Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Yacov]

It wasn't actually called the Union, to be precise. It was technically called the Shipyard Workers Assembly. People (myself included) called it the Union informally, because actual Unions are seen less than favorably in the Empire.

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Looks at Sullust.

I expected some sort of basic HR, or something equivalent. Instead, they took it as a legal order to unionize. Not at all what I expected, but to be honest, my order was pretty vague.

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When you are thinking suggestion box and people hear Union fees.

He seemed to almost flinch at that. I swear, people keep thinking I'm going to kill them. Though it's gone down significantly since I got here. Maybe he wasn't a local?

Before he could go and take back his statement, then start grovelling or whatever other Governors expect people to do, I kept talking. Don't feel like dealing with all of that today.

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Looks harder at 80% the Cobalt Laborers' Liberation Front being detained by their Imperial Governor.

"I'll be sending some of my own people up to analyze the management situation and ensure all higher level staff are performing their duties carefully. Any problems will be dealt with, of that I can assure you. However, it should be noted that the team will not be informing you of their presence, as to ensure that the management staff don't fake it until the team is gone. I expect you to keep this quiet."

He gave a quick, clumsy bow. "Of course, Governor." God, this guy was really playing it up, wasn't he.

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What Kabbas probably heard: "I will be sending some of my intelligence agents to infiltrate your organization. Anyone who fails to meet Imperial Standards will be Dealt With. Don't try finding them. You won't.

"No, Representative. Unless you know any affordable and reliable construction companies you are dismissed."

And dammit if I didn't need one. Or two. Or ten. Most of the official Imperial construction companies were either building infrastructure on Edin, which was only barely becoming profitable, or they were off expanding mining and refinery operations across both systems. And I needed housing yesterday.

He looked pensive for a moment before responding. "I may have some connections, Governor. I'll speak with the rest of the workers to see what they know. Good day, Governor."

"Good day." And with that, the call ended. I was fairly surprised that he actually responded to my little joke, but I doubted anything would really come of it.

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Given you put the fear of the Force into that Duros. I don't think he thinks he can afford to take that as a joke.

The first thing was his clothing. He wore a long, flowing duster jacket, with sparse, decorative metal plating peppering the fabric. The coat looked like a heavy, utilitarian piece, but flowed like a designer fabric, the etchings into the leather elaborate and useless. The metal plating was thin, gilded. Wouldn't stop a blaster bolt. Wouldn't ever get hit by one either, considering they covered no actual vital spots.

Underneath he wore what seemed to be a workers jumpsuit, but was actually a two piece pretending to be a jumpsuit. The buckles and straps led nowhere and served no purpose other than to look cool. Like those anime designs that have random belts on the arms and legs for no reason.

Speaking of belts, clipped to his was a half-mask, the kind that was trending in fashion these days. It was a ceramic piece that I doubted would properly seal over his face. In fact, I doubted it even had a respirator function. Even mine did that!

Over all, everything he wore was trendy in Accordian upper society. The few events I'd been to in the last few months had people wearing similar outfits. An extension of the mask trend that I had indulged in myself during my few outings into the city.

The fact that he wore this now meant he was trying to fit into the local upper class. Either for vanity purposes, or for political purposes. God I hoped it was the former.

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Congratulations Las. Your planet has such a robust fashion scene that Poser Fashion has come about. It was inevitable once you hit a certain point.

"I saw a need, and helped fill it. Truly, it is a group effort, not to mention the Moff's help has truly pushed the Guild sector wide." Keep it humble, push effort onto others. Not entirely wrong either, the Moffs seal of approval has made membership numbers rise quicker. A quarter of the sector is now part of the Guild.

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Given the size of sectors, that means the Guild probably has dozens of systems as members. That is significantly more than the "a couple" it use to have.

"Not to mention the kinds of people I can attract for you. The people with enough money to get buildings named after them. I'll host parties, events, galas, get you and yours the connections that let you benefit the most. If the rich and powerful attach their names to Guild projects, others will start to take it more seriously. And by taking the reins of the young, barely formed high society of this sector, I can create a culture that sees the Minda system as the place to be, and you as the person to suck up to. Lots of opportunities there."

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Having someone to manage the rich duddies is probably needed. It will give time for Las to do more paperwork.

 

[AldariSiradla]

Hmmmmmmm~
Looks like that is a deal that needs serious consideration.
On one hand, sparkly stuff.
On the other hand, bullshit in general.
Really gonna need to think about it, sorry "Dad".

 

[Mistroz]

excellent chapter.

 

[Watching]

So, how long do you guys think it'll take for them to start making their own ship designs again?

At least some good came out of it. I was able to negotiate with Rendili for a license to build Dreadnought-Class cruisers. Not the prettiest ship, by any means, but I needed a cruiser design for the backlog.

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Dreadnoughts heavy cruisers are pretty good but if you needed a cheap cruiser to export you could have gone for the Carrack light cruiser.

 

[Heinrich]

I can only imagine how much colder he's going to be when his egg donor comes around; if I remember correctly, she's been a bit out of favor given Yavin and her sugar daddy Tarkin getting blown up. I wonder if she'll try something similar to his sperm donor albeit a lot more forcefully and Las tolerates it up until the moment he realizes she cannot actually touch him.

 

[Andrew1993]

Dreadnought heavy cruisers are actually pretty damn tough for thier size and with the improved automation systems only need 2300 crew, are well armed with 10 medium turbolaser batteries, 20 light quad turbolaser batteries, 20 heavy laser cannon batteries, a warhead launcher and potentially ion cannons as well. And as system defense ships the class 2 hyperdrive isnt bad (on par with isd) and its slow in system speed doesnt matter since its a system defense ship

 

[gfsdfsdfdas]

That offer seems... bad?
The Core 'elite' are mostly maggots played for x-centuries by the Sith, but does Las know that?

 

[NegaBotMD]

That offer seems... bad?
The Core 'elite' are mostly maggots played for x-centuries by the Sith, but does Las know that?

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It's money, a lot of money. And more importantly, money with connections.
Not: Whoo, boy, I hope this investment of mine pays off, or back to the mines for me.
Instead: I will make sure my investment pays off, and make sure anyone who opposes me is sent to the mine.

The Important part is to be sure you are the investment, and not the opposing force, and this is the role father dearest is offering. Arguably even more, because he also offers to expose the rest of the galaxy to Mindan culture.
How valuable that is? Alderaans chief export was their culture, and they got fabulously wealthy and influential because of it. Not that it mattered in the end.

 

[Oroku Saki]

I can only imagine how much colder he's going to be when his egg donor comes around; if I remember correctly, she's been a bit out of favor given Yavin and her sugar daddy Tarkin getting blown up. I wonder if she'll try something similar to his sperm donor albeit a lot more forcefully and Las tolerates it up until the moment he realizes she cannot actually touch him.

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I'm not even sure if she's alive right now. She was apparently on the Death Star when it blew up.

 

[Deleted]

Really good chapter!

 

[Arrowthorne]

The Dorito's are expensive, okay!?

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They are indeed. Getting to be £1.25 per bag in some places, and not the share bags either!

Still Dreadnaughts are a solid choice, especially if you can reduce the crew size and fix the power issues, and can form a solid defensive block.

They might not be the newest but there's plenty of them around, plenty of parts avalible, and plenty of sailors that know how to use them.

Plus if you attach some flight pods and move around some turbolasers, you get a Battlestar. And Battlestars are cool.

 

[Nikoli]

Wrote this while eating home made peach cobbler. Really good until the mounds of cinnamon I poured over it made me cough.

-Freefaller

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@Freefaller

You supposed to add that cinnamon when you mix it to bake it. The use cinnamon sugar, praline sauce, white chocolate sauce, and/or whiskey sauce to top it off followed by ice cream. It keeps the dust from clinging to your throat and giving you a coughing fit.

 

[Nikoli]

They are indeed. Getting to be £1.25 per bag in some places, and not the share bags either!

Still Dreadnaughts are a solid choice, especially if you can reduce the crew size and fix the power issues, and can form a solid defensive block.

They might not be the newest but there's plenty of them around, plenty of parts avalible, and plenty of sailors that know how to use them.

Plus if you attach some flight pods and move around some turbolasers, you get a Battlestar. And Battlestars are cool.

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One fic had them replace the prow (front) with 2 planetary type ion cannons with additional dedicated reactors and capacitors for them. Alternatively hollow it out and you have a nice kilometer + railgun you can add in. Since most ships shields are more specialized towards turbo laser fire instead of torpedoes or strikes carrying mass behind them. You could punch well above your weight class.

 

[Arrowthorne]

One fic had them replace the prow (front) with 2 planetary type ion cannons with additional dedicated reactors and capacitors for them. Alternatively hollow it out and you have a nice kilometer + railgun you can add in. Since most ships shields are more specialized towards turbo laser fire instead of torpedoes or strikes carrying mass behind them. You could punch well above your weight class.

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You know, it'd vaguely remember that... for the life of me in can't remember the fics name but it does jog some memories.

As for hollowing the shipnout and putting in a MAC, Halo style? Bad idea. It would fick with all kinds of structural issues. For something like that you'd need to build the ship around the MAC, like they do in Halo, and would need a proper dedicated design.

I do suppose you could mount a railgun along side the ship? Like the Dunovs EMP/Magnetic singularity launcher.

 

[apocolypse1011]

Wrote this while eating home made peach cobbler. Really good until the mounds of cinnamon I poured over it made me cough. Still worth it tho

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I don't particularly enjoy cobblers, peach or otherwise, but I make really tasty fruit meringue pies. My favorite is rhubarb-blackberry, but recently I've been making blueberry meringue pies while they're in season.

 

[vtkun]

Thank you for the chapter

 

[Nikoli]

You know, it'd vaguely remember that... for the life of me in can't remember the fics name but it does jog some memories.

As for hollowing the shipnout and putting in a MAC, Halo style? Bad idea. It would fick with all kinds of structural issues. For something like that you'd need to build the ship around the MAC, like they do in Halo, and would need a proper dedicated design.

I do suppose you could mount a railgun along side the ship? Like the Dunovs EMP/Magnetic singularity launcher.

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https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/tech-guy-a-star-wars-story.1220873/page-79#post-111197102

That chapter is where it showed up regarding the discussions.

As for the rail gun I was more referring to this discussion.

https://forum.questionablequesting....-senki-star-wars.28767/page-183#post-11231386

 

[Yacov]

Omake: From Top of the Cup to the Bottom of the Barrel

POV: Tak Gwut
RIII: Guardian
Certifications: Negotiator III, Infiltrator II, Adviser II
Head of Administration of the Mynock Pailers, a RI: Conclave Mercenary Company,
Mynock Pailers HQ balcony, Dewback Diggers Mining Settlement, Minda-4, Minda system, 1ABY

Tak gazed out across the semi arid desert that surrounded the plateau. The rings of Minda-4 dominating the night sky. The planet might be "The Abafar of the Minda system", but at least the view was amazing. Really put into perspective how far the two of them had come. From a pair of strangers with good chemistry chasing down petty pickpockets, to leaders of their own proper mercenary company!

Well "proper" might be stretching things a bit. They were barely two months in from beginning to expand their ranks. All the individuals jobs they pulled off finally made a big enough pile of credits to make something bigger than her and Garik. With Garik having saved up more between the two of them.

"Hey. I thought I would find you here."

Tak turned and gave a nod to the newly minted Head of Personnel. When the two had founded the Mynock Pailers, they had agreed Garik would handle physical training and tactical matters, while she would handle blaster training and strategic issues. The chevron he got to put on his power armor and the plaque he put in front of his office left him beaming for weeks.

"Was I that obvious? Blaster training out in the desert took longer than I expected. We barely made it back before the bridge retracted for the night. Mab Tyedor, that Aleena we recruited in the first round, ran ahead of us and got them to hold the bridge."

Over a dozen blasters going off for hours on end wasn't welcome in a settlement as small as this. So the Pailers had their range time a bit out into the desert where they wouldn't bother anyone. Fortunately they and it in time. She didn't fancy their chances scaling the cliffs in the dead of night after her troops wore themselves out training. Much less trying to organize an impromptu rotating guard watch.

Minda-4 was pretty barren and unsettled. To the point you could go for hours and not see a single sign of civilization. However the outskirts of settlements were infested with plenty of pests that had stowed away on passing freighters. Critters that would love to take a nibble on a someone sleeping out in the open. Tak thought she saw a mean looking womp rat stalking their party on their way back.

The reason training took so long was because her people couldn't shoot straight. Her recruits were just so bad at aiming. Ok not bad, just really green. Was she ever that bad at shooting a blaster? Probably. It feels so long ago when she fired her first blaster.

"I saw the scores. Don't hold it against them. They didn't come to Minda-4 looking to be mercenaries. Mining may toughen you up, but it doesn't do anything for your aim."

Tak knew joining the Pailers wasn't any of her recruits' first choice. She didn't blame them for that. Even then it still hurt to hear it said out loud that they were the backup plan of the backup plan. Most people arrive on Minda-4 to work in small mining operations run by companies that were either too small or poor to afford the starships or higher end mining equipment needed to work in richer places like Ugea, Minda-1, or the asteroids.

Dewback Diggers Mining Company only had about 700 permanent residents in their mining settlement. That might not sound like much on most worlds, but for a planet as barren as Minda-4 that made it the biggest town in the region. The place was a product of the pension of some elderly and unremarkable Imperial Army veteran who never hooked up, but still wanted to leave a legacy. Even the local Guild office was just one sentient and some low end droids in a back room.

"Desperation does not equal competence, I get it. Still wish they could hit the broad side of an AT-AT. We can't have our company made up of entirely melee troops. No matter how happy that would make you."

As a result of being the "big town" in the region, this made it the place to go whenever yet another operation or company went bust. Recently unemployed miners and workers would inevitably congregate to this settlement. Either to look for work in another mine or book a passage off planet with one of the freighters or ore haulers coming to clear out the planet's built up stockpiles.

In other words, a perfect recruiting ground for a mercenary company with next to no reputation. The Old Vet that runs this place welcomed their recruitment efforts with open arms. Probably due to feeling safer with people standing around with blasters gainfully employed and guarding things rather than standing around with blasters unemployed and getting desperate.

This region hadn't even been settled long enough for proper bandit clans to find their feet and begin picking off or picking up folks yet. Still the occasional lunatic or outlaw in the outskirts. However, without a proper set up to keep fed and watered they died out too quick for someone to post a bounty. The most violence you would get paid for is hunting critters that developed a taste for sentients.

"Cheer up Tak. You got us a great deal on this HQ and secured our very first long term contract for the Mynock Pailers. You're doing great."

That at least brought up Tak's mood. The Old Vet had expanded too fast. He had neglected to form a robust security division, unconsciously assuming his miners were like his old soldiers and could take care of themselves. Ignoring the fact most civilians tended to panic when blasters get pulled out. That let Tak negotiate a great deal on this building, a fairly generous security contract for the rest of the year, and a good discount at the Diggers General Store.

"Now if only I could give them more than mining gear and sporting blasters. Shame Diggers was so stingy with the blaststicks."

The "standard uniform" for a Mynock Pailer these days was a CT Helmet and CV Vest, same as the miners got. Some of the recruits even brought their own from their old jobs as part of their "severance package". They had to paint it in the Pailers' colors so they wouldn't get mistaken for a worker.

At least the Old Vet thought enough ahead to get a relatively sizable stock of blasters to be issued to his mining crews in case of griblies or pirates. Unfortunately they were SKZs, which were decent for unarmored opponents, but failed at penetrating like a military model. As a silver lining they were easy to use, easy to maintain, and good for training.

"They'll get better, just you watch. Soon we'll be shooting off in the M.P. Hurt Wagon to parts unknown to blast things."

She really shouldn't have let Garik name their ship, but she couldn't say no to those pup eyes. It still felt nice to think that they had their own ship now. The BR-23 courier they had gotten for cheap could fit over a dozen people semi-comfortably, rather than the cramped 40 the standard was. Although the Wagon is still a bit under gunned, so they had to stick to well patrolled routes to avoid getting blasted.

"Currently all our company is good for is patrolling empty streets and breaking up bar fights. I'd settle for some hunting contracts for the beasts prowling about. Give the chance to blood the recruits on someone non-sentient."

We would be using the sporting blasters for their intended purpose so the equipment will be sufficient for the task. The recruits could be introduced to combat in a tamer form. She doesn't want to coddle them, but it is probably be better than having their first life and death battle be against other people.

Would need to cover a lot of ground area, which means dedicated land transport. Companies going bust also means equipment and vehicles should be available. Wasn't there a Skrilling with a FMR-385 cargo speeder for sale over on the east side?

"There's the Mynock Pailers' star administrator! Give it some time and you'll have those mining settlements eating out of the palm of your hands. Now come on down, the recruits are playing Sabacc and I want you to see you clean them out of their paychecks."

Garik always knew how to get Tak out of her funks. Getting her to focus on the progress they could make rather than the obstacles in front of them. She said the two of them would be climbing the Guild ladder, and by the void they are on their way.

"Alright let's thrash these rookies so hard it gets me banned from game night!"

Look out galaxy, the Head of Administration of the Mynock Pailers is coming! First Minda-4, then the whole Minda system!

——
A potential look at the rarely talked about fourth planet in the Minda system. Only really noted for its mining operations and being a barren desert, but at least it has rings. Not really that fitting for the large er… medium scale Las is working with these days.

Figured the planet was as good a setting as any to continue the Garik and Tak storyline. The more things change, the more things stay the same. At least Tak and Garik have a posse instead of a duo to patrol this here frontier town.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Rustic]

Ugh hate unions. There like legal mafia. Where you pay them to exist. They drag there feet on everything. They become curropt incredible fast.

 

[AndICE]

nice fic. I read a bit of this on spacebattles. Good to see it still around.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: The Guild 650 Starflier

Production Information

Manufacturer: Guild of Commerce, Production and Protection

Model: Guild 650 Starflier Civilian Shuttle

Type:
Official: Shuttle
Unofficial: "Shuttle"

Cost:
85,000 Credits new
120,000 Credits with "Fighting Star" modification package

——

Technical Specifications

Maximum Atmospheric Speed:
New: 750 km/h
"Fighting Star": 900 km/h

Engine unit(s):
New: one off the shelf ion drive
"Fighting Star": one R303 Ion Jet Engine and additional maneuver thrusters

Hyperdrive:
New: None
"Fighting Star": yes, often a Avatar-10 Class 2 Hyperdrive

Shielding:
New: None
"Fighting Star": mediocre deflector shield generator

Power: fusion reactor

Hull: titanium hull

Sensors: short range sensors

Armament: 3 front facing weapon mounts
New: 2 light laser cannons
"Fighting Star": 2 medium laser cannons and 1 medium ion cannon

Crew: 1 (pilot)

Cargo Capacity: 25 tons. 24.7 tons OCCL rated. 24.5 tons used in the standard "Fighting Star" modification package.

Life Support: Equipped

Consumables: 3 days standard

Other Systems:

"Fighting Star" modifications:

Chaff Dispenser
Reinforced Cockpit

Other common modifications:

Space Mine Layer
Dumb Fire Bomb Bay
Wing Mounted Missile Racks
Rear Manned Turret
Tug Rated Tractor Beam

——

Usage

Availability:

• Civilian issue

Role:

• Short distance cargo shuttle
• Easy to legally own small starship that just so happens to be passable at fighting in the stars.

Affiliation:

• The Guild
• Mercenaries
• Private Citizens
• Independent Groups
• Merchant Companies

——

Description

"What's that one?"
"That's a 650 Starflier. The Guild came out with it last year."
"Really, because it feels like I have seen it before decades ago." - a pair of shipwatchers seeing a Starflier for the first time.

If there were two words that could be used to describe the 650 Starflier it would be "generic" and "workable". Developed by the Guild after the Battle of Yavin, this shuttle quietly slipped past Imperial regulators with minimal fanfare or inspection. A decision the initial review board might be kicking themselves for to this very day.

The 650 Starflier enjoys a robust aftermarket of modifications catered to by owners, part companies, and the Guild itself. The wide array of customization appeals to citizens and Guild members alike who enjoy tailoring their personal vehicles to their own preferences.

Design

"So you took an ATT, stripped off the skirt, then slapped a pair of wings and an ion drive on the back. Congratulations I hate it." - Imperial Procurement Officer upon receiving the design from the Guild marketing department.

The design philosophy for the 650 Starflier followed the maxims of simplicity and ease of manufacture. The main body was given a diagonal teardrop shape with two wings on the jutting out from the top back along with the Starflier's single ion drive.

For armaments the Starflier has three front facing weapon mounts. Two on the sides and one near the chin on the bottom. This is despite the production model only coming the two light laser cannons.

What the 650 Starflier lacks in outward charm, it more than makes up for in "useful" storage space. The ship's Open Concept Component Layout allows for ease of installation of new systems and upgrading old ones into a ship capable of jumping to hyperspace and defending itself against other small ships.

The process is so easy that some theorize that the 650 Starflier is initially manufactured with components like a hyperdrive, shield generator, and other combat oriented components already installed. The components were then removed in order to meet the legal requirements for the shuttle designation. The Guild strenuously denies these claims, although never strenuously enough to sue and be forced to offer proof in court.

Manufactured primarily from generic, off brand, and off the shelf parts, the Starflier enjoyed very little maintenance and repair difficulties. One could easily fix most of the issues and damages in the unmodified Starflier ended up with at a Limited Services Level Spaceport at minimum. With anything more serious being able to be done at a Standard Class starport or better. A Starflier could theoretically operate away from urbanized planets for extended periods of time as long as supplies and maintenance remained plentiful and frequent.

Performance

"Listen buddy, you don't buy Starfliers because they are the best thing on the market. You buy Starfliers because you can purchase them legally and quickly without getting an Imperial Inspector breathing down your neck." - Head of Procurement for a Guild Merchant Company when asked why he just put in an order for two dozen Starfliers.

The 650 Starflier is publicized as a cheap and reliable shuttle for the general consumer. In this respect it checked all the boxes. However, the Starflier had to compete with hundreds of other designs that promise the exact same thing. Some having far larger ship building corporations backing them. So it was never going to become a well known name for its marketed purpose.

It was seen as inevitable that the 650 Starflier would become known for its modified variants over the production model. Performance wise, the Starflier "Fighting Star" and other combat oriented variants were rated as a lesser midpoint between the TIE and the X-wing. The ship failed to equal or sometimes even compete with either in their respective strengths. This was especially the case when it came to speed, arguably the Starflier's poorest performing quality, due to limited space for engines. Choosing to focus on not using military grade components and modularity led to a ship that was overall mediocre to below average in combat for its size when compared with most modern military models.

Efforts were made by users and modifiers to give the 650 Starflier an edge. The "Fighting Star" came with what some would consider an excessive amount of maneuvering thrusters as well as extra padding and safety features in the cockpit. This allowed the Starflier to be surprisingly agile and maneuverable despite what its relatively bulky appearance would suggest. However few could deny that instead of sinking money into making the Starflier the best in the battlefield, it was cheaper and easier to just buy a dedicated combat starship.

This report suited the makers of the 650 Starflier just fine. The ship was never intended to be the best ship in a battlefield. Any well-maintained military grade ship with a competent pilot was expected to beat the 650 Starflier one on one. Rather the designers were aiming to be the ship that was the comparatively easiest to acquire and maintain at a high condition.

The favored mission the 650 Starflier combat variants were designed to go up against was fighting Uglies and other poorly maintained or jury rigged pirate ships attempting to raid convoys or fixed installations. The hope was the Starflier's ability to almost always operate at its best would be its main advantage against raiders who lacked the ability to keep their ships in good shape and thus suffer performance issues. The ship may run into problems with the "elite" forces of larger and more powerful criminal syndicates with their own supply lines, but for the more common pirate the design theory was deemed sound enough for production.

Reception

"Sir I assure you we only sell system shuttles at this location. Now on an unrelated note if you scroll to the next page of our catalog you will find a very nice deal on some Hyperdrives that just came in last month." - Guild starship salesperson when asked about the 650 Starflier's capabilities.

When the 650 Starflier came on the market it was met with mild interest from the Myto Sector. The Imperial Military was completely turned off by the design. Large companies already had procurement contracts with large starship companies. The OCCL was seen as novel, but nothing to change direction over.

Where the 650 Starflier found its niche was in the smaller players in the sector. Low ranking Guild mercenaries found the Starflier to be an affordable and low maintenance starter option for taking their operations into offworld. The cost, ease of installing upgrades, and proximity to the main production facilities meant there was always a demand floor for Starfliers by the more combat focused groups in Guild space.

Merchant companies appreciated the 650 Starflier for the versatility it gave their shipping convoys. On more peaceful routes they could assist with the transferring of cargo. While on more dangerous routes they could be easily militarized to provide security. Plenty of convoys could be seen sporting small swarms of "shuttle wings" around the Myto sector. For smaller budget minded companies, one ship that could perform two different jobs well enough was seen as preferable to investing in separate specialized ships.

Imperial Inspectors came to hate the 650 Starflier. The shuttle designation and straddling the line between transport and combat ship aggravated many an Inspector. They would arrive at a hanger expecting to find a plethora of combat ships, only for a tip off to result in them getting chewed by the superior after wasting time harassing "some harmless lightly armed shuttles".

Imperial Governors and the Imperial military generally ignored the 650 Starflier. The design was unappealing and its performance was seen as an ineffectual compromise when compared to their TIEs. Faith in the current laws and regulations against owning heavy starship armaments and military sublight engines assuaged most worries of the Starflier becoming a threat to their forces.

Conclusion

The 650 Starflier is not a ship with flare. It is not trying to impress anyone in any sense or metric. No one with more than a dozen hours behind a cockpit is going to be excited to fly a Starflier. However, they will be able to work with the Starflier in almost any reasonable circumstance or mission profile.

Because the Starflier is designed to be a workhorse of any spacefaring organization. It is a draft animal that occasionally has a saddle thrown on its back and ridden into battle. It will try its best at what people are trying to get it to do whether that is being a transport shuttle, a courier, a tug, a convoy escort, or even a bomber. The Starflier is a ship designed for potential that gives people a chance to attempt almost anything with it and have the possibility of succeeding.

——

This time on Guild Legal Definition Dodging: the 650 Starflier. Aftermarket Upgrade Incarnate while still keeping it to legally acquirable parts for civilians. Something that is definitely a shuttle, and not that other "s-word" that would lead to a lot more legal trouble for the manufacturers and paperwork and costs for the owners. Just a regular ship with no legally questionable collective incentives to lie about or obfuscate its capabilities.

The design was basically ripped wholesale from the CTE 750 AE Civilian Starflier, the beginner ship from the 2003 Sci-fi game Freelancer. Found an old playthrough on YouTube and loved the minimalist design. Figured the design would work as a grunt ship for the Guild given its quasi-civilian nature and decentralized command structure. A few dozen systems under a faction's influence is enough to warrant a signature ship in my opinion.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-76

It turned out to be that Garps fashion show was on Dubrillion just a day before the next Guild meeting. It was even in the same city!

Honestly, the fact that he got into a show in Dubrillion's capital city, and so close to the Imperial Center as well is quite impressive

It was also convenient, considering the meeting. Which I wasn't looking forward to at all.

The original plan was to have a meeting 3 times a year, every 4 months. With extra meetings being called in case of some sort of dispute, major problem, or other potential considerations.

Of course, the Rebels Mid-Rim Offensive was one such problem. It hadn't spread out here, and likely wouldn't. However, many of the Myto sectors out of sector business connections were in the Mid-Rim, or used Mid-Rim trade routes, so the Guild was convening to discuss policy and the like.

Regardless, I pushed those thoughts from my mind. That was tomorrow's business. Tonight, I had a show to watch.

The venue was surprisingly packed. Not only were there news crews, but many members of the sector's high society were there. I recognized a great many, from Governors to business magnates alike.

Seems Garp had gotten quite the chance. I'd known about his fashion gigs for a while, as he seemed to be at a show just about every weekend.

Still, to manage a spot out here? It was impressive.

I took a sip of my drink, a sweet, fizzy thing the server had ensured me was non-alcoholic. I didn't really like getting drunk. I lacked control over my mind and body.

And, to be frank, back on Earth the one time I got drunk I drove my car into the mayor's pool, then puked on his shoes.

Suffice to say, booze wasn't for me.

And neither were fizzy drinks, but I had to drink something, else I'd look weird. It also let me look like I was doing something without actually doing something. So, I took another sip of this strange concoction that I just knew I would be drowning out with some coco, and took a hard look around.

Garp said he'd meet me during the opening party, before the show started, but I'd yet to see him. And he was nothing if not punctual.

Taking a look around, I spotted what I thought was him, but was simply another Muun. In fact, there were several Muuns.

Interesting. Garp was for all intents and purposes one of the only Muuns in the sector. Aside from the larger group I hired to work in the financial analysis team on Clok, that is.

Taking a closer look, I see Garp among the group, chatting with the other Muuns. Making my way over to them, their conversation grows louder.

"...fail to see the economic opportunity in this endeavor." I catch the tail end of a particularly tall Muuns sentence as I enter auditory range. Catching Garps gaze, I see what I can only guess is relief flash across his eyes.

"Ah, Governor. So glad to see you here, please, meet my family." He says, confirming that it was indeed relief that he was feeling.

I'm getting better at this 'reading people' thing. Quite proud of myself.

Shaking his hand, I turn towards the group, taking a quick scan. There are four of them, all at least a head taller than me, with pale skin and a surprisingly simple dress. Their outfits consisted mostly of whites, blacks and greys, with simple designs and patterns.

It's quite the contrast to Garps own outfit, which is his own take on Mindan Industrial Formal wear, the gas mask stuff. He's wearing slim black trousers covered in patches of thin protective armor sheets. Tall engineering boots polished to a shine come up to his ankles, and a thin metallic high collar coat is clasped around his shoulders. A ceramic mask hangs around his neck like a necklace, while thinly armored fingerless gloves adorn his hands.

Suffice to say, he looks damn good.

Still, I identify the supposed leader of the group of Muun in an instant. The tallest among them is already stepping forward, attempting to take charge of the situation. So, I preempt him by holding out my hand for a greeting.

"Hello there, I'm Governor Las Mola. Pleased to meet you."

"I am Doksleathus Hath, father of Garpastealap Hath." The tall Muun said as I mentally slot him in as 'Dok'. "You are the Governor of the Minda system, yes? From which the Myto sectors Guild emerged?"

"That's correct. The Guild started in the Minda and Edin systems, and spread from there."

He hummed, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "It is quite similar to the initial rise of the Corporate sector, is it not?"

I'll be the first to admit, I squealed a little on the inside. Do you know how many people talk to me about economics? No one!

"Oh in some respects certainly. However, the Guild has been built with specific protections in place to ensure that mega corporations don't gain as much power. Giants like the Trade Federation are examples of how such entities can wreak havoc on local economies. After all, I don't want to end up like the Ferros Sector did under the Federation."

His eyes widened back up again. "The Ferros Disaster. I've lectured on that topic. A prime example of monopolistic failure."

My grin widens. "Exactly! That's why the Guild focuses on smaller companies and diversifying opportunities. Sure, there can be efficiency problems, but it's worth it for the stability."

This conversation continued for some time, of which we had plenty. I had arrived early with Garp, after all.

It was some of the most fun I've had since finding myself in this universe. Which seems somewhat concerning now that I think about it.

"Ah, but shipping is getting quite expensive, now isn't it. Security companies are charging premiums far above the norm. It's been hurting my company." Said Lisadratacal Hath, or Lisa, Garps sister.

She was apparently CEO of a fairly successful logistics company in the Obtrexta sector, which was a nice surprise. I was thinking about contracting her to streamline logistics for some computer parts needed by the shipyards. However, it seemed she'd run into trouble.

Her mother, Yaranampali Hath, hummed in agreement. "Yes, I've noticed as well. Its getting harder and harder to affordably ship medicine outside the sector." Ah, yes, the mother. CEO of a major Pharma company.

"It's the rebels causing all this grief. Security companies insist they are under more danger from rebel forces, even out here." Grumbled Dok, who himself is also a CEO, this time of a conglomerate that encompasses many things.

Suffice to say, Garps family is full of fucking monsters. And I'm having the time of my life.

"I'm actually planning to run some risk-guaranteed contracts with some security companies soon. They charge their regular rates, and in 10 months if the average premium rates haven't dropped for other companies due to the risk dropping, I pay them the difference."

"And if it does drop, you get away with 10 months of cheaper security. Quite the gamble, isn't it." Replies Dok, sipping at his glass.

I smile. "True, subsidizing these contracts for merchants and sec-companies does have a risk, but I tell you what. This conflict won't last 10 months. I bet it won't last 5."

And it wouldn't. While the Alliance started their Mid-Rim Offensive stronger than I thought, they were making the same mistakes. They were trying to fight the Empire on even ground when they were nowhere near even. In canon the Offensive started in 1ABY, and ended in 3ABY. However, by the end of 1ABY it was no longer called an Offensive.

It was called a retreat.

Which meant that in around 5-6 months, the Alliance would be on the backfoot, more likely to lose territory than gain it. The threat would diminish, and security companies would start reducing premiums.

It was a guaranteed win.

At this, Lisa started to say something, but was interrupted by the lights going dim. The stage and walkway started to glow with embedded lights as the announcer came on stage to speak his piece.

After a little bit of talking and some bad jokes that people laughed at out of courtesy, the show properly began.

The first few pieces were, suffice to say, boring. They were clearly made to cater to the Imperial sense of taste and aesthetics, featuring mostly whites, greys and blacks. Many in fact looked like modified versions of various Imperial uniforms.

It took a while for the outfits to start getting interesting, with more color being introduced, alongside actually unique designs.

Like a trench coat hand woven with very thick threads, near as thick as my finger. Not particularly interesting, but a nice break from the monotony.

Then came Garps piece. Now, they weren't announcing whose piece was whose. But when a human woman stepped out onto the walkway wearing a dress made of interlinked, chainmail style equilateral triangles, I knew it was Garps.

Partially because it was the best one yet, and partially because it was very reminiscent of the Tula style of battle dress. The main difference being that these triangles didn't stay one color. Slowly but surely, they shifted colors. Like a chameleon but in such a way that, if one wasn't looking for it, they wouldn't notice until an hour had passed and they were wearing a very different looking dress.

After this came only the bangers. Like Garps business suits, which featured metal linings that shimmered in the air. Or a full suit of power armor that was incredibly lithe, looking more fit for a ballroom than a battlefield.

Suffice to say, the crowd seemed to love it. Every time one of Garps pieces came on stage, people seemed enamored. Well, enamored in that way rich people are, where instead of cheering they just whisper loudly to each other.

By the end of the show, it was clear whose pieces had taken the cake. And it seemed everyone and their grandma wanted to meet the designer.

The looks on their faces when they realized the designer wasn't human was an incredible feeling, honestly. It was as if they'd sucked on a lemon then got punched in the gut. Watching some of these nobles practically grind their teeth into dust complimenting his work was hilarious.

Regardless, I leave the show with Garp in tow, making way towards our hotel by shuttle. While flying, we talk about the night.

"You sure enjoyed speaking with my family, Governor." He remarked.

I grin. "Of course! They speak my language, how couldn't I?"

"Better you than me, sir."

"Family troubles?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Same."

We both let out simultaneous sighs of familial exhaustion. Locking eyes, neither one of us can stop ourselves from letting out some pretty damn childish giggles.

And honestly? I didn't want to stop. It was likely the last bit of happiness I'd be getting all week. After all, I had the most dreaded thing the next day.

A meeting.

-

Did not write this eating peach cobbler, unfortunately. I did write this instead of my school essay, so there's that. Take solace that I'm sacrificing my education for the entertainment of strangers on the internet.

Truly, we live in the strangest timeline.

P.s: I made up the whole Ferros thing. Sectors real, economic disaster isn't.

-Freefaller

 

[vtkun]

thanks for the chapter

 

[KonahrikYol]

*snip*
-

Did not write this eating peach cobbler, unfortunately. I did write this instead of my school essay, so there's that. Take solace that I'm sacrificing my education for the entertainment of strangers on the internet.

Truly, we live in the strangest timeline.

P.s: I made up the whole Ferros thing. Sectors real, economic disaster isn't.

-Freefaller

Click to shrink...

ten to fifteen years ago, I would of said focus on your education. as you could get into college and get a well paying job with the degree.
Sadly it ain't worth it anymore. the debt from the required loan is just insane. an most of the degrees aren't usable either.

so if you're really focused on your education, go to a trade school during or after highschool. as it is significantly cheaper to get in, and blue collar jobs such as welding pays the most money now. except for medical professions.

 

[ArcanaVitae]

Garp being the artistic one in a family full of finance people in a race of finance people is fun, he's been given a lot of grief for it to. Meanwhile Las is like I've finally found people who understand me and operate on my wavelength. Las is a real bro for saving his friend from a rough family talk, man knows that pain.

Las having a pure moment of ecstatic nerd joy about someone else wanting to talk about his special interest was awesome.

Garp's works making a really good showing was great, people looking down on it for being made by a nonhuman sucks though, but the shared moment of amusement from Garp and Las was great.

 

[klip04]

Your sacrifice for our entertainment is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

-adapted quote form Farquaf

 

[Robolo42]

Did not write this eating peach cobbler, unfortunately. I did write this instead of my school essay, so there's that. Take solace that I'm sacrificing my education for the entertainment of strangers on the internet.

Truly, we live in the strangest timeline.

P.s: I made up the whole Ferros thing. Sectors real, economic disaster isn't.

-Freefaller

Click to shrink...

A more powerful person than me. Just got done with one of my governmental fund balance projects and instead of it taking literally 2 hours it took double cause I'm a fucking idiot who stared at it wondering why shit isn't working. At least you can somehow pop out a work. And if that doesn't sound difficult it's because it's not, but I'm a procrastinator so I really felt the pressure lol.

But seriously thanks for the work, it's this and a few other works that are calming me amidst my final semester. I will take your lifeblood to prop up my own like a sorcerer. Lichdom is mine.

 

[Orphiex]

Omake! Crossposting this from SB; a contribution to the Minda-2 uplift program, in two parts. Seemed to me that the Guild was already set up to take newbie workers and help them turn themselves into professional economic contributors, so why would Las or Darna go reinventing the wheel?

------

Omake: The Working Vern's Road to Space

Kor
Erylon, capital city of the Fulcrum Dynasty
Minda System, Minda-2

"Emm-pie-yerr…"

Kor wanted to go into space.

It had always been a dream of his. Ever since he'd been a boy, there had been nights where he looked up at the stars and dreamed of flying among them, free as the proverbial bird. For most people, the dream was about the flying, and they aimed towards becoming lufsk riders, or at least getting a lufsk rider to give them a lift so they could experience it once, but for Kor it had always been about the stars. Wondering about what marvels might be out there.

But of course, it had never been anything more than a daydream. Everyone knew that there was the ground down here, and the heavens up there, and the twixt would never become twain, and a man had to be practical if he wanted to eat. And so Kor had knuckled down, worked hard, and earned a decent wage for a decent day's work. He'd been saving up money, looking to find a girl worth marrying, and preparing to follow a solid and steady course into the future.

"Fuh-leet… kraz. Fff-leet. Fleet."

And then the Imperials had come. And, holy zoon, aliens! Real aliens! And real spaceships! And, you know, space! People could go to space! People could come back from space! Alive, even! You could go to space!

He could go to space! Him! Little ol' Kor could go to SPACE!!!

And sure, it was definitely kind of weird to think that their rulers weren't, you know, at the very tippy-top anymore, but meh. Kor hadn't been high nobility or anything, just lucky enough to live in the capital and earn a decent wage for a decent day's work, and from where he was sitting? Nothing much had changed on a day-to-day basis. The Imperials had built a few schools to teach the children their numbers, that alien "Basic" language and how to use their foreign tools, but the markets still had the same produce and tools and gewgaws at mostly the same prices, and the soldiers on the streets were still wearing Dynasty colors and not that Imperial black-and-white. The vern at the top might be chafing, but down here in the streets life went on.

"Guh-verr-norr."

Kor could have kept doing what he'd been doing. Kept living in the capital, kept earning a decent wage for a decent day's work.

But Kor wanted to go into space.

Kor wanted to go into space so bad.

Which was where the Guild came in.

"Hyy-perr-speiss."

See, there were basically three ways to get a ride on a spaceship right now: be rich and/or connected, sign up at one of those Imperial recruiting stations, or join up with some different outfit that had access to a spaceship. That sort of money was beyond Kor at the moment, and he was… leery about signing on for who knows how long with their new lords and masters. Especially since you'd have to go through a whole lot of training anyway, and who knew how much it'd pay.

But the Guild…

There'd been these flyers, see. Not that he'd been able to read them, him not being all lettered and such, but he'd taken one of them to Jevvo who he knew could read it, and Jevvo had read it to him, and then they'd both ran over to the Guild building and signed up, because that offer? It sounded pretty good.

"Imm-pee-ree-yull."

Do the studies. Five classes - that alien Basic language (including reading and writing! How about that), numbers and sums, how the Empire works, the basics of your chosen field (mining, trading or merc'ing), and one of those specializations in your field. And if you pass all your courses, you're in. You get a card, a bank account (him! Kor! With a bank account! How hoity-toity was that!), and a selection of starter gear depending on your track and specializations, and off you go to make your fortune.

And sure, you run up a debt in that bank account, which you gotta pay back or else. So what? Even if Kor hadn't really really wanted to go to space, it was pretty obvious that the aliens were here to stay. You don't throw up big fancy buildings like the Guild's city headquarters if you weren't settling in for the long haul. The literacy classes alone were worth going into debt for; a vern who could deal straight with aliens would have plenty of opportunities. Sometimes you had to take a risk.

The trick is to take smart risks, not dumb ones. He'd heard a couple of numbnuts muttering about selling their gear for the local gold after they graduated, and ducking out to some other town far away from the Guild where they'd live like princes.

"Juss-tiss."

More fools they. The Guild was training mercenaries. There'd be plenty of their classmates who'd be perfectly happy to take on a few debt collection jobs, especially if it cleared their own debts in the process. And if someone was fool enough to let their gear get stolen out from under them? This wasn't just gear, it wasn't even a ticket to a better life, it was the future of their world writ small, and Kor knew that they'd have to pry that kit from his cold dead hands. Because Kor had a plan.

Well, it wasn't just his plan. It was also Jevvo's, and Nark's, and Davyr's and… yeah, you get the idea, and the teachers had been very helpful when they'd gone and asked about it. 'Cause, one miner couldn't do a whole lot, even with the alien gear. Two miners couldn't do a whole lot. But ten? Twenty? So yeah, they were teaming up. Companying up? Whatever. A Cooperative. With some guys from each of the specialization tracks, so that they knew what's what and didn't find out at the dig site that there was something they needed and didn't have. And Jevvo was forming a starter Collective, to handle all the transporting and selling of the ore the Cooperative dug up, and Vemik over in the merc track was getting people together into a Conclave to run protection on the dig site and the caravan and everything. What do you call it when you've got all three of those "Co" words grouping together? Kor made a mental note to ask the Basic teacher later.

"K- Kh- Kraz it, that's enough for now."

They'd have to figure out how to handle profits and such, obviously; who gets paid what? How much risk for how much reward? Yadda yadda yadda. Because nobody knew. Sure, the trader track guys were probably getting trained special for that stuff, but who didn't know how to haggle and dicker? And those numbers courses were clearing up a lot of stuff that Kor had always sorta felt but not known known. But everyone agreed (or had been made to agree) that even with the Guild's records and precedents to work off of, trying to accurately settle up rates and splits when they were all know-nothing rookies was a recipe for a bad time.

Nah, the rule they'd worked out for the time being was simple: everyone eats well, and nobody gets paid in cash until all of the debt is settled. After that? Well, they'd have to work it out, but they'd be working it out with a whole lot more experience and training time and a proven record of having completed however many jobs. But you know what that wasn't? His problem! Not to say that he wouldn't fight to get the best deal he could, because his momma didn't raise no fool, but Kor's part in the plan didn't include sticking around forever, because those offworld Companies?

They were hiring.

"Okay, sums next! Now what's this one… 31 x 47 is…"

Kor had checked with the desk jockeys at the Guild, and there were a lot, a lot of companies looking to fill a hole or two in their ranks, but they all needed a minimum level of training and experience that no vern had yet. But they would. And when they did, the Companies would split a bit, some people staying here on Verndar to earn money and recruit from the next round of students, and some of them signing on with those alien groups to go out into the black and get experience! Obviously the end goal was to start buying spaceships and start working the big jobs, and Kor was all for that - he wanted his own ship so much he could taste it - but in the meantime, little ol' Kor would be travelling through space!

SPACE!

Spa~aaaaace~

------

A/N: At this lowest level, I think the triple-Co word we're looking for here is Combine.

Second entry is from the perspective of the top looking down, rather than the bottom looking up.

 

[Orphiex]

Second entry! This one fought me a bit as I got closer to the end, but I think I came up with a good way to close it off. We now see how the high and mighty are responding.

------

Omake: The Noble Vern's Path to Power

Grantier Zulkhies
Erylon, capital city of the Fulcrum Dynasty
Minda System, Minda-2

"So. How bad is it?"

Grantier Zulkhies, Minister of the Exchequer for the Fulcrum Dynasty, took a moment to school his features and steel his spine before addressing King Limarkos, his heir the Archduchess, and the assembled Ministers of the Privy Council. Not that the news was all bad - in fact, it was approaching good - but because the decisions made here would shape the Dynasty for centuries to come.

"The Imperial Quota - or Tax, or whatever they wish to call it - is substantial, but… the situation continues to change so rapidly that there is no one clear answer to that question. With your permission, Your Majesty, I would like to give a full overview of the current situation."

King Limarkos gave a brief nod; Grantier took this as permission to continue.

"First, I must emphasize that the Quota is levied upon all of Verndar collectively, not just the Dynasty. In theory, we could get away without contributing to the Quota at all; in practice, were every political entity on Verndar to do this, the Quota would go unpaid and resolution of the issue would fall to the Imperial Navy."

There was a minor flinch throughout the room. While only the Archduchess and her entourage had been present at the original meeting with the Governor, the tale of Mount Zuji's bombardment had made the rounds. Only the most foolish or delusional still thought that the ability of the Imperial Navy to destroy their nation was overstated. With that reminder setting the tone, Grantier forged forwards.

"Fortunately, the Imperials themselves are aware of this; furthermore, the Governor - or his staff - seem to understand that while the various nation-states of Verndar have wildly different levels of productivity, there is no way to apportion the Quota accurately among them. At least, not without some sort of planetary audit that would be far more trouble than it's worth. Which is why they've implemented a 'points' system."

Grantier reached out and tapped a button on the device before him, activating the slide projector that he'd negotiated for with one of the Imperial representatives. He wasn't fluid enough in Basic to use one of their PDAs (yet), but the concept behind the projector was easily grasped by anyone who'd ever seen shadow puppets. The first slide showed a table listing some of the nations of Verndar - with the Dynasty at the top, obviously - and numbers next to them.

"As groups contribute to the Quota, be they tribes or kingdoms, they earn points. Once the Quota is filled, the points can then be used to acquire resources, tools and other assets in addition to those available under the uplift program. Whoever contributes more, or contributes above the minimum threshold of the Quota, can get more, whether that be resources that would be difficult to acquire on the open market, or things like… priority. Deliveries ahead of other countries of Verndar."

There was a susurrus of whispers and shifting around the room. The idea of getting ahead of, say, those militant tossers in the Obsidian Wardenship? It was tempting. Seductive in a way that money alone couldn't quite match. Clearly the Governor knew how to play the incentives game, Grantier thought.

"This is complicated by several factors. Firstly, by just how many groups there are." Grantier flipped to the next slide, this one a much, much longer of all the polities on Verndar. Including all the pokey little jungle tribes, many of which nobody had known or cared about until the Empire dug them up and gave their ultimatum. "All of these groups are not only contributing to the Quota, but many of them are dealing with a… leadership reassignment at the same time as a fundamental worldview shift. And every one of them has at least one PDA with access to the Imperial communications network. Which means that they can talk to each other whenever, wherever, they want. The political ramifications of this… we may end up with a jungle tribes coalition like the Saveeri Alignment." Everyone winced again; the Verdant Horde's invasion centuries ago had broken the back of the Dhloaz Empire, and nobody wanted a repeat. "Or the tribes might dissolve entirely and end up being absorbed into the Volcanic Territories. We just don't know.

"But the second, and far more immediate complication, is the influence of the Imperial Guild of Industry, Commerce and Protection." Grantier flipped to the next slide, this one showing a breakdown of the Guild's basic structure. "For those unaware, the Guild organizes and certifies miners, merchants and mercenaries in the Governor's territory. This includes training and ready access to related equipment. As part of the uplift program, Governor Mola has licensed the Guild to train and educate adults, separately from the childrens' schools operated by the Imperial government."

Grantier flipped to the next slide, this one showing a picture of the Imperial enclave that had subsumed the western slums. The landing fields, transshipment warehouses and Guild complex sprawled across the former slumlands. Grantier knew the King was displeased about ceding any amount of capital land to the outlanders, but property values on that side of the city had definitely gone up.

Although he couldn't for the life of him understand why they'd bothered to throw up those boxy buildings for the rabble to inhabit. What possible worth could they get from housing those wastes of breath, and at their own expense?

"The Guild branch here in the capital - and, presumably, the branches in other countries - have established training and education courses, that are open to all and sundry on a 'first come, first served' basis. As long as someone is not obviously a criminal or a maniac, they can enroll." Advance the slides to a Guild flier printed in the Dynasty's language. "To summarize what this flyer says, if an attendee completes a course of study in their chosen field, including at least one 'specialization'-" Transition to the list of Guild Specializations. "-then the Guild will provide them with equipment relevant to their field and specialization, as a loan. To be repaid in Imperial Credits."

King Limarkos frowned. "These debts. Are they coercive?"

"Not that I can tell, Sire. Some items are more expensive than others, but assuming the prices I have compared are accurate, the Guild seems to be selling at cost, and demanding no interest. However, that the loans must be repaid in Credits means that the graduates must work for pay in credits. Credits paid into a bank account, set up for them by the Guild. And once they're being paid in Credits…"

The rustling this time had different undertones of discomfort. The Dynasty had banks, of course, they were a civilized nation, but… for the powerful. The wealthy. The influential. The idea of the unwashed masses having their own accounts… it rankled somehow, even to Grantier, though he couldn't exactly articulate why.

"This is why many of them promptly start accepting Guild-posted contracts and using Guild-provided services, rather than going to the houses and the mercantile companies for work. Even so, the sheer productivity enabled by Guild-provided tools and training… all of my bureau's economic projections are effectively useless for the foreseeable future."

Grantier switched to another slide, showing a table of the Guild's ranking system. Wonderful things, these graphing tools. "A Scout with a blaster and basic training could go up against a small pack of jungle syzoks and have even odds of victory, and that only escalates as they organize into Conclaves. A Prospector-Cooperative can locate, excavate and sell more ore than a conventional mining group ten times their size. And a Trader-Collective with a dozen hover-pallets can move more than a full caravan. In short, while meeting the Quota would be onerous under past conditions, productivity is only going to keep rising, and there's no telling where it will end."

"And yet, you speak as if this is a problem."

"The problem, Sire, is that the Dynasty's own organizations and institutions cannot keep up." Grantier gestured to the table behind him. "The noble houses, guilds and trading costers have been slow to catch on, but once the first wave of graduates came out of the Guild's programs, almost all of them commoners…" Grantier flipped to another chart. "There are very few independents. Most graduates have formed their own Companies under the Imperial Guild, combining their specializations and equipment to fill as many roles as possible. I suspect that the Guild encouraged and supported them in doing so. The remainder mostly signed on piecemeal with the aforementioned bodies, who soon realized just how badly disadvantaged they now were, and once they figured that out…

"There have been incidents. While the smarter entities are forging contracts with newly-emerging Companies, some of the more stubborn and entitled noble houses are attempting to forcibly break these 'commoner companies' up and compel them into their own service, through means both legal and… not. Others are trying to intimidate the Guild into restricting access to their training courses, or shutting them down altogether. It is going… poorly for them. Even if the Guild didn't have the ability to call in the Imperial military - which it very much does - it's a mercenary guild. Things have not yet escalated to the level of blasterfire, but I suspect that there will be a major incident in the near future if the Dynasty does not step in beforehand."

"So. They are sabotaging us."

Grantier resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck. "Not as such, Your Majesty. To be clear, this is not the product of malice, or even incompetence, but of indifference. Perhaps if I play this recording…?"

———

Three weeks ago

Grantier Zulkhies, Minister of the Exchequer for the Fulcrum Dynasty, towered over Guild Administrator Zavef by a head. Administrator Zavef was doing a remarkably good job, even across the divides of both culture and species, of being visibly unimpressed.

"The Imperial Guild's uplift charter for Verndar is very explicit in the duties and responsibilities of the Guild. The Guild, as per directives from Governor Mola, is to support and enhance the uplift program of Minda-2 by introducing new training and tools to the native inhabitants of the planet, thereby increasing the productivity of the planet, better enabling the local inhabitants to more efficiently meet their Quota duties, and preparing the citizenry for inclusion into the wider galactic economy. It is not the Guild's responsibility to prop up the local satrapy."

"Are you saying that you will do nothing to curtail these disruptive influences upon the Fulcrum Dynasty? That you care nothing for the effects that putting extraterrestrial weapons and equipment in the hands of the masses will cause!?"

"I am saying, Minister, that the Guild's initiatives are open to all citizens of Minda-2, including the agents and representatives of the Fulcrum Dynasty and its government. If the Dynasty does not wish to avail itself of those opportunities? That sounds like a you problem."

———

Grantier switched the recording off. King Limarkos's expression was dark, but Grantier had seen him blueing with thunderous rage, and this wasn't that.

Archduchess Limali slowly tapped the table with her manicured digits. "This seems strange to me. Governor Mola stated clearly at our first meeting that he had no desire to overly interfere with the politics of Verndar's nations."

Grantier nodded. "As I said, indifference. I have reviewed the recordings of said meeting that the Governor distributed to the attendees, and while Governor Mola expressed a desire to avoid overruling or forcibly dissolving existing governments, he said nothing about wanting to preserve them. What seems clear from the recordings, especially his… blasé acknowledgement that the Empire could have him executed and replaced for failure, is that in the Empire, one is expected to succeed or fail on their own merits. If the Dynasty cannot succeed?" He let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "Nothing here represents a breach of the uplift accords, while also fulfilling what we believe to be Governor Mola's current objectives."

"What objectives are those?" asked Minister for War Zoriasque, leaning forward.

"Based on the information Minister Delavin has received from our agents," he nodded at the Minister of Information, "Governor Mola's territory seems to be suffering from a severe lack of manpower and trained personnel. Some sort of extremely large project that is important to Governor Mola's superiors in the Empire. Low-skill workers across the region are undergoing similar training and taking on higher-paid work, causing knock-on effects across their supply chains.

"In short, the Guild is trying to train up a new workforce to replace those low-skill workers. Once our people have received enough training and accrued enough experience, my belief is that the various Companies on Minda-3 will start hiring them away to work for them off-world."

King Limarkos frowned. "They mean to entice our people away from the Dynasty? Well, that-" He stopped, a calculative look coming over his face. Grantier smiled internally; he'd known that his monarch would see the potential here.

"That… would allow us to slip our own people into the off-worlders' operations," Archduchess Limali slowly stated, her own features showing deep thought. "Agents who can acquire and funnel resources back into our hands. Materiel, information, even more of the Empire's credits."

"Thus allowing us to gain an understanding of what we truly face, independent from the Empire's obvious propaganda, and improve our own negotiating power at the same time," Limarkos mused. "Delavin, how feasible is this?"

Minister Delavin stood. "Frankly, Sire, we've already made first steps, slipping some of our intelligencers into the Guild's training sessions to see what we're up against. The Guild doesn't seem to do any sort of background checks or investigations, they just run basic tests of whether they're physically and mentally unimpaired before shoving them into classrooms. Of course, once they're in the Imperials' records - and the Imperials are inveterate record-keepers - things probably become more stringent. However, I have confidence in our agents' ability to be discreet. As for acquisitions… Minister Grantier?"

Grantier clicked through a few more slides, arriving at a price-list for products available through Guild-certified merchants. "While the terms of the uplift agreement are quite clear, and the lists of proscribed items and substances under Imperial law are explicitly defined… in practice, we are no more subject to trade restrictions or import tariffs than any other region in the Governor's territory. Anything that an offworlder alien can legally buy, we can legally buy. As long as we have the credits to pay for them, that is.

"Of course, any trade right now is hugely in the offworlders' favor; even if we assume that the figures and market prices available through the Guild are accurate, the offworlders have all the ships, and we are not a credit-using economy yet. The uplift agreements offer us a limited amount of funds, but only for circumscribed, uplift-appropriate uses. We need our own sources of credits before we can acquire market-available materiel without being held hostage to the whims of smugglers.

"And when it comes to skill development, there's a bottleneck. Part of the reason that the Guild refused to open further training for the noble houses is that their training programs are running at capacity; this labor shortage is affecting them as well. They're effectively 'booked up' for the next six months in all tracks, and they're unwilling to remove any existing bookings for anyone, even the Dynasty itself.

"However. Registering a Company through the Guild is… unneccessary; what matters is the ability to extract resources competitively. The courses, too, are not the obstacle they seem. While Guild accreditations are useful and valuable, the tests needed to acquire them can be taken without passing through the training available to the hoi-polloi. We are the Dynasty. We are not without our own means; if the current bottleneck is the availability of Guild trainers, we can afford to hire our own.

"Administrator Zavef can cling to her precious charter as much as she wants, but that same adherence means that if the Dynasty decides to recruit our own trainers through the Guild's employment network, she has no legal recourse to obstruct us from doing so. And recruitment of trainers is covered by the terms of the uplift program."

…which meant that the Dynasty government, as the only ones allowed to use those funds, could offer the credits that the other noble houses didn't have, Grantier didn't say. By securing control of the best non-Guild training methods, His Majesty could pick and choose which noble houses got access to those trainers, thus regaining some of the political capital lost by capitulating to the Empire. He knew that the King would pick up on it, and hoped that the Archduchess had seen it.

And of course, Grantier planned to capitalize.

Grantier had lied about nothing. The plethora of market shifts right now had indeed thrown all his old calculations out the window… but his ability to make new ones had only improved. Especially with these new PDAs; he was still working on learning Basic and officially couldn't make use of any of the provided ones, but the Guild had developed complete translation packages in order to train the riffraff. Grantier'd taken one provided as part of the uplift program and gotten it updated at the Guild to display the Dynasty's language, something that it seemed everyone else had forgotten to do (probably just lost in the bureaucratic shuffle), and he had been devouring the economic and mathematical modules. Market fluctuation, projective graphing, inflation and deflation predictors… and the spreadsheets. Ohh, the spreadsheets. What a difference those made to his calculations.

And those projections said… that the only reason the Dynasty still had a functioning economy was because the Empire was deliberately keeping its own companies out of Verndar. That and the lack of credits. A mid-range offworld mercantile concern could flood the local markets with more cheap metal ore in one day than all the mines of the noble houses could generate in a local year, crash the economy in a week, then buy up whatever they wanted for scraps.

He'd have to be careful and explain this over time - nobody in the room wanted to hear that mere merchants could threaten the nation - but the facts were the facts. The Dynasty was outmatched not only militarily, but economically. Uplift was the only chance the Dynasty had to be a player, not a pawn. Now he had to work the King and the Council around to thinking it was all their own idea, and this stage seemed to be going well so far.

And House Zulkhies? Grantier intended to make sure that when the dust settled, the House ended up with enough money and wealth to be kingmakers, not just functionaries. Not to say that he was disloyal, but his loyalties were to his nation more than his King. Jockeying for power was just how the Great Game was played. There'd never be a greater opportunity than this, not when he sat at the perfect confluence of knowledge, influence and connections.

Starting his own corporations, trading favors, manipulating the flow of uplift currency and resources to subtly expand his power base… nothing so gauche as embezzlement, he had his pride, but a vern in his position was almost expected to take advantage of having the inside line on the flow of money, within reason. He'd also figured out how to track the usage records of the PDAs, and nobody was taking advantage of their abilities anywhere near the degree that he was. Maybe they hadn't realized the sheer potential in them, or were being stubborn about not learning Basic; either way, Grantier wasn't planning to hand out hints anytime soon. There was so very much opportunity to be seized, and Grantier Zulkhies was perfectly positioned to do so.

Let the rabble play at building their Companies. Soon enough, Grantier would have control of them all, and then? Well, they used to say the sky's the limit, but not anymore.

———

A/N: Grantier is a smart and canny noble, because you don't get to control the Royal Treasury if you can't cut it, but his prejudices are definitely showing. He's going to do well for himself, but not nearly as well as he expects to: even if the Guild itself wasn't an anti-trust institution, really determined commonfolk with a little education and a leg up are far more capable than the mindless troglodytes he thinks of them as.

He's also misinterpreting Zavef; she's short with him because, like Las, she's got enough paperwork to deal with right now without getting any more involved in the native politics than she needs to, and strict adherence to the charter is her shield. If the local satraps are willing to take some of those uplift responsibilities off her hands? She might just kiss them, even if they are green and stupidly tall.

Building residences for the slum-dwellers might seem like overdoing it, but Las and Darna are smart enough to think in the long-term; it builds goodwill and advertises the benefits of collaboration with the Imperial machine. "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry" and all that. Besides, they're really just row upon row of cheap pre-fabs; a close analogue would be China's rapid-built COVID quarantine centers. Cheap as chips, and worse than student housing, but to the slum-dwellers of a medieval city? Unimaginable luxury.

TBH, I'm not sure if I'm going to take this any further; I've kinda written what I want to write. Maybe inspiration will strike in the future, where I get an idea that fires me up to write about the effects on Verndari international politics or a bit of Zavef's perspective or how the jungle tribes are reacting, or something. I do actually have one idea for a third entry, so maybe.

 

[oscar e Sampedro Lopez]

Thanks for the chapter. Good story as always.
But please do your essay.