Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Arisen gunmen]

i just realized. the myto sector is near bastion. the pentastar alignment will be your neighbors. that's perfect. they aren't gonna attack you. 2 warlord neighbors just chillin. then when pellion comes around forms the remnant on bastion and makes peace with the new republic you'll be right there. not to mention the pentastar alignment also believed the empire needed reforms. the imperial remnant under pellion also was a very reformed empire. it had alien stormtroopers. i know you said your not doing the vong invasion. but dude you are right in the invasion path. right in the area where the remnant and new republic decided to work together like holy crap this lines up perfect. the pentastar alignment was founded by the grand moff of oversector outer. it later folded into the remnant under pellion.

 

[Yacov]

Ah yes, economic data to analyze. My favorite.

This report is for the purpose of listing all systems designated as Fringe systems (Check File Sys-Classification)

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The classification of Fringe system probably applies to a system that is minimally settled enough to classify as civilized as compared to other systems in the sector. There are probably less populated worlds in the sector, but those are mostly just outposts or people doing subsistence farming. So we might be the talking the worlds around say the 10-25 percentile range in the sector, or 20-35 range if you want to be pessimistic. Definitely in the lower half due to the Fringe description implying less than the majority or median of systems.

That being said, these systems represent 44,737,038 sentient citizens at a range between 1,282,232 to 1,845,648 population range (minus Rodu which is an extreme outlier). These 44 million citizens seem to be in the population range where a system is both able to survive as well as produce enough to begin exporting product to the wider sector economy with one or more main products or services.

The following thirty systems are the most suitable candidates for immediate funding based on infrastructure gaps and the potential for rapid stability.

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Interesting that the report uses "rapid stability" rather than "rapid growth". Shows Las isn't looking to make Boom Towns but something that will secure stabilized growth in the sector.

Rodu (157,862): This single world system focuses on agriculture and remains ripe for investment in genetically robust crops and larger scale industrial farming, which would improve local food security.

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Once again Rodu is an extreme outlier. That world must be reallllly fertile or those crops must be incredibly nutritious to qualify in the same bracket as all these more populous systems just for food security and not even cash crops. That or the other worlds in the subsector Rodu resides in must have terrible, terrible fertility.

Malgoaan (1,845,648): This system has a high potential for assembly plant growth if provided with equipment grants to utilize its large labor pool.

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So Malgoann probably is not that industrialized and this grant is probably seeding the initial factories and plants needed to export to the wider sector in larger numbers. Still is probably slated to be made a manufacturing system in a few years.

Relalon (1,814,047): Strategic funding for subspace transceiver arrays will improve coordination with nearby trade routes and reduce signal lag.

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Relalon is probably a good location for a minor trade system, but also faces some obstacle such as a nebula, asteroid field, or space dust that requires communication infrastructure. On the upside that is an easy way to justify some trade tariffs if needed.

Dromunon (1,813,328): This system requires grants for heavy machinery to revitalize its primary mining zones and stop the trend of people leaving for other systems.

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Dromunon was probably a boom town system that is hitting the late stages where all the easy veins are beginning to tap out. Heavier mining equipment will allow them to tap into deeper veins and hold off this process, maybe long enough to diversify into more sustainable industries.

Vantulal (1,810,252): Investment in localized holonet relay nodes will allow for better integration with the sector economy and trade networks.

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Vantulal is probably minor trade system or maybe a system that needs assistance to get its exports to the wider sector. These exports being valuable enough that the assistance is considered worth it.

Xisios (1,799,613): This system has high manufacturing potential but suffers from power grid instability that requires immediate repair.

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So Xisios is probably a minor manufacturing system, but the Governor probably skimped on the infrastructure spending and things fell into disrepair. That or pirates, never dismiss pirates being the problem.

Rykeixia (1,696,996): Funding for salvage processing units will turn this system into a primary hub for recycled materials.

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Rykeixia definitely sounds like a junkyard system. Probably where a lot of pirate scrap is going to be sent to, along with their victims. Still all that material is better off not going to waste. Maybe invest in more tugs and freighters to speed up upcycling and salvaging.

Yularis (1,676,803): This system shows a need for better resource refining tools to increase the value of its primary exports.

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Yularis could be into mining, cash crops, lumber, ranching, or some other kind of base resource production. Still the resources must be fairly hard to get, valuable, or even unique. Probably should also beef up the local defense fleet to secure the supply in any case.

Belsuus (1,673,186): Subsidies for vocational training centers will align the local workforce with modern technical needs and shipyard standards.

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Okay Belsuus appears to be a shipyard system. These folks probably have a starport that produces fairly simple shuttles, freighters, and maybe even an archaic starfighter. The infrastructure is definitely in place if all they need is vocational training.

Muraarminor (1,663,971): This system requires infrastructure grants to build larger transport hubs for industrial goods.

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So Muraarminor could be a trade world or just a manufacturing world with underdeveloped transportation sector. Leaning towards the latter since warehouses would be the something a government would prioritize if they were traders.

Vunisminor (1,654,548): Investment in chemical processing vats will allow this system to support the sector needs for industrial fluids.

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So Vunisminor is set to produce industrial fluids. I would think that counts as a manufacturing system. Industrial fluids probably means things like lubricants, coolants, etc so this world is probably in the mineral business although that could also include organic fluids from a certain kind of animal or plant as well.

Harnonal (1,648,862): Funding for automated orbital defense platforms will secure this system against pirate raiding and cargo theft.

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I am guessing Harnonal is probably a trade world since cargo theft is a concern. Seems to imply they are shipping things in large enough quantities that the local defense fleet can't keep up. Although maybe they just have some factories and they are so periphery that their defense fleet is very tiny.

Gromeaan (1,602,566): This system has a large workforce that would benefit from grants focused on light manufacturing and assembly.

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So Gromeaan probably has lots of potential free population, probably due to technological advances in their industries like agriculture. Leaves them ripe to make into a light manufacturing system.

Mytixix (1,582,782): Strategic investment in hull plating factories will support the naval production goals of the sector.

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So I would put Mytixix as a manufacturing over shipyard system. They make the hull plating over the actual ships. Although they may be a candidate to make into a shipyard system with further development.

Yuleis (1,530,712): Subsidies for agricultural drones will help expand the limited farming output of this system to neighboring areas.

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Yuleis is probably an agriworld. The limited farming output seems to be due to capital and technological limitations rather than a lack of arable land or fertility.

Malgaral (1,521,621): This system shows high potential for electronics assembly if provided with modern workstations and assembly tools.

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So Malgaral is probably full of electronic component artisans. Able to export small numbers and service spacers to come to the system. This investment will allow them to probably export their products to the wider sector as a manufacturing system.

Kalaxmajor (1,497,658): Funding for subspace comms units will fix the persistent connectivity issues found in this outer system.

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Unknown what classification Kalaxmajor would fall under, but given they are so far from the center of sector civilization I would wager base resource extraction.

Kalosv (1,487,202): This system requires grants for waste management systems to support its growing urban centers.

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If Kalosv is urbanized enough with that level of population that they have waste issues required sector level intervention, they are most likely a manufacturing/service based world. A vast majority of their population is probably in just one or two cities.

Tioniv (1,464,831): Investment in fuel refining tech will make this system a vital stop for military and civilian ships on the fringe.

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So Tioniv is slated to be a truck stop system. Expected large starports and frequent traffic would have me classify this as probably a trade world.

Feltulmajor (1,449,522): This system has a strong labor pool that needs funding for specialized tool manufacturing.

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Feltulmajor is probably a manufacturing system. It is probably surrounded by other manufacturing systems to export its specialized tools to.

Vantaen (1,406,150): Subsidies for housing development will reduce the rate of people leaving for the settled systems.

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Unknown but given Vantaenites are leaving for "settled systems", I would wager agriworld or some other form of base resource extraction. This system probably lacks cities or even suburbs required to sustain this population.

Draxuon (1,398,528): This system shows a need for improved landing pad infrastructure to handle larger cargo vessels and freighters.

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Draxuon is probably a trade system. If their shipping needs require ships larger than light freighters with under 1.5 million, they probably aren't making everything themselves. That being said, they could just be ridiculously productive to justify the thousands of tons of cargo space the bigger freighters can provide.

Belsosix (1,358,986): Funding for local security forces will protect industrial assets from the current rise in piracy.

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Belsosix is probably a manufacturing system if they have enough industrial assets to justify investment in their local security forces.

Vantulon (1,354,349): This system would benefit from grants for clean energy arrays to lower the overhead of industrial production.

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Vantulon is probably a manufacturing system if they are producing enough pollution that clean energy arrays are being suggested.

Dromunos (1,352,933): Investment in mining safety equipment will allow for deeper extraction in its primary moon belts.

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Dromunos sounds like a mining system. A pretty developed one given they are mining moon belts rather than planetside.

Krakaxix (1,305,918): This system shows high absorptive capacity for heavy vehicle production if provided with initial capital.

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Krakaxix is most likely a manufacturing system given heavy vehicles represent a fairly complex export. Might want to boost military defense to secure factories that could be used to make things like tanks.

Sienosos (1,304,529): Funding for holonet relay stations will connect this isolated system to the sector capital for better trade data.

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Seinosos is probably a minor trade system trading in very small quantities, maybe even bartering. Given its isolation, I wouldn't be surprised if this system had a smuggling problem.

Reloen (1,299,007): This system requires subsidies for water reclamation plants to sustain its growing industrial districts.

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Reloen is probably a very early manufacturing system. This system could be making food products, chemicals, or fuels and oils. Reloen is probably a base resource system making its first steps into manufacturing.

Harnosv (1,282,396): Strategic grants for shipyard repair tools will allow this system to service local patrols and scout ships.

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Harnosv could be counted as a very minor shipyard system. They probably aren't producing many ships, but if they are servicing small ships enough to make it a major industry, their facilities are probably significant enough to qualify.

Prakoal (1,282,232): This system is ripe for investment in atmospheric scrubbers to improve the quality of its manufacturing zones.

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Once again probably a minor manufacturing system given similar reasons as Vantulon above.

By focusing on systems with both a high need and a path toward industrial expansion, the Ministry can ensure the sector grows as a unified economic entity.

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So overall the spread of these systems' primary industries appears to be:

Base resource/agriworld/mining systems: 7 = 23.3%

Minor manufacturing/service systems: 13 = 43.3%

Trade systems: 7 = 23.3%

Shipyard systems: 2 = 6.6%

Junkyard system: 1 = 3.3%

Note that primary industries doesn't mean only industries. The minor manufacturing systems can and probably do have local agricultural production. I am using the term "primary industry" to mean the main product/service the system contributes or is predicted to contribute to the wider sector economy.

That being said, less than a quarter of these system being slated to remain for base resource production is impressive. A whole 11.5% of the sector's 200 systems are being further industrialized/urbanized away from base resource production by this grant. This is an industrial grant subsidy, but that is still plenty of systems in the sector where finished goods or advanced services are going to be the way they contribute to the sector economy.

Especially since more populous systems in the sector are probably fairly industrialized themselves. That level of decentralized industry is going to be fairly unique in Outer Rim systems. Myto might even end up with a small majority of its systems having their main contribution to the sector's economy be industrial or service based in nature.

 

[Watching]

You know, now that I think about it Las could have probably tried to grab some of the Tom-Falk class carriers currently stuck wandering around the outer rim in patrol groups to act as a stop gap instead of making a lesser rush build of the Arbiter class to press into service. Yeah it's carry capacity is smaller and doesn't have turbo lasers but it's a dedicated carrier the size of a light cruiser with a smaller crew.

Could probably still augment the current arbiter battle groups to almost double the fighter spam too.

 

[PepeDeLosPalotes]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Kage]

Man, Star Wars rimworlds really lives to their names: they are not that big population wise

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You will note historically as well that happened a lot with colonies during the age of exploration. Barely any of them were ever given proper investment and if they had investment it was usually not to the benefit of the colony itself.

If I remember my lore most of the outer rim was founded as colonies by the inner rim. And therefore it was for resource extraction or something similar and so people didn't give a shit.

 

[Mistroz]

Excelent chapter.

 

[OrderedOrb]

You know, now that I think about it Las could have probably tried to grab some of the Tom-Falk class carriers currently stuck wandering around the outer rim in patrol groups to act as a stop gap instead of making a lesser rush build of the Arbiter class to press into service. Yeah it's carry capacity is smaller and doesn't have turbo lasers but it's a dedicated carrier the size of a light cruiser with a smaller crew.

Could probably still augment the current arbiter battle groups to almost double the fighter spam too.

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I agree. The Ton-Falk is an excellent Carrier-Cruiser that could do a lot of work with a proper escort.

 

[Heidao]

All I'm seeing is that every one of these planets are like Day One Minda, and it would take the same herculean efforts in both money and muscle to make these balls of shit shine like a gem. Were they running on their own means like Las originally did.

We're gonna need Roboute levels of admin to link everyone up, cause they all got products and services they all desperately need to grow.

Luckily we do, The Guild

 

[Wratus]

I wasn't capable of speech when those games came out and I haven't really factored them in, as I know little of the lore outside the fact that none of it is cannon and some dude crashes an ISD with the force

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Okay yeah funny little fact about Legends force abilities here, in legends several force users both dark side and light side have been able to use the force to destroy or rescue capital grade ships throughout time. Here we have Starkiller/Galen Marek from the Force Unleashed who used it to forcibly pull an ISD from orbit to crash into a planet while the ISD was launching TIE's and was possibly going to base delta zero him.

I think Kyle Katarn also used the force to rescue a capital grade ship from a black hole or something, i haven't read or played the games in which it happened but i remember it being mention in one of the Legacy of the Force or later novels. He did explain that it was something he did and was capable of doing when he was young, but now that he was older and wiser he didn't know if he would be able to do so again as he now would end up thinking of if he should actually do it in the event of being in a situation where manipulating such a large object to be wise or the right thing to do.

Then in the Darksaber novel we have Dorsk 81, along with other Jedi at the Yavin Praxeum, that used a massive Force push to propel an entire Imperial fleet of 17 Star Destroyers out of the system. This collective feat was mostly powered by Dorsk 81 himself, resulting in his death from the strain.

In the Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 2 (Legends), Anakin lifts a fully functional Separatist Conqueror-class atmospheric dreadnought, a ship larger than a Star Destroyer, and uses it to deflect missiles. While this doesn't truly surprise me as this is the Chosen one with only a having a cybernetic arm so not limited in his force usage at all.

And not to mention the shit Anakin did as Darth Vader where he is now limited in his force usage thanks to his cybernetics which are not made through Mechu Deru thus being non force conductive materials... yeah if Vader where to learn the principles of Mechu Deru he would be able to to fully do all the shit he did when he was Anakin, and since we are here there is all the crap Luke has done over the course of his life as a Jedi in legends and the capabilities hinted of him being able to do.

Also a honourable mention towards Yoda and some High Republic Jedi as they have some similar feats when it comes to high stress fine control and Yoda using the force to knock a Trawler out of the sky, and a Jedi Padawan that was able to use the force to break mechanical components inside of ships in order to disable them.

In conclusion the force is bullshit and i recommend trying out the Force Unleased games as they are quite good and hey maybe you end up liking Galen Marek, Ram Kota, Juno Eclipse and Galen's droid PROXY enough to include them in the story... this would be a boon to rebellion leadership and help with Luke's training in the background at least. Also bonus point as Sam Witwer the voice of Darth Maul is also the voice of Galen.

 

[bigdipper]

This is a great way to use ai without making the story ai slop. I love how you add more depth to the story with these little add on. I would like to see a chapter about a commander fighting pirates and the next chapter about a pirate pov. I love the story keep up the great work.

 

[Gordian_Knot]

The LCEAs really need some sort of catchier nickname. The acronym just doesn't roll off the tongue well enough.

 

[Freefaller]

Chp - 109 - Interlude
2.4 ABY
Xanthor Briar
Draxons Forge, Myto Sector

"Strike squadron, load up!"

Xanthor stared at his reflection in the shine of his helmet. The black, gleaming material shone in the harsh light of the hangar.

He lifted it over his head, pressing it down and securing its seals. His breath fogged the lenses for a second before the life support kicked in, clearing his vision. He could already feel an itch on his neck, but he ignored it.

Before him, TIE fighters moved on racks, pilots dropping into fighters before launching out of the hangar, screaming engines silenced as soon as they passed the magnetic shield out into space.

The hangar was large, TIE fighters stacked one atop another on the walls to either side of the room. A series of mechanical arms moved along the rails below, moving the vessels to align with the catwalks above.

The racks moved again, bringing his fighter to him as the arms raised it upwards. Within half a second of the arms locking into place, Xanthor was already reaching down.

He grabbed and twisted the handle of the TIE's hatch, bracing himself with one knee on the catwalk to avoid falling off as he hoisted the weight of the metal upwards.

Dropping into his seat, he plugged a data-wire from his suit into the ship console in one smooth motion. In seconds, his helmet's HUD lit up with ship functions while he went through the startup process.

Life support, shields, energy cycling, weapon cycling…he moved through them quickly, both hands flicking switches he wasn't looking at while the info-feed on his HUD fed him a basic overview of the current battle.

A Keldabe-Class battleship accompanied by an Aggressor-Class Destroyer and three Crusader-Class corvettes, all protecting a disabled Baleen-Class bulk freighter. Strategic ion torpedo strikes had managed to disable the ship as the raiders tried to flee, and now they were defending it while presumably trying to bring it back online.

Xanthor reasoned they held their loot in there, otherwise the pirates would've scattered by now.

On their side, two Arbiter-Class vessels supported them, alongside three Carrack-Class cruisers and six assorted Raiders and Arquitens. A formidable force, but the Arbiters were forced to stay back to avoid the Aggressor, as they were too large to dodge the ships deadly main weapon.

With a dozen switches flipped, his squadron leader barked orders over comms.

"Flight COM is sending us on intercept duty! We're shadowing MPS-Dagger to keep enemy strike-craft off them!"

A final switch started the engine, a low hum permeating the hull. He felt it through the controls, muscles relaxing slightly. A hand idly scratched at his neck while his eyes flicked over the ships diagnostics.

"Strike squadron, dropping in 3!"

A final check was all Xanthor could manage before the clamps let go. As it did, he punched the throttle, the inertial dampener kicking in until he felt only a slight push instead of the sheer g-force he would've been slammed with otherwise.

Ahead of him, he watched the rest of Strike Squadron zoom from the hangar in a line, one after the other. Each ship lit up with IFF designations in his HUD, while a second squadron of TIE's flew out underneath them from the second forward hangar. In seconds, they had left the confines of the MPS-Vigil of Justice and cleared its mandibles, quad laser cannons covering their exit.

Before him, the form of the MPS-Dagger, an Arquitens-Class, became clear. But his eyes were drawn beyond it.

The flashes of light, explosions ringing soundlessly into the void as shapes danced in the darkness. In his ears, the sound of his heartbeat quickened.

"Strike Squadron, enter protective formation! I want us all to stay level with the Dagger on approach to the AO."

Xanthor's body moved, hands twisting the yoke and bringing his TIE to the ship's right. His eyes remained on the distant battle as the protection of their mothership was left behind them.

"Hey, Xan? How many kills you getting?"

He blinked, his eyes focusing back on his cockpit. A comm channel had opened between his squadmates.

"More than you, Kora. I saw those sim scores last week." He responded, trying to ignore the cold sweat which had broken out under his suit.

He could imagine her pout. "Those sims aren't worth the scrap used to make them! Just watch, I'll show my best side." Her tone rose sharply.

"Like when you showed Zra your 'best side'?" He snickered as she stuttered incoherently over the channel.

"Ah, young love." A gruffer voice spoke up, a hint of laughter in her tone. Yirla was the second most senior member of the squadron, right after the squadron commander. Which was odd, considering there was no way she was more than a year older than he was, despite what her voice might imply.

"I-it's not love! She just saw me naked by accident, nothing more!" Complained Kora, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh? You mean Zra from Engineering? I heard all the gossip you know. A closet with unexplained noises doesn't ring any bells?" Chimed in a Daril, his voice smooth like butter.

"Oh zip it Daril! We all know you got with that Verndari during shore leave and thats why the doc chewed you out!"

"Hey, that was a perfectly reasonable choice! Those thighs were-"

"OK! I don't wanna hear any of that, please and thank you!" Butted in Xanthor as he adjusted his yoke a bit, keeping from straying too far from the Dagger.

By then, the Dagger had approached its destination, the MPS-Retribution, a Carrack-Class cruiser pushing up front. The Dagger had been sent to replace a Raider-Class that had been damaged and could no longer act as an effective point defense boat.

"Contact forward." Came the voice of the squadron leader.

The data stream from the Dagger filled his HUD, two dozen red symbols blinking into existence with identifying numbers to match. His eyes didn't bother tracking all of them, instead settling on those closest to him.

"Strike 2, commit on bombers 4 and 5. Strike 3, cover her."

"Copy, Lead. Locking 4 and 5. Engaging." Kora's voice, cold and hard.

"Copy, Lead. Covering." His own voice was next, a distant tone foreign to his mind yet in that moment, comforting.

He turned his yoke once more, throttle increasing as he came in behind Kora. They were on approach to two bombers, scrap heaps bristling with more firepower than sense. On their tail, his computer identified two StarViper Mk. II's, their strange hull shape standing out amongst the stars.

As Kora moved in on the bombers, he dragged his laser cannons in a line across the Vipers, holding down the trigger and sending a spray of cannon fire. None landed, but had the intended effect of catching their attention.

Bolts of red rip past the cockpit as he turns into a barrel roll, zooming past them.

They're on his 6 now, red death screaming silently past his cockpit. Up, over, down, the sweat drips off his brow and onto his nose and his neck doesn't stop itching and he can hear voices on comms. Bomber 4 was down.

An impact. Shields down to forty. Comms talking about a hyperspace exit. He banks hard, making for friendly AA.

The computer screams at him as he closes with the Dagger, a laser turret firing past him at his pursuers.

One IFF signature flickers, then disappears. The other speeds up, and Xan's knuckles go white as he rips the yoke to one side, break turning.

The Viper flies past, a heavier frame failing to burn speed as quickly. He brings his nose up, spraying even as the targeting computer calculates. One shot glances the Vipers wing before he's lined up.

One, two, three hits. Its shields go down, but it manages a turn and dodges downward. His nose follows, but it's already lined up.

A bolt of blue crashes into his TIE. Shields down, the itch is stronger now. His fingers hurt from holding the trigger.

Four, five, six hits. Armor crumpled, the Viper dies silently, no explosion.

"Strike Lead, shields blown."

"Copy. Break high and reset. Strike 4, cover Strike 2."

He breaks off, moving to take cover behind the dagger. Sweat drips into his eyes, and he blinks rapidly.

His breath starts to steady as he watches the emitters cycle and his shields prepare for reset.

"New Contacts, 11 o'clock off the Arquitens!"

Xan's radar lit up with new contacts, a whole squadron of what was identified as Aggressor-Class Assault Fighters.

He stayed back, waiting for his shields to cycle, the itch on his neck back already. Comms chatter was a blur in his ears, and the Dagger's hull hid the rest of the battle from him.

Until one red IFF broke off, cutting straight for him. Shit.

He pushed the throttle back to max, ion engines launching him back under the Dagger and towards the main dogfight. Maybe he could give someone else an opening and-

Bolts flew past him, the enemy already behind him. He pivoted, hands in a death grip as he turned his yoke every which way.

But no matter how he turned, that damned red IFF stayed there, blinking like it knew it was inevitable. Always just off target by a smidge.

Engines burning at max speed, he threw himself into a barrel roll, watching death miss him by meters before break turning hard. If he could just-

The Aggressor was more maneuverable. It gained angle on him, and he cut speed and angled down just as it fired.

Hit. He was hit, the impact slamming him to the side. Throttle was at max now, the computer screaming once more. Some part of his wing was down, he felt it in the balance. Every turn was harsher now, the inertial dampener must've been damaged.

Red lights blared as he made a beeline for the AO. If he could just get into AA range of the Dagger he could shake his tail. The signature dropped from behind him, the TIE showing its superior speed.

Checking the signatures course, however, told a different story.

"Bogey on intercept, requesting cover!"

"Strike 2, all units entangled, stay alive"

Shit. The pirate was seconds away from intercept. If Xan turned, he'd lose the rate war and get shot down. If he kept going, he'd get shot down.

He made his choice.

The fighter's nose was dragged down as he turned hard, eyes searching for any escape angle. If he turned into a barrel roll, maybe?

A bolt of red blinded him as it flew past, he turned again, spinning to shake lock, itch unbearable.

An alert screamed through his HUD, a missile on his tail, while the bogey pincered from the other side. This was it. Speed up, and the pirate shreds him. Slow down to pivot, the missile catches him.

Maybe the pirate would miss.

He redirected all power to engines, straining against his seat as the g-forces hit him. The missile was losing distance, but that fighter-

"This is Tide 6, on intercept."

That voice spoke with utmost calm, cutting through the comms chatter just a single burst of green lanced through the pirate. Each shot landing dead center, turning the vessel to dust in a fiery, silent explosion.

A shape, dark blue and angular, sped past him. The itch was gone, replaced with wide eyes as he turned his ship around to witness…

…death.

Three new fighters, Whirlwinds his mind provided, had entered the fray. No, they dominated it.

They moved unnaturally, twisting and turning like beasts, but not like beasts. Too alive for a machine, too precise for an animal.

One Aggressor tried to force a Whirlwind into a rate war. Instead of leading its nose, its wings folding to allow the turrets to fire sideways. It was a break in dogfighting logic in its entirety.

In under a minute, a dozen bogeys were turned to scrap, nothing but burned wrecks and the atomized corpses of their pilots.

And as Xan brought his TIE above the Dagger, he witnessed the rest of the battle.

Swarms of bombers ripped through enemy shields, the hull of the Keldabe-Class buckling under the weight of two squadrons of bombers.

Beyond it, the Aggressor-Class destroyer was reduced to nothing but a smoldering wreck, its superstructure rendered in two by the combined firepower of the Carracks.

And throughout it all, Tide Squadron flitted about like a pack of machine-beasts, a single mind ripping through panicked prey, streaks of dark blue only visible by the IFF signature on them.

It was…beautiful. And in that moment, Xanthor knew his goal.

To one day sit behind the cockpit of a Whirlwind.

–

Rai Trolo
2.4 ABY
Dantooine, Raiobollo Sector

"3300 credits? How can you guarantee quality at a price like that?"

"Because the Guild would fine me if I didn't! And I am nothing if not Guild compliant!"

Rai had heard about the Guild from passing merchants, and to him it all sounded like a scam. There was no chance in all the Rim that the Empire, of all people, would create an organization that actually enforced quality standards for civilian products.

Especially since every single story coming out of the Myto sector was too wild to be true! Actual anti-corruption measures? Less human centrism? Functioning public services!? No chance.

He'd met Imperials, soldiers taking a break from guarding that base they kept on the planet. They were snobs, a rude and brutish people. Dantari were more civilized than those piles of dung.

"Oh yeah? Let me see its maintenance logs then."

The merchant sighed, reaching for a PDA while Rai smirked. He'd been haggling for the past twenty minutes, just trying to get this trickster to give up the game. 3300 credits for what seemed to be a factory new Zephyr-G? That would've been half the shipping cost if he'd ordered off the holonet, not to mention the extra holonet connection cost as well. The Empire was stingy with civilians using it.

When the merchant sent the maintenance logs to his PDA, Rai was surprised.

It all looked legitimate. Nothing more than post-production inspections and two cargo checks during transit.

Rai licked his lips. On one hand, this could be a great scam. On the other hand-

"Hey there Rei, how da ya do!"

He could feel his eyes twitch as he turned, a plastic smile stretching across his face.

"Good morning, Haral." He said, tone straining against the confines of polite conversation.

Haral was a neighbor of his, a hunter like Rai. Unlike Rai, Haral came from a family of means, and as such had bought himself an FC-20.

"Nothing much, Rei. Just decided to take a gander at the bazaar. No biggie, really. Ol'reliable got me here in no time." Haral slapped the side of the speeder, chuckling to himself in a way that made Rai's teeth grind.

"How was the hike up here? I don't see much, of course, at 180km/h, and I miss the scenery so dearly! But that's the price of performance, I suppose. Isn't that right, Rei?"

"It's Rai. And yes-"

"Ah! Borzun! How are things going, my friend! Still driving that speeder truck!" Haral had already moved on, annoying some other shopper with the same five stories he had with his speeder. They seemed to change every time he told them.

Rai turned back to the merchant, hand gripping the PDA a little too hard.

"How fast did you say this was?"

"350km/h"

"I'll take it."

–

Jir Coru
2.4 ABY
Ugea, Myto Sector

Jir's work day was cleanly segmented into three parts.

First, in the morning, she did inspections. These ranged from inspecting a ship to testing a mercenary's aim at the range. Occasionally, she addressed conflicts between members or ensured local arms manufacturers and security companies were up to code.

In the afternoon, she filed reports on all the morning's activities, alongside updating ranks or issuing warnings or fines.

In between these two segments sat an hour long lunch break.

Jir sat at her desk, fingers clacking against her terminal input as she filed her most recent report. Her hands never faltered, every word typed a certainty.

A chime rang throughout the office, indicating break time had commenced.

Around her, the myriad of officeworkers started talking, stretching, and making their way out of the building for their lunch.

Fools. Didn't they know they were being inefficient?

Jir reached one hand down into her bag, eyes never leaving the screen as her other hand typed, and grabbed a nutrient packet. Tearing the corner off with her teeth, she made to drink it before a voice interrupted.

"Heya Jir! Me and some friends are gonna go check out this new place down the street. Wanna come with?"

Melandre, a bubbly younger Torgruta woman who Jir found tolerable at best. Her attitude was unacceptable by her standards. Melandre had addressed no less than three senior Guild personnel by first name, maintained subpar workplace cleanliness and did not press her uniform with any regularity.

Jir also noted that she was consistently the first to arrive and last to leave, which kept her from reporting her to GuildCom.

That, and GuildCom kept rejecting her reports on coworkers. And kept telling her that they were called Sapient Resources. A thoroughly unfitting name for a branch of the sector's premiere institution.

Regardless, Melandre was someone Jir tolerated. But this? A step too far.

"I am far too busy for such frivolities. I have all the sustenance I require right here." She gestured with the hand holding the nutrient packet, eyes already moving back to the screen.

"Oh come on! We've been working together for months and I barely know you. Would it kill you to make a couple of friends? At least an acquaintance or two! It physically hurts seeing you lonely every lunch break."

Melandre's voice took a turn at the end Jir couldn't quite place, but it mattered not. What mattered was the word acquaintance. Otherwise known as a connection. Perfect.

"I…suppose I would not be entirely against such a proposition, Melandre."

The smile on Melandre's face felt like it was blinding her. "Great! And haven't I already told you to call me Mel?"

"I refuse. It is thoroughly unprofessional conduct, Melandre." The girl pouted, pouted! Like a child before relenting, instead dragging her over to a pair standing near the door.

One was a tall Vurk, the other a Duros shorter than herself.

"The workaholic, right? I'm Vebral, an Industrial Liaison." the Duros said. He was quite short for a Duros. A potential source of insecurity which Jir filed away for later.

"And I am Colber." Said the Vurk, voice deep yet distinctly feminine. "I am from Accounting." The Vurk spoke quietly, too quietly. Socially introverted?

"You may call me Jir Coru. I am a Mercenary Liaison."

"Alright, now that we're all introduced, let's get going! We've only got an hour, after all!" Melandre butted in as soon as the introductions were over, practically jittering in excitement.

Upon leaving the building, they were immediately thrust into the midday crowd. Midday was break time for the entire Guild, and so the streets were full of employees making off to various eateries. One could scarcely take a step without bumping into someone.

"You know" Vebral said "I heard upper management is thinking of downsizing the cafeteria because so many people leave for lunch."

"Ah, that is unfortunate, as I greatly enjoyed the delicacies afforded there." replied Colber, standing a head taller than much of the crowd.

"Well, it won't compare to this place, I guarantee that!" exclaimed Melandre, the orange skinned girl jumping into the air to get a glimpse over the crowd.

Jir slipped through the crowd, avoiding physical contact with anyone as she tracked the other three.

Eventually, they reached the restaurant. A Karkarodon seafood establishment.

As they entered, Jir took in the place. It was small, a rectangular shape longer than it was wide. The kitchen and bar stood to the right, booths to the left, and a bathroom and emergency exit at the rear.

The windows were too open for her taste. And the bar left one's back exposed. The optimal solution was the booth at the end, near the emergency exit.

Melandre sat them by the window.

As they leafed through the menu, Jir observed each of them discreetly.

Melandre seemed excited at every turn of the page. Verbal seemed to be counting prices. And Colber hadn't turned a page past the first, seemingly content to read just the entree's.

"Oh, this fish looks amazing! They have 32 different herbs and spices all stuffed inside!" Melandre shoved the menu in their face despite the fact they all had the same one.

"And it costs a whole 40 credits. Why do that when you could get a dozen rolls for just 10?" Responded Vebral.

"Maybe we could share?"

"That creature would provide enough sustenance for a score more than we have here. Mayhaps you should choose a different meal." Colber butted in, voice slow as though each word was carefully chosen. It seemed to contradict her previous analysis. Perhaps not an introvert, simply differently educated? Potential family connections to a richer sphere?

Silently, Jir had already chosen her meal. A small platter of lightly cooked strips of fish and a creamy sauce covering it. The smallest, cheapest meal on the menu, allowing her to later consume her nutrient package without overeating. All without ordering an entree and standing out, perfectly planned.

As the food was prepared, the conversation turned to the Guild.

"Did you guys hear about that case the other day? One of the Mandalorian clans got angry at a construction company because their landing pad cracked under their ship's weight." Melandre pulled up a story on her PDA, the device left on its stand for all to see.

"It seems that they must in the future take into consideration the weight of their vessels and the tolerances of their landing pads, yes?" Replied Colber. "If they were to be more considerate of their material circumstances perhaps they could have avoided such an unfortunate incident."

"Nah, no chance. If that company was hired to build a pad big enough for all their ships to land on, and it was for a mercenary company? They'd build it strong with the assumption large combat ships would be landing there. I gotta blame the company, must've used subpar materials to cut costs, or they just didn't listen to their clients."

Verbal's critique was cutting, but Melandre was more focused on something else.

"Though, it gets you thinking. The clans are already getting their own compounds, right? They've got cruisers and corvettes and are apparently in talks to continue their foundling traditions to expand their ranks. That's a lot of permissions, more than most other mercenary companies."

"But have they not proven their worth in battle many times over? The numbers tell a grand tale, as the credit worth of the salvaged ships and equipment they acquire through battle is of no small amount." Colber interjected.

Here, Jir decided to jump in. If she could not inject herself into this group, she could never make any connections.

"The Mandalorians are mediocre in regards to their organizational abilities as mercenary companies. They are carried forward almost solely by individual capacity rather than the clan as a whole. Frankly, I find it a waste to give more permissions to them when sector forces could be better funded."

Here they turned to her.

"I cannot say I am in agreement with you, Jir Coru." Spoke Colber. "Perhaps the Mandalorian Clans are lacking in the large-scale organization seen within entities such as the Empire or larger mercenary companies, however the effect the Clans have had on the sector has been undeniably positive. Perchance, have you seen the piracy statistics in systems to which the Clans have been deployed?"

"I have not, as such I will retract my point until I can consult the evidence." Jir didn't actually agree. She'd spent years studying the effectiveness of the Imperial machine, and could've broken down how the Clans were not effective enough to be worth the investment with enough detail to fill out a ten page report. Who was this woman to tell her how things were? But she decided to remain conflict free during this crucial, initial stage. Instead, she pivoted.

"Though, I must ask, Colber. Your manner of speaking is unique to me. Where were you taught?"

"This is the traditional method of speaking, common amongst my peoples for its ability to elucidate complex concepts clearly and without miscommunication."

"Nah, she's just weird." Vebral said, sipping on his drink loudly. Colber shot him a glare before responding.

"Nay, this manner of speech is most common indeed. Your lowly person has simply not been privy to the heights of Vurk culture. Perchance if you deigned to raise your lowly sense of culture, you may well be able to find your ever elusive soulmate" She turned her head away in protest, while Melandre simply laughed lightly.

"Hey! The Totally True Adventures of Baddassatron the Galactic Hero is an incredible franchise that's just a little down on its luck! Trust me, the 53rd movie will be the one to save it, and then I'll be emotionally ready to settle down!"

An insult? A showing of vulnerability? The interaction before her didn't align at first, until it clicked. It was an act, of this she was certain.

She was the outsider still. Clearly, they knew this, and this was all a ruse in order to portray themselves as more foolish than they were. If she was to gain access to the group properly, she would have to endure this and discover a way in.

Once the food, the table turned more to silence as they ate. Upon finishing, the four of them returned to the office, slipping back to their respective branches.

Just as Jir was to return to her desk, mind filing away the event for later deep analysis, Melandre stopped her.

"Same time tomorrow?"

Jir froze for a split second. Same time? Was she in? No, not entirely. This was just the beginning.

"Of course."

The smile that was her response was impressive in how real it seemed.

–

So, for the first battle, I think it's fair to say the Empire would've won that, even with the pirates having two very large ships. Sector Patrol simply had them outnumbered, and I figured the Arbiters after that previous incident would try to stay farther away from the Aggressors big gun.

Also, the MPS in front of the ship's names stands for Myto Patrol Ship.

As for the writing itself, this is one of my longest chapters, I think. That battle at the beginning takes up most of it, and it was a doozy. I've been trying to move my writing to a more show don't tell format, since it just works better. And most of the story has been telling, given Las is an administrator.

But I don't want the alt POV's to feel like Las. He's up high making big choices, so everyone else has to feel those choices and be more present, which necessitates a better, more focused writing style which I think I've managed to do here. More sensory details, thoughts injected into descriptions, etc…

I'm particularly proud of the dogfight. I had to look up terms like turn breaking, rate war and more to understand how dogfights work, but it was worth it.

Other than that, I made more chocolate sheet cake. This shit is heavy though, can't eat much before I feel like I'll burst. Or maybe I've just eaten too much.

Oh, the pains of baking incredible treats. My waist will expand ten feet!

Keep goofin, goobers.
-Freefaller

 

[RageKnight]

Ha. She's been adopted by an extrovert, and she's so socially retarted that she hasn't realized it yet.

 

[Wratus]

Ahhh knowing what i know about Togruta culture and evolution i will say you perfectly portrayed how a young metropolitan Togruta would be here with Melandre, afterall their species is even more social than what us Humans are.

 

[Natelord28]

I definitely liked the dogfight, really felt it!

 

[Arisen gunmen]

you did a good job with the dogfight. i felt the tension. thought the guy was gonna die at the end. i did not see the aggressors coming. i mean i thought maybe he would pull off some kind of maneuver or make it back to the corvette cover. so well done.