Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Vlaadd17]

Im not sure about his sister though. Is she a step sister or not? It is important. After all, it was said that father took him away from his mom to rise him in estate. Why he didn't do that to other girls? If mom Mola had several different husbands who... Passed in accident it would be quite believable from narrative.

But the question stands, is she his step sister or not? I would be fine with both.

Besides, it is star wars , kiss her like you would kiss your sister meme .( luke x leya kiss is a thing.)

 

[Dsin]

Im not sure about his sister though. Is she a step sister or not? It is important. After all, it was said that father took him away from his mom to rise him in estate. Why he didn't do that to other girls? If mom Mola had several different husbands who... Passed in accident it would be quite believable from narrative.

But the question stands, is she his step sister or not? I would be fine with both.

Besides, it is star wars , kiss her like you would kiss your sister meme .( luke x leya kiss is a thing.)

Click to shrink...

Nah it's his full sis except he lived his dad for most of his life while his sisters lived with his mother. He lived his mother for a few years but was terrified of her and his sisters as he believed they were subordinate to her and so lad is largely estranged from them and views them as a threat to himself. He not totally wrong as it was said that they will have hunted him down for his mother if he tried to flee.

 

[Yacov]

As I watch the Seventh Brothers ship fly off into the sky, I resist the urge to give out a bodily sigh. I'm still among my subordinates, after all.

Click to shrink...

Someone is going to have fun with all the new toys.

As I turned away, I came to see both Darna and Oioro. Darna's time as Interim Governor had brought about a different sense of fashion. Instead of her usual stark white uniformed garb, she had transitioned to a more muted grey. On top of it she wore a more flowing jacket of sorts. It was soft and a cloud white, flowing over her lekku without obscuring her head, and allowed people to see the badge that marked her as Interim Governor.

Click to shrink...

Like someone mixed an Imperial Uniform with the owner of a Night Club.

"Currently, both the Patroller and Enforcer are being made at a decent rate. Roughly 3 Patrollers and 12 Enforcers per month."

Click to shrink...

That is pretty good for an initial production. Especially for something as "big" as spaceships. That's what, three small patrol groups and some upgrades to existing squads?

"Don't start selling them just yet. Those produced are to start patrolling both Edin and Minda. I leave it up to our Naval personnel to organize it all."

Click to shrink...

That'd take about 6-8 years to replace all the TIEs and Gozantis in both fleets by my very flaky estimate.

It was then that Darna spoke up. "Sir, even with the redundancies and logistical chains, the cost of running the factories, ships, and all the disparate pieces will add up. It will put undue strain on Minda's finances, especially since Edin has yet to become profitable."

Click to shrink...

Plus selling it would allow for the extra profit to be directed to increase production. End up with more Patrollers and Enforcers for the home fleets overall by making it pay for its own expansion.

The two debate the concept mentally, before agreeing, which was perfect. This would keep their costs up, slow down the R&D lab from pulling any more miracles out of their asses at the rate they had been going at, and hopefully reduce paperwork.

Click to shrink...

Don't forget you'll have to judge all the submissions. Of which there will be manifold after all this time.

With that, my business was almost concluded. The last thing on the menu was greeting the staff that was transferred over from Thrawn's Defender project after his disappearance via magic force whales or whatever.

Click to shrink...

Oof, those on the Defender project are going to have some stiff competition. Their "competitors" already have active production models, had their initial production run, and already secured contracts for producing more. Maybe they can start working on the Mark 2 of the Mindan TIE line.

I think mc should create ship building industry, like he can build smaller ships like corvette and frigate and sell it to other.

Click to shrink...

Honestly I can see Las sticking to civilian ships for any ships Minda designs and makes. At least initially to keep bigger players from noticing Minda.

That being said, I can also see the first R&D competition being to design a "uniquely Mindan" ship to produce as a way to promote unity with the Defender staff and the local staff.

This theoretical ship will probably need to be simple, small, and low tech. Good enough parts that you won't need to immediately replace it while not breaking anyone's budget. CEC probably wouldn't mind taking some of their off the shelf parts. Material costs shouldn't be too much of a problem given how resource rich Minda is.

I am imagining a boxy, bulky small shuttle/freighter for short but consistent travel between systems. The Star Wars ship version of a Sedan. Nothing ground breaking, just an unusually reliable and affordable option on the local market. Something that screams "your friendly neighborhood ship builder made this".

 

[Mannchaa]

Kinda hillarious in the tournament ark every project becomes military xD because of the imperial culture the researchers grew up in xD - what? Remove the trains armor? What for... couldnt we just enlarge the tunnels xD

 

[Wadi]

Mc should send Alvi Mila to death star problem would be solved permanently. "My own salary was practically non-existen" he need money sink why not Rise of salary for him? He could buy hideouts in galaxy if there's reason to escape.

 

[swtoring]

he need money sink why not Rise of salary for him? He could buy hideouts in galaxy if there's reason to escape.

Click to shrink...

It's easier to fudge the numbers a little on investments instead of explaining why despite having a salary all of it is missing, same reason why most of palp's secret super weapons were actually funded was creative bookkeeping

 

[Mistroz]

Excellent chapter

 

[Spadesamurai]

It's easier to fudge the numbers a little on investments instead of explaining why despite having a salary all of it is missing, same reason why most of palp's secret super weapons were actually funded was creative bookkeeping

Click to shrink...

This just reminded me of those videos where it's explained that the galactic economy should be in free fall after the two Death stars get blown up. That was a lot of money and manpower just blown into space dust.

 

[swtoring]

This just reminded me of those videos where it's explained that the galactic economy should be in free fall after the two Death stars get blown up. That was a lot of money and manpower just blown into space dust.

Click to shrink...

Also the guy who manipulated galactic economics decided to hole up in the deep core (legends) or the unknown regions (canon) to build up a military force with which to crush his enemies ... instead of making sure the galactic credit bubble doesn't implode

 

[Xintax]

This just reminded me of those videos where it's explained that the galactic economy should be in free fall after the two Death stars get blown up. That was a lot of money and manpower just blown into space dust.

Click to shrink...

That feels overstated the star wars galaxy has trillions of people within the republic, both death stars casualties aren't even a rounding error...hell Alderan itself wasn't significant in terms of population either it was just an inner rim world which made it important and culturally significant had a different target been chosen, over in the outer rim nobody would have given a shit.

As for the money/funding aspect again when you have trillions of taxpayers it becomes a much lesser expenditure in comparison to everything else. In fact given the numbers I would fully expect that sectors within the inner rim are capable of skimming enough off the top to fund significant if not outright afford to create their own.

 

[Aeroeng]

That feels overstated the star wars galaxy has trillions of people within the republic, both death stars casualties aren't even a rounding error...hell Alderan itself wasn't significant in terms of population either it was just an inner rim world which made it important and culturally significant had a different target been chosen, over in the outer rim nobody would have given a shit.

As for the money/funding aspect again when you have trillions of taxpayers it becomes a much lesser expenditure in comparison to everything else. In fact given the numbers I would fully expect that sectors within the inner rim are capable of skimming enough off the top to fund significant if not outright afford to create their own.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, depending on what timeline you use you either have around 1-3 million worlds(Disney) or 50 million to 3 BILLION(Legends).

 

[frozone]

literally ppl only gave a shit was because it was a core world planet and it was human majority planet if it was an outer rim planet with an alien majority like ryloth no one would have cared

 

[oscar e Sampedro Lopez]

Thanks for the chapter Great story as always
Will her sister tell him that their mother can no longer remove him to infantry? Or will her let him stew in that for longer

 

[vtkun]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-39: Whirlwind Adventures

Alvi Mola
Minda System, Ugea, Accordia, Imperial R&D Aerospace Lab

As her brother walked into the room, there was only one thing she could say.

"Why does your helmet have a nose?"

Silence reigned, as the odd creature at his side seemed to laugh in hisses. Behind him, the uniformed teal twi'lek hid her smile behind her hand, while the chiss woman's mouth twitched upwards for half a second.

As for Las himself, he just stared. Finally, he threw his arms up.

"Oh come on! It's not that bad!"

He then immediately rounded on the smaller creature.

"Oh don't give me that, young lady! You don't even wear clothes, how can you have a sense of fashion!"

The creature's smug aura seemed to increase.

"Oh zip it Mugwuffin. You can't even wear pants, much less pull off an outfit."

As he turned away, clearly grumbling, he faced her.

"And hello to you too, sister. How goes things?" he asked, a sense of professionalism suddenly filling the room.

"I'm doing fine, Las." she responded, wondering where to take this. Even if they had been the closest amongst their siblings, it still wasn't much.

"Good. Now, regarding the future of the Defender Project."

This. This was something she could latch onto.

"We made great progress under Grand Admiral Thrawn. Olrat here is the head engineer of the project, and was able to save all of the research." she said, some excitement leaking into her voice.

Olrat stepped up quickly. "That's correct, Sir. We have all of the data and the models you see here. Nearly our entire team is also here, so continuing research on the project would be very simple. We already have a variety of plans set up for future developments and-"

Las raised his hand. "Stop. Just…stop". Olrat backed down, the abrupt order breaking his momentum.

Reaching for a hidden release button, Las removed his helmet. A small gasp nearly left Alvi's lips. Stretching from the base of his neck across the left side of his face was a scar. It curled, like a horn, cutting across his eye and breaking his eyebrow before turning and slashing towards his ear, growing narrower the farther up it went.

Either not noticing or caring about his sister's reaction, Las simply rubbed his temple in annoyance.

"The Defender and Elite projects are being put on hold, and the resources and manpower are to be directed towards other projects of more vital importance."

Immediately, Alvi, Olrat, and many of the other Defender researchers stepped forwards to protest. This was the work of over a year! They couldn't just drop it!

Before their complaints even left their mouths, Mugwuffin let out a low hiss. Despite being a quiet sound, they all seemed to hear it as if she was next to them. It seemed to freeze them in their tracks, like a predator was standing right there.

"Look, the Defender and Elite projects aren't bad, far from it, but we already have TIE projects in the works. Not to mention a bevy of other projects. We cannot afford to start dumping resources into these, especially for projects we could not produce. I've seen the numbers, and neither of these ships are cheap or have much in terms of logistical compatibility with the rest of the TIE line."

As the predatory feeling slunk away, Mugwuffin giving them all an imperious gaze before jumping onto Las's back, curling around his neck and shoulders like a scarf.

Las himself did nothing but pet her, before continuing. "Without Grand Admiral Thrawn, these projects lack any real political backing. I have practically no political capital, and certainly not enough to fight the boardroom battles necessary to have these projects approved over whatever else Coruscant is cooking up."

He gestures to his PDA, and then to the industrial LECA's sitting in the corners of the room.

"The R & D labs here are focused on improving the lives of the people of the Empire, and the Empire as a whole. A super fighter program can do that, but on a much larger scale than we can handle. Especially with the Edin system cleanups and advancements taking a large chunk of the revenue. Once that's all finished, then background development can commence, but even then it won't be much."

"So that's it. This whole project that the Grand Admiral wanted so badly is just being scrapped?" She couldn't help herself. They had worked so hard on this!

He looked her in the eye, and at that moment she was not looking at her little brother. She was staring at a stranger, garbed in a Governor's uniform.

"The Grand Admiral is gone. His opponents for funding have won. This project has no recourse for adoption by the wider Empire. Nor will I push for such. The people of Minda and Edin have no need for super fighters. They have a need for infrastructure, food, power, and a stable economy. If you want a super fighter, turn your attention towards the Whirlwind. It's no Defender or Elite, but it serves as the Ace fighter in our defense fleets."

She wanted to argue, but knew there was nothing she could say. In the end, he was right. This wasn't Lothal, and he wasn't Thrawn. The priorities here, the needs, were different.

"Well, at least you found your talent, huh? Never thought it would be governance, of all things." She joked, hoping to lighten the mood. Their family was estranged enough as it is, and she didn't want to further that gap.

He quirked an eyebrow. "I have no talent. I just read a freighter's load of history and political books, and relied on local leaders to understand what decisions would be best. My so-called 'talent' at governance is the result of over a years worth of stress and constant study."

Back on his head went his helmet, as he turned towards the door. "Now, I have much work to do. In the meantime, The Head of Development will be meeting with you shortly to assign you to your divisions and get you situated. Pilots, a shuttle and escort will be with you shortly to ferry you to wherever Commodore Veers has assigned you."

For a moment, he angled his head back towards her, his visor glowing blue. "Goodluck, and godspeed."

With that, he left.

Soon, a Lepi by the nap of Yop appeared, taking the researchers to a conference room to sort them out. Meanwhile, her and the few remaining test pilots were ferried out to a Lambda shuttle, and soon were on there way to Edin.

If nothing else, she could look forward to the Whirlwind.
—------------------—------------------—------------------—------------------—------------------—------------------
Seventh Brother
Edin System, Edin 2 Orbit

Standing at the window of his shuttle, the Seventh looks out over Edin 2.

In orbit of the planet sits a massive Lucrehulk-class battleship, smaller ships flitting about as they refit panels and remove interior pieces. Not far from it is a Vindicator-class heavy cruiser.

The dagger shaped ship bares its heavily armed front out to the void, like a sharpened spear. Around it a few modified CR90's float, fighters coming and going as they patrol the area.

But the thing that catches his attention the most is Edin 2 itself. Not the beautiful vista of its continents, or the sparkling shine of the lighter colored water that covers the lagoons and beaches of the massive, continent sized archipelago.

No, the thing that captivates him the most is the Force. Unlike Minda, which was practically neutral in its leaning, with neither side having much grip, here the Dark Side was strong.

Not as strong as he had ever felt it, but a far sight from Minda. Except, amongst that darkness, there was light. Pinpricks of grey. The largest being Edin City itself.

Yet, like always, the Dark Side rushed him. Like a crazed berserker, it swung its might at his mind like how he used to swing his lightsaber as an acolyte.

As always, he swung back. Cross metaphorical blades with a force of nature, he wrested it under his control, hissing and screaming but chained all the same. He felt his rage renewed, flowing through his body as he took a deep breath.

Minda had been strange, to say the least. But here, he felt like an Inquisitor again.

Once they made planetfall, he was flown towards the fortress used as the local garrison. Passing by the capitol, he noted the numerous construction projects. Entire neighborhoods being repaired or built anew. A bevy of construction vehicles flew and hovered about, and the spaceport was packed with a number of independent shipping companies loading and unloading cargo by the metric tons.

Upon landing at the garrison, he was met by the esteemed Commander Grant.

What a beast.

"Greetings, Inquisitor. I welcome you to Edin 2. I hear you have arrived to help with the Wretch infestation."

As she spoke, he analyzed her from behind his mask. She wasn't force sensitive, that much he could tell. But, she was steeped in the Dark Side. Her politeness a mask for the beast he could feel trying to claw its way out.

The amount of self-control she showed was impressive.

"Correct. The creatures are undoubtedly esoteric in nature. I will be heading the effort to eradicate them."

She nodded, while the beast clawed. "My thanks. They have been an elusive foe, and your…expertise would be greatly appreciated."

Before he could respond, her PDA pinged with a priority message. Quickly checking it, she cursed.

"A patrol has reported that their under attack at this very second." Turning to her second, "What do we have available for a fast response unit!?"

As she said this, Seventh simply pressed a few buttons on his datapad, watching a Gozanti that had been tailing them make a landing pass.

Instead of landing, though, it simply plopped its cargo onto the courtyard of the base.

Turning to the Commander, who had noticed the commotion, he nodded. "I will investigate. Do not bother sending reinforcements. If they have been unable to see the enemy, they will be of no use to me."

Without looking at her response, he steps into the cockpit of the TIE Whirlwind he had been given. Painted pitch black with a red highlight, he had not had the time to have it customized past the paint job.

Still, as he activated the systems and started hovering up, he knew he would be keeping it. No name had been chosen, but that was for later.

Right now, he had a foe to catch.

In seconds, the Whirlwind shot out of the courtyard at incredible speeds, its wings rotating slightly to accommodate wind patterns. Zooming out over the plains, he couldn't help but smile. In rare moments like these, flying over the horizon with not a care in the world, he seemed free.

Then, his PDA pinged with a set of coordinates, and the integrated systems in the TIE pointed him in the correct direction.

Turning, he deactivated shields and weapons, pushing all the power to the engines. In seconds, he was shooting across the environment like a ray of light. The only ship he had ever flown that was faster was the Interceptor.

In less than a minute, he arrived at the site of the attack. Slowing down, he reactivated shields and weapons. Still, he knew he would overshoot the site.

Did he brake? No.

He flipped.

The entire chassis of the TIE rotated on its central axis, the cockpit going clockwise, the wings counter. In less than a second, he was facing the opposite direction, his engines roaring to make up for the momentum.

The G's would have been enough to kill a normal person. Even with the inertial stabilizers set to 100%, the turn was drastic enough to feel. But to him? The Dark Side filled his veins, blunting the force and allowing him to make the turn with the stabilizers at a mere 75%.

Scanning the ground, he spotted a dozen dead wretches, next to a damaged Trexler. Clearly, the horde had bitten off more than it could chew.

The Whirlwinds scanners showed him little that he didn't already see, so he expanded his senses in the Force.

It didn't take much for him to pick something up. It was farther away now, and moving fast, but it reeked of the Dark Side.

Quickly gaining altitude, he kept hold of the signal. Following it. It felt…off. Old, yet amateurish. And there was the fact that he could even tell that. Even with his skills in the more esoteric side of the Force, he knew that what he and the other Inquisitors were taught was insufficient. Flawed. They were not to be Sith, and so they were not taught like Sith. They were taught like tools.

That he was able to sense this technique meant it was conducted by those with little understanding.

As he followed them, they made their way into the great canyon range that covered the eastern part of the continent. They swerved through a dozen small valleys and land bridges and ravines before the feeling began to faint. Lowering the altitude, the signal seemed to emanate from within the rock itself.

Underground. It made sense, given the cave filled nature of this place. Marking the coordinates down, he considered charging down there himself. And he almost did. The Dark Side whispered to him, not like the beast it normally was, but like a seductress that spoke poison into his ear.

Yet, the sight of the horizon, the sun starting to dip down, and a faint memory of Minda's feel calmed him. He tightened the chains within, turned around, and started the flight back to the garrison.

He took it slower this time.

The sunset was beautiful.
—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—--------—---
Hi there folks! Alvi gets a POV for the first time since chapter 14 I think, and I serve up for you some more Seventh Brother. Honestly, I really like writing him, especially since I like to think that different force users interact and view the force differently. For some it's a wave, others a person, to Seventh it's a shapeshifting beast, sometimes roaring and sometimes whispering.

Also, names! Edin 2, and Edin City both need actual names that will be needed in a few chapters! And Seventh's personal Whirlwind will need a name as well.

Loving the Omakes as well. SB has over 20 by now, and they're all incredible.

As always, feedback and comments welcome.

Thanks for reading!

-Freefaller

 

[Ironwar4321]

So Seventh Brother is going to find a way to say here just so he can tap out Commander Grant, right? There combined level of bloodlust and the idea that Grant's adopted kid could be force sensitive would be great factors in him showing up after Endor to stay.

 

[RageKnight]

I'd ship that relationship. two war hounds. One will stalk you and kill you without you realizing it and the other will let you run for a while before blitzing your body and making you a chew toy

 

[TRm]

That was a well delivered response from Alvi on the situation

Poor helmet is going to keep getting brought up

 

[Lotisman]

For the capital maybe Thieves End? Considering all the dead criminals

 

[Hangwind]

"Look, the Defender and Elite projects aren't bad, far from it, but we already have TIE projects in the works. Not to mention a bevy of other projects. We cannot afford to start dumping resources into these, especially for projects we could not produce. I've seen the numbers, and neither of these ships are cheap or have much in terms of logistical compatibility with the rest of the TIE line."

Click to shrink...

Which should tell you where the potential improvements are. Make it logistically efficient.

 

[Sanyam]

Thanks for the chapter.

I liked seeing the little family dynamic.

She saw a stranger in her brother's meat suit but didn't realise it was the truth.

I would want more familal interaction but I understand that it would dilute the scene and grind the story to a halt for a tangent.

Interested to see how things progress.

 

[Parthan]

Yet, the sight of the horizon, the sun starting to dip down, and a faint memory of Minda's feel calmed him. He tightened the chains within, turned around, and started the flight back to the garrison.

He took it slower this time.

The sunset was beautiful.

Click to shrink...

Why do I find the idea of Minda becoming a secret pilgrimage for Inquisitors to gain better control of the Dark Side amusing?

Edit: like full on it just lets this Inquisitor think more tactically and achieve more(this being taken by others that he was able to get more control/power in the Dark Side), this leads to other Inquisitors investigating and following his path to steal this "obvious" secret power up and the cycle repeats.

 

[Yacov]

"Oh zip it Mugwuffin. You can't even wear pants, much less pull off an outfit."

Click to shrink...

I disagree. Mugwuffin in an outfit could be pulled off.

Immediately, Alvi, Olrat, and many of the other Defender researchers stepped forwards to protest. This was the work of over a year! They couldn't just drop it!

Click to shrink...

And that's where they'd lost the argument. Their first thought wasn't "this project is vital for the Empire so it should continue". It was "we already put so much effort into this so we shouldn't stop now". If you are focusing on the past sunk cost rather than the future benefits, you are not getting the money.

As the predatory feeling slunk away, Mugwuffin giving them all an imperious gaze before jumping onto Las's back, curling around his neck and shoulders like a scarf.

Click to shrink...

The fact Las has enough core strength to have something as large as Mugwuffin on his back without being weighed down shows his progress.

Meanwhile, her and the few remaining test pilots were ferried out to a Lambda shuttle, and soon were on there way to Edin.

Click to shrink...

So Alvi is off to Edin. Guess she gets to see Las' governing style first hand.

Wait until she's off duty and someone at the bar tells her all the orphanages, schools, and affordable housing are because of her brother's personal efforts. I don't think anyone on Edin who would had power would think to do that, even if the corrupt governor was removed.

Without looking at her response, he steps into the cockpit of the TIE Whirlwind he had been given. Painted pitch black with a red highlight, he had not had the time to have it customized past the paint job.

Click to shrink...

Good news: If you're effective enough, Vader might not murder you when the Inquisition is disbanded.

Bad news: Show up in that and Vader might murder you for having a better ride.

Also, names! Edin 2, and Edin City both need actual names that will be needed in a few chapters! And Seventh's personal Whirlwind will need a name as well.

Click to shrink...

How about Horon for the world, and Foundling's Hope for the city?

 

[Natelord28]

@Freefaller
You should name Edin city Dilmun it was an ancient trade city with beautiful gardens that is thought to be inspiration for the garden of Eden.

 

[IcarusAscending]

Bad news: Show up in that and Vader might murder you for having a better ride.

Click to shrink...

Why would Vader bother to spend so much effort for a used ride when he can go to the source directly and order a custom hotrod?

 

[Arnorian_Spartan]

Why would Vader bother to spend so much effort for a used ride when he can go to the source directly and order a custom hotrod?

Click to shrink...

Honestly, that comment gave me an image in this fic. Pimp my ride, only now it's pimp my tie. It's funny if nothing else.

 

[Yacov]

Why would Vader bother to spend so much effort for a used ride when he can go to the source directly and order a custom hotrod?

Click to shrink...

You misunderstand, Vader wouldn't kill Seventh Brother to acquire the TIE. He'd kill Seventh Brother for daring to have a better TIE than him in his presence, before proceeding to blow up the Whirlwind afterwards.

Especially if Seventh Brother expresses or feels any positive emotions towards his new ride. Vader can be really petty when he's in one of his moods. Like that time he'd murdered two inquisitors for having a positive feelings towards one another.

 

[AldariSiradla]

The Governor has given the team a clue.
Logistics.
Make the damn thing logistically possible.
And you'll get your project off the ground again.

Looks like Seventh is slowly, slowly going native.
Soon we'll have an in-house Force Sensitive.
And maybe, just maybe...
Two Hounds of War would find a measure of peace.
Force spare me, the shipper within claws its way out again.

 

[Solconbur]

Honestly, that comment gave me an image in this fic. Pimp my ride, only now it's pimp my tie. It's funny if nothing else.

Click to shrink...

I'll be real with you, I think Robot Chicken did that one already.

 

[Rustic]

Chapter 39.
Good chapter. I agree with another commenter. The new researchers that arrived with the mc sister. They should still pick at the problem for the defender. Working it to a closer final product. while his other research projects reach completion. Just have him not notice that he forgot he was funding r and d for two projects that did reach completion. Then went moved to manufacturing. The budget for those could roll over to other projects. Helping them to complete faster. A snow ball effect reaching the point that this defender project will get pick up in the background again.