In truth...
There is something to be proud of.
Last year's campaign brought the Dominion fourteen sectors and ten more scattered across various corners of the galaxy — from the Core Worlds to Wild Space.
The sectors: Morshdine, Nidjun, Sprizen, Venin, Oplovis, the Ciutric Hegemony (to which Axxila was assigned), Mieru'kar, Kanz, Meram, The Lahara, the Trogan Cluster, Korosi. Korva, Quelli.
The systems: Cholganna, Horn, Soulex, Yalara, Svekk, Chasin, Trogan, Coulmex, Kelada, Karthakk...
Even in its original size, the Dominion surpassed the Imperial Remnant at the time when the events of the Thrawn's Hand duology took place, as far as I know.
And we differ not only quantitatively (the Imperial Remnant at nineteen years after the Battle of Yavin consisted of only eight sectors far in the west of the known galaxy), but also qualitatively.
All hyperlane routes leading into and out of the Dominion are blocked by vast, impassable minefields, gravity generators, defensive stations, and patrols.
Within the state, hundreds of factories — military, civilian, and especially dual-use — have been built and are still being built.
We are colonizing new worlds, developing asteroid fields, dead planets, and extinct stars.
We are building logistics, providing for the population — without prejudice regarding skin color, gender, race, and so on.
Thanks to the Dominion, the northern part of the galaxy is coming alive, flourishing, and prospering.
The Dominion, the beginning.
Yellow indicates: the Dominion at the start of the counteroffensive.
We have resources, we have a population, we have the armed forces necessary to defend our territories.
Wars are fought for several reasons.
From one king's resentment toward another, over women, or out of boredom.
But the more developed a society is, the fewer wars occur at the whim of tyrants.
Every modern war has purely economic and political justifications.
War happens when it is profitable.
In our case, the counteroffensive began for political reasons — we do not tolerate those beside us who wish to destroy, capture, enslave us, and appropriate everything done for the benefit of the Dominion's population for their own purposes.
Now, reviewing the holographic galaxy map projected before both of us with Vice Admiral Pellaeon, I am coming to the conclusion that the first phase of the counteroffensive against the "Zann Consortium" also fulfilled our economic needs.
In addition to the already existing sectors and systems, over just over three months of operations against the Zann Consortium — both covert and overt — the Dominion has increased...
The Dominion as of the end of the second phase of the counteroffensive.
Red indicates sectors annexed to the Dominion during the first phase of the counteroffensive.
We have added to the existing fourteen sectors and ten systems another eight sectors: Karthakk, Aparo, Zappi, Bosph, Nembas, Calamit, Quimar, Vyl, and the Kessel system.
D'Astan will soon also become part of the Dominion.
This is decided and irrevocable — but the territory is not yet fully liberated and subjugated; heavy fighting is underway on Serenno.
So it can be said that we already control nine new star sectors.
And why be petty about it anyway?
The criteria for new territories are not that different.
In each of them, there is still much work to be done.
In some — more, in others — less.
In a third, our control is still merely formal, and serious combat operations are needed to complete the campaign.
Take the Aparo and D'Astan sectors, for example.
In the first, there's no whiff of a complete victory.
In the second, the campaign needs to be finished entirely by military means, in order to eradicate and strip all local aristocracy of power and support, root and branch.
No one there intends to surrender.
Every single one of the Great Families of Serenno supports the rebels.
The lesser Families support them in this.
Such a unified position among the aristocracy is a rare thing.
So their fate will be corresponding.
Serenno is quite a separatist cesspool.
It needs to be cleansed to the root.
No amount of appeasing or buttering up those who might defect to our side will help.
They'll just wait out the storm and then stab us in the back again at the most unpredictable moment.
So as part of the Dominion, we consider all sectors we have acquired so far.
Sectors like the Thanium Worlds and Allied Tion are also now our territories.
It's just not officially announced.
Same as with our other acquisitions at the current moment.
Total — eleven sectors and one star system have come under Dominion control.
Cumulatively — twenty-five and eleven respectively.
These are colossal territories.
Even now, crossing the Dominion from the northwestern borders of the Kanz sector to the eastern borders of the D'Astan sector would require considerable time in hyperspace.
And these territories must not only be captured but also held under our authority.
Currently, each of the newly acquired sectors on the borders has massive simplified minefields, which were laid before the counteroffensive to prevent enemy starships and transports from regrouping between sectors.
Hundreds of Dominion enemy combat and military transport ships have been destroyed — the mine barriers are performing their task excellently.
Plans for the second phase of the counteroffensive.
Black indicates sectors planned for capture during the second phase of the counteroffensive.
"Sir," Pellaeon said cautiously. "The task set for the second phase seems overly ambitious to me. We have not sufficiently consolidated our hold on the territories conquered only recently... The fleet needs repairs and modernization to increase the number of active forces. We have suffered significant losses in manpower. Both among the mercenaries of Kavil's Corsairs and among the Dominion stormtroopers. I believe we should delay the implementation of the second phase of the counteroffensive."
"We have some time in reserve, Vice Admiral," I said. "As already announced, time is needed for repairs, ship modernization, and rotation of our forces."
"That is true, sir, but at the same time, even by the most conservative estimates, we have a significant shortage of ship crews," Pellaeon insisted.
"There are several hundred thousand Republic prisoners on the Guardian," the Star Dreadnought commander reminded him.
"They are not trustworthy," the original Pellaeon objected harshly. "Sir, forgive me, but if your tactic is to crew our ships with those lower ranks, I must object."
"Objection noted, Vice Admiral," I said calmly, studying the map. "You can rest assured. Prisoners will not be allowed on our ships or our defensive or offensive installations until they have been cleared by counterintelligence."
Given that we don't even have a rough timeline for completing such checks, the very fact of recruiting new specialists becomes a prospect for the distant future.
But at the moment, I was more interested in the galaxy map.
And the prospects of the second phase of the counteroffensive.
We are about to occupy or subjugate territories almost comparable to the current size of the Dominion itself.
Including the already conquered sectors.
We are about to take simply huge swaths of the galaxy.
The Mirian sector, located east of the Venin sector and southeast of Quelli.
This will bring us even greater control over the Hydian Way from the south, pushing our control boundary over this vital artery further.
The Belsmus sector — Mirian's eastern neighbor and the southern neighbor of the Tesme sector, another target.
Besides them, the Demetras and Msst sectors will also be captured.
This will give us control over half of the Salin Corridor — first and foremost, and secondly, it will demarcate our territories from the Mandalorian Sector.
I have no intention of conquering the latter — at least not now.
The Mandalorians in their current state can be defeated in space.
And even on planetary surfaces as well.
But in response, we'll get a guerrilla movement on every planet and moon in their sector.
A guerrilla movement from a race that has been the galaxy's supplier of the most hardened thugs, assassins, and bounty hunters for millennia...
I'm not even mentioning the donor for the clone army.
Given that we have Boba Fett in custody, who is well-known and even legendary in some parts of Mandalore, approaching them from a position of strength is not the best idea.
Cloning Fett and stuffing him with knowledge from his own head is an even more disastrous notion.
I don't need an army of bounty hunters.
And our cloning technology doesn't allow creating matrices of new minds from scratch.
Only new personalities with pre-recorded specialized knowledge from the original.
In Fett's case, if we start cloning him, we'll get an army of Fetts who call themselves something else but are still bounty hunters — there's nothing else in Fett's head.
But creating even thousands of stormtroopers with Fett's face and experimenting with loading the consciousness of Fett's clones who are still alive in the Blizzard Force squad...
An interesting idea.
And its feasibility should be checked during my visit to my geneticists.
But that will happen only after the current meeting is over.
Following the Msst sector, the conquests will touch the Rolion, Nuiiri, and Vorzyd sectors — and almost the entire Salin Corridor will be under our control.
The final stage of conquest on this front will be the subjugation of the Meridian sector, which is currently staunchly defending itself against the forces of Moff Getelles, remaining loyal to the New Republic.
Naturally, Getelles' fiefdom — the Antimeridian sector — will also become a target of capture.
But a different scenario is prepared for it.
The second direction of attack is the already mentioned Tesme sector, followed by Trasibul, the Gordian Reach, Belderone — and a direct route to the Thanium Worlds sector.
The Gordian Reach, like a significant portion of the sectors designated for capture during the second phase, is effectively not fully controlled by any of the warring parties.
There isn't even a local government there as such — just a large number of disparate worlds.
But there is another threat.
And also the reason why I haven't been in a hurry to assert my claims to that sector at all.
Deep within its reaches, there exists one system...
And it's not as important as the moon of one of the gas giants inside that star territory.
Yavin IV.
The place from which the Alliance to Restore the Republic struck the first Death Star.
And destroyed it, along with millions of Imperial military personnel, and put to rest the cruel bastard — Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, the executioner of Alderaan.
There the star of the Rebellion's hero — Luke Skywalker — blazed.
In the events I know, after the final victory over the resurrected Palpatine, Skywalker founded his first Jedi school there.
The Jedi Praxeum.
And no.
It's not the Praxeum itself that's scary, but what they will awaken.
The ghost of an ancient fallen Jedi named Exar Kun.
He will become the cause of Gantoris's death, will manipulate Kyp Durron, leading to the destruction of Carida...
This restless spirit will shed a lot of blood.
And at the moment, I don't know any weapon against him.
You can't plant ysalamiri all over the moon.
From what Saarai-kaar has informed me, among the knowledge the Jensaarai now possess, there is absolutely no data on how to defeat a Force Ghost.
But I also don't have the right to leave him be.
On Yavin IV there are a considerable number of ancient relics, records, and so on that could strengthen the Jensaarai Order.
Or at least, the Shadow Guard.
Knowing more about the Sith in order to destroy the resurrected Palpatine, who manages to lose bodies but preserve his essence by transferring from body to body, is vitally important.
I have certain intentions regarding this...
For that, I have Tano and Jade.
But it's still too early to talk about sending them to Kun.
The third invasion direction is the I-sector, Esstran, Spadia — and again a route to the Thanium Worlds.
The fourth — the Tinki, Chorlian, and Mortex sectors, with an exit to the northern terminus of the Perlemian Trade Route and the capture of the Nilgaard and Colandra sectors.
This would put an end to the possibility of direct communication between the Alliance's capital — the planet Dac in the Mon Calamari sector — and their forward base on the planet Lantillis.
The result of the second phase will not just be the capture of twenty-three sectors in the north of the galaxy.
Not only the complete and impenetrable isolation of the Corporate Sector, and consequently the Zann Consortium.
We are essentially severing the simplest means of supply and movement for the Alliance forces between their deep rear and forward units on Lantillis.
Yes, they have the ability to deliver everything necessary and conduct regroupings via numerous regional hyperspace routes.
But that takes time.
That stretches their communications.
That places an outright excessive burden on the logistics of an already shaky Alliance in principle.
At the same time, we also bring our borders right up to theirs, not to mention that we occupy part of the sectors controlled by the Alliance.
But at the same time, we can quite successfully subjugate Allied Tion and use it as a base for operations against the hostile sectors in the Tion Cluster.
Actually, I have nothing against most of them.
But at least half of the rulers there are "Zann's" clones who won't let us exist peacefully.
And the Alliance...
They won't calm down either.
Both as a state and certain individuals.
But there's something else.
Among the sectors we intend to capture, along with the Gordian Reach, there is one more territory, the mere mention of which, alongside Yavin IV and its "inhabitant," gives me a headache.
Sith Space.
The ancient worlds of the Sith race, the cradle of the followers of the Dark Side as we know them now.
Including Darth Sidious.
Worlds full of ancient secrets.
Mysteries.
Force ghosts.
The history of this galaxy is replete with conflicts that began when someone — Jedi or Sith — found something ancient, valuable, and terrible on Korriban or in the worlds of Sith Space.
No matter how much I wanted, no matter how much I strove for the Dominion to form in the southern part of the galaxy last year, and thus avoid the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and the problems with the ancient Sith and Jedi legacies, everything turned out exactly the opposite.
Frankly speaking, I am already mentally prepared for the fact that it is precisely these old secrets that will become the cause of great upheavals in the Dominion in due time.
But that doesn't mean I'll give up and throw in the towel.
No.
Quite the opposite.
I'll do everything in my power to neutralize threats before they even appear and start posing a danger.
To the best of my ability.
And to do that, I need to resolve a serious problem right now—one that arose from an unforeseen factor.
"Have you reviewed Captain Irvin's request to transfer Admiral Eclipse's MC90 cruiser to him?" I inquired.
"Sir, that is a brand-new starship," Pellaeon said, as if playing the same old record. "There's no way we can hand it over to some privateer! Not for any of the reasons he cited!"
"Do you see any role for Mon Calamari ships within our fleet?" I asked.
"Sir, but we did find a use for the Home One-type MC80 star cruisers!" Pellaeon objected. "It took a while, yes, but we found one!"
"Early-design Mon Calamari ships are perfectly suited for the medical starship category," I explained. "Due to their original civilian design, of course. Meanwhile—with small crews, fairly strong armament, and a large air wing—they can perform their functions independently of the rest of the fleet. On their own. Without combat escort. What's your vision for the battlecruiser?"
"This ship was designed exclusively for battle!" Pellaeon said. "We'll repair it and send it to the front lines."
"Waste time, money, and resources on repairing a ship of which we have only two examples?" I clarified.
Besides Eclipse's ship, there's also a captured sister ship in the Kessel system.
Yes, the starships are on par with the Imperial-class, and thanks to their artillery, they even surpass them, but...
They don't fit the mold of the fleet's combat vessels.
Not at all.
Absolutely.
"It wouldn't take that much investment to get them back in service," Pellaeon hedged. "For the most part, they're intact..."
"Which means we can use these ships to strike at the Alliance's supply lines in the very near future," I said, watching out of the corner of my eye as Tierce pretended the brass's argument didn't interest him.
And Pellaeon the clone was looking at his original with disapproval.
"But then we'd have to find crews for them, and knowing Irvin, that's no simple task," Pellaeon pressed on.
"Captain Reder demonstrated in his campaign how effective his tactic of replacing watch-standing personnel with droids instead of living crew members can be," I reminded him.
"But that's an MC90, not a Providence!"
"There's no fundamental difference for the crew in what exactly Captain Irvin will command—a carrier-destroyer or a battlecruiser," I explained my reasoning. "A significant portion of the technology across all ships in the galaxy is standardized or identical, replaced with analogs. I repeat—Dor Reder proved that even with Imperial-design ships, B-1s can handle it, letting the combat watch rest. On privateer ships, they'll manage even better."
If they managed to handle the Lusankya, what could be simpler than running a battlecruiser?
"Yes, but this is a battlecruiser," Pellaeon insisted. "We have only one ship of this type in the entire Dominion!"
"Yes, your flagship," I said, showing my awareness. "And don't delude yourself into thinking Mon Calamari battlecruisers meet our requirements for this class of starship."
Thanks to its class-1 hyperdrive, the MC90 is faster than Pellaeon's Allegiance, but the latter is better armed.
Yes, the MC90 requires a smaller crew than even a standard Imperial-class.
But that didn't help it much in battle.
"Yes, sir," Pellaeon agreed, exhaling with the realization that he couldn't out-argue me.
But he hadn't offered any arguments in his favor either.
Not a single worthwhile one.
"We have a significant problem, Captain," I said, lifting the veil of secrecy over the reasons for transferring the ship of the late Juno Eclipse into Captain Irvin's hands. "It was assumed that Captain Astorias would be able to capture her. The trap was perfectly laid."
"But he failed."
"He lost the battle," I corrected. "Part of that is, of course, his own fault. But from the reports of Captain Tyberos and Captain Irvin, we know that another sentient took part in the MC90's defense. Someone who wasn't supposed to be there according to the plan."
"Yes, that Jedi clone," Pellaeon nodded.
"At the moment, this clone is the Alliance's strongest weapon in the fight against Palpatine," I explained. "He managed to defeat Darth Vader and capture him. His original fought and nearly defeated Palpatine himself. We don't know the limits of the clone's abilities. But I can say for certain that he is stronger than most of the Shadow Guards and Jensaarai we currently have. He was madly in love with Eclipse. And since we failed to use him by manipulating her captivity, we will do everything to remove this weapon from the Alliance's control."
"Yes, sir, of course," Pellaeon said absently.
Clearly, he was still upset about not being able to get the Alliance's battlecruisers for his own use.
Honestly, no need to get so worked up.
Of course, during the repair process, they'll all be studied in more detail, with every new feature analyzed.
Everything we can adopt from these ships, we will definitely use.
But we can also use these ships to greater benefit for ourselves by sending them into battle.
Maybe against the Alliance, maybe against the systems that support them.
Every stage of the second phase needs to be calculated before it begins.
That's precisely why I need a pause in combat operations on our side.
I need to plan.
Because it only seems like the fighting will unfold across these twenty-odd sectors.
While Tyber Zann is blockaded, he's less dangerous, but he's dangerous in and of himself at any time of day or night.
He's being contained, but that doesn't mean he's weakened.
He's gathering strength, sitting there beyond the minefields on the approaches to the Corporate Sector.
But there's another scourge.
Silri.
She is both mobile and now beyond our reach.
Too dangerous, too smart, and perhaps cunning enough to use the Dominion for her own purposes one way or another.
The attack on Kessel alone is proof of that—its outcome allowed her to filigree herself free of Palpatine's observers.
Unfortunately, we cannot afford a war on just one front.
While the fleet expands our borders in one direction, I, with a limited contingent, will operate against Silri.
"Sir," Pellaeon the original stared at me, his eyes so wide I could see the depth of the whites. "Forgive me... Did I understand correctly—you wanted to recruit someone whose original threw Star Destroyers around?!"
"Are you suggesting we throw our Jensaarai against Palpatine?" I clarified, looking at the vice admiral with curiosity.
His opinion on this matter is equally important.
"Sir, I understand that fighters and allies should be conserved, but..." Gilad faltered. "This subject, from what I've studied of his data, is so insane and uncontrollable that he could single-handedly declare a crusade against the strongest states."
"Politics concerns him far less," I clarified. "This clone suffers from an inferiority complex because there are living witnesses to the power of his original."
And that statement applied to both Pelleaons at that moment.
Yes, combine the incompatible.
Give a lecture on psychology during a military briefing.
Prevent an identity crisis in the one who commands your flagship, and don't let your deputy become a hypocrite.
"The original's successes drive him to put in even more effort to achieve victory where it cannot be achieved," I continued. "Including ensuring Juno's safety."
"You've had time to study him, sir?" the original Pellaeon asked in surprise.
"Yes."
"But... How? When?!"
"It's enough to piece together the puzzle of his existence," I explained. "To view them as a mosaic that needs to be assembled. The creation of the clone, his training—our Kaminoan cloner told us about that. We know about his exploits from Imperial Intelligence reports..."
Or remember the plot of two games.
Even without the specific details.
"Let's piece together the facts, Vice Admiral," I suggested in a tone that left no room for alternatives. "The clone was created, but everything he knows doesn't belong to him. It's the original's memories. The clone escapes Kamino. And does the only thing he can—he seeks out the friends of the real Galen Marek. Why?"
"Looking for support?" the original Pellaeon guessed.
I didn't answer immediately, letting those present know that their interjections interested me as well.
"Identity crisis," Grodin offered.
"Trying to figure himself out," the Pellaeon clone added quietly. "To understand who he is, what he is, and what in this world belongs to him."
The original Pellaeon shot him a wary glance.
The process was underway.
"Exactly, Captain," I nodded. "The clone knew no other sentients besides those connected to the original. He followed their trail. And then, as we learn, he decided to reach Juno Eclipse at any cost. And save her. Why?"
"Fell in love?" Tierce suggested.
"He was trying to match the original," Captain Pellaeon said, staring at the table in front of him.
Gilad frowned but continued to pretend he didn't understand his clone's words.
"Galen Marek's clone is unstable," I summarized. "He is insane. He is dangerous. And he is in crisis. The idea of existence he arrived at is bipolar disorder. He is not Galen Marek. But he lives and tries to live up to the image of Galen Marek. He took on his life, his habits, his mannerisms. He tries to be convenient. And this leads him down a path of self-destruction. Instead of forging his own path, he tries to make others see the original in him. From the best side, of course."
The original Pellaeon looks at the Pellaeon clone.
The Pellaeon clone looks at me.
Grodin Tierce pretends to be taking the meeting minutes.
Rukh silently twirls one of his knives on his finger.
"Galen Marek's clone believes he loves Juno Eclipse," I continued. "Because the original loved her. From interrogations of the Calamari's crew, we know that Rahm Kota, the original Marek's mentor, doesn't believe in cloning Jedi. Even despite compelling evidence. Eclipse's position, unfortunately, hasn't been stated by her. But she interests us less. The clone experienced a psychologically traumatic situation in the last battle—the one around whom he built his existence died. She was killed. He failed his mission to protect her. The cornerstone of his existence is destroyed. We all know what powerful 'peacekeepers' do when they lose their reason for being. Order 66 demonstrated that clearly to us."
"Sir, are you saying he will seek revenge against the Dominion?" Vice Admiral Pellaeon was the first of the trio of participants in this logical quiz to catch on. "Because our mercenary killed his beloved?"
"The late Yazuo Vain did not kill that woman," I countered. "Security camera footage from the bridge confirms this. But Marek's clone doesn't know that. However, you're right—he will seek revenge on those responsible for her death."
"Meaning us," the original Pellaeon took off his cap and smoothed his ruffled hair. "Hutt, and I thought the second phase would be difficult... Now it's become insanely difficult!"
"On the contrary, Captain," I smiled. "It will become significantly easier because we won't be incorporating our trophies into the regular Dominion fleet."
"Sir?" Vice Admiral Pellaeon stared at me uncomprehendingly, instinctively crumpling his uniform cap in his hands.
"We will give the Calamari to Captain Irvin," I readily explained. "To the man who, in the eyes of Galen Marek's clone, is also guilty of stealing the ship Rogue Shadow—another legacy of Darth Vader's original apprentice. Another piece that connects the clone to the past. And we will send Captain Irvin on raids against Alliance worlds. On that very MC90 battlecruiser named the Calamari."
"The former flagship of Juno..." Gilad Pellaeon broke into a sweat. "Sir, wouldn't using that ship against the Alliance..."
The vice admiral clearly wanted to ask: "Wouldn't that be a crazy idea bordering on suicide?"
"Wouldn't that cause the clone to become even more unstable?" Gilad offered the optimal version of his bewilderment.
"That's the whole idea," I explained. "The Alliance is very good at motivating its supporters for a war of extermination. They are undoubtedly talking to the clone, promising him help in exacting revenge. We will make him forget everything they told him. We will make him act on emotion. We will remind him of the pain. We will mock him."
"And thereby put him on Irvin's tail," Gilad Pellaeon understood. "Sir, if he catches him, he'll kill him. And blow Irvin's entire base to the Hutt. And everyone who stands in his way."
"Yes, it will be fascinating and instructive," I agreed. "We will be able to watch one man devastate the defenses of entire worlds. Destroy entire ship squadrons and armies on the surface. Just to achieve his goal—revenge. Being used by the man who stole his ship and is using his beloved's flagship against his allies will shatter every moral and psychological norm the clone has already established. No world will withstand him. Not even the Dominion's fortress planets, protected by minefields. He will cut through them like a lightsaber through flesh."
A deafening silence fell over the conference room.
The sound of Rukh's dagger hitting the floor made everyone present flinch as if they'd been shocked.
Apparently, even the Noghri was affected.
"Sir," Pellaeon addressed me almost in a whisper. "You're not planning to lure Galen Marek's clone into a trap with our forces, just to destroy that wild animal at the cost of our fleet, are you?"
"Of course not, Vice Admiral," I reassured him. "We will make sure he leads us directly to our target."
"And... what target is that?" Pellaeon clarified.
"Kamino," I explained. "Galen Marek's clone will be used to destroy the Silri Syndicate."
We'll make one ruthless beast fight another.
And when they destroy each other, we'll take everything that survives that 'royal battle.'
However, from what I've studied of the 'nature' of the Force, I have no doubt that a certain third party will join this confrontation in its final stage.
Why waste resources searching for him across the entire vast galaxy?
A lot of effort has been put into staying in the shadows.
But no one can resist such a temptation.
"Now, on to more important matters," I announced. "I believe it's appropriate to commend the unit commanders who participated in the first phase. Given our personnel shortage, we need to promote those who distinguished themselves the most."
"It will be done, sir," the original Pellaeon replied mechanically, staring at a single spot on the table's surface.
He seems to be in shock.
"Now, I'd like to hear the details of Rear Admiral Shohashi's report on the situation in the Aparo sector," I said. "The Guardian will soon be out of emergency repairs. My flagship and the 501st Legion will be able to provide Shohashi with support before departing on another raid. But I want to know everything about Lur and its population. As well as the cloning programs they were involved in."
"Of course, Grand Admiral," Pellaeon slowly returned to his usual state.
Seems he really is too shocked.
Well...
The stakes are getting higher.
I have to go all-in.
Unfortunately for my opponents, practically all the trumps in this game of 'galactic sabbacc' are in my hands.
The only thing that can save the enemy is the 'Idiot's Layout.'
And the right combination exists in the galaxy.
But by the end of the game, they won't have a single chance.