Ten years and twenty-two days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or the forty-fifth year and twenty-second day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Seven months and seven days since the Arrival.)
Life is arranged rather amusingly.
Especially when it becomes intertwined with the needs of the rear, logistics, and military operation planning.
Not even a full day had passed since Gilad Pellaeon and I listened to Shipbuilder Zion's current reports, and soon, in an expanded council, I am preparing to discuss the current realities of the upcoming confrontation with the Zann Consortium.
Not just criminals, but a state entrenched within another state.
And one cannot discount what the Corporate Sector actually represents.
It's not just "another" region of the galaxy, the tip of one of the galactic arms, the Tingel arm.
And not just a little over forty star systems that have successfully and vigorously developed for centuries thanks to corporate ethics, unhindered entrepreneurship, massive capital, and loyalty to the Galactic Empire in recent decades.
There are hundreds of inhabited planets there, but not all are well-explored due to their remoteness or lack of appeal for investors, production sites, headquarters, warehouses, and other corporate "assets."
It is one huge commercial machine, led by shrewd businessmen for whom profit was and remains the top priority.
Not to mention that, besides the known and charted inhabited and explored systems, within the Corporate Sector or its immediate borders, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of uninhabited and galaxy-unknown planets from which necessary resources are extracted, and military bases or garrisons have been established.
One way or another, the Corporate Sector, which the locals abbreviate as simply 'CorpSec', is a state within a state.
Which, moreover, has the backing of one of the most ruthless criminal organizations, led by a man whose military and administrative talent was universally acknowledged.
In other words, going up against Tyber Zann and his bandits, we face a state that, after centuries of controlling these territories, knows them better than we do, possesses its own enormous fleet, a trained army, specialists, equipment, weapons, factories for production and repair.
And they have an army of criminals.
Which controls one of the largest shipyards in the galaxy and has the capability to produce clones by the millions.
You can be as proud as you want about how Coruscant suffered from the still-tiny fleet of the Dominion — tiny compared to the united might of the New Republic — and what blows were dealt to it, how many prisoners were taken, how many ships and equipment were captured...
The victory over the New Republic was secured, not least, by having sources of information within it, as well as my foreknowledge of current events.
But regarding the current fate of the Zann Consortium and the Corporate Sector, I know absolutely nothing.
Except what scouts and spies have gathered over the past few months.
And it is on this information, as well as available historical records, that I will need to develop a strategy for confronting the Zann Consortium.
Of course, I could just do nothing.
After all, what concern is it of mine, the corporates and their connection to criminals, whatever it may be? None at all — if I base it on the tenets I myself stated earlier. The Corporate Sector, and the territories it controls, are not part of the Dominion. And we weren't even invited there, effectively.
Confronting the corporates and Zann is a risk. Not just because they have hundreds, if not thousands, of warships of various designs, including Imperial ones. But also because the Dominion and its periphery are a tempting target. For the New Republic. For the Alliance. For the Imperial Remnants. For Palpatine. The order of attacks and the list of participants could be anything.
Suppose I have already developed and am implementing countermeasures for some opponents, but for others, I haven't. Not yet. But I am working on it.
Diverting large forces from the Dominion risks being "too late" to return when our defensive lines are breached by hordes of enemies.
And they will be breached if we don't continue to strengthen them.
Just this morning, I received information about attempts to breach the Dominion's borders by scout ships from Orinda.
Patrols that responded to the incursion destroyed the intruders before they could escape and report on the security systems of our borders.
Which continue to be strengthened day by day.
Grand Moff Ferrus once showed me the Dominion's economic charts.
Up to seventy percent of enterprises in the metropolis are "defense industry" and dual-use enterprises.
The civilian sector exists, of course, but its share is small, though it increases by tiny increments each week.
Billions of sentients across the Dominion are, in one way or another, employed in military-industrial or dual-use complexes, but tens of billions more remain unemployed.
And this is a problem that, albeit slowly, is being solved.
Because even with the acquisition of the technological base and design documentation from Santhe Technologies, we lack the necessary facilities to produce things like Gravity Well Generators and I-a1 solar ionization reactors — those plants are still under construction.
And completing them requires more than just building materials, workers, droids, and architects.
They need machine tools, assembly lines, foundries, and supporting equipment.
All of which could be captured on Lianna.
In the event of a full planetary occupation.
But I didn't have enough forces to pull off that ground operation without risking exposure of the real perpetrator behind the attack on the planet.
The Dominion has far too few ground troops.
And our only chance to seize the initiative is to maintain our advantage in space battles.
While simultaneously keeping an eye on the homeland of the Imperial Hammers — the most elite armored unit in the Empire, stationed on the galaxy's southern frontier, not far from Eriadu.
Bringing them to our side before Palpatine is eliminated would be foolish, because they still adhere to the New Order's policies.
Yes, they crave a strong leader, and I'm more than confident that if the question arose — who to be loyal to: me or Palpatine — siding with the latter wouldn't be considered treason from their perspective.
The Hammers and their ground army are, without a doubt, a tempting morsel for a one-time solution to our shortage of ground forces.
But the game isn't worth the candle — I've put too much effort into ridding the Dominion and the armed forces' ranks of spies and potential traitors.
And desperately running to them for help, with every chance of getting several hundred thousand hardened, superbly trained armored troops, stormtroopers, and other army specialists right in our rear — that would be stupid and reckless.
For the same reason, I'm currently making no attempt to absorb Tarkin's secret lab hidden inside the Maw Cluster, along with its scientific potential, four Star Destroyers with full crews, and nearly forty thousand stormtroopers, not to mention the superweapon.
That's a dangerous game that isn't worth the candle.
Such allies should only be welcomed when they have no serious alternative regarding whom to serve.
And while my campaign looked impressive against the backdrop of the Imperial Remnants, compared to Palpatine and his might — it's child's play.
He alone has enough battlecruisers, Super Star Destroyers, and dreadnoughts to grind my fleet to scrap without even breaking a sweat before burning the core worlds.
The state is teetering on the brink of crisis because wartime demands military production first and foremost.
The civilian sector is barely managing the necessary minimum, and Ferrus is running himself ragged trying to establish as many purely civilian industries as possible under current conditions.
At least we got lucky with agriculture and the trade planets; their revenues and activities are helping us stave off famine and immediate collapse.
Honestly, it reminds me of the good old Soviet society with its planned economy in the hands of monkeys.
The comparison is, of course, far from reality, but the problem isn't so much that we have issues at every turn, but rather that we're desperately short of competent administrators on the ground.
The Grand Moff's clones are working in the new sectors, simulating Ferrus's direct involvement in solving their problems, but this game of "hide from the civilians that you have a ton of clones" can't last long.
It works in the regular fleet — that's where sufficiently motivated and vetted sentients end up, bound by Oaths and non-disclosure agreements that prevent them from blabbing, even to family.
But "on the civilian side."..
That's a whole different story.
And this brings us to the point that war with the Zann Consortium and the Corporate Sector is vital for the Dominion's survival as a state.
As imperialistic as that may sound, either CorpSec becomes part of the Dominion, or we fall apart.
Those are the harsh realities of the situation.
And it's not even that the fragile economy, currently propped up only by the Sa'Nalaor's auridium reserves and taxes from the trade planets, could crack — default being an unpleasant thing on its own.
We could still hold onto power, but what's the point of all this if we can't normalize the state's functioning?
Under current realities, in about five years we could achieve a strict budget surplus, and at the same time — build everything necessary to provide the population with anything their hearts desire, in the volumes the consumer wants, not just what the state can supply.
But we don't have those five years.
And that's the second, and main, reason I'll have to fight the corporates and the Zann Consortium.
Namely, the existence of their symbiosis.
According to intelligence reports — crime has become deeply entrenched in CorpSec's leadership, which means only one thing — Zann has no trouble financing his criminal activities.
To keep his captured or destroyed factories and bases running, and to build his fleet and droid army, he needs money and resources.
The Dominion is incredibly rich in resources — that's why I bet on annexing specifically these Outer Rim sectors.
There's at least minimal industry here, plenty of asteroid fields and dead celestial bodies that can be used for resource extraction.
Which, in turn, goes toward defense and settling new core worlds, and to a lesser extent, the periphery.
Another aspect of the issue is that, in the past, Mitth'raw'nuruodo was precisely the sentient who contributed to Tyber Zann's expulsion from the Imperial military academy.
And then, during the Galactic Civil War, the Chiss also crossed Zann's path.
The criminal holds a grudge and doesn't forgive such things.
Especially given that I took away his factory for producing the latest-model droidekas.
Considering there are fewer than a dozen such factories in the entire galaxy, you can imagine the losses to Zann's army.
Not to mention the criminal underworld's economy.
It's also quite obvious that the Dominion — meaning me personally — is behind the Vulture operation's acquisition of military property coming to an end.
If Zann isn't eliminated before he gets his clone army, fighting him — backed by wealthy, well-equipped allies — will become incredibly difficult.
Because unlike, say, the New Republic, he won't have stretched borders, internal squabbles, or the need to spread his armed forces across thousands of star systems.
So I had to break up crews, mix veterans with former Defense Fleet servicemen, and mercilessly exploit Spaarti cloning cylinders to bolster the regular fleet's strength.
All while not forgetting to build up the necessary military industry and economy.
Simultaneously conducting intelligence operations across the entire galaxy to keep tabs on how the Imperials, Republicans, and Rebels are developing their military activities.
I have high hopes that my specialists will eventually figure out who created the cloning cylinders for Faction X1, but preliminary conclusions already suggest these are Arkanian technologies.
From what I remember, it was the Arkanians who, in the final days of the Clone Wars, produced the rapid-growth Spaarti clones for Palpatine.
Which went insane and had extremely mediocre professional skills and very short lifespans.
But that was mass production.
And the volume of captured cloning autoclaves doesn't come close to the concept of "mass production."
Which leads me to suspect that after abandoning the clone army, Palpatine shipped most of the Arkanian cloning equipment off Centax-II.
And he's almost certainly using that same technology to build up his manpower on Byss.
Another clone-related matter that needs investigation is Grappa the Hutt and the copy of Baroness D'Asta.
Who, where, under what circumstances, and under what conditions created the one who, under the watchful eye of my guards, is now waging an open struggle for the D'Astan sector?
And I'd also like to find out where the real Baroness is and how best to capitalize on the current situation with the "duality" of the late Raghez's legitimate heir.
And then there are hundreds of "smaller" matters...
At least Grand Moff Ferrus is making progress on the civil administration issues.
However much I might want to strip the moffs of the military component of their position — handing sector security over to fleet admirals and planetary safety to ground generals — I simply don't have that option under current circumstances.
The core worlds' defense forces are barely holding together with conscripts, outdated equipment, and the occasional regular fleet patrols that, every now and then, catch small-time pirates and lone adventurers.
And if a month ago I thought everything was calm in the Dominion, I have no such illusions now.
There are so many problems that reading the list gives me a vicious migraine.
But I thought I'd solved one of them by now.
In front of me lay the medical scan data for the shipbuilder Zion.
At long last, we managed to complete a full medical scan of the man, which takes an absurdly longer time compared to examining an ordinary person.
And the results are disappointing.
Cybernetic prosthetics, including intervention in the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system, didn't make him unfit for cloning.
Taking cells and replicating them — no problem.
But copying his mind...
Experimental data has established that those with implants in their heads — even optical sensors like Zion and Reyes have — lead to burnout of the mental imprint equipment.
Well... We may not have backup equipment, but losing two machines won't stop the process itself.
Though I should have guessed something like this, since the technology resembles an MRI machine, which you're not supposed to enter with metal.
I was hoping for a bright future and progress, but it seems you can't fool the laws of physics.
Well, at least now we have two machines we can "take apart and examine" without fear of breaking them beyond repair.
Already broken.
Already not working.
On one hand, this is an opportunity to study the technology.
On the other, it's a confirmation that we won't be able to quantitatively and qualitatively increase our pool of narrow specialists the easy way.
A thought even crossed my mind that it wasn't for nothing that, during Imperial times, there was a "fashion" among highly qualified specialists for optical prosthetics or integrating electronics into the head.
Perhaps it was precisely that — a figurative way for the Galactic Empire's technocratic or creative elite to protect themselves from cloning, which could create a completely loyal, docile copy without wasting time working with the original.
Well, the news is disheartening.
But at least there's some progress with the Fett genome work and creating new clones based on it.
The experimental batch has just left the aforementioned cylinders.
Now we have to observe them and assess how effectively the imprint matrices from his father's clones of the Blizzard Force detachment, and the few clones of other specialties from the Dominion Armed Forces' illustrious 501st Guard Legion, have "taken" to Fett's body.
Rukh appeared like a gray shadow at the threshold of my quarters in the headquarters — not much different from those on the Chimera and the Guardian — and with a short report delivered in meowing intonations, informed me that the participants of the extended military council had arrived.
I ordered the officers admitted.
The solution to the problem posed by the Corporate Sector and Zann Consortium tandem was beginning.
* * *
Grodin Tierce was the first to report.
The adjutant delivered a brief historical summary, generously seasoned with intelligence data regarding our enemy.
I was already familiar with the report beforehand, unlike those present — Pellaeon, Shohashi, Dorja, and I-Gor.
Currently, these are all the officers holding senior command ranks in the Dominion's regular fleet.
Without delving into chronological weeds, the Corporate Sector was located just a few remote sectors from the Dominion's northeastern core borders.
Historically, the Corporate Sector was created to resolve disagreements between the Galactic Republic's legislators and the heads of many of the galaxy's largest corporations.
The Corporate Sector was located in the Outer Rim, in the part of the Tingel Arm farthest from the galactic center, bordering the Aparo and Vil sectors.
Furthermore, the corporates were situated at the terminus of the Hydian Way, allowing them to reach virtually any point in the galaxy quickly, using one of the key hyperspace routes that had been established for thousands of years.
Scouts managed to obtain the most up-to-date astrography data on the sector, which differed markedly from the information we had based on data from the library on Obroa-skai.
In reality, the Corporate Sector included thousands of inhabited systems, as well as over a hundred thousand uninhabited systems.
Is that a lot?
Honestly, almost any sector in the known part of the galaxy includes a similar number of systems and planets.
But the difference is that in the known part of the galaxy, they are mapped and studied, whereas the corporates are resolutely keeping their secrets to themselves.
The sectors controlled by the Dominion are also only superficially studied, so it's no surprise that upon detailed astrographic study, we'll discover another couple of thousand planets.
But that's not a general rule — after all, this is the galactic rim, where the gravitational forces of the Deep Core are weakest.
Unlike the arms themselves, which essentially contain the highest density of planets.
That's why most sentients only know of a little over four dozen planets within this part of the galaxy.
Given that nowhere in open sources, or even in the Imperial Intelligence archives, was a number even close to this mentioned, the corporates know how to keep secrets far better than the Imperials.
This means that inside the sector, you can not only hide anything you want but also ensure that absolutely no one finds out about it.
Unless the sector's rulers themselves want it known.
And they clearly won't want that.
The scale of the upcoming campaign was starting to become excessively large.
Now I understand why so many regimes in the galaxy wanted to bring the Corporate Sector under their control, and only a handful succeeded.
And I came to understand why even Palpatine chose not to tangle with the locals, while they, in turn, preferred not to conflict with the corporates' government, paying tribute in exchange for old military equipment.
It's also notable that even after Palpatine's death, construction of a palace for him was underway in the Corporate Sector.
Due to communication problems — paradoxically, the relays in this part of the galaxy are quite outdated and therefore unreliable — construction continued for some time even after the Battle of Endor effectively concluded.
Which points to the obvious weakness of the corporates' communication with the rest of the galaxy.
Noted.
That's a very pertinent observation, because HoloNet relays are the fastest and most accurate way to coordinate armies, fleets, and transport ships, not to mention civilian communications and so on.
Currently, the Dominion had no direct borders with the territory controlled by the corporates.
Our northeastern border — the Korva sector — adjoins the Bosph and Happich sectors, which in turn adjoin Aparo.
There are also formations to the north, but they lie within the corporates' exclusive sphere of influence, so for me they represent just one target, not several.
The Corporate Sector and its nearest neighbors — the Aparo and Vil sectors.
The southern border of the Corporate Sector is the Vil sector.
The Vil sector.
There are two main space routes to penetrate the Corporate Sector.
The first is the aforementioned Hydian Way — flying sequentially through the Happich and Aparo sectors.
Or, at the southern borders of the Happich sector, on the planet Listerhol, take the Listerhol Path to the planet Zygerria, crossing the Vil sector and stopping in the Chrlian sector, from where, via a route known as the Shaltin Tunnels, you could bypass a number of border systems and reach Etti IV directly.
You could also reach the "interior of the sector" through the northern territories, but this route is dangerous.
Primarily because the corporates' testing grounds are located there, and therefore — the most advanced defense systems.
Secondly, but no less importantly, such a journey is dangerous because it passes in close proximity to the gravitational anomaly surrounding the galaxy.
And a hyperdrive failure is essentially a certain death sentence for anyone caught in such a trap.
Because there's no chance of reaching your destination at sublight speed.
At least — not in the next few hundred years.
It's also curious that, despite the capture of the sectors bordering the Corporate Sector a couple of years after the Battle of Endor, and then the region itself a year later by Warlord Zsinj, the Happich, Aparo (including its sub-sector Katharl), and Vim sectors — all of them are currently ruled by Imperial moffs.
But they prefer to answer to the corporates.
As does the former Moff Harsh of the Bosph sector, who intends to reclaim what he lost.
"In other words, we have a powerful, economically stable sector with its own satellite sectors and considerable armed forces," Dorja summarized Tierce's presentation. "Not to mention their fleet, teeming with Victory-class Star Destroyers, as well as the armies of both the corporates themselves and the Zann Consortium's fighters. Including the latter's fleet, about whose quantitative or qualitative composition we know nothing."
"One might think you didn't know that before this report," Pellaeon grimaced.
"That's merely a summary," Dorja stated coldly, casting a quick glance at me. "I had no intention of offending or insulting anyone."
Pellaeon was about to respond as well, but apparently remembered my instructions regarding the conflict with Dorja — which I'd suggested half a year ago be resolved by a simple gentleman's blaster duel — and decided to keep his opinion to himself.
"My apologies," he said hastily. "Emotions."
"Apology accepted, Vice Admiral," I replied. "I ask each of you present to keep yourselves in check from now on. We are not cadets at the Imperial Military Academy to waste precious time in such a manner. Let us move on to the details of our plan."
The senior fleet officers exchanged silent glances.
"At present, the Bosph sector has fallen out of the corporates' sphere of influence, but they are rapidly trying to regain control," Pellaeon said. "They, of course, don't need the planets or the local population, but they clearly won't pass up the rich mineral deposits."
"Considering the territories they already control and the resources extracted from them, it must be assumed they are used for the corporates' armed forces," said Vice Admiral I-Gor.
"Including that," Tierce confirmed. "However, spy droids have detected heavy cargo starship traffic along both the Hydian Way and through the Shaltin Mines. The freighters are full of ore, and according to the bills of lading, it's raw material for armor production — for both ground forces and starships."
"Were you able to determine exactly where the ore is being delivered?" asked Eric Shohashi, making notes on his datapad.
"Intelligence managed to track some of the freighter convoys," Grodin said without embellishing reality. "There are undoubtedly a number of commercial enterprises in neutral systems where the Corporate Sector sells its resources. We've identified two freighter streams. The one traveling the Hydian Way is of little interest — they're ordinary goods traded as they were in the past. The second route is transportation via regional routes on the eastern edge of the galaxy. Without exception, all recipients of this category of cargo are concentrated in the east of the galaxy, primarily in Hutt Space. We are currently unable to trace the further fate of the shipments — deep infiltration into Hutt spheres is required."
Grodin remained silent, not stating the obvious.
The crime lords don't like it when people stick their noses into their affairs.
If the metal sales deals have nothing to do with the Zann Consortium, then such actions against Hutt companies could provoke a full-scale response from them.
That would be essentially making enemies for no reason.
On the other hand, during the formation of the Dominion, we've stepped on Hutt interests more than once. True, they weren't the most influential ones, and their attempts to harm my plans ended shortly after they paid advances to mercenaries: the Noghri wiped out both the contractors and the hired guns.
But large-scale metal shipments — that's no joke.
These could be operations by ruling Hutts who carry weight.
Every Hutt is, by nature, a schemer.
And the stronger his gang, the more he intends to strengthen it.
Some Hutts have entire mercenary fleets on their payroll, and it might happen that one of them needed resources to repair old starships or build new ones.
An attack on a powerful Hutt's shipments would inevitably stir up their leadership, and those same mercenary fleets would be sent hunting for the perpetrators.
Thus, ill-considered actions would put us in a position of fighting a war on two, or even four, fronts.
There's no need to even think about winning here.
Wars like that have never led to anything good.
You can squeeze every last drop out of yourself and even the most perfect industry, sending more and more equipment to the front, but when you're being hit from all sides — it hurts.
And it's deadly.
And consequently, we need to take comprehensive measures to understand who the ore is being supplied to and for what purposes.
Because I already have a draft for a confrontation with the Corporate Sector anyway.
It just needs to be adapted to the current realities.
And possibly completely overhauled.
That's precisely why I'm not going to disclose it to anyone, even senior officers, in full.
Only those elements they will need to execute separately from the main forces.
Operation "Crimson Dawn" was revised, edited, and altered more than once so that the final version became what was implemented a few weeks ago.
"Purification by fire" is also just a draft, but over time it will acquire all the necessary elements.
We just need to learn as much as possible about our enemies.
"Let's move on to our current objectives," I said. "Lieutenant Colonel Tierce, report on Moff Harsh from the Bosph Sector and his ally, Seth Kabul. The Bosph Sector is our priority target at the moment."
Not because everything there is easy and simple.
But because rich deposits have already been surveyed there, and a significant portion of the sector's population are experienced miners.
When the plan is executed, we will get not just an enterprise that is currently recovering from sabotage, but also an excellent staff of employees.
Some of whom can always be lured to other operations in the Dominion, especially since the Defense Forces regularly provide headquarters with data on discovered asteroid belts, dead planets, and moons rich in minerals and other resources.
"If I may, sir, I'd like to add some information on the company 'Kabul Industries,'" said the former guardsman.
"Go ahead."
"As I've already indicated in my report, 'Kabul Industries' was a prosperous mining corporation in the past, owned by the Kabul family from the planet Otunia in the Bosph Sector. The company's founder, Mr. Lorn Kabul, managed to secure a lucrative contract with the Coruscant authorities back in the days of the Old Republic. In exchange for guaranteed purchases of metals and other products from his mines, the Republic sent convicts who hadn't committed serious crimes to the Bosph Sector. Lorn Kabul used them as hired laborers, and considering the working conditions in the mines, he had the opportunity to reduce their sentences due to the high hazard level of the work. This move worked, and in a short time he had a huge staff of employees. The enterprise renewed these contracts with the Empire as well, but they started sending outright thugs there too. Output decreased, and according to the Imperial archive, Coruscant decided to take the mines under direct control, displeased with the management's lenient attitude toward the subordinates."
"And that's when Moff Harsh appears in the sector?" clarified Rear Admiral I-Gor.
"Yes, sir," Tierce confirmed. "This man underwent professional training at a military academy, with the highest marks. Additionally, the instructors noted his inclination toward politics, which was instilled in him by his mentor outside the Academy — a member of the Imperial Senate."
The guardsman paused, letting those assembled digest the information.
"Senators don't just favor anyone for nothing," Dorja stated, his expression changing.
"Agreed," said Shohashi. "He's clearly a senator's protégé, and consequently, his assignment to a region rich in mineral deposits is by no means a merit in itself. It's patronage."
"A corruption scheme," Pellaeon grimaced. "I never liked this military-civilian activity of the Moffs."
"The Navy and Army never regarded Moffs as equals," I-Gor agreed. "With rare exceptions, of course. But the Empire's collapse and the numerous warlords from among the former Moffs, as well as their lamentable results, directly prove the harmfulness of such a combination of positions."
The officers present, except for the indifferent Tierce, nodded in agreement.
The movements looked more like reflexes than deliberate approval of what was said.
Their slightly glazed gazes indicated that each of them was somewhere in their own memories now.
No wonder — almost every commander of a Star Destroyer, or indeed any fleet officer, had their own (and sometimes more than one) story of negative interaction with an Imperial Moff.
Let's make a mental note — the senior officers of the regular fleet are cautiously but purposefully indicating that the military component should be removed from the Moffs' authority.
A good attitude — we should monitor the situation further to understand how correct such a separation would be.
At the moment, under conditions of tension, introducing radical changes is fraught with confusion and bureaucratic delays.
We don't need that.
But the problem exists — not every Moff is capable of adequately commanding armed forces.
"Continue, Lieutenant Colonel," I ordered.
"With the support of his senator-protector, Harsh quickly rose through the command hierarchy. At a fairly young age, he received a captain's rank and took command of a Star Destroyer of the Imperial II-class named 'The Cauldron.'"
"Did this happen before or after the mass refit of the Mark Ones into Mark Twos?" Shohashi asked an unexpected question.
"Before," Tierce replied.
Dorja drummed his fingers on the table.
"That means his lobbyist was no ordinary senator," Pellaeon voiced the general thought. "'The Cauldron' one of the first Mark Twos in the Imperial Starfleet. They were given to the most distinguished and favored officers as a mark of their exceptional status."
Gilad himself, then still a simple officer on the Star Destroyer 'Chimaera,' had been bypassed by such 'favor.'
The 'Chimaera' went through the upgrade from Mark One to Mark Two on general terms.
And at present, it even incorporates many elements from the 'Mark Three' modernization program.
"At the beginning of the Galactic Civil War against the Alliance to Restore the Republic, Harsh was sent to the planet Chabosh, where he took command of the fleet under orbital blockade conditions after the Imperial governor of the planet was overthrown by rebels," Tierce continued. "Harsh personally led a company of stormtroopers in the final assault on the rebel planetary citadel, protected by powerful deflector shields. During the attack, which was successful, Harsh was severely wounded but survived. He quickly earned a series of promotions compared to many other senior officers, and a year after his victory on Chabosh, Emperor Palpatine personally granted him the title of Moff of the Bosph Sector."
Those assembled were silent.
Each of them was mentally confirming the real power Harsh's patron possessed.
From commander of a Star Destroyer, no less, straight to the position of Moff…
That's a dizzying success that evokes envy in friends and a desire to cause plenty of nasty deeds in enemies.
"By Palpatine's order, Harsh carried out an orbital bombardment of the planet Bosph to destroy the Force-sensitive beings living there," a new portion of the story painted the Moff's personality in new tones. The most unflattering ones. "Harsh blockaded the planet and massacred millions. Some time after the Emperor's death, Moff Harsh, now an independent warlord, desired to bring 'Kabul Industries' under his control, but disagreed on this matter with the company's owner. After that, he contacted the latter's brother, Seth Kabul. With his help, he planned and carried out a terrorist attack that claimed the life of the corporation's owner. It was believed that his daughter, the executive director of the enterprise, also died, and Seth Kabul inherited. A little later, it turned out this was not the case. The murdered man's daughter, Arista Kabul, along with her comrades, blew up the mines and put them out of commission for many years. At present, Seth Kabul, on the verge of bankruptcy, received a large sum of money from unknown well-wishers, which he directed toward restoring the major mines. Based on the nomenclature of extracted goods, components for the construction of combat spacecraft are being mined."
"What forces does Seth Kabul and Moff Harsh have at their disposal?" asked Rear Admiral I-Gor.
"Within the sector — the Star Destroyer 'The Cauldron,' which escorts ore convoys to the borders of Bosph, after which it transfers the cargo to ships of the Corporate Sector, whose squadron blocks the movement of any ships beyond the sector except their own," Grodin reported. "According to the latest data, a legion of stormtroopers supported by heavy equipment has landed on Otunia, providing security for the working mines. The local population's desire to engage in labor is of no interest to anyone."
"In other words, what's happening is a banal robbery of a sector bordering us," Dorja summed up.
"Harsh is sending mining teams to new deposits," Pellaeon said, lifting his gaze from his personal screen.
"The former Moff is increasing production volumes," I agreed. "And supplying more and more metal to the Corporate Sector. Which clearly indicates the demand for this metal within the sector."
"Based on intelligence data, somewhere inside is Tyber Zann's fleet, and they clearly need resources," Dorja suggested.
"But at the same time, they are supplying it to Hutt Space," Shohashi clarified.
"If this is a mobilization of resources for building a fleet or droid army, then the reason for the export is unclear," I-Gor mused.
I wonder if any of them noticed what I said about the 'Zann Consortium' at the meeting of all line ship and formation commanders?
"Rothana," Pellaeon said, sweeping his gaze over those present. "They're shipping the ore not to the Hutts, but to Rothana."
"Then why not directly?" Dorja wondered. "It's an illogical move — building a fleet in secret, but using the Hutts as an intermediary."
"Considering that according to intelligence, Tyber Zann was in conflict with the Hutts for a long time," I-Gor supported.
"Not with the Hutts," I objected. "With Jabba the Hutt."
"Who is currently dead," Shohashi picked up. "In other words, Zann's direct enemy is dead, and he could have secretly made an agreement with the rest to protect his ships. To send ships with cargo via a roundabout route requires a large escort fleet. Zann doesn't want to reveal himself ahead of time, consequently, he can't use his own fleet to escort the freighters. The design of his starships is quite recognizable. Therefore, if even one pirate group attacks a convoy with cargo and survives, rumors about the 'Consortium's' actions in this part of the galaxy will spread, and that will attract attention from the New Republic, which has military bases nearby. Similar questions would arise if the Corporate Sector fleet, which never stuck its neck out beyond its own zone of influence, were to escort the freighters. That would be a direct indication of the value of the cargo in the holds."
"Which means a collective attack by pirate gangs for a fat prize," I-Gor agreed.
"And convoys traveling under Hutt escort near their Space are only attacked by madmen," Pellaeon said. "But again, this is nothing more than a hypothesis that we can neither confirm nor disprove."
As if no one suspects that having received data on the movement of cargo from the Corporate Sector to the Hutts, I wouldn't send reconnaissance there to figure out what's going on.
The meeting is held primarily to understand the level of ability of my senior officers — effectively, the flagship commanders of the squadrons — in the proactive analysis of intelligence information.
'Purifying Flame' also assumes a long period of squadron operations independent of the main fleet.
And, in my opinion, if a man rises in rank, he should also raise his level of operational art and ability to calculate the consequences of his actions several steps ahead.
"If we consider how many warships we saw guarding the attacked planets of the 'Zann Consortium' Hypori, Saleucami, Shola, some of which were destroyed, we can also assume that they don't have enough of their own warships to secure their bases and escort ore convoys," Shohashi said.
"Or they are in a state of completion and need protection at their base location," Pellaeon noted. "Judging by how much Imperial weaponry they took from the warehouses on Sullust and Sluis Van, it's clearly assumed that a whole fleet is being built. After the attack on the 'Consortium's' planets, Tyber Zann could have shifted to defense and thereby tried to set us up for a Hutt attack, having calculated that it was the Dominion behind the attack on the New Republic's supply lines."
"Cutting logistics chains is a textbook tactical maneuver," Dorja reminded. "Without solid evidence of the Dominion using captured starships, accusing us of anything is absolutely foolish."
"Incorrect," I said.
The assembled officers looked at me.
"The New Republic was forced to seek evidence of our involvement to justify their actions to a populace that chose to live under democracy and false security," I stated. "The 'Zann Consortium,' masquerading as 'Black Sun,' simply doesn't have such problems as substantiating their suspicions and currying favor with the public. A criminal doesn't need to justify his criminal actions."
The assembled officers nodded in unison, agreeing.
"Continue, Lieutenant Colonel," I requested. "Report on the sectors allied with the Corporate Sector. Gentlemen, officers should know as much as possible about their future targets…"