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Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

Reader mode
Ethertank said:
Looks like the offensive is being called off early due to the PDA's being a thing in this timeline.

Butterflies and hurricanes las butterflies and hurricanes.
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It makes sense too. Like Ackbar says while they're getting victories, logistics are saying another thing.

With the ability, thanks to the PDAs, to proper inventory their equipment instead of fighting till everything's exhausted, like I suspect they did in OTL, they've realised that they can't continue the offensive without crippling themselves.

Corse this means the Rebellion will have more resources when they finally form a defensive line and hunker down, but it also means they don't stretch as far towards the Core and several battles won't be fought that would have in OTL.

Wonder if this will mean that the rebels will start to fort up worlds and start native production lines instead of looting what they need?
 
ImperialBriton said:
I will say...

You know that George Washington, leading colonial militias accidently kickstarted the 7 years war right?

The war that bankrupted england and france (causing one to raise tea taxes, and the other to destabilise enough, so that sending aid to the americans, caused a revolution)

That guy stayed the leader of militia in a no name frontier colony right?
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think u have that reversed the 7 year war and British victory in that led to the American revolution
 
frozone said:
think u have that reversed the 7 year war and British victory in that led to the American revolution
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The seven years war bankrupted france, then when Louis, who was pissed at the english, sent event more aid to the now rebelling America, it sent the economy spiralling. To try and save his coffers, Louis summoned the french parliament for the first time in decades, which immediately got taken over by the Jacobins, spiralling into the french Revolution.

The seven years war, which was started by the americans, led to Britain going bankrupt, while the colonies were left room to expand into French lands (sans the indian territories). Which meant that the Crown needed to raise taxes (especially on the people who got them into this mess). The Americans didn't want taxation, without at least 2 representives in westminster. Parliament didn't like that (King George, when he wasn't talking to a pot plant, was in support of this offering, but parliament overruled him). Up until the final years of the revolution, there was still a hope they could remain part of the empire, or even get brought into the domain of Britain (with representation) but during the final years, they had enough and chose to break away, establishing the first representative republic. Which kickstarted a whole lot of things.

Arguably, George Washington is one of the most important men in history, even if he never led the revolution in America. The 7 years war flipped the board on a lot of things around the world. and set things into motion (eg - france would have democratised/constitutionalised, they just likely wouldn't have had a revolution without the yanks having a republic first.)


Getting back to our poor administrator...

He's probably closest to Claudius or Alfred the Great.

Neither wanted to be Emperor/King, they just sort of were forced into it by sword/axe point. But because they were so good as administrators and logisticians, people flocked to them.

Now we just need to make sure we have kids, set down a constitution; and don't marry our niece who's already got a son (or daughter) called Nero...
 
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Freefaller said:
And that's what's truly unacceptable. My current escape plans have been pushed back to the fall of the Empire, which means I need to make it to 4 ABY, maybe a little after it if need be, and there can be no unstable elements threatening my survival until I get out.
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It'll be funny when, after the Empire falls, the various remnants try to put him in charge as the new Emperor.
 
Try not get too into world politics as that is considered a Whitehall Breach or something. The mods don't like that.
 
Mingo said:
It'll be funny when, after the Empire falls, the various remnants try to put him in charge as the new Emperor.
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Provided the various remnants don't try to make themselves Emperor/Warlord/whatever other title there is for a national leader. These are Imperials, after all.
 
It is fun that with his moderate former Rebel leaning and moderate/ empire reformists coming together under 1 banner to form a centrist bloc essentially with sector wide access and control of forces on both sides of the conflict he is creating probably one of the most stable, loyal and yet firebrand, in the eyes of rebels and empire leaders, political snd social blocs in the galaxy.

He will have massive bi partisan support from both sides regular forces and even in roads into the intelligence and hard line factions in each party. Combined with a robust civilian and military economy and growing infrastructure investments on not just one or 2 planets but sector wide Las will be able to call on and mobilize a way bigger force than anyone would expect for a sector of his size due to how solid his base is and not having to worry about shaky logistics, funding and production (rebels main weakness) or rebelling and simmering populations forcing massive use of badly needed forces on internal threats chipping away at production and logistics on the local and theater level (empires main weakness)

He gets the best of both factions boons and little of their downsides.

He truly is suffering from success
 
ImperialBriton said:
The seven years war bankrupted france, then when Louis, who was pissed at the english, sent event more aid to the now rebelling America, it sent the economy spiralling. To try and save his coffers, Louis summoned the french parliament for the first time in decades, which immediately got taken over by the Jacobins, spiralling into the french Revolution.

The seven years war, which was started by the americans, led to Britain going bankrupt, while the colonies were left room to expand into French lands (sans the indian territories). Which meant that the Crown needed to raise taxes (especially on the people who got them into this mess). The Americans didn't want taxation, without at least 2 representives in westminster. Parliament didn't like that (King George, when he wasn't talking to a pot plant, was in support of this offering, but parliament overruled him). Up until the final years of the revolution, there was still a hope they could remain part of the empire, or even get brought into the domain of Britain (with representation) but during the final years, they had enough and chose to break away, establishing the first representative republic. Which kickstarted a whole lot of things.

Arguably, George Washington is one of the most important men in history, even if he never led the revolution in America. The 7 years war flipped the board on a lot of things around the world. and set things into motion (eg - france would have democratised/constitutionalised, they just likely wouldn't have had a revolution without the yanks having a republic first.)


Getting back to our poor administrator...

He's probably closest to Claudius or Alfred the Great.

Neither wanted to be Emperor/King, they just sort of were forced into it by sword/axe point. But because they were so good as administrators and logisticians, people flocked to them.

Now we just need to make sure we have kids, set down a constitution; and don't marry our niece who's already got a son (or daughter) called Nero...
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So i grew up with George Washington as a founding father and hero to America. I was in my 30s when i found out that George Washington went and gathered a bunch of men from his church and did there duty. Which apparently was to go over to the local recognized indigenous population lock them inside there home poured petroleum and burned them alive.

So they couldn't support the british because the taxes where 12% a price hike of 2% to cover the British wars. That two percent price hike was time limited. Meanwhile i am paying approximately 47% of my income in some form of taxes to my America government. With taxes that if there an increase never disappeared. Even with trump in office i am still paying the same tax rate i paid last year.
 
Inbredmartian said:
It is fun that with his moderate former Rebel leaning and moderate/ empire reformists coming together under 1 banner to form a centrist bloc essentially with sector wide access and control of forces on both sides of the conflict he is creating probably one of the most stable, loyal and yet firebrand, in the eyes of rebels and empire leaders, political snd social blocs in the galaxy.

He will have massive bi partisan support from both sides regular forces and even in roads into the intelligence and hard line factions in each party. Combined with a robust civilian and military economy and growing infrastructure investments on not just one or 2 planets but sector wide Las will be able to call on and mobilize a way bigger force than anyone would expect for a sector of his size due to how solid his base is and not having to worry about shaky logistics, funding and production (rebels main weakness) or rebelling and simmering populations forcing massive use of badly needed forces on internal threats chipping away at production and logistics on the local and theater level (empires main weakness)

He gets the best of both factions boons and little of their downsides.

He truly is suffering from success
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Yep, and with the Emperor dead and a lot of the worst with him there, the Empire would be improving in a lot of ways.

That also means that the Alliance would hit an issue of their own, because the Alliance included a lot of "rebel" groups that really were little more than pirates or terrorists...even "former" slavers that were part of the coalition, and wouldn't be easily sidelined, so the Alliance would, likely, start having some issues with the more stability focused members potentially going back to the Empire if there was amnesty or similar offered there.
 
Omake: A Tourist's Guide to the Galaxy: The Hidden Nexus Shrines of Ugea by Ratts Kador
Omake: A Tourist's Guide to the Galaxy: The Hidden Nexus Shrines of Ugea by Ratts Kador

Introduction

The rise of the planet of Ugea in the Minda system can be described as meteoric. A massive surge of population accompanied by an equal surge in utilities and service buildings. However, one service that initially appears lacking in these new cities is places of worship.

The Imperial era has been one that has seen a remarkable decline in the temple and church building compared to the Republic era. Maybe it is subordinates following the example the Emperor showed by seizing and renovating the Jedi Temple for Imperial purposes. Maybe it was the Empire's human-centric doctrine seeing "alien" structures as a blight. Perhaps the Empire just plainly disapproves of potentially political institutions outside its own internal hierarchy.

Regardless it is plain to see a dearth of the expressions of faith when traveling newly build Imperial cities. Even the comparatively abundant Centers of Multi Faith Worship built by Ugea's governor dotted around Nexus Cities show less traffic than the Cities' population would suggest.

Yet it is this author's humble opinion that the expression of faith is an essential need of most sentients. If they are not fulfilling that need in public, where are they doing it?

History

There is little concrete evidence of when the Nexus Shrines first began to appear on Ugea. Their semi-hidden nature not conducive to establishing a clear timeline. However multiple theories have been put forth by local scholars as to their origin.

One popular theory was that the Shrines were a continuation of practices by retired Clone Troopers. Multiple Troopers have admitted to places of contemplation and commemoration being set up in the less visited sections of the Venators or other Republic vessels they were stationed in during the later years of the War. The frequency of Clone visitors and Republic objects being placed seemed to lend to that theory.

Another popular theory put forth was that the Shrines was it set up to mimic the practices of the nomadic native Tula on Ugea. The Nexus Shrines acting as a parallel to the sacred places along their migratory paths. This theory is less supported due to most primarily choosing to visit a single Shrine than multiple Shrines.

One of the less popular theories is that the Nexus Shrines are of Alderaanian origin. This theory discounts the fact that a lot of Nexus Shrines seem to predate the destruction of Alderaan by several years and bear no traces of Alderaanian architecture. This has not stopped Ugea's Alderaan population from reportedly frequenting these Shrines regardless.

Location

Finding a Nexus Shrine can be quite difficult for a non-local to a Nexus City. There are no overt directions or indications showing where a Shrine is located. However, to a native of the Nexus City, finding a Shrine seems to be rather easy.

Nexus Shrines tend to be located in out of the way areas. Places that would not often be frequented either by patrols or outsiders. A back room of a factory, an alcove in a wall of an alley, or an unused basement in a small family owned business. Nowhere completely abandoned, just places where one would not be expected to go normally.

Directions can be gleaned by looking for unusually frequent foot traffic, signs or flyers tilted in a certain way, or by asking a local a seemingly innocuous question such as "where is a place I can put the mask down?". A way for those familiar with Ugean culture to find these places of respite.

Description

Given the grassroots nature of Nexus Shrines, they tend not to follow a standardized pattern of construction. Nevertheless, some commonalities can be seen between the different Shrines. Indicating either the same group built each one, or their convergent purpose lead to similarities in design.

Nexus Shrines are often located in small rooms. Not large enough for a congregation, but maybe around six standard sized occupants maximum. The closeness meant to evoke a feeling of contemplation and introspection.

The lighting is kept at a low level. Sometimes the only light being candles left by past visitors. Minimal electrical use is theorized to make it difficult to pick up the Shrines on scanners. The dark both keeping the Shrine hidden and to focus the worshipper's mind toward their object of worship.

Material wise there is no one way to construct a Nexus Shrine. They are often manufactured with easy to find materials such as used wood or scrap metal. This is done as much out of humility as for convenience. Also to make Shrines unattractive for thievery.

In terms of color there is an observable pattern to Nexus Shrines. Namely that they are of opposite colors of their surroundings. If a Shrine is in a colorful commercial district, it will have muted and bland colors. Conversely if a Shrine is located in a dour industrial area, then it will often sport vibrant and eye catching colors. The purpose seems to be to separate the worshipper from their everyday life when in a Shrine.

The Nexus Shrines themselves are usually a single wide table or shelf with a centerpiece. Said centerpiece can be made of wood, metal, or something else. The shape can be the symbol of the Republic, the Empire, a cube, or something else. What the centerpiece actually is seems to be irrelevant, just that it acts as a focus for the worshippers.

Offerings and Practices

A common practice to those who visit Nexus Shrines is to leave a votive offering. The act of giving up something to maintain the visitor's focus on the visit. A visitor can often find the Shrine laden with small items either on or beneath the Shrine.

These votives can take the form of lit candles, inscribed messages, wishes, or prayers written on bone, metal, or wood, small denominations of Credits, spent power packs, broken blaster components, and other trinkets of sentimental value.

The only exception to these offerings is digital and electronic items, which seems to be frowned and swiftly removed from the Shrine. This insistence on physical objects seems to stem from a want to maintain the sanctity and semi-secrecy of the Shrine. The only digital items permitted for a time are holos of dead loved ones.

Worship is usually conducted by a single worshipper. Interrupting someone while they are in a Shrine is considered the height of rudeness. However, small groups have been known to congregate for special occasions such as small vigils.

Legality

The existence and location of Nexus Shrines are an open secret among a Nexus City's inhabitants. Visitors can range from laborers, artists, mercenaries, managers, to plainclothes Imperial officers and officials. Yet the Shrines often maintain an air of caution and secrecy despite how well known they are. Open discussion of the Shrines seen as a social taboo among the planet's inhabitants.

This seems to come from a desire for secrecy and privacy in an increasingly monitored society. Having a place where one can let their true feelings out without the pressure of constant monitoring. This suspicion appears to be directed at offworlders rather than Ugean Imperials.

Another reason of the Nexus Shrines' air of mystery is rumors of those with outlawed religious beliefs choosing to visit these Shrines. It would be believable that those who were persecuted or are facing persecution would choose to visit a Shrine over a public Imperial Center of Worship. Although any rumors of anti-Imperial plots taking place at Shrines are swiftly squashed with unified and intense vigor.

Conclusion

The Nexus Shrines represent an interesting experience to any tourist looking to visit the Minda system. One that cannot be purchased with Credits or status, but with trust and acceptance. Being invited to a Nexus Shrine is a sign that one has truly been accepted by the Ugean people.

——
This Omake was spawned by asking myself: what do religious buildings in Minda look like? That led to asking: does the Empire disapprove of temple/church building? The answer I arrived at was the Empire doesn't dislike religious buildings or organizations, they just dislike religious buildings and organizations independent of Imperial control or agenda.

Las might have a lighter hand in how he does things than most Imperials. However, 20+ years of persecution, getting driven off your sacred ground, or having said ground blown up by the Imperial military is still going to make people cautious. Small, out of sight shrines seems like a reasonable response for making a place of worship. At least they are not doing live sacrifices like those rituals that are having a bit of a resurgence among the Ewoks around this time.

Crossposted on SB and SV
 
Freefaller said:
Every civilian goes to the emergency bunkers, and we ensure that every door, window, shop, is closed. I don't want a single sentient organism to be out and about. Most importantly, we leave the cargo crates of surplus weapons and ship parts out and about around the space-port, luring them there.
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Assuming that's what they're after.
 
Omake: A Boxy Blaster

POV: R&D Researcher Sendra, Mindan R&D "Hobby Labs", off hours

Most people would be surprised to find someone slouched in a dark room when they turned on the lights. Fortunately Sendra is not most people. She was a researcher at Mindan R&D, which meant her coworkers often interpret "off hours" to mean "moonlight making weird personal projects".

Case in point, the hunched figure of her coworker Moreet Gamole playing with… a box? From the giggling she could surmise that it was something important. Maybe some hard to acquire part.

"Hey Moreet, watcha working on?"

The Rybet croaked as he jumped out of his seat and into the air. Really he was a genius at technical work, but his eyes would bulge if anyone so much as spoke to him out of sight. Made him fun to tease though.

"Sendra! Don't keep sneaking up on me like that! Nevermind, come with me. You have to see this!"

Senses shook her head as Moreet picked up the box with his gloves and began moving out the door. Most sentients in R&D act like they drank a gallon of stims when their "babies" are done. So she knew to play along.

She followed Moreet down the hall while guessing what was in his hands. His coworker was in the weapons department, and the box is rather small, so that narrows things down. A new weapons attachment for blasters? Did he go so far as to make a new kind of grenade? She still didn't have a good guess as he entered his ID and they went into the testing range.

"Alright, it took some time to get all the various parts shipped in, yet my contacts at Minda-1 finally pulled through with some usable crystals. Had to exaggerate how much authority I had a bit, but it was worth it. Check this out:"

*click-clack!* *pop!* *PEW!* *PEW!* PEW!*

Moreet's rectangle unfolded like a mechanical toy to reveal very boxy looking blaster. One he demonstrated worked after the safety was disengaged by hitting the 100 meter target and then the 200 meter one. He then stared at her with his bulbous eyes looking for feedback.

"So your big project is a GALAAR with a gimmick? I hope your "great success" has more to it than that or else the investors will never go for it."

The morphing was impressive visually. However Sendra saw enough personal projects fall flat once you got past the novelty. Doesn't matter how brilliant an invention is without the right marketable features. Better Moreet hear this now than in front of a board or committee.

"Much more than that. This isn't just a funny looking blaster. It is a domestically produced funny looking blaster. Made primarily from materials and components found either in the Minda system, or the Myto Sector as the farthest. A boxy polycarbonate casing made from an Ugean furniture company based out of Roxatory, Zersium sourced from the Edin system, Tibanna sourced from Dubrillion, prismatic crystal from the Minda-1 volcanoes."

Okay that was a little impressive. Assembling a blaster without dealing with out of sector import rates always lowers costs. Most of imports it does use being from close systems also helps matters.

"You're still going to have to deal with the big boys. One wrong phrase or misstep and they could pull any proprietary tech you use. Our projects are supposed to above board given we aren't Outlaw Techs anymore."

What crushes a lot of R&D's personal projects is proprietary costs. Researchers make the most wondrous creation. Only to find they have used tech from a dozen different megacorps and trying to coordinate agreements from all of them sinks the project faster than a speeder getting its repulsorlift cut.

"That is my greatest achievement. This beauty uses no proprietary technology whatsoever! It took hours of trudging through the patent database and many, many favors with the clerks, but I have confirmed every single part, component, and manufacturing process is either open source or entirely novel. From the Heter-Valve to the actuating module.

Trickiest part was the galven circuitry. I based a lot of the little improvements on Rothana's RX-99 AmpChamber. Thankfully with some creative interpretation of the wording on the purchase agreement for the Mard and the electronics facilities, I can utilize this as the Mindan government technically "owns" the design and I am working for said government."

Okay sounds like Moreet really put his all into this. He'd be heartbroken if this falls through. Better keep pressuring him so he has all his Shaaks in a row when he presents it.

"So what's the plan? Keep making these things by hand and hope to arm every Stormtrooper in Myto?"

It doesn't matter how good your product is if you can't make enough to carve out a market share. Aiming for a "specialty product" won't do you much good if the economies of scale strangle your bottom line. The jittery gleam in Moreet's eyes indicated he took Sendra's question as an invitation to continue his sales pitch.

"No, no, no. Blastech has the Stormtrooper procurement on lock besides a few niche products. Not to mention while my beauty is decent, it isn't good enough to go up a megacorp's flagship program. Besides the Imperial Military has robust enough logistics that domestic production wouldn't be appealing enough to them.

Prototype still has a few "quirks" that would get destroyed by a megacorp's marketing of if I drew their ire. Needs to disengage the safety after shifting into gun form in order to fire. Safety is there so the gun doesn't fire in case form. A few previous iterations got trashed before getting the mechanism right.

Strengthwise the prototype is about as good as a high end blaster pistol, but nowhere near the upper end blaster rifles. Can thank the quality of the crystals sourced from Minda-1 for that. Short to medium range. 200 meters max due to its short barrel. The blaster sight helps make up for that. Simple to produce and fix, but that comes at the cost of performance.

Plan is to go private through the Guild. Apply for grants, loans, and bureaucratic assistance to set up a company, Gamole Guns. Talking with all those local companies gave me a tip of a mining laser manufacturing plant in Shubeon that's looking to go bust. Perfect to retool into blaster production with the right permits and some assistance.

Gonna sell to the MSDF and the Guild with the main draw being localized logistics. Play on their pride of having their own domestic blaster to parade around. The rectangular shape in travel mode should make stacking it in crates for transport a breeze compared to other blasters.

It was never in the cards to be able to make millions of blasters. The local Guild branch and police are probably only going to need low tens of thousands of blasters tops. Thousands in the first few orders which is doable for a single factory's yearly production. Expanding to Guild and local PDFs in the rest of the sector only brings that up to low hundreds of thousands, which is still possible medium term with some expansion.

I am going to encourage them to stock it in their new facilities as a "starter gun" for new recruits in exchange for favorable sale prices. The Offensive should provide enough incentive for setting up domestic blaster production without worrying a home office in the Core messing with how a factory does things."

Okay so maybe this "baby" has a chance of not being strangled in the crib like most of the others. Still something in this conversation has been bothering Sendra.

"You have been calling it "beauty" and "prototype". You haven't actually figured out a name for this blaster, have you?"

Moreet's downcast expression told it all. He was always more of a tech guy than a creative. Better salvage this before his naming sense tanks the whole project.

"C'mon let's get some brainstorming juice down at the cantina. We need to think of something better than the Gamole Gun since you already plan to name your company that."

——

Figured someone in R&D would try making a blaster eventually. Only a matter of time with all the weapons and parts they had access to. Unfortunately the Empire already has its chosen blaster lines, so it would probably wind up being a personal project.

All that's an excuse to try my hand at designing a blaster. Based it off the B&T BWC Folding Carbine, a Swiss gun that can fold into a rectangular briefcase shape. Looked futuristic and kind of silly enough to fit as a blaster.

Crossposted on SB and SV
 
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Chp-84

Chp-84

Chp-84

Commodore Ife Veers
Edin System
1.6 ABY
2 months until new Moff

Ife watched from the bridge of the Theorem as ships buzzed all throughout Highreaches orbit.

From the lucrehulk turned academy to the Belt Haven station being expanded to dock larger ships, there was never a moment of silence.

She would be lying if she said she didn't like it. The buzz meant progress. And progress was the kind of thing the Governor rewarded.

She'd heard of the current Moffs ascension to Governor-General. While it might seem a surprise to some, to those kept in the loop it was a sure thing. Hiral had been playing the political game in the background for close to a decade now, making allies in all corners and sabotaging just about every competitor of his in the process. The Mindan Shipyard had simply been the final step that allowed him to launch himself up the ranks at blistering speed.

Helped, of course, by the fact that the Grand Moff Kaine was likely looking for competent administrators, which Hiral certainly presented himself as.

Regardless, the future of Moffdom in the Myto Sector was up in the air. Just about every Governor who thought they had a chance was pushing for the seat. Of course, there were only a few real options.

And Ife was betting on Governor Mola being the option that won.

He was unambitious, that much was clear. He valued competence, efficiency and documented procedure over glory hogs and corrupt politicians. In many ways, he was not the kind of man she would attach her career to under different circumstances. A Governor that sought glory and power, that attached themselves to criminals and career politicians would create chaos, the perfect ladder for her to climb.

If her life had gone any different, she might very well have resented working under Governor Mola. And yet, it was those very traits that prevent chaos that would elevate her, without the need for a complex ladder. For it was clear that Governor-General Hiral wanted a loyal, competent administrator in charge of the sector, one that wouldn't ever seek to elevate themselves.

And there was none better suited for the position than Governor Mola, who had made it plainly clear he wanted for nothing more than stability. The kind of subordinate who would never turn a dagger into his back.

So when a courier arrived from the Minda System with a message for her eyes only, she was only slightly surprised.

That surprise grew when the courier and the four others she'd brought with her insisted on being there when she read it. Suspicious, but they provided the codes needed, so she knew they were the Governor's people.

Reading through it only confirmed what she had suspected. The Governor had been chosen, behind closed doors, as the next Moff of the sector. And he was scouring the sector for those to take up new positions alongside him.

She was the top contender for Sector Admiral, but the jump was too big for the Governor to simply let her step into her new shoes.

The next parts of the message included a holochip, which she plugged into her terminal. Blinking to life, it displayed 3 different files. Upon opening the first one, she realized what these were.

Tests. Fully digital, highly complex tests. The first one alone covered a situation from the perspective of a Sector Admiral, challenging her with a multi-system problem. It was at this point that the courier stepped forward.

"Ma'am, I'm here to ensure you complete the examination without outside interference or assistance. If this is not the best time for you to complete the simulation, please return the disks, and I will return when you have properly allotted time for this, as the examination is meant to take the remainder of the day."

Instinctively Ife bristled at the insinuation that she would ever cheat, but calmed down quickly. Precautions are an ever needed part of life in the Empire, after all. As for her schedule…a quick look told her she was nearly done for the day, and a few taps delegated those remaining tasks to other officers, freeing her up for the rest of the day.

"No, I'm ready. Am I correct in assuming those who you've brought with you today will act in place of my aides for the duration of the assessment?"

The courier nodded. "These four will be playing the role of your assistants throughout the course of each test. They each fulfill different obligations, and will provide you with information and assistance."

And by that, Ife thought, they will act like Imperial bureaucrats, with their own agenda's, misinformation and failures. It was certainly a complex setup, but one that mirrored the position she was aiming for.

As each aide pulled up a chair and brought up their PDA's, Ife started the first test, reading through the information she had been given. In this theoretical situation, the Myto Sector was split into 20 Area's, one of which was in turbulent times. It was her job to create a comprehensive military directive that would stabilize the Area while keeping in mind the sector's reduced fleet, logistical challenges, and a myriad of other factors.

Inwardly, Ife smirked. She was near the top of her class, and confident this exam was something she could conquer.

She did eventually succeed, after 8 harrowing hours and ten too many cups of caf. A part of her dreaded taking the other two tests, said to be longer and more difficult. That part of her was small, dwarfed by the competitive spirit in her that fought to propel her up the ranks, at any cost.
-
Dornun Mola
Dubrillion System
1.6 ABY
2 months until new Moff

Dornun Mola was many things. A party man, an information broker, an enjoyer of High Republic ship design.

A bad father.

What he was not, however, was reckless. He hadn't built his web of contacts and connections over the decades by being rash. Rashness was for the foolish and lucky, and only one of those truly got anything out of it.

He may never rise to the heights of the information underworld, but that was never his goal. No, his goal had always been a singular pursuit.

To watch interesting stories unfold.

It was an odd goal for someone to have, but to him it was everything. Life was a play, and he enjoyed both watching and acting in it.

Republic, Empire, it didn't matter to him. All that mattered were the stories.

It was why he married Jir after all. She was interesting. Her drive was beyond that of any he had seen before. That fire in her eyes when they were young had been exhilarating, the fire of a soul that wished to reach for the stars and beyond.

It helped that those eyes made his stomach flutter in ways it never had. It had been Dornun's first, and last encounter with that ever elusive concept of "love". He still considered it the most intriguing, unscripted plot twist he had ever encountered. So unfortunate that the fire burn't out in the grand machine of the Empire. She could've been so much fun to watch.

As the waitress came back around with his order, his mind subconsciously analyzed her. Her uniform was pristine, makeup immaculate, done up as if she was working in a core world's upper class establishment. Of course, she wouldn't fit the bill for one of those places, as they require extensive resumes and noble lineages to get even a single interview. That didn't mean she couldn't have a grand play, simply that she was unlikely to ever achieve such an expansive role.

Beyond her appearance however, was her aura, one of tiredness and fatigue. A hum in the back of his mind that gave him the slightest insight into what people were like. He'd long identified it as Force Sensitivity, if a low level of it such that it could not be passed down in any recognizable form. Lucky for him, as he'd hate to be hunted down by the Inquisitorious.

It'd been a key part of his success, though that drew too much credit away from his people skills, which he had honed to the degree of not needing the Force. Of course, he still used it, for an advantage was an advantage. Though, recently, he'd started to close it off more often. After Yavin and the event that preceded it, he'd decided it might be best to close it off for a while. Being in the system during such an event had been…

An ache bloomed in his skull, and he instinctively took a bite of his sandwich to cover his wince from others, nevermind that he had no company. Internally, he refocused himself. He was here for a reason, after all.

After convincing the remnants of ARE to relocate to the Minda System after the incident, he had been tasked by his son to seek replacements for certain positions in the wider sector government.

And currently, he was looking at them. Across the street from the cafe he sat at was another, competing establishment. And, at a similar outside table sat two Imperial office workers during their lunch hour.

The first was Unita Plaxon, a mid-level secretary, while the other was Turian Wrex, a financial analyst.

Both were at best mid level workers, but both showed incredible promise. Both had joined the Empire because it had promised security, safety, and the chance to make the galaxy a better place. After having lost their entire village during a pirate raid, they gained that motivation which would lead them to greater and greater heights, attending the best college in the sector through scholarships only the best and brightest could earn. To them, change lied in the everyday actions and by becoming the best they could slowly enact change.

And now they were floundering. The truth of the matter is that the Imperial system is inherently non-functional. It seeks absolute control, and does so by promoting loyalty instead of competence. Sycophants instead of innovators.

As that one manifesto the Empire kept failing to contain said, "Oppression is the mask of fear". Those above them feared their competence, and so kept them in levels low enough to never truly matter while still extracting some gain from them.

While he'd found other candidates for the positions of Overseer and Chief Financial Officer, these two were by and large his favorites. He wouldn't be watching them in person if they weren't. They were motivated but disillusioned. Driven but beaten down.

But if they were given a chance? If these actors could find a less restrictive stage? Why, they could make the play that was the Myto sector far more interesting!

He took a sip of his tea. It reminded him distantly of that restaurant he'd gone to with his daughters on Ugea. They were both Nabooan, though this one was clearly closer to an imitation of the style than the authenticity of the other place. This little connection brought him to that meeting in his mind. It confused him in a sense.

In his mind, the reason for the meeting had been quite simple. He was interviewing for two roles, after all.

Yet, it had been a waste. He'd spent the better part of an hour subtly hinting at his network, political ongoings, fairly valuable information. And what had he gotten?

Nothing. Shal was angry, Alvi was scared, and neither were the responses of people who were prepared for a role! It was as if they were mere background characters with flat personalities who existed to add pointless drama!

The worst part? Dornun suspected that a part of him knew that the entire time. But he'd still done it. Why?

A frustrated sigh threatened to escape him. Ever since Alderaan-

Out of the corner of his eye, Dornun saw Unita slam her hand down angrily on the table, Turian moving to calm her down as his eyes darted around.

Oh? It seems things are coming to a boiling point with those two. If he didn't move fast, they might decide the rebellion is the better option. And as interesting as that would be, it's not the kind of story he can witness himself, now is it?

-

Yo. I hath returned. Finals are over, pretty easy ngl. Sure, being an english major isn't the easiest thing all the time, but one of the profs just gave us the in class essay prompt a week beforehand, and let us bring notes! I just brought a printed copy of my essay in my notebook and spent 35 minutes copying it down onto my bluebook.

Also, been playing a lot of games ever since my PC got fixed. Gotten into a weird funk where I play Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries and listen to Star Wars lore breakdowns. Love the game, love the universe, don't know nearly enough about it to make a fic, which is sad cause I had a really cool exorcist/wizard fic idea in my head.

As for this chapter, I finally got around to making a Dornun POV. Took longer than I expected, but I think I did well. I finally figured out the direction I want to take both his character and particular brand of shitty parenting! Will I do this well? Prolly not, I'm bad at writing good characters. But success is built on a mountain of failures anyways, so might as well try!

-Freefaller
 
Freefaller said:
Beyond her appearance however, was her aura, one of tiredness and fatigue. A hum in the back of his mind that gave him the slightest insight into what people were like. He'd long identified it as Force Sensitivity, if a low level of it such that it could not be passed down in any recognizable form. Lucky for him, as he'd hate to be hunted down by the Inquisitorious.
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Interesting that Dornun is a force sensitive, I guess we finally found out where Las inherited that trait from. Also, I wonder how Dormun's sense pick out Mugwuffin & Myr'thos when he's around Las. Additionally, considering what we've seen now with how Dornun internally describes people's personality/character, I wonder how he sees Las's own change in character from his underachieving son to politically & economically savvy competent governor!
 
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