed she was wondering about the reasons for her presence here, and I wouldn't say they were obvious.
Unlike ordinary ships, the Executors kept themselves apart — beyond the repair 'grid.'
The reason for this 'detachment' was their size. The ships barely fit into the peripheral cells.
And for my purposes, it was quite sufficient that they were being repaired without using the shipyard's special facilities.
All critical work on them was completed; everything else was done inside. There was no need to occupy cells.
If in the past we had only a nine-cell 'grid' in orbit of Tangrene, now it had been supplemented with mobile structures needed only for storing cargo and equipment.
This is called a 'fitting-out pier,' where ships are moved to complete internal work when the capacity of slipways and 'cells' is no longer needed.
"Lusankya," I commented on the predatory ship, gleaming with silver-gray durasteel on its sides and underside.
But that wasn't the case everywhere.
"The destroyer still bears the emblem of the New Republic," the red-haired young woman remarked.
"Indeed," I confirmed.
Jade was silent for a few seconds, then asked:
"Do you intend to exploit the fact that the New Republic has not yet announced the loss of this ship from the Rendili shipyards?"
"Yes," I replied. "They will not announce it until they investigate the circumstances of the ship's disappearance and reach certain conclusions. As far as I know, they are considering the hypothesis of a technical malfunction of the hyperdrive and communication system, assuming the ship could have made a blind jump."
"An official version for internal use?" Jade clarified in a mocking tone.
"They need time to compare facts and decide whether to continue searching for the ship or to expect it to appear in the hands of their enemies," I explained.
"In other words, they don't know the ship is with you," Mara concluded, performing a not-very-complex logical operation.
"And I have no intention of informing them," I said. "I have a different role prepared for this ship."
This time the red-haired hellion's gaze lingered on me a little longer than usual.
Her expression, her posture, her trembling fingers — everything indicated that a question was about to escape her lips, one that she prudently did not want to voice.
But fighting one's character is difficult.
Almost impossible.
After all, it is second nature.
"You have questions for me, Lady Jade," I eased her torment. "Ask them now. Or remain silent until the end of your days."
"They might be shorter if I said what I'm thinking," the girl remarked, shivering.
"But by remaining silent, you will ensure a sufficiently long internal struggle," I reasonably noted, contemplating the giant drifting past the shuttle.
Such an oppressive silence hung in the cabin that it felt as if we were at the wake of a dear relative, who by fate's decree had left both of us.
And it seemed as if nothing foretold trouble...
"You really have a clone of Isard?" Jade finally asked me, biting her lower lip.
"Yes," I replied.
Why deny the obvious?
Undoubtedly, Iceheart had used that option to demoralize Jade during her capture.
"And now you also have the real Isard," Mara continued, drip by drip revealing the pieces of the mosaic that had come together in her head.
"Yes," I confirmed. "They are both part of the plan. And the reason for your being here."
The girl looked at me, resolutely failing to understand how they could all be connected.
"I hope you intend to get rid of them both," Jade voiced her thoughts. "I would gladly help you behead both Iceheart and her clone."
"I call the latter, for convenience, the Icedrop Queen," I admitted, thereby drawing a smile from the redhead. "Obviously, you have questions about the reasons both of them have been kept alive. Isn't that so, Lady Jade?"
"And I'm not sure I should know the answers," she said. "From experience, I can say that bearers of extremely important information or secrets do not live long. And everything connected with Isard is secrets within secrets."
"I fully agree with your assessment," I said. "That is precisely why one of them works for me."
Jade's thin eyebrows shot up, and her face reflected such a range of feelings and emotions that Stanislavski himself would have admired it.
"You turned the Isard clone?" she clarified.
"Did everything to win her loyalty," I said.
"It's unlikely that with someone like Isard you can be certain of anything when it comes to her words," Mara declared. "However, she helped capture the original..."
"The Icedrop Queen was not involved in the capture of the real Isard," I said frankly. "She helped locate her forward base, but her hunting was reduced to working on confirming my own conclusions about Iceheart's activities."
"And I thought it was the clone who helped you identify the original's actions and find her base," Mara said absently.
"No, in that part, agents of Dominion Intelligence did the work," I explained. "Isard dreamed of reclaiming the Lusankya. We sent people there who identified Colonel Wessiri. And equipped his ship with a tracking device. Which then moved aboard the Will of the Emperor. The rest was a matter of technique."
"So the Bitch Queen miscalculated there too," Mara snorted with satisfaction. Then, catching herself, she tried to look impassive. "May I know what will become of them in the future?"
"That is why you are here," I explained. "At present, you are the only person who has not yet applied her talents to testing the clone."
"What kind of test am I supposed to give her?" asked a disconcerted Jade.
"The harshest of all," I replied, looking out the viewport at the 'fitting-out berth' we were heading for.
And the nineteen-kilometer behemoth, gleaming with superb armor and bristling with thousands of cannons.
"If she is loyal to you, why should we fight?" Mara frowned.
"No one mentioned fighting," I remarked, looking at the girl. "You will talk. Face to face. Your professionalism against hers."
The red-haired fury's features sharpened.
"I... don't quite understand," she said, stumbling and thereby revealing her confusion. "What is this conversation for?"
"Both you and she work for me," I explained. "Both of you were, to some extent, loyal to Palpatine. And at this moment, you are loyal to the Dominion. Both of you are connected to the real Isard, and both hate her. And finally, what unites both of you is that thanks to you, in one way or another, the Dominion has achieved what it now has with far less time and resources."
The girl looked distracted.
Understandably.
After all, she does not see the whole picture.
I do.
"This is a test," the girl said. "You want me to test her, and her to test me. Whether either of us could wish harm to you and the Dominion."
"A brilliant deduction," I praised. "Yes, that is so. Please forgive me for this, but the cost of failure is immeasurable. You are my secret agent. She is an agent who likely faces the most difficult mission. I want to be sure that the real Isard's little word game has not reversed your loyalty. And I also want you to use your powers and skills to test the Icedrop Queen."
"I understand the necessity, of course," Jade said still the same way. "But... I am a simple agent. My abilities in the Force have certainly grown, but I am hardly able to invade her mind and read thoughts. Or even use the Force at all. Since you are blocking it..."
"Are you sure about that?" I clarified, casually tossing my datapad at the girl.
A moment later, the red-haired beast had already raised her hand before her, halting the device's flight and making it hover in the air.
The girl stared at me in shock, then at the datapad.
It seemed the pattern about me using ysalamiri when meeting Force-sensitives was starting to shatter in her head.
Mara carefully placed the device on the seat beside me, then looked me straight in the eye.
"So I'm to understand the Force has been available to me the entire flight?"
"From the very moment you stepped aboard the Delta I," I said, punctuating my comment with an affirmative nod. "You would have known if you'd secretly used the Force during our meetings."
"Why would I do that?" Jade wondered. "I know it doesn't work near you. Besides…"
The girl narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at me with suspicion.
"This was another test, wasn't it?"
"You must find it unpleasant that your loyalty, your words and assurances are being tested, despite your good intentions?" I inquired.
"A familiar situation," Jade nodded gloomily, recalling her provocative "hysterics" methods that she'd used on me not so long ago.
A slight blush seemed to appear on her cheeks.
"I should apologize for my inappropriate behavior," she said, fixing her gaze on the floor.
"You already have," I reminded her. "You're forgiven."
The girl looked up at me and asked:
"What happens if the Under-Snow Queen passes my test?"
"She'll get the Lusankya," I replied simply.
"And if I pass the test?" The girl's eyes became slits, as if she were a predator.
"You'll get the Striking Sword," I explained.
The girl's surprised expression showed her absolute lack of understanding about what was being discussed and why she should be proud of this unknown gift.
I, meanwhile, kept looking out the viewport at the approaching maw of the main hangar.
During the long time it had spent at the shipyards, many defects had been fixed, but not all.
The workers continued their endless labor, transforming the low-professionalism patchwork into the indestructible power this ship was supposed to become once all work on it was successfully and timely completed.
"This is that Executor-class Super Star Destroyer that was captured in the Venin sector, isn't it?" the girl clarified.
"The very same," I confirmed. "Of all three, it will be the last to be commissioned. But because of that, the ship will get the best of everything. Including a first-class hyperdrive."
"Fast, deadly, and unstoppable," Jade assessed. "Have you named it yet?"
"Yes," I replied.
"And what is it called?" the girl asked curiously.
I kept looking out the viewport and could now make out figures of beings working in the main hangar, ready to receive our ship. Judging by the fact they were without spacesuits, there was atmosphere on the Star Dreadnought.
"Striking Sword," I replied after a pause, straining with all my might not to smile at the sight of the stunned Mara Jade.