**Chapter 357: Deals in the Dark**
After another long meeting at Mern-13 headquarters, Line Captain Lee Noriega detained me in the corridor. The red-haired officer looked unusually flustered as she apologized emotionally and handed me a datapad.
"General, this message arrived shortly before the attack on Coruscant. It's from the leadership of Rothana Heavy Engineering — a subsidiary of Kuat Drive Yards. I thought you should see it immediately."
I scanned the contents and chuckled maliciously. "Those sneaky… snakes. They sensed their money was about to slip into someone else's pocket, and now they're moving."
Still, after a moment's thought, I decided to find out exactly what they could offer. I sent a request for a secure communication session, settled back into my chair, and waited. It was already late…
Contrary to my fears, the response came within twenty minutes. I activated the color holodisplay and found myself facing a respectably dressed man who immediately launched into speech.
"Good afternoon! Allow me to introduce myself — Alfredo Blanc, plenipotentiary representative of the Rotana Heavy Engineering concern."
"I was informed you have something to discuss with me…"
"General, I'll be honest: we're very interested in you purchasing our new and modernized equipment for your army."
"Seriously?"
"Oh, we've taken many of your requests into account. In fact, an entire department worked on this project for four months. First up — the UAAT gunship."
An image of the new "ash-gray" craft appeared on the screen.
"We radically redesigned the internal architecture of the standard LAAT as far as the skin and dimensions allowed. Our primary goal was to increase survivability and ease of maintenance. The new vehicle received stronger armor plating, as well as a deflector shield similar to the one installed on the Nu-class shuttle. This required reducing the ammunition load for the mass-driver missile launcher from thirty to eight missiles. Considering the time required to launch the entire loadout — almost fifty seconds — this is a completely justified trade-off. The less the transport is exposed to enemy fire, the better. We also had to eliminate the wing-mounted beam laser cannons and the aft blaster cannon, though we retained the option to install side pylons with beam lasers. Carrying capacity and troop transport capability remain at the same level."
I leaned forward, studying the schematics. "That turned out to be a pretty good machine. Damn… Sienar's sister seems slow with the shuttle. I'll have to take it."
"Let's say you've piqued my interest. When can I get them?"
"In less than a week."
"Good. I'm interested. We need… two thousand units to start. What else can you give us?"
The image on the screen changed, and I leaned in with genuine interest. "What is this?"
"AT-VT. As you can see, we've taken all your requests for upgrading the AT-TE into account. The tank has a new front end based on the rear compartment design. The remote pilot's cabin has been eliminated, and the control station moved inside the main hull. The main gun's position has been changed to a fully functional remote-controlled turret. However, the troop complement has been reduced from twenty to eight clones in the rear compartment. The tank now features armor on all six legs, and the hull armor has been reinforced. Carrying capacity has been reduced from ten to two tons. Total weight has increased by one and a half tons. Top speed is reduced to thirty-five kilometers per hour. We've already begun production and are ready to ship you up to fifteen hundred units tomorrow."
I nodded silently. *What was it the great schemer said? Has the ice broken?*
"You know… it turned out pretty well."
"Not just good — excellent!" Blanc waved his hands enthusiastically. "Besides, we used the AT-VT developments in two other projects."
"Let's go into more detail."
"The first vehicle is the AT-AA, designed to engage enemy aircraft. It uses the standard AT-TE hull with an additional reactor and accumulators in the aft section. The main weapon has been replaced with a Z-12 medium rotary blaster cannon. Using an advanced cooling system, we've managed to increase the rate of fire to three hundred and forty-eight rounds per minute with an effective range of three kilometers! A rapid-fire quad blaster cannon can also be installed as an alternative. In that configuration, the aft section accommodates two vertical missile launchers with a capacity of twenty-four surface-to-air missiles."
"And the second one?"
"AT-AR. Mobile artillery platform…"
"Hmm. About twelve meters high… Wait, it seems like the barrel here should be thicker. Definitely thicker."
"Excuse me, sir… What is the caliber of the gun?"
"One hundred and forty millimeters."
"Really?"
"Yes. We signed an agreement with Carvon Battle Tech. Rotana will produce several units from their line: the BAT-1 repulsorlift, which will replace the TX-130, as well as the TT-2 infantry transport and the MAT-8 medical transport. We also received documentation for the weapon system from Alland."
*And when did they manage to do all that? But… considering their production capacity and capital, it's no surprise.*
Blanc continued his enthusiastic presentation. The original AT-AP design had called for a 220-millimeter chemical mass driver cannon, but the Alland cannon offered more acceptable performance. Its lower recoil allowed the elimination of the third support leg, which increased ammunition capacity, protection, and maneuverability. In addition to the main cannon, it carried a blaster cannon similar to the one on the AT-TE and two anti-personnel blasters. Only two hundred units had been produced so far, but I could take the entire first batch without delay.
I sighed and shook my head. "We need to take it. Luckily, we won't have to retrain the clones. As for the upgrades… we'll see how this technology performs in combat."
"Okay. Let's discuss the details…"
**Scene 2**
So the new fighters had finally arrived.
My personal project — the Skelter — was based on a mix of Skynet Hunter-Killer drones and the old F-35 airframe, enhanced with Star Wars-level advanced technology. I had often wondered why, aside from the recent TIE line I helped Sienar develop, almost no fighters in this galaxy had true 3D maneuvering capability. Everyone seemed too "advanced" to focus on basic aerodynamics and vectored thrust. Luckily, Sienar had helped deliver the first thirty-six squadrons (three full wings) of the new craft.
The Skelter was a fairly advanced atmospheric and space superiority fighter. It had a top speed of 3,169 mph (5,100 km/h) in atmosphere, and its rocket boosters enabled it to reach escape velocities of up to 47,845 mph (77,000 km/h). It featured flare countermeasures against homing missiles, as well as omnidirectional infrared countermeasure systems. The craft measured 70 ft (21.5 meters) long and 10 ft (3 meters) high. Variable-geometry wings allowed smooth transition between atmospheric flight and space operations, and it possessed limited hover capability.
Armament consisted of two E-Web heavy repeating cannons and air-to-ground missiles (AGM). The cannons were controlled via a "modular articulating ballistic system" with limited traverse, but the Skelter incorporated retinal tracking pivots so the guns automatically matched the pilot's eyeline. The tandem-seat cockpit had a maximum occupancy of pilot and co-pilot/gunner.
The first class was designated R-7 Skelter — the basic model.
Most importantly, the ion engines had been modified with the new plasma-tech upgrades, allowing short hyper-jumps similar to those of the *Silencer*. These fighters could now perform micro-jumps across a star system, giving them unprecedented tactical flexibility in both dogfights and hit-and-run operations.
I watched from the observation deck as the first squadron launched from the *Akagi*'s forward hangar, their variable wings sweeping back as they accelerated into the black. Sleek, deadly, and finally filling the gap that had bothered me since the beginning of this war.
With the new ground vehicles from Rothana and these Skelters entering service, the Mern-13 Systems Army was about to become significantly more dangerous.
The war was far from over — but we were finally starting to dictate the tempo.