Ten years, two months, and twenty days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or forty-fifth year, second month, and twentieth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Nine months and five days since the Arrival.)
"The situation is getting seriously complicated," said General Bel Iblis after Leia finished telling him and Mon Mothma the details of her negotiations with Lord Bonteri.
"More than that," the Alliance leader agreed. "I remember Lux from his work in the Senate — both in the last months of the Old Republic and in the Imperial Senate. I never would have thought such a decent boy could grow into such an arrogant monster."
"Beings have a tendency to change, Mon," Bel Iblis remarked. "If someone had told me thirty years ago where we'd end up, I wouldn't have believed it and would have laughed in their face."
"Either way, the Tion Hegemony is resolute," Organa-Solo concluded.
"I would even say — 'very brazen,'" Bel Iblis declared. "A boy, placed at the head of an ambitious, strong, and wealthy House, decided he could dictate terms to us."
"Be that as it may, he is dictating them," Mon sighed. "Understanding perfectly and hinting unambiguously that we don't have many options. If we don't make a deal with them, we'll leave a powerful enemy with an Imperial fleet at our backs."
"Which he intends to preserve in order to stay in power," Leia noted. "The Tions want to revive their territories, and also to profit from those they lost a very, very long time ago."
"And they want to do it with our hands," Bel Iblis said bitterly. "Through negotiations or military action, but he clearly has no intention of solving the problems himself."
"His self-confidence is almost enviable," Mon Mothma shook her head. "Other sectors also have sizable fleets and ambitious leaders, so counting on a bloodless annexation is overly optimistic."
"I think Lux Bonteri fully understands how much Tion blood will be shed if he decides to subjugate neighboring sectors by brute force," Leia suggested.
"Yes, that's clear," Mon Mothma agreed. "They're trying to use us for something we're not happy about."
"On the other hand," the former Alderaanian princess stated, "if we manage to persuade other sectors to join the Tion Hegemony, it would mean a major diplomatic success — and we'd gain a powerful industrial and economic ally."
Mon Mothma and Bel Iblis exchanged glances, then looked at Leia with somber expressions.
"No, I understand it will cost us time and nerves," Darth Vader's daughter began, "but when it works out, the entire galaxy will see our determination and understand..."
"Palpatine didn't divide these sectors just on a whim," Mon Mothma declared. "If it were merely a territorial division — revenge for supporting the Confederacy of Independent Systems — one could say the peoples would indeed be willing to reunite. But in the Senate, we saw something completely different."
"I don't understand," Leia frowned.
"In the Tion Hegemony, discontent among the territories toward each other had been brewing for a very long time," General Bel Iblis came to the Alliance leader's aid. "Palpatine divided the Hegemony into various sectors early in his reign as Emperor, when he still needed the Senate to control the galaxy. So he carved up the Hegemony not recklessly — that is, against the will of the majority — but to please them. Each of the opposing aristocratic factions received a territory where subjects historically loyal to them and their ideals lived."
"Then, with the formation of the new sectors, he introduced senators from them into the Imperial Senate, thus gaining their support by satisfying their nationalistic aspirations," Mon Mothma continued.
"After which he began his favorite game — giving his sycophants what they wanted, but not in amounts that would fully satisfy them and make them apathetic," Bel Iblis said. "He showed his appointees in the new territories that they could get absolutely everything they desired — but only by supporting him and his decisions."
"He replaced the local population's interests," Mon Mothma explained with a sigh. "He shifted their focus from galactic-wide problems to national claims and power struggles. Yes, it took him years, but as a result, we now have sectors that are intensely hostile to each other — except for the weakest, who know they'll fall first in an armed takeover. The others, like the Cronese Mandate, the Allied Tion, and, until recently, Lianna, will fight for their independence to the end. The history of the Tion Cluster is a history of confrontation between peoples whose nationalistic feelings were ratcheted up to the maximum by Palpatine and cultivated over the last twenty-five years."
"Oh," Leia sighed. "I'd heard the Tions had numerous disagreements even among themselves, but I couldn't believe they were this serious."
"It's far worse," Mon Mothma said, offering no comfort at all. "Lux Bonteri may have managed to negotiate with the Thanium Worlds somehow, but regarding the Allied Tion sector, the Cronese Mandate, Indrexu, and Keldat, I very much doubt he's even held any negotiations."
"You think he openly lied to me about his diplomatic progress?" Leia clarified.
"As if politicians telling the truth in negotiations is a common enough occurrence," Bel Iblis grumbled.
"I suspect he at least embellished what's happening," Mon Mothma stated. "Perhaps secret negotiations did occur, but open ones... It's unlikely any of the aristocrats would have agreed to that. Take the Cronese Mandate, for example — it's been ruled by the aristocracy of House Cron for decades. Since the Empire's founding, the local government and upper classes have done nothing but hang on the Emperor's every word. They have a huge military fleet of their own — and on top of that, the Empire stationed one of its largest garrisons and sector fleets there."
"Which is logical, given that the Cronese Mandate's main export is raw materials that were vital to the Empire for building and maintaining its bloated war machine," Bel Iblis added grimly.
"The worst part is something else," Mon Mothma said. "The population of the Cronese Mandate organically cannot stand the Tions. And not just the inhabitants of the Tion Hegemony — but also the inhabitants of other sectors they also consider Tions. That's why I believe Bonteri is at least exaggerating what he's done to restore the Tion Hegemony to its historical borders."
"When you think about it, he decided to climb into a reactor that's gone critical to fix it with someone else's hands," Bel Iblis sighed. "And I'm speaking strictly from a military perspective. Houses Tion and Cron have the largest fleets in this region. They could easily crush their neighbors and expand their zones of control. But they don't, because they understand how hard it will be to defend their territories in case of failure. So they're just waiting for one of them to weaken enough for the other to seize their territory with minimal losses to their own forces."
"They've chosen us as the scapegoat," Leia said in dismay.
"I'm afraid so," Mon Mothma agreed. "I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turns out that the starships that attacked the Tion Hegemony's mercenary fleet at Galidraan were Bonteri's own doing."
"But according to him, that cost him the Thanium Worlds, which doubted his strength," Leia stated.
Bel Iblis laughed bitterly.
"Conquering the Thanium Worlds is nothing for Bonteri," the Corellian said. "Especially now that they have practically no defense except planetary. But that would mean regrouping his forces. Which wouldn't escape the Cronese Mandate's notice. That's why Bonteri sent mercenaries there — he spent money to secure his investment and prevent expansion into the Tion Hegemony from his neighbors. If negotiations actually took place, after some time he could easily announce the annexation of the Thanium Worlds to the Hegemony. And none of the other sectors would say or do anything — because his main fleet is in the Hegemony and could head into neighboring territory at any moment. And no one would dare take the Thanium Worlds from him — because that would weaken their own fleets in their home sectors. A clean outmaneuvering of the enemy with minimal shooting."
"But then it wasn't in his interest for his own mercenaries to be destroyed," Leia noted. "Otherwise none of what you described would have worked."
"I see two possibilities here," Bel Iblis declared. "We can't determine whether those were actually his mercenaries, or the forces of the Thanium Worlds, as they claim. Second — we can't rule out the possibility that a third party intervened. Because, I want to remind you, those ships that attacked Galidraan were transmitting the identification codes of our star cruisers. Which, as it happens, have disappeared. Whether they were destroyed or captured — we don't know yet. But the fact that our identification codes were used suggests that at the very least, our task force's departure from Lantillis was being watched. Local security is turning every corner to find the spy. But it seems to me it won't yield any results."
"According to Bonteri, besides the identification codes, the attacking starships had an identical engine signature," Leia stated. "Identical to those that left Lantillis. Some reliable source told him that — I've forwarded you a data copy."
"Which again raises questions for us," Bel Iblis agreed. "So Bonteri has his own network of informants operating on Lantillis. Let's assume the provocation isn't his doing. Then we have another spy network that had access to our ships to record their identification codes and engine frequencies. But that can only be done from a short distance — a few dozen units. In that case, both intelligence networks were operating directly in the Lantillis shipyards. Given that the security forces on that planet aren't idiots, it's impossible for them to have missed two spy networks simultaneously — and they are networks, because the ships were in different docks, in different parts of the orbit, and only their own crews work there. That's utter incompetence."
"Forgive me, but I've lost the thread," Leia admitted with some shame. "What does all this mean?"
"Bonteri is leading us by the nose," Bel Iblis sighed. "Lantilles Shipyard Security is among the best in the galaxy. I have no doubt they couldn't have missed five or ten spies infiltrating the yards. Getting in there isn't that simple. So, let's assume the engine frequency data and transponder codes weren't obtained on Lantilles. That leaves us with two options — either our ships were captured in transit, or they were destroyed, their data was recorded, and other Mon Calamari cruisers were passed off as ours."
Leia flinched once more during this conversation.
"If we didn't know Thrawn was dead, I'd start thinking all these seemingly incoherent situations were part of his grand plan," the former princess admitted.
"We can't rule that out either," Bel Iblis declared.
"Garm, we've already discussed this," Mon Mothma said sternly. "Thrawn is dead!"
"Or the Dominion wants us to think that," the Corellian insisted stubbornly, clearly not voicing this argument for the first time.
Leia looked at the head of the Alliance and the Supreme Commander in surprise.
It seemed they'd argued about this between themselves more than once.
"From a political standpoint, it's too stupid to create a Dominion and pretend you've died," Mon Mothma shook her head.
"But it would free his hands," Bel Iblis countered. "I don't think Palpatine, when he shows up, will be thrilled about what the Grand Admiral has done. If you strip away the veneer of everything the New Republic has acknowledged as its own actions — the attack on Lianna, the raids on convoys from Lianna and the Pentastar Alignment, the destruction of the Ubiqtorate — you can grasp a simple truth: he was fighting not just against the New Republic, but against pro-Imperial Remnants as well. Palpatine would never have forgiven him for that. No, I think Thrawn, like Palpatine in his time, has gone into the shadows. And he coordinates his armed forces without fear for his life."
The New Republic accepted responsibility for destroying the Ubiqtorate? Leia thought, stunned.
She wanted to ask about it directly, but she didn't dare pose that question to Mon Mothma or Bel Iblis.
Better to discreetly ask Winter or Han.
Or maybe Karrde, if he got in touch, and didn't just drop her off at Dac and go about his business like Lando had.
"If Luke really did kill him, he couldn't have been mistaken," Leia said. "Confusing a sentient with a droid or even a double is impossible. Visually, maybe, but in the Force... That's a completely different way of identifying sentients."
"The Empire always had enough resources to pass off wishful thinking as reality," Bel Iblis wouldn't give in. "Remember how Thrawn operated! He struck with seemingly unconnected blows that ultimately led to his desired outcome! And we never understood what was happening until it was too late."
"Garm, you have an obsession," Mon Mothma declared. "You want Thrawn to be alive so you can have the chance to fight him again. It's a commander's pride talking."
"Yes, by the Hutt!*" the Corellian flared up. "That sentient played the entire galaxy, leading us all by the nose like we were little children and he was our preschool teacher, flicking the light switch and claiming he commanded the stars! He crushed two of our fleets and slipped off the scanner screens undefeated!"
Mon Mothma and Leia exchanged a discreet glance.
An obsession in the Supreme Commander's head was a danger worse than a Mandalorian attack.
"So far, we have no evidence whatsoever that Thrawn survived and faked his death," Mon Mothma declared. "But, let's assume for a moment you're right. We don't have the strength right now to attack the Dominion. We even rejected the original plan to intervene in the D'Astan sector due to lack of resources. Right now, we have a much more threatening situation — our fleet is holding back the advance of Imperial Space. And in all likelihood, there's a danger of another front opening — in the Tion Cluster."
"That's practically a done deal," Bel Iblis waved a hand. "Negotiations, as you yourself said, are a pipe dream. So if we need the Tion Hegemony, we should prepare for war with the sectors Lord Bonteri named. I don't see any other options."
"We'll do everything possible to prevent that," Leia assured him. "You can never reject diplomacy as long as there's even a chance to solve a problem without bloodshed."
"In any case, I wouldn't recommend trusting this Bonteri's words about an alliance," Bel Iblis said unexpectedly.
"What do you mean?" Leia asked.
"Purely in a military sense," Bel Iblis clarified. "He's offering us markets, financial and other support. But what's he asking in return? Territorial concessions from us — giving him Lianna. Not to mention that he's claiming the Allied Tion sector, the Kronos Mandate, Indrexu, and Keldat for himself. Let's focus on this. He wants Lianna and the Thanium Worlds. By uniting those sectors, he gains control over a vast stretch of the Perlemian Trade Route and effectively splits the Alliance in two — the part close to the Mon Calamari sector and the part close to Lantilles. Meanwhile, we pull our production facilities out of Lianna, I assume, and hand him a convenient trade world, not to mention that the Corporate Sector runs a huge number of its caravans through Lianna across the galaxy. That's precisely why we intended to establish an outpost on the planet — to tax those shipments. Without Lianna, which links the network of regional hyperspace routes from the Thanium Worlds... effectively, if Bonteri wanted, he could easily block all such interstellar routes with his fleet and leave us with the same situation Thrawn created for the Empire when he closed off almost all their routes through the New Territories. That means increased shipping time to bypass the blockade, higher commodity prices, and slower response times for our forces against threats from one direction. Not to mention we have Dominion fortress planets like Makem Te, Trogan, and Columex right under our noses."
"Your concerns are understandable," Mon Mothma sighed. "They haunt me too — if Bonteri gains control over all those pro-Imperial sectors, he could claim dominance over the nearby territories and compete with us."
"Well, at least we're agreed on assessing the threat," Bel Iblis said with a humorless smile, glancing at Leia.
"One way or another, we have to acknowledge the obvious," he continued. "Bonteri knows where and how to apply pressure. And how to exploit the situation for maximum personal gain. While throwing dust in the enemy's eyes. That's why I say I don't believe Thrawn is dead — too much in the galaxy is happening as if by chance. Take the Dominion's capture of Kessel. We're already feeling our supply of powerful medicines shrinking..."
Leia stared straight ahead at the polished surface of the metal table.
But right now, she saw much farther than just the flat tabletop in front of her.
The Force came to her aid.
Raising her eyes, she looked at the head of the Alliance and the Supreme Commander sitting before her.
"What if Bonteri wasn't the one who started this provocation on Galidraan?" she voiced her question quietly.
"What do you mean?" Mon Mothma didn't understand.
"He's the most obvious beneficiary of our intervention in the Tion Cluster's affairs," Bel Iblis said. "Getting what he wants through others' hands. Since he admires the Emperor so much, it's like him to parody him on his own regional scale."
"'Grand Admiral Thrawn and his Dominion showed the entire galaxy what happens when states and sentients act solely out of their own pragmatic interests,'" Leia said thoughtfully, staring at one point. "'Get used to it — you're unlikely to find a friendly atmosphere at any other negotiating table.'"
"What does that mean?" Mon Mothma asked, alarm in her voice.
"Bonteri isn't the only one taking cues from the powers that be, one way or another," Leia shook her head, as if throwing off a trance.
A veil that had covered her eyes.
"Still, I don't understand what that quote was about," Mon Mothma insisted.
"The last thing Lord Bonteri said to me before our meeting ended," Leia explained. "Thrawn really did have too great an influence on the galaxy. We've noted that ourselves. But Bonteri wasn't the only one who held Thrawn up as a positive example. Remember how one of the members of the Provisional Council pointed out that the New Republic should follow the Grand Admiral's example when it comes to upholding its interests and getting what it wants by any means necessary."
"I still don't see what this means," Bel Iblis frowned. "Maybe Mon's and my brains have rusted..."
"Pragmatic interests," Leia said, unable to contain the emotions surging through her, and she jumped up from her chair. "Let's put the facts together. Which of our acquaintances would walk over anyone for their own interests? Who called us radicals who would walk over anyone? And now you yourself said that the New Republic, which was disavowing the destruction of the Ubiqtorate and the attacks on convoys across the galaxy, suddenly acknowledged all of it."
"Fey'lya?" Mon Mothma suggested doubtfully. "No, he wouldn't encroach on our territory to..."
"To replicate the Grand Admiral's tactics and simulate an attack using other forces?" Leia clarified. "Bonteri outright said that the Dominion sold the New Republic all its captured Mon Calamari Star Cruisers. And not so long ago, we heard that the New Republic, retreating due to a shortage of capital ships, suddenly struck an Imperial rear base. Where did they get the extra warships?"
"They can't even repair the ones they have," Bel Iblis said thoughtfully. "Their yards on Rendili and Bestine IV are flooded with damaged Mon Calamari cruisers. They don't have as many operational warships as it seems..."
"Now imagine that Fey'lya, who already suffered reputational damage after our intervention in the Battle of Lantillis, decided to use a proxy attack to prevent our alliance with the Tion Hegemony," Leia continued with fervor, feeling her blood begin to boil from having found the right path while wandering in fog. "He held those ships in reserve for several months, and now — a massive strike that pushes back the capture of Carida. And the attack on Bonteri's mercenaries — scuttling a direct alliance with us. And instead of immediate aid from the Tion Hegemony, at best we'll get an ally in a few years."
"If we get one at all," Bel Iblis corrected her.
"There's the answer to where the engine frequency data and our ships' transponder codes leaked!" Leia continued speaking with enthusiasm. "There were no spy infiltrations like we assumed. It's just that there are people on the Lantilles shipyards who sympathize with the New Republic, not the Alliance. It wouldn't be hard for them to record the necessary data!"
"That's possible," Bel Iblis furrowed his brows. "But taking such a risk just to prevent an alliance between the Alliance and the Hegemony..."
"On the contrary," Leia interrupted the Corellian. "This is exactly in Fey'lya's spirit. The Imperial advance was already stalling due to excessive losses. And the Bothans decided to prevent our strengthening, to keep us from launching a counterattack!"
"The Imperials haven't reached Carida and are forced to fight planetary battles," Bel Iblis continued. "The New Republic is holding the last lines on that front. Rumors say Grand Moff Kaine's Reaper has come out of repairs and is moving to the front lines. If we'd launched a counteroffensive with Hegemony forces, we could have retaken many systems from Tanaab to Brentaal IV. We'd have had the advantage in warships, and then..."
The Corellian stopped short.
"Are you thinking the same thing I am, General?" Mon Mothma asked, exchanging glances with the Corellian.
"If Fey'lya can destroy or capture the Reaper and its battle group, that would finally cause the Pentastar Alignment's offensive to sputter out," he replied. "If Fey'lya has reserves — even a dozen Star Cruisers and supporting escort forces — he could launch a counterstrike afterward and force the Alignment to retreat. And we, stripped of Hegemony support, would be stuck on Lantilles even longer. If Fey'lya really intends to counterstrike against Kaine and defeat him, then, again just speculation, he might use Thrawn's tactic of broadcasting his victory across the entire galaxy. Without the Reaper and its group, the Alignment's fleet is a mass of heavy cruisers that can't handle the New Republic's Star Cruisers. And if Rendili really is producing new Star Destroyers, the counterstrike could push the Imperials all the way back to the Zero Sector."
"To Coruscant," Mon Mothma breathed.
"Now do you see how advantageous it was for Fey'lya to sabotage our negotiations?" Leia clarified.
"He doesn't want to allow our victories and counterstrikes — he intends to win glory for himself," Mon Mothma nodded slowly. "But we understand that. How can we convince Bonteri that Fey'lya, or someone from the New Republic, is behind the attack on his mercenaries?"
Leia, buoyed by her logical victory, slumped.
"We can't," Bel Iblis answered in her place. "We understand that the Bothans know and love underhanded games. Selling someone out for an extra profit is standard behavior for them. Now, of course, we understand where the rumors come from — that cargo ships are transporting military equipment for the Dominion across half the galaxy. Fey'lya, lacking resources, agreed to let the New Republic take the blame for what Thrawn did. And as a bonus, he hands over Imperial junk. In return, he got ships that he used to mess with everyone. But that's nothing more than speculation, not based on facts," the general said in disappointment. "Like my assumptions that Thrawn, who didn't die but went into the shadows, is behind everything. Without evidence, it's just a hypothesis. Same with Fey'lya's involvement in the provocation against the Alliance-Tion Hegemony alliance. Bonteri will laugh at us if we don't provide proof. But —" seeing Mon Mothma open her mouth to object, he raised a warning finger. "If Fey'lya isn't an idiot, and he isn't an idiot, especially after being captured and feeling Thrawn's genius firsthand, then he's already destroyed all evidence pointing to his involvement. Engine frequencies can be reprogrammed by replacing some equipment or entire engines. That's probably what they did — they're not getting replacement parts from Dac for their ships anyway. And they could install fake transponders too. Unfortunately," he sighed heavily, "we won't prove anything to Bonteri unless the Bothans confess."
"And they'd sooner roll in dirt than admit to backroom scheming," Mon Mothma concluded in disappointment. "And now, for the Alliance to survive, we'll have to play by Bonteri's rules, hoping to gain a strong ally. Because now it's clear — if Fey'lya isn't above such dirty games, then he's definitely heading for a confrontation with the Alliance..."
"Unless Palpatine stops him," Leia countered.
"Strangely enough, that's our only hope," Bel Iblis said with a bitter smile. "All we can do is not let the Empire advance further and slowly build up our armed forces. Fey'lya apparently doesn't really believe in Palpatine's existence or his secret fleet in the Deep Core, since he rejected a similar containment strategy. He's pushing forward and clearly intends to break the Alignment and Imperial Space piece by piece. Until Kaine suffers too much damage, Orinda won't even stir to help."
"And vice versa," Mon Mothma noted.
"Besides, Imperial Space has its main forces aimed at us," Leia reminded them. "And until we get interdictors, we could face attacks..."
"We've already returned the old interdictors to service," Bel Iblis waved dismissively. "The problem is we don't have enough of them. We need ready-made solutions to increase our ship numbers, but building Imperial or Corellian variants takes too long and costs too much..."
The Force helped her this time too.
"Loronar Corporation," Leia said. "They had designs for medium Strike-class cruisers with gravity well generators."
"They did," the Corellian agreed. "Not the Sith's own, but..."
"They build quickly and aren't expensive," Leia pointed out the advantages. "Besides, you said yourself that Admiral Eclipse should strike Loronar to drive Moff Getelles out of there."
"I did say that," Bel Iblis winced. "But I don't think she's ready for something like that..."
"Garm," Mon Mothma joined the conversation. "We need those ships. How did the Dominion manage to get to Kessel? How did they manage to attack our Star Cruisers?"
"Only if the enemy penetrated our borders," Bel Iblis agreed absently. "Yes, we need more interdictors. I'll talk to Eclipse about preparing for an attack."
"If we can set up patrols on the regional routes Thrawn liked to use, and Pellaeon is certainly still using, we could cut off reinforcements and supplies to their Kessel group," Leia developed the thought. "And prevent enemy ships from breaking through and moving through our territory."
"What does Kessel have to do with this?" Bel Iblis frowned.
"Kessel is spice, and spice is money," Organa-Solo explained.
"Leia, I'm from Corellia," the former senator said with a good-natured grin. "I know what spice is..."
"Imagine if we could control its sale to medical organizations across the galaxy?" the former princess asked.
"That's a huge amount of money, not to mention replenishing our own stocks of powerful medicines," the Alliance Supreme Commander finally understood. "And then we wouldn't need the Tion Hegemony's financial support!"
"And we wouldn't have to wage war with half a dozen sectors, weakening ourselves before Palpatine's arrival!" Leia continued. "Instead, we can trick Bonteri!"
"What?" Mon Mothma was taken aback. "How?"
"We'll pretend we're negotiating with the smaller sectors on his behalf," she said. "But not for them to join the Tion Hegemony — we'll offer them membership in the Alliance! I'm sure that once they see the threats coming from Allied Tion, the Tion Hegemony, and the Kronos Mandate, they won't take long to choose a side."
"Bonteri will be furious when he finds out he's been deceived by his own instructions," the head of the Alliance declared. "He might lose his temper, make a deal with the Kronos Mandate, and attack us..."
"Then we'll be cleverer," Leia narrowed her eyes. "What else did he want from us? Lianna? So let's give him the planet, stripped of all our industrial facilities. We'll evacuate all the specialists and everyone who doesn't want to join the Tionese."
"I still don't see the logic," Bel Iblis frowned, as he often did. "We give him a planet as compensation for several sectors? Who would fall for that?"
"Probably those whose sector Lianna belongs to," Leia smiled, pleased that she'd managed to outmaneuver the general tactically. "Moff Gronn, by all accounts, recently reinforced his army and stashed most of his fleet somewhere. We won't tell anyone that we're handing over Lianna without all the industrial equipment Gronn so desperately wants, will we?"
"The Tion Hegemony and Allied Tion will go to war over Lianna's production facilities — which won't be there," Mon Mothma realized, her eyes widening. "That's... a multi-layered gambit, something they definitely won't expect from us. From Thrawn, Palpatine, Iceheart, the Bothans — maybe. But not from the Alliance, which has never built multi-stage plans. It might actually work."
Leia felt a faint tremor in the Force when Mon Mothma mentioned Ysanne Isard.
Iceheart's fate was still unknown.
Her ability to manipulate enemies, on the other hand, was all too well known.
But based on indirect evidence, the Alliance believed Iceheart had either died during General Madine's operation aboard the Lusankya, or (which was also true if she was dead) her subordinates had taken the Super Star Destroyer into the Deep Core and joined the Emperor.
Unless Bel Iblis's opinion was correct — that Ysanne was indeed dead, and the ship was in the Dominion.
Alongside the one that had destroyed Admiral Ackbar's fleet.
But then, Bel Iblis could be wrong, due to his manic conviction that Thrawn had survived.
Because some time ago, he'd claimed Thrawn might actually be dead, and Ysanne Isard was controlling the Dominion, holding reserve forces for the resurrected Emperor's needs.
But none of this had the slightest confirmation.
The Alliance had more important problems to solve here and now.
And ideally, they needed to have been solved yesterday.
But seasoned freedom fighters were used to playing catch-up.
"And, as we assumed, seeing their weakened state, the Kronos Mandate might attack them," Leia continued. "If we can increase our capital ship numbers to the required level by then, we, not them, will come and finish off the remnants of the pro-Imperial regimes."
"We can't rely on the Mon Calamari for this," Mon Mothma stated regretfully. "They build their newest ships quickly, but not quickly enough for our plans."
"But we have the Star Destroyers captured at Lianna," Leia reminded them.
"Yes, I promised them to General Solo," Bel Iblis said. "To strengthen Lianna's defenses."
"However, if we're withdrawing troops from there, we have no need to hold Lianna," Mon Mothma noted reasonably. "Controlling spice extraction and sales will cover our financial shortfalls many times over. We won't need Lord Bonteri's support or taxes on Corporate Sector shipments at all. By capturing Kessel with our free forces, we'll solve all the Alliance's current problems."
"We'll simultaneously eliminate the threat in our rear and seize their territories, industry, and economy without any dubious deals," Bel Iblis drummed his fingers on the table. "Yes, I think this is precisely the best way out of the situation we're in. Leia, you're a born tactician!"
The former princess modestly lowered her eyes, deeming it unnecessary to reveal whose developments she had actually used.
After all, she, not Winter, had been the one to weave them into a single picture.
* * *
Bossk's eyes narrowed, definitively rejecting any hint that Trandoshans had evolved.
"You s-s-say Courkrus-s-s was-s-s subjected to orbital bombardment?" His voice literally resembled a snake's hiss.
"Not the whole planet," "Serg" stated. "Only the capital — Vlarnia — and the spaceport were destroyed."
"Makes-s-s no different to me," Bossk hissed irritably.
"Well, there actually is a difference," remarked Marg Sonat, sitting to the right of his boss. "The rest of the planet wasn't hit. There's still a local population that wasn't harmed..."
The next moment, the Ithorian was already flying to the deck plating, knocked from his chair by a powerful punch from the Trandoshan to the head.
"Silence!" Bossk roared. "I don't care about the whole planet! I don't care about the natives! I needed the Kiyuimin Survivors and the other gangs! And now they're gone!"
"I don't think all of them," Sergius grimaced. "The Republicans landed Wookiee troops, so some were definitely taken prisoner."
"Strange that you survived," Sonat said, rubbing his large head as he picked himself up off the floor and sat down at the other end of the table — further from Bossk. "Or was that not an accident?"
Sergius fixed the sycophant with a menacing glare.
"What are you insinuating, carrion?" he asked threateningly, rising from the table and clenching his fists. "Are you saying I led them here?"
"But a prisoner escaped from you!" the Ithorian continued, glancing ingratiatingly at his boss.
"Only because someone clearly helped him," Sergius raised his voice, boring his gaze into the Ithorian. "While I was searching the ruins of Vlarnia for survivors! Because I intended to carry out the mission I was assigned! Not sitting here like you, with both mouths shut, licking the commander's a..."
"Enough!" Bossk hissed at them both, having been deep in thought until then. "What's-s-s done is done. We need to move forward. We've been outplayed, but we're s-s-strong."
"Did that man I captured in the ruins of Vlarnia say anything else besides what I got out of him?" asked Sergius.
"Nothing that contradicted your words," the Ithorian grumbled. "As if you're both saying the same thing..."
Sergius looked at him like an Emperor would at a junior Gungan senator from Naboo.
"Are you an idiot or what?" he asked. "Everything I told you about what happened on Courkrus — I learned from him."
"That's what you say," the Ithorian countered. "But you were late..."
"Because you need to see what kind of flying scrap you give me!" Sergius declared. "And what freaks you send as guards. I can feel it, Sonat, those two 'guards' who wanted to kill me in my sleep — that's your doing."
"Don't talk bullsh-sh-sheit," Bossk intervened. "I sent Maka and Paka. And I gave them no order to kill you."
"Sorry, boss, but I don't believe those two idiots could have decided to kill me on their own," Sergius shook his head. "That kind of dirt under the claws never does anything on its own initiative. Someone sicced them on me. And the only one in the whole organization I have a disagreement with is Marg Sonat," the agent pointed an index finger at the Ithorian. "I have no doubt that he wanted me dead and to put the mission in doubt. If I knew just a little less about the layout of a Lambda shuttle, I'd be breathing vacuum by now!"
"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead!" the Ithorian boomed through both mouths, jumping up as if scalded. "And I'd do it myself, not entrust it to some incompetents who can't string two words together, let alone kill someone!"
"You'd never do anything yourself!" Sergius shot back, leaning threateningly toward the Ithorian, who recoiled from that spot as well. "A coward and a sycophant, incapable of anything!"
"I s-s-said — shut up!" the Trandoshan roared, slamming his hand on the table. "Both of you!"
Sergius obeyed the order.
But Marg Sonat did not.
"Bossk, you need to get rid of him!" the Ithorian babbled. "Since he showed up in the organization, it's been nothing but problems. You send him on a mission — and right away a secret base of the most prepared groups gets raided. Our plans for Kessel have been going down the..."
The Trandoshan did not tolerate the argument.
Like a wild beast, he leaped from his seat and lunged at his underling with his fists.
Marg Sonat managed to get up, and even blocked a couple of blows, but the next second he was on the floor, crawling into a corner.
"I!"
A kick to the stomach sent the Ithorian even further.
"S-s-said!"
This time Bossk planted his powerful foot into the Ithorian's face.
"Shut up!"
Another blow to the face — and Sonat was thrown into the corner of the room, bleeding from his broken face and one of his two disfigured mouths.
Sergius silently watched the scene of the boss punishing his closest subordinate.
Bossk delivered blows one after another, literally turning Sonat into a piece of bloody meat.
In criminal gangs, everything happens very quickly.
Including punishment for insubordination.
The information Sergius had reported to his employer, as expected, had infuriated Bossk.
The argument from his closest subordinate, who had already made mistakes, only fueled his rage.
The legend, though hastily concocted, could not be disproven by anything except the words of "Serg" himself.
Faking an alleged attack on him by both guards was not difficult.
After all, Sergius had vast experience in subversive and provocative activities.
A few simulated damages to the Lambda shuttle, with sweat-grease traces left from both corpses while they were still warm, was also not the biggest problem.
Finding and bringing in a survivor was a far more problematic matter — and Serg had added this milestone to his plan after taking off from Courkrus and his "official" arrival.
But the words of the man, one of the "survivors," merely completed the picture of what had happened.
The pirates, and they had undoubtedly tried, could not find the slightest trace that he had contacted anyone using the shuttle's equipment.
The surveillance systems the ship was literally packed with were either damaged during the "fight with the guards" or did not provide an informative recording — thanks to the Noghri and the "slicer" they had delivered.
But the vivid account of the sole "survivor" about how Mon Calamari cruisers had bombed Vlarnia, and the landed troops of Wookiees and other aliens had mercilessly mopped up those who survived the attack — that was the best demonstration that the groups on Courkrus had been destroyed not by a pro-Imperial government.
When Marg Sonat finally fell silent in the corner, Bossk's rage subsided but did not vanish entirely.
Sergius could tell by his deep breathing, narrowed pupils, and trembling fists, smeared like his feet with the blood of the Ithorian, who did not know when it was vital to shut up in time.
"Now you're my right hand, S-s-serg," Bossk ordered, breathing heavily, licking the blood from his fists.
"As you say, boss," Sergius replied without a trace of a smile or triumph, not even glancing at the piece of meat in the corner of the room. "What are your orders?"
"Firs-s-st we need to contac-c-ct our allies," Bossk pulled a rag from his belt and wiped the blood from his hands. "I was-s-s counting on the survivors and other organized gangs. Without them, it'll be hard for us to take Kess-s-sel."
"Kessel is good, of course," Sergius nodded. "Controlling the largest source of pure spice, and especially glitterstim — that's definitely necessary. Then the whole market will be ours. But since when is that a problem? There are plenty of good and dangerous guys in those mines, guarded by Imperials who haven't received reinforcements or pay for the Force knows how long. Let's just offer them to join our gang, and be done with it? Everyone wants to eat — even abandoned Imperials."
Naturally, he had no intention of revealing his knowledge of what had recently happened on Kessel.
Bossk hissed.
It took a couple of seconds for Sergius to realize the Trandoshan was laughing, not getting angry.
"Clever boy," he praised the agent. "That's-s-s exactly what we intended to do, but we'd have had to fight the leader-s-s-ship."
"Why's that?" Sergius was surprised. "Are they that stubbornly stupid?"
"They were working for another gang," the Trandoshan explained. "We intended to bribe a few of the big shots there to overthrow Morat Dul during a recent scuffle, but Pellaeon's soldiers beat us-s-s to it. Now it's the Empire there, not Dul's weakened soldiers. We'll have to fight. That's-s-s why we needed the survivors and other groups from Courkrus."
So, Bossk's gang intended to stage a coup on Kessel, controlled by "Black Sun" a front for the "Zann Consortium."
And they planned to do it by bribing several influential criminals from Dul's circle.
And all of this was supposed to happen "during a recent scuffle" the attack of the "Chimaera" and its group on Kessel.
Meanwhile, the enemy knew Dominion troops were stationed there.
Given the standard regular fleet mop-up tactic — jamming long-range communications — it was unlikely anyone there could have reported the attack during the assault.
But Bossk knew the Dominion was still there.
Therefore, they were somehow receiving information from Kessel, almost in real time.
Unpleasant news.
"So that's why all this army is necessary," Sergius nodded understandingly. "We're building up strength to fight over spheres of influence."
"Something like that," the Trandoshan replied vaguely. "We need Kess-s-sel to control the spice market. War requires money. Lots-s-s of money. We'll take Kess-s-sel from the Dominion — we'll deprive our enemies of money. And line our own pockets."
"Spice is a hot commodity," Sergius agreed with the Trandoshan's reasoning. "We can jack up prices. Especially if besides Kessel we take over a few more deposits. Then we can hire a ton of fighters all over the galaxy — and become the strongest gang."
"We're already the s-s-strongest," Bossk declared. "As soon as our ships on Nimban are finished, we'll crush all our enemies. The Account Keeper will be satisfied."
"You bet," Sergius chuckled. "So, boss, is anyone going to tell me what I'm supposed to do on your flagship?"
"Of cours-s-se," the former bounty hunter broke into a smile. "But firs-s-st we're going s-s-somewhere."
"No problem," Sergius shrugged. "Can I pick my quarters yet?"
Bossk gestured toward the exit and left the room first.
Sergius, showing respect, let his new patron go ahead.
Then, with one long stride, he crossed the room and stood over the body of the bloodied Ithorian.
Bending over it so he could conceal his hand movements, he finished the work that would guarantee him assured career advancement in Bossk's organization.
If you knew how, you could make sure a member of this species was really dead.
But Marg Sonat was breathing.
Barely perceptibly, but still alive.
"Not for long," Sergius thought, pressing several points on the unconscious criminal's body.
It took a few seconds for him to finally breathe his last foul breath.
Straightening up with a crooked grin on his face so any possible surveillance could capture it, Sergius shook his head:
"Well, Bossk, what a machine," he added genuine admiration and respect to his voice. "Killed him with his bare hands... You absolutely must not let this Trandoshan down, or I'll end up like this piece of meat."
Then he headed for the exit of the compartment.
The performance for his unknown audience continued.
However, he was already beginning to guess who was behind this gang and where all these behind-the-scenes games were heading.
* * *
Delusion.
The most underestimated and poorly covered sin in Imperial military doctrine that afflicts a commander.
It is born from a lack of real reconnaissance information and the replacement of unknown variables with one's own assumptions.
The latter stem from ignorance and the belief that whatever conveniently fits the criteria of events is actually fact.
Guesswork is dangerous and harmful.
It is precisely what leads to failure.
Along with underestimating the enemy.
Often, these appear in a commander directly on the battlefield and decide the outcome of the battle.
Which can determine the outcome of an entire campaign.
It's good when there's time to evaluate new information and sort it out.
But if last year I had plenty of time to create ideal and long-term plans, now I had to adjust multi-step strategies almost as soon as fresh intelligence came in.
Yes, it was my big mistake — to assume Palpatine didn't know that crime had gained strength.
The most rational thing would have been to pit two opposing factions against each other.
And finish off the survivors.
If I had known then what I know now, the campaign against Tyber Zann would have gone quite differently.
But what's done is done.
And now I have to adjust my plans to slip between the multi-sided millstones with minimal losses to myself.
Unfortunately, I still lack information about what is happening in the Deep Core.
And that is the most troubling thing of all.
As is the fact that Palpatine is actively infiltrating agents into the ranks of the most influential opponents.
This should have been foreseen.
A mistake.
Let's note that thought.
Such things must not be allowed.
Another point is that I currently possess information of a limited nature.
Without delving into conspiracy theories, what is known about Palpatine's actions against forces in the Corporate Sector?
That there was at least one agent of his there.
But at what level was that agent?
Was he embedded in the armed forces of the Corporate Sector?
"Black Sun"?
The "Zann Consortium"?
Yes, he mentioned in a conversation with Ventress that Palpatine would attack when the criminals had torn each other's throats out.
But to Palpatine, criminals also included the Jedi who wanted to overthrow him, based on their moral right to destroy the Sith.
Could he call the "corporates," who had reactivated old Imperial depots and taken over a significant part of the Imperial "defense industry" in the sector, criminals?
Yes, quite possible.
But still, it's unlikely that in that case he wouldn't have called them "traitors."
Danaan Kerr is a man with little independence in matters of preemptive action.
From this, one can conclude that by "criminals" regarding the forces in the Corporate Sector, he meant those sentients whom Palpatine himself also called that.
Flattery is the highest form of imitation, after all.
So, let's take as a starting point that Palpatine knows the Corporate Sector is in criminal hands.
It doesn't matter much whom exactly he considers the instigator — "Black Sun" or the "Zann Consortium."
That man did not throw all his forces into an attack when he realized his tame Imperials couldn't handle it.
He is biding his time.
Does this mean he is not a psychopath after all?
Undoubtedly.
He probably hasn't gone mad enough yet to just plow straight ahead.
Well, failures at the front will push him to that.
I just need to wait.
Especially since I already know how to "let off steam" for my opponents and force them all onto the defensive.
And I will implement that plan.
The steps are quite risky, but they will bring the enemies out of their "hibernation" and waiting state.
Tyber Zann is an extremely vindictive and vengeful person.
Consequently, he will not ignore the Dominion's strike on Bosph.
Since the destruction of the forces left by Moff Harsh in the sector and the disruption of cargo shipments didn't force him to act several weeks ago, since he silently swallowed the defeat of the group in the Karthakk sector and the attacks on his convoys, then the destruction of the Patrol Fleet in the Yubosf sector should really anger him and make him respond.
Especially since he has all the necessary "plants" on Dominion territory.
Our actions at the other end of the galaxy should convince him that speed of reaction is more important than weight of the blow.
Accordingly, he will choose forces sufficient to destroy the group that defeated his troops in the Bosph sector — and the escaped enemy commander will "tell him" exactly which forces acted and what to expect from them.
At the same time, he will make allowances for the defense of the territory — meaning the strike force will be multiplied.
Will he use a strike from the rear, through the Chiloon Rift?
Yes, he should — that will help him advance quickly to the center of the Dominion.
The plans for the attack in the Bosph sector — a simultaneous strike from several directions — clearly demonstrate that he knows how to build not the simplest tactical combinations.
Consequently, the strike will be made on several directions — those that provide him with trophies and agent networks.
That part of the plan is worked out.
As is the second phase.
All that remains is to wait for Tyber Zann's reaction.
He has been ready for a long time.
He craves revenge — if not with me personally, then at least with my legacy.
He will come.
Soon.
I have only to wait.
And to ponder how deeply Palpatine has penetrated the galaxy's criminal underworld.
And how exactly his fleet was destroyed in the events I know.
Oh, how I lack agent intelligence from the Deep Core...
Well, the prolonged silence from my agents gives reasonable grounds to think that I should probably assume it will never come.
Consequently, I must rely solely on my own combat-ready forces.
And my understanding of military science.
Just as much as my understanding of the enemy.
Whether it's correct or not — we'll judge by Tyber Zann's planned attack on the Dominion.
I looked at the monitors.
On each of them were open holographic photographs of Tyber Zann's personal quarters aboard his last flagship, heavily damaged in battle with the Empire.
And then destroyed.
The investigators did an excellent job recording the scene while examining the wreckage of the ship.
Much can be gleaned from observing the interior.
But not everything.
Too many gaps.
And they will have to be filled purely empirically.