Ten years and thirty days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or the forty-fifth year and thirtieth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Seven months and fifteen days since the Arrival.)
Located at the intersection of three regional hyperspace routes, the planet Dac — the capital and center of the Mon Calamari sector — looked from space like a beautiful pearl, the likes of which the galaxy had never seen.
Leia Organa-Solo stood at the wide viewport that took up most of the wall of the briefing room, admiring the play of light from Dac's local star on the planet's ocean surface.
Planet Dac.
The world called Dac was almost entirely covered in oceans. Except for a few islands.
Dozens of oceanic cities on the planet sparkled with white walls, rounded designs, and sharp spires, attracting the attention of every tourist who visited this world.
Before the young woman's eyes, the massive star cruiser Galactic Traveler slowly glided past, dwarfing the earlier structures of the Mon Calamari Shipyards.
Like the Defiance, aboard which Leia was traveling, along with other prominent figures of the Alliance, the Galactic Traveler, despite its modified stern section, was one of the newest MC90-type vessels, freshly built by the Mon Calamari to replace the already outdated MC80s.
Mon Calamari MC90-class star cruiser.
At the moment, there weren't many of these starships — the Defiance, the Galactic Traveler, the Tatooine, the Calamari, the Yavin, and the Star Tide.
The last one was still being completed, but like its sister ships, it was destined to become the flagship of a formation guarding the security of the hundreds of sectors and thousands of systems across the galaxy that had joined the Alliance.
At just over twelve hundred meters in length, the MC90 was the first starship of its kind produced at the Mon Calamari Shipyards, capable not only of fighting Imperial Star Destroyers on equal terms but of defeating them.
How many decades had it taken to reach this result...
But now they had a weapon capable of providing the necessary resistance to the growing aggression from the Imperials.
Before this, the Rebel Alliance had a permanent shortage of large warships, forcing them to avoid open battle with the Imperial fleet.
The situation changed radically after the victory at the Battle of Endor, which led to the deaths of Emperor Palpatine and his only heir, the Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Immediately after the proclamation of the New Republic, the need for large ships grew even more, as thousands of newly joined planets needed to be defended.
Many sectors, of course, transferred their existing starships to the New Republic Defense Forces, but that wasn't exactly what was needed. The Republicans took the "miscellaneous" spacecraft, serviced them, and sent them to war.
However, their repair and maintenance, the purchase of spare parts and components, turned into a logistical nightmare and a monstrous strain on the budget.
The newly formed Alliance chose the path of unification, making ships produced at the Mon Calamari Shipyards the core of its fleet, which removed almost all supply and compatibility issues.
The joined sectors, of course, brought their own starships, but by a decision of the Alliance Supreme Commander, General Bel Iblis, these ships remained in their sectors, forming self-defense forces tasked with protecting their territories from raiders and pirates.
And their maintenance fell on the shoulders of the sector governments themselves.
Until the Alliance's economy was properly stabilized, thinking about taking on such a burden was out of the question.
And yet, both Bel Iblis and Han, and General Kota, under whose commands the Defiance, the Galactic Traveler, and the Tatooine had respectively passed, believed that the Mon Calamari starships were the best the newly formed state could have at the moment.
After Grand Admiral Thrawn, in his ruthless campaign that ended with a suicidal attack on Sullust and Sluis Van, deprived the New Republic of its light forces and all Imperial-design starships, Coruscant lost an entire fleet — either captured or destroyed. The New Republic had effectively lost control of the southern part of the galaxy.
Now, according to agent reports, isolationist and openly hostile sentiments were developing there.
Both towards the New Republic and the Alliance.
The Sluissi, who had never forgiven the Republicans for effectively putting them in Thrawn's path, had isolated themselves in their system, ignoring all calls and strengthening their borders, mass-purchasing or repairing starships that now formed their armed forces.
Leia dreaded the thought that one day the Republicans or Alliance troops would have to go to war against the Sluissi people.
And likely, the Mon Calamari star cruisers would be in the front ranks of the attackers.
It didn't matter which ones — the heavy surrogate cruisers MC80 and MC80a in service with the New Republic, or the MC80b, the MC80 Home One, or the latest Alliance MC90s.
Former allies would have to fight each other.
And the blame for this lay with Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had sown discord within the young state.
"Candy," she heard her husband's quiet voice as he came up from behind and embraced her, "everyone's gathering."
"Yes, I'll be right there," Leia said just as softly. "I was admiring your new ship."
"The Galactic Traveler was good straight off the slipway, but after I applied some creative thinking and the imagination of a self-taught mechanic, it became the fastest one too," her husband said with a hint of self-satisfaction. "Amazing that the Mon Calamari had so many of these new ships hidden up their sleeves when the Alliance was formed."
"I spoke with the Mon Calamari about that," Leia said even more quietly. "They were building them in secret to protect their own sector, after the New Republic command failed to safeguard the Hast shipyards."
"Hmph," was all the Corellian said, holding his wife a little tighter.
In truth, Leia knew almost everything about the new ship type.
Right after the Battle of Endor, Admiral Ackbar, then head of the young state's armed forces, tasked the Mon Calamari Shipyards — the best in the New Republic at the time — with developing a new, exclusively combat vessel that fully met the new military-political realities.
But fulfilling the order proved not so simple.
The development of the new battle cruiser and the construction of the lead ship of the series, named the Defiance, took five years.
Immediately after Thrawn, disguising his ships as the fleet of the Ciutric Hegemony, attacked the Hast shipyards right at the borders of the Mon Calamari sector, the inhabitants of Dac, having suffered serious humiliation from the subsequent actions of Councillor Borsk Fey'lya, and no longer relying on the New Republic for protection, independently began construction of this type of starship at the shipyards in their sector, shielding it with a veil of secrecy.
Without arousing much suspicion, hidden from the eyes of the Bothans, the Mon Calamari built, in addition to the Defiance, four more identical starships before the New Republic suffered the heavy defeat at Sluis Van.
The Star Tide was the last of the "secret" MC90s that the Mon Calamari were finishing.
At present, such starships, along with the excellently performing MC80 Home One and MC80b, were being built at an accelerated pace in almost every corner of the Mon Calamari sector, to produce the necessary number of warships as quickly as possible to defend this fragment of true democracy.
The Mon Calamari themselves classified the new type of spacecraft as a "battle cruiser," pointing to its greater speed and significant superiority in maneuverability and armament compared to its predecessors.
Unlike the MC80, which was a conversion of civilian liners, the MC90 battle cruiser was a full-fledged warship, one of the few modern worthy opponents to ships of the Star Destroyer class.
The total power of its broadside salvo exceeded the firepower of the Imperial-class cannons, and overall, the project was not supposed to be inferior to the modernizations of that class of Star Destroyer that the New Republic had encountered at the Battle of Ossus.
An effective armor system and the power of its two deflector generators allowed the MC90 to withstand fire from even the heavy turbolasers of Imperial Star Destroyers for a long time.
A very useful feature of the deflectors was the ability to quickly restore the integrity of the protective field.
Because of this, completely stripping an MC90's shields, according to the designers' intent, was incredibly difficult.
According to Han, the control system had undergone significant changes.
Now, not only natives of Mon Calamari could pilot the MC90, but also representatives of other races.
This was an important and necessary step in the development of the Alliance fleet, because the state's ship numbers were rapidly increasing, and there simply wouldn't be enough qualified Dac natives to crew all the battle cruisers.
But the main thing Han appreciated — and Leia fully trusted her husband in such judgments — was standardization.
MC80s of all modifications were built "so that each ship differed from its sistership." The attempt to fix this on the MC80b ships was met with enthusiasm.
But the Mon Calamari went even further.
They adopted the experience of the Kuat Drive Yards, which significantly reduced the construction and commissioning time for line-class starships.
The modular structure of the MC90 and the standardization of the ship's exterior and interior greatly simplified its mass production and operating costs.
Thanks to that same design, MC90s could be assembled even at shipyards not of Mon Calamari type.
Which significantly increased the potential for rapidly building a new fleet.
The MC90 became the first major Alliance warship to be built not only at the Dac shipyards.
It was hoped that the Sluissi would help with this difficult task, but...
The Sluis sector and its population, disillusioned with the New Republic's leadership, had chosen isolationism.
There were other options, which were currently being worked out and were to be another item on the agenda of today's meeting.
Armed with seventy-five heavy turbolasers, thirty-five ion cannons, six launchers, and carrying six squadrons of fighters and bombers in its arsenal, the MC90 was primarily designed for space combat with enemy ships.
The number of troops it could carry was significantly reduced by the designers.
However, even the one infantry regiment with equipment it did carry was sufficient for capturing and holding a planetary base, a small colony, or a space station.
This decision was driven by the fact that the Alliance ground forces were not as numerous as the New Republic's, so, if necessary, reinforcements could be delivered by other starships, leaving the MC90 solely for delivering the first strike and engaging similarly classed starships in space.
Unfortunately, due to their small numbers, all these starships were still in the Mon Calamari sector, guarding the strategic core of the newly formed Alliance.
Han had argued long and hard with Bel Iblis about this, stating convincingly that the newest line ship, the only one in the Alliance fleet capable of handling a Star Destroyer on its own, was being kept in orbit of the most heavily guarded worlds, serving as a scarecrow.
Meanwhile, the old MC80s of all modifications, which had undergone several major overhauls, were supposed to continue being sent to fight and die under the guns of Imperial battleships.
His fellow Corellian hadn't continued the discussion, and Leia privately explained the reason to her husband.
The Mon Calamari feared for their sector and didn't want it to suffer significant damage.
Therefore, the newest MC90 deliveries would first be assigned to replace outdated ships in this sector. The latter would be sent to the front lines to maintain border security, but that took time.
As soon as the Mon Calamari took care of their homeworld, the MC90s would flow in a powerful stream to the other fleets.
The Mon Calamari Sector.
Catching the reflection of Mon Mothma, dressed in her traditional white, appearing in the transparisteel, Leia gently led Han to the soft chairs surrounding the oval conference table.
When everyone present had taken their seats, Leia looked around the gathering once more.
At the head of the table sat Mon Mothma, who hadn't had a single day of peace since the New Republic split.
The Chandrilan woman was constantly in negotiations with leaders from other sectors, speaking at meetings of the Alliance Congress, the alternative to the New Republic Senate.
Her fiery speeches ignited hearts, calling on sector rulers to "tighten their belts" and continue preparing for defense, investing all resources in stabilizing the new economy.
To her right sat General Bel Iblis, whose aged face also showed signs of sleep deprivation.
The Corellian rushed from sector to sector, checking the combat readiness of the front-line forces, rightly fearing that the aggression of the Imperial remnants wouldn't be limited solely to the New Republic.
Next, further along, sat Han, General Rahm Kota, Admiral Juno Eclipse, and Galen Marek.
To Mon Mothma's left sat Leia herself, with the ever-present C-3PO standing behind her, acting as a servant for those present.
After Leia sat Lando Calrissian, Kyle Katarn, who looked clearly out of his element, and Talon Karrde.
While the purpose of those sitting opposite was clear — they represented the military wing of the Alliance — Lando and the "Claw," albeit without much enthusiasm, were gathering information from across the galaxy through their associates in legal, not-so-legal, and outright illegal dealings.
Katarn, like Galen Marek, was primarily tasked with special assignments from Mon Mothma.
Honestly, Leia didn't know the reason they attended almost every operational meeting, but she had no doubt that today they had something to say to those present.
"Thank you for gathering so quickly," Mon Mothma said. "The situation in the galaxy is changing by the hour, and decidedly not for the better."
This had been clear even over the past six months.
But now...
One had to envy Mon Mothma's composure, that she could still find words to avoid saying "catastrophe" outright.
"Agent Katarn, do you have something to report?" the Chandrilan asked.
"Unfortunately, yes, ma'am," Kyle replied in a somber tone. "Jan Ors and I conducted reconnaissance in the Core Worlds to assess the scale of the Imperial offensive. The results... are grim. The Pentastar Alignment has full control of the Core Worlds and the Mid Rim territories, effectively capturing the Imperial Center oversector. As of now, we know they suffered heavy losses during the battles for Coruscant, Empress Teta, Foerost, Chandrila, Anaxis, and Corulag. Effectively, Grand Moff Kaine has exhausted his offensive potential, spending his reserves to capture the Imperial Center oversector. He has switched to defense, deploying interdiction squadrons of Star Destroyers and heavy cruisers on planets along the Corellian Run and the Perlemian Trade Route to avoid flank attacks. His ground forces are operating on planets that weren't directly attacked by the fleet but were surrounded and blockaded."
"Quite logical of him," Rahm Kota grumbled. "I'm amazed he managed to defeat the New Republic's First Fleet with such a small number of line ships."
"There's nothing surprising about it," Leia sighed. "While we were accumulating star cruisers by the dozen, he was building heavy cruisers by the hundred."
"His tactics are clear," Bel Iblis stated. "He threw all his forces into a frontal assault, and when he couldn't break through the defenses that had been strengthened after Thrawn's attacks, he switched to attacking Coruscant and a number of key worlds. Then, after defeating the First Fleet's units piecemeal, he imposed planetary blockades, and now he'll wait patiently, with a screen of his remaining heavy forces, for the occupation of the planets to proceed. During that time, he'll repair his damaged ships — he now has access to Foerost, Grizmalt, Anaxis, Kel Setti, and everything the New Republic's First Fleet had at its disposal. Then he'll continue his advance along the Corellian Run towards Rendili, besiege or capture it, depriving the New Republic of its largest shipyard."
"I think he'll strike first, if he isn't doing so already, at the territories of the former Sixth Sector Army to capture Roxuli, Kril'Dor, and other worlds in the western part of the galaxy, thereby creating a direct route between his occupied territories and the Pentastar Alignment," Han said, projecting a map of the galaxy in front of those seated. "We mustn't forget that relations between Kaine and the Imperial Ruling Council have cooled recently. He captured Brentaal," Han pointed to the hub world located at the intersection of the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route. "That will allow him to continue his expansion further south of the galaxy."
"At that, after Rendili, he has the opportunity to link up with the Diktat on Corellia," Lando noted. "And there's a pro-Imperial stance there, a sizable fleet… Their march into the southern sectors will be swift, bloody, and clearly successful."
"Right where the New Republic doesn't have many forces left," remarked Admiral Eclipse.
"They aren't there at all," Bel Iblis declared.
After glancing at Mon Mothma and clearly receiving her approval, he added:
"A few hours ago, we received a request from the Sullustans to join the Alliance," the Corellian said. "The Republican troops and ships remaining from the Fourth Fleet have left Sullust, redeploying to Naboo. It's assumed they're moving to link up with the remnants of the First Fleet to form at least some kind of force. Right now we're assembling a fleet to send to defend Sullust while we still can use the regional shipping lanes in the eastern part of the galaxy."
"You expect those will be cut soon as well?" Karrde inquired.
"You tell me," Bel Iblis offered. "Based on your data, I'm getting the impression that Imperial Space intends to expand specifically to the east of the galaxy."
"Yes, my informants are convinced of the same," said "the Claw." "The Star Destroyers from Orinda struck the Colonies and the Mid Rim from the Mandalorian Sector all the way to Brentaal. Right now they're driving the Third Fleet ships back to their new base on Mimban and have practically approached Hapes Consortium territory; within a week or two at most they'll reach Kashyyyk. They already control parts of the Perlemian Trade Route from Brentaal almost to Tanaab. According to my information, they ran into the same problem as Kaine — they threw all their forces into assaulting every planet in a row, which thinned out their ability to continue the attack considerably. The Second Fleet of the New Republic is retreating to Denon, where they intend to organize a deeply echeloned defense and prevent further Imperial advance toward Bothan Space. My sources indicate that Orinda is building up three strike fists — to continue the offensive toward Tanaab, Lantilles, and further along the Perlemian Trade Route. There are also heavy battles for Taris right now, and their reserves have been transferred there. Once they capture the planet, taking it from the neutrals, they'll be able to move along the Hydian Way all the way to the Corporate Sector. And there, as far as I know, the 'corporates' not only remember the Empire fondly, but a considerable part of the nearby sectors are still controlled by Imperial moffs who haven't been much visible since Endor."
"And the third fist?" Rahm Kota inquired.
"Mimban and Denon, as far as I know, and after that — who knows?" "The Claw" shrugged.
The old Jedi grumbled.
"So I take it the First Fleet has already ceased to exist?" Han asked, looking at his friend.
"Far from it," Lando countered. "Our acquaintance, Admiral Duplex, not only gathered the scattered units into a fist but also paid Kaine a visit at Coruscant, which ended with the Grand Moff losing ten destroyers as destroyed. Yes, Duplex pulled out of the system with only a heap of battered scrap metal, but he didn't lose a single starship and managed to evacuate the besieged garrison of Coruscant. I got a message from Rendili that he tested some new ship at Coruscant, and it exceeded all expectations of the New Republic's Military Command, so at Rendili they've laid down a good dozen more of them. At the same time, they're repairing what's left of the First Fleet."
"Most likely Duplex will hold the Rendili shipyards to the last, because after Sullust left the New Republic, there are no more such large shipyards and companies on their side," Bel Iblis supposed. "Except Bestine, but that's mostly fighter production."
"Ours as well," said Mon Mothma. "I've learned that the Verpine have refused us cooperation. As has Incom."
"That means big problems with small craft supplies," Lando realized immediately.
"Fresia's decision should have been foreseen," Bel Iblis sighed heavily. "When it became clear that Kaine couldn't be driven off Coruscant, it was only a matter of time before Incom went over to their side."
"I don't think it's all that bad," Leia shook her head. "Maybe we'll get a situation similar to what happened during the Galactic Civil War, when some of Incom's engineers defected to our side and the company publicly disowned them."
"Unfortunately, we're not quite in that position," said Mon Mothma. "Some of the engineers and scientists from Incom have already arrived on Dac, that's without a doubt, but please don't spread news about this. But according to them, the company has begun mass production of small craft on Imperial orders."
"From the Imperial point of view, that's logical, since Lianna lost its production capacity," said Galen Marek. "They have ships, but pilots and small craft are dying. They need to replenish them somehow."
"But we have exactly the same problems," Han reminded. "We have ships, but if small craft start dying — and they will — we simply won't have anything to replace them with."
"Moreover, the Mon Calamari intend to maximize their efforts in handing over MC90s to us," Bel Iblis said. "Those need to be equipped with something too."
"But we have neither Incom nor the Verpine," Eclipse reminded. "What other options are there?"
"The Mon Calamari definitely won't produce small craft," Mon Mothma assured. "That's an unknown field for them, and how much time it will take to create and test prototypes is unclear."
"A dilemma," Lando said slowly. "The X-wings were supplied by Incom, the A-wings too, the Razors by the Verpine, the B-wings by the Koensayr Manufactories."
"At the moment, only the latter haven't refused us," Leia reminded.
"They're literally right next to the Antimeridian sector," said "the Claw." "And the local moff wants so badly to get his hands on something that will bring him profit that we shouldn't kid ourselves — soon the planet and its Manufactories will belong to the Empire."
"That sounds pretty bleak," Han grimaced. "I bet the Bothans have made a deal with the same Verpine, just to spite us."
"Or they simply don't want to get involved with either side, given that in the past the New Republic failed to protect them," Galen Marek offered his own view of the problem.
"Which is most likely the truth," Rahm Kota concluded. "But we need to decide, because words won't fill ship hangars."
"We have a small command reserve, but in case of full-scale battles, we won't be able to equip all ships with these X-wings," Bel Iblis unexpectedly admitted.
"That makes the issue of finding a supplier of fighters and bombers even more acute," Han insisted.
"We need to contact Koensayr," Leia declared. "Whether they're under threat of attack or not, we haven't received a negative answer from them yet. Therefore, at the very least, we can hope for cooperation, if nothing happens before we can provide them protection."
"There are other manufacturers besides Koensayr," Bel Iblis reminded. "Kuat Drive Yards, Horsch & Kessel, SoroSuub, many smaller companies. The Alliance to Restore the Republic used many models from a variety of small craft manufacturers. I'm sure among them there are those who will agree to help us."
"I'd advise against dealing with Kuat," Kota declared. "Those business tycoons have their own fleet, and a sizable one at that. They definitely won't fight the Empire, and meanwhile the New Republic keeps retreating. As already reported, the First Fleet fell back to Rendili, though it could have dug in at Balmorra, Himbarin, or Commenor, for that matter. But Admiral Duplex pulled back much farther. If he's not a complete idiot, he either assumes those territories won't be loyal when the Imperial fleet arrives…"
"Or, on the contrary, he knows that Kaine will break all his teeth trying to overcome their defenses and won't be able to advance further," Han declared. "I fought that guy at Sluis Van; he's a pretty clever fellow."
"You can be as smart as you like, son, but if you have traitors sitting in your rear, the best thing you can do is retreat, leaving them in front of you," Rahm Kota said meaningfully and with authority.
Leia knew this Jedi Knight of the Old Order's history.
During the Clone Wars, he too had been a general, leading Republic armies forward.
But instead of clones, he had raised an army of volunteers he trusted, unlike the copies of Jango Fett.
When Palpatine outlawed the Jedi, most were killed by clone troopers, while Kota and his volunteers survived.
And later they formed a militia that not only harassed the Empire but also inflicted a defeat on Darth Vader at Kamino.
After the Dark Lord of the Sith freed himself on Dantooine, Rahm Kota and his army remained constantly on the move, becoming an isolated group of rebels operating apart from the Alliance.
Like Garm Bel Iblis in his time.
"I'd agree regarding Kuat not being the most reliable supplier," Mon Mothma said. "And in the context that in the past they've already jacked up their prices for their services. Even if they agree, the payment for their work might be unaffordable for us."
"There's something else," Leia declared. "I think we have a chance to get a new supplier."
"And what would that be?" Bel Iblis inquired.
"Santhe Technologies," the former princess explained.
Seeing the skepticism on her comrades' faces, she elaborated:
"The corporation is in ruins now, that's a fact. It's surrounded by pro-Imperial sectors."
"And it survived 'the New Republic's attack,'" Admiral Juno Eclipse reminded.
"Yes," Leia agreed. "Exactly, the New Republic's. We all know that was Thrawn. The company is currently in disarray over asset seizures. Valles Santhe's son supports the Empire, but her grandson, and we know this for sure, sympathized with the Rebel Alliance. Perhaps we can convince both of them that we didn't attack Lianna, that we're not behind its looting. And that we're ready to help them if they intend to support us."
"That would be pretty two-faced," Lando remarked.
"And suspicious," Karrde chimed in. "On one hand we hit them, on the other we offer help."
"We didn't attack Lianna," Mon Mothma repeated firmly, her brow furrowed.
"And how do you intend to explain that to the Liannans, most of whom have left the planet and gone to the Dominion?" Karrde clarified. "I can say with certainty that most of the engineers and technicians of Santhe Technologies' aerospace and starship products, and related companies, went to the Dominion, following the equipment that Thrawn confiscated. It seems to me that without the Grand Admiral rising from the grave and confessing to this provocation, we shouldn't even think about being believed. Especially in light of the fact that Vice Admiral Pellaeon recently stated on the HoloNet that Dominion troops managed to track down and capture the ships and equipment the New Republic removed from Lianna."
"What struck me more in that speech is that Pellaeon said they couldn't capture the Lusankya," Lando supported. "Supposedly the Super Star Destroyer dropped its cargo, then, after damaging Dominion starships, fled into hyperspace. Do you understand what that means?"
"Like no one else," Bel Iblis said. "The Dominion is once again playing out the picture for everyone that they supposedly aren't involved in the Lusankya's actions."
"And at the same time, they're casting a shadow on the New Republic," Leia added. "Whatever the Lusankya does now, it will be attributed to Fey'lya's government and the New Republic."
"Actually, I was going to say that Thrawn wouldn't have let a ship get away, and Pellaeon, by telling stories of the escaped Lusankya, made himself look pretty weak compared to his former boss," Calrissian coughed into his fist.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Mon Mothma addressed everyone present. "We've strayed from the topic."
"That's true," Bel Iblis admitted. "First, we need to understand how threatening Orinda's advance along the Perlemian route is to us. In my opinion, this advance is a direct threat to the Alliance."
"I agree," Rahm Kota said reluctantly. "If we can slow their advance at Lantilles, we might not only show our strength, unlike the retreating New Republic, but also gain a suitable base for our forward forces, with all the necessary infrastructure for basing a large fleet, as it was during the Clone Wars."
"Effectively, by holding Lantilles, we can not just slow down but stop the enemy," Bel Iblis clarified.
"Not to mention we'll protect our ardent Wookiee supporters," Han agreed.
"And we'll hold the communication corridor with Hapes," Leia added.
"Onderon is there too," Rahm Kota narrowed his eyes. "During the Clone War, the Onderonians showed themselves as fierce freedom fighters. Perhaps, given the threat from the Empire and the New Republic's position, they'll want to join the Alliance."
"But right now they prefer not to get involved," Juno Eclipse remarked. "Maybe they just want to sit it out."
"Then we need to assemble a fleet and send it to support Lantilles," Mon Mothma declared. "I'll take care of the diplomatic nuances. Leia," she looked at the former Alderaanian princess, "I'm asking you and General Solo to go to Lianna for negotiations. I think Mr. Karrde is right — we're unlikely to convince them that the New Republic wasn't behind the attack. But we are not the New Republic. We're the Alliance, and we're not responsible for their actions."
Leia, and everyone present, opened their mouths, realizing what the Chandrilan meant.
Not to convince them of the Republicans' non-involvement, but on the contrary, to point out that the Alliance is as far removed from the current New Republic government as possible.
"Honestly, that's a so-so plan," Calrissian said. "If they have even a little bit of brains, they'll remember that Leia and you, esteemed Mon Mothma, were on the Provisional Council of the New Republic when the attack happened. And now you're in the same positions in the Alliance…"
"That's exactly why Leia will go there," Mon Mothma said, looking at the Alderaanian again. "You'll need to convince them that Fey'lya was behind it all, not us. We can't make Thrawn talk from the grave anyway, and this way we have a chance to gain not only supporters in the form of that corporation but also production capacity for creating military equipment."
"Not to mention that there are hyperspace routes leading directly from the pro-Imperial Corporate Sector straight to Lianna," Calrissian informed.
"That's right," Karrde confirmed.
"Then we simply must gain control of the planet," Mon Mothma declared. "Otherwise, as soon as Taris falls and the Empire continues its march along the Hydian Way to the north, we'll be hit from multiple sides."
"And likely the Dominion, even though they're now sitting behind their borders in complete isolation, won't miss the chance to strike us by joining the Imperial coalition," Han added.
"If the Mon Calamari provide us with ships, and Lianna, in partnership with the escaped Incom engineers, provides fighters, then we have every opportunity for a full-fledged creation of armed forces."
"Not quite," Bel Iblis interjected. "We have a rather limited number of ground forces. The Wookiees, who form the backbone of our assault units, are certainly masters of their craft, but we also need ground vehicles. At the moment, we've equipped most of our ground forces with Republic vehicles from warehouses, but in war they will steadily shrink, break, be destroyed. I think we need a supplier for those too. Because the companies that produced them for the New Republic have refused to trade with us — I spent almost a month working on each of them, but only received a modest, polite bureaucratic reply that I don't want to share, so as not to shock you with the 'beauty' of its verbal turns."
"Don't tell me we'll have to develop tanks from scratch too," Mon Mothma grimaced.
"Actually, no," the Corellian smiled slyly. "I think Lianna will come in handy here as well."
"How so?" Karrde became interested. "They produce Imperial ground vehicles."
"Yes, and in fact that's the only kind of workshop they have left," Bel Iblis agreed. "But I have something that Thrawn didn't get to during the attack on Pilgrim's Nest. Because the combat platform was far from the base and, frankly, we forgot about it."
The Corellian placed a small holoprojector on the table, above which appeared a white-and-blue volumetric copy of a squat, armored, and knee-tremblingly armed combat vehicle.
"This is the prototype of the Combat Platform 520," the Corellian explained. "It has heavy armor, excellently protected. The prototype was developed by Aratech on Carida, but I managed to steal it. The Empire gave up on the project, which is good for us. The platform is equipped with four heavy laser cannons on the sides and powerful deflector shield generators. Two turbolasers, located front and rear, could penetrate heavily armored vehicles. According to the developer, they're not even afraid of the AT-AT's blaster-absorbing armor, but we couldn't test it in practice. For defense against infantry, there are four anti-personnel laser cannons. Yes, there are no anti-aircraft guns, but my engineers have modified the anti-personnel guns, and now fighting off an air raid is no problem."
"So it's essentially a heavy tank?" Rahm Kota leaned forward with interest.
"More like a super-heavy," Bel Iblis clarified. "The prototype has been delivered to one of our bases, and if necessary, I'll hand over the Gargantua to our allies. I don't think it will be very difficult for them, having the schematics, to adjust their production lines not to produce flimsy Imperial tanks, but to manufacture combat platforms like this."
Combat Platform 520 "Gargantua."
"An impressive piece," Karrde declared. "Won't it be too expensive?"
"First, we need to secure Lianna's support," Mon Mothma interrupted any hint of argument. "Leia, Han, I'm counting on you."
"We'll do everything in our power," Solo replied.
"And one last thing," Mon Mothma looked at Admiral Eclipse, Galen Marek, and General Kota. "We'll contact Koensayr to find out if they need our support. If we save them from conquest by the Empire or one of its Remnants, with subsequent nationalization of the corporation, they'll clearly be grateful and supply the necessary weapons. I'm asking you, Galen and Juno, to go there and ensure their safety if the planet wants to deal with us. As for you, General Kota, you'll lead a battle group to defend Sullust. I also ask you to find out from SoroSuub what contribution they're ready to make to our common future victory."
"Honestly," the Jedi objected stubbornly, "I'd like to train Lady Organa-Solo. She's a novice Jedi, I've heard. And in the absence of her brother, we'll need every Jedi we can gather to repel Palpatine's attack. I have no doubt he has someone on standby after Darth Vader's death."
"Or, even worse, Vader had not only cloning cylinders at Kamino but also my DNA," Marek added grimly. "In my time, I had to do the impossible to kill those clones he set on me. And no one can guarantee that the Empire didn't keep a reserve for a rainy day. Even if we destroyed the cloning center, I repeat, there's no guarantee that, just as with Vader's secret apprentice training, the Emperor wasn't aware of his successor's schemes."
A tense pause fell.
Everyone present sat and realized how bad things would be if the Emperor had dozens, or worse — hundreds or thousands — of uncontrollable, aggressive clones ready to kill anyone their commander pointed a finger at.
"I suggest we don't give in to despair ahead of time," Han said diplomatically, seeing how serious everyone's faces had become after Marek's last words. "If Palpatine has Jedi, even cloned ones, why hasn't he used them yet?"
"Remember Luke's story about Polis Massa," Leia said. "He was attacked by dark Jedi. Maybe they were clones — without Luke himself, we can't say for sure."
"Just as we can't get to Kamino to sort out what happened," Marek lamented.
"What the Empire had on Kamino, we destroyed," Eclipse said sharply. "And if we're going to sit around now, afraid that the Empire has another joker up its sleeve, then we might as well run and hide now. Personally, I'm not agreeing to that. We have to fight."
"Dearie," Han's crooked grin vanished when he saw the looks converging on him — Leia's wary and promising plenty of future trouble, Marek's interested, Eclipse's disapproving and clearly hiding plenty of barbs in response — "ahem, Admiral Eclipse, no one's planning to give up. But as for that 'joker,' I wouldn't count on it. Palpatine has been preparing for this for years — he almost certainly has a whole rigged deck."
"That doesn't change the situation," Eclipse cut off. "We have to fight. Period."
"I agree," Rahm Kota said reluctantly, turning his head toward Leia. "Well, Princess, I've managed to show you some Jedi skills over these few weeks. I hope we'll continue the lessons when things get a little quieter in the galaxy."
"If everything works out, we'll have a chance to create a full-fledged military force to repel the Empire's attack," Bel Iblis declared.
"The Empire, maybe," Rahm Kota said. "But what will we do when Palpatine and his pack crawl out of the Deep Core?"
"Hope that by then the New Republic hasn't fallen and, as Thrawn predicted, will become a buffer that protects the entire galaxy from that madman," Mon Mothma said.
"An alliance with the Dominion, which currently has a sheer abundance of ships, you categorically don't consider?" Karrde asked.
"Not after Luke rid the galaxy of Thrawn," Han said, looking guiltily at Leia.
"Even if that hadn't happened, even then we would not have become allies with the Dominion," Mon Mothma said firmly. "In the past, cooperating with the Imperials, we already made many mistakes and only brought more trouble on our heads. If Thrawn wanted an alliance, he would have surrendered, as Octavian Grant did, told us everything he knows and helped us destroy Palpatine, instead of starting a war that engulfed the entire galaxy."
Leia opened her mouth to say that there was also their fault in the confrontation, as well as their demonstrative denial of the truths Thrawn had tried to convey to them, but, meeting the angry gaze of the Chandrilan woman, she remained silent.
"So I understand no one is planning to negotiate with the New Republic either?" Rahm Kota clarified in a grumpy tone. "Together we could give the Empire a good thrashing."
"I will propose a temporary alliance to Fey'lya," Mon Mothma suddenly announced.
"Agent Katarn," the head of the Alliance addressed Kyle, who was sitting at the table. "You are to make secret visits to several sectors to ascertain the mood of the local population toward us. The faster the Alliance deals with the most pressing problems, the more firmly we will stand on our feet to face all adversities. I will send you the list of planets after the meeting ends."
"It will be done," Kyle Katarn replied.
"Mr. Calrissian, Mr. Karrde, I ask you to continue gathering intelligence that is vital to us," the Chandrilan said, addressing both named men.
"You pay, I work," Karrde replied calmly. "Though, progress already — no one has attacked me since Sluis Van."
"You still haven't found out who was behind the attack on your suite?" Calrissian asked in surprise.
"Of course I found out," Karrde grimaced. "Naturally, it was Thrawn's people. They also killed my guards and most of my men on the ropes and in the docks."
"It seems Thrawn intended to destroy your organization after completing his campaign," Leia suggested.
"He almost succeeds every time," Karrde shrugged. "And every time I have to pick up the pieces again. It's not the first time. The organization works, regularly receives credits," he nodded to Mon Mothma, "and gives information. Business as usual."
"I think we should focus our efforts on Imperial Space's advances on Taris and Tanaab," Leia suggested. "So we know exactly what to expect from there."
"Thank you for the advice, Princess," Karrde smiled. "I'm working on all fronts at once. I think even before you start your diplomatic games, my people will already know where you shouldn't stick your nose and why."
"That would be good," Rahm Kota grumbled.
"The meeting is adjourned," Mon Mothma proclaimed. "Each of you has an assignment — and I hope it will be carried out. May the Force be with us all."
They dispersed in complete silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
* * *
Garos IV, orbiting two moons, was a pleasant world of forests, mountains, and oceans.
It was located in the Mid Rim, that is, at a considerable distance from the Dominion's home territories, on the western fringes of a sector with the odd name of Msst.
Msst Sector.
Not far from the Mandalorian Sector, which, despite the passions and conflicts raging in the galaxy, remained, in contradiction to the eternal warlikeness of the Mandalorians, a quiet and peaceful place.
The population of Garos IV mostly lived on the single continent in three major centers: a coastal resort town on the ocean shore; a production base and agricultural breadbasket — a city named Garan, located on the banks of a beautiful, deep river, not far from an equally lovely and quiet valley.
And also in the capital itself, named Ariana.
The Imperial mining complex, from which hybridium was extracted — a non-exclusive resource for our cloaking fields of Project 'Asteroid-II' was located in the mountains that lay on a cape by the ocean.
The planet, with a population of just under twenty-five million inhabitants, was largely self-sufficient, so fluctuations in the economies of the states it had belonged to at various points in history did not greatly affect this world.
In addition to Garos IV, the system also had another inhabited planet — Sundari.
A mining world that received food supplies from Garos, it had once been at war with the latter.
Until I sent Captain Dorja here over half a year ago to pacify Republican cells, there had been a slow-burning 'cold war' between the planets.
Dorja's Star Destroyer put an end to that.
How?
Very simply and purely militarily — he extracted the instigators from both planets, held a public hearing, found both sides guilty, and executed them.
Having studied the reports on this incident, I must say that Dorja acted harshly, but it led to a reduction in confrontation between the planets.
Now both work for the benefit of the Dominion, and if the reports of Major General Karner, responsible for the military contingent in the system, are to be believed, among the inhabitants of Garos and Sundari there are many wishing to enlist not just in the Dominion's armed forces, but directly in the regular fleet, whose exploits against the New Republic have spread fairly widely across the galaxy.
Not least due to the popularization of the campaign through the media.
I set aside the major general's report and looked at the vice admiral sitting opposite me.
"And how do you intend to resolve the current crisis, Dorja?" I inquired of the squadron commander protecting the system.
Three Star Destroyers, a dozen heavy cruisers, two dozen escort frigates of the Nebulon-B type in Dominion modifications.
Not to mention a regiment of stormtroopers on each planet and ground-based aviation — Aethersprites upgraded by the Dominion.
The Vice Admiral, taking a large gulp and half-emptying the water from his glass, looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"Rules are rules, sir," he said uncertainly. "I have nearly three hundred thousand volunteers wanting to enlist in the fleet. Young men — both humans and non-humans, aged fifteen to thirty. Mostly former farm kids or from families of small industrialists. Almost every single one has qualifications for operating or maintaining light equipment. Civilian, of course — tractors, combines, speeders, irrigators, and so on. But it's a good foundation to grow something greater from them."
"That's precisely why I changed my route to come to Garos," I explained the reason for stopping at Garos. "According to our own laws, these sentients cannot immediately enter the regular fleet."
"Yes, sir, they first need to serve in the Defense Forces," Dorja agreed. "But I must note that in the Msst sector, there aren't many star systems of interest. If I had additional equipment for these recruits, additional ships, then I could organize the capture of these systems in a short time and subjugate the sector to the Dominion."
"Using conscripts?" I clarified.
"The capture of the sector can be postponed for some time," Dorja's enthusiasm waned. "And send the recruits to training centers for preparation, then transfer them to the regular forces..."
"No, Vice Admiral," I objected, looking the man straight in the eye. "No matter the enthusiasm of our conscripts, none of them have experience serving in the Imperial Army, and therefore legally have no right to serve in the regular forces. There are only two options. First — they are sent on a general basis to educational institutions and serve their conscription in the Dominion Defense Forces, with subsequent transfer to the regular fleet based on personal application and contract scheme. Second..."
Crews for nearly ten Star Destroyers...
Which are practically falling into our hands.
If only we agree.
After all, after recruiting criminals, to send those who are eager to the front line — is that as criminal as it seems?
What does it cost to just change the law and scoop up several million fighters at once?
It's so simple...
Just two papers — one to repeal the previous law, the second to write a new one.
"The second, sir?" repeated Vice Admiral Dorja, clearly hoping for the answer I had interrupted with my thoughts.
"The second, Vice Admiral," I said, making a decision. "These volunteers remain on Garos IV and study the Dominion's laws more thoroughly. Without service in the Defense Forces, they are not needed in the regular forces. Convey that to their initiative group."