Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Yacov]

Omake: Echo Chamber in the Dark

POV: Initiate Qworo, Noocratic Philosophic Front base, Fogoru, Myto sector

"Tell me my student, how go our preparations?"

Initiate Qworo remained bowed to his Pedagogue, Grand Tutor Flintriso. A glimpse of the turquoise cloth of an Initiate still a source of pride. Months of searching had brought him to this now elusive breed of Fogorun. The once revered class of scholar-rulers on the planet driven to near extinction after the Empire declared the Teachings a threat to security and order. Pedagogues were cast out from their Hallowed Halls of Wisdom with the coming of the Empire.

Yet enlightenment cannot be so easily snuffed out. While the purges ravaged the cities as the Offworld Devils sought to impose their will, the Empire's destructiveness worked against them. In the their rush to smother the flame of wisdom, they failed to learn of a series of hidden retreats in the mountains for the Pedagogues' contemplation. Physical copies of the Teachings and even the rare Pedagogue were obscured from the Empire ever dim eye by those that remained faithful. These compounds were cut off from the world and its modern luxuries like the HoloNet and the planetary power grid. Their households of dedicated and pious servants served as the fertile soil from which the NPF has sprouted.

"They progress greatly my Pedagogue. The unenlightened Imperials grow ever more distracted by the pirate menace. We have been able to secure a shipment of detonite for our school under their lax customs officials."

Truly the Great Work favors our cause. The schools of the NPF had managed to secure stockpiles of chepatite in the past. Perfect to deliver correction to the Imperials' foot soldiers via explosive micro-rockets. However their walkers and repulsorcraft remained frustratingly out of reach. Now with detonite we may seed the roads and fortifications with explosive devices which will blossom into their destruction.

"Good, good. The time of the Grand Lesson draws ever closer. For too long have the Empire and their collaborators have taken Fogoru down an unwise path. It pains the world and us to see the stewardship we Pedagogues were entrusted with be conducted so poorly. Yet for the sake of the Grand Lesson, we have stayed our hands."

Qworo still remembers the day the Philosopher Elder Council was disbanded. The once masters of Fogoru dragged out in chains as dusty scrolls and ancient datapads were burned in great bonfires littering the capital's plazas. His mother stared at the fires from the rooftop and wept throughout the whole night.

Any hope of the Imperials possessing wisdom died in their first decree. That their sacred world of learning and wisdom dedicate itself to the base practice of pulling resources from the earth as a mining world. Not only were the Offworld Devils seeking to suppress the enlightenment of the Teachings, they sought to defile and plunder our sacred lands for the sake of building more of their demonic void vessels. His Pedagogue had taught all in his school that nothing good ever descended from the inky blackness above. No matter how much the Imperials claimed we were one species.

Being given the same classification as the lesser worlds around Fogoru caused many of his peers to tear their cloaks and protest in the streets. Only for the Empire to send these enlightened souls as the first wave to the mines. Their only crime rightfully expressing offense at being equated to the unenlightened savages that lived in ignorance around them. Qworo could only hope to emulate a tenth of the courage they had demonstrated in their martyrdom.

"Your words are the Great Work's message my Pedagogue. Even the uneducated masses driven far from the cities see the wisdom of NPF's cause. Overseers in the mines are blinded by met quotas and a lack of disorder. The unwise collaborators attempting to impose Imperial control only care for sating their indulgences like the fools they are. Never suspecting that there might be extra mined ore that now fills our coffers."

It pained Qworo how the Grand Lesson would be funded by the oppression of the enlightened. Yet do not the Teachings say suffering is a teacher of its own? It was one aspect of Imperial ideology that the Teachings could consider wise. For how would the unenlightened be brought out of their comfortable ignorance without pain? And should those unenlightened still resist or seek to betray us to the unwise? The Imperials were quite tolerant of workplace accidents in the mines.

For as his Pedagogue has preached, the Grand Lesson will not be for the Offworld Devils alone, but to all who reside on Fogoru. Correction is to be delivered upon Devil and unwise, treacherous collaborator and faithless bystander, from elder to babe, until all learn the wisdom of the Grand Lesson. Those that endure will flock back to the Teachings' embrace as the NPF demonstrates the power and righteousness of its cause.

"Yes the other Pedagogues have sent me messages of similar sentiments. Those that wish to join our school may be given the traditional flensing of the finger and be initiated. Our stores of arms are plentiful enough that they may yet play an active role in the Grand Lesson."

A smile crossed Qworo's lips at the fortune of their school. While they did not have the Tibanna gas to outfit their initiates with blasters, the more traditional slugthrower was easier to source. An Offworld Devil from Czerka Arms showed a twinkling of enlightenment by granting us to access to many 6-2Aug2 hunting rifles. Where the retreat's craftsmen once spent days crafting exquisite metal tea bowls for ceremonies, now they just as zealously dedicate their minds and bodies to produce bullets and spare parts in preparation for the Grand Lesson.

"The day the Grand Lesson can commence grows ever closer. I would gladly give my life to ensure the future where you and the other Pedagogues sit on the restored Philosopher Elder Council to dispense enlightened rule to Fogoru once more! Please use me body and soul my Pedagogue!"

A ghost of a smile finally passed his Pedagogue's lips. These decades of hiding and planning must have been so hard on him. This retreat in the mountains must pale in comparison of the Halls of Wisdom he once resided in. The thought of everything finally coming together must bring joy a thousandfold compared to what Qworo feels.

"You truly are enlightened Initiate Qworo. Once the local Imperial garrison falls, the unenlightened collaborators will crumble as their weak wills will be unable to keep their regime alive unsupported. From there we will have time to reeducate the people of Fogoru and reinforce the world while the Empire's navy is still distracted.

Picture it Qworo. My school shall be ascendant in the Philosopher Elder Council as the Noocracy is reinstated. Enlightenment will spread as the wisest will determine what course Forogu will take. The throngs shall be submerged back into the enlightenment of the Teachings as Fogoru's proper stewards reclaim their mantle once more.

Our world shall be safeguarded forevermore. An Initiate with a slugthrower behind every tree and at every street corner to protect our society from its enemies. Those the Council deem unwise being bound with the Fetters of Fatuity and driven to the darkest corners of society. Mayhaps we may find a use for those mines once all those Offworld Devils are driven back into the inky blackness. No longer will they taint our sacred planet with their demonic void vessels as landing areas will be lined with detonite before a single Devil can set foot on our blessed soil."

Qworo could see it. The vision his Pedagogue wished to instill into this humble initiate. A utopia based on the Teachings with no Republic or Empire to degrade their people. Encasing their world against the forces who wish to pollute it and purging it of the rot within. Truly this what the schools strived for in pursing the Great Work.

"I understand my Pedagogue. I eagerly await the day this vision becomes a reality. The Empire cannot be driven off Fogoru soon enough."

——
This Omake was an attempt to make a minor local antagonist group that could escalate to the point that the new Moff might have to step in. The hardest part was coming up with a kind of group that hasn't rebelled against the Empire a dozen times already. There are bound to be groups within the sector who hate the Empire and see the current destabilization as a chance to stage an uprising while their back is turned even if the Rebel Alliance is not involving itself.

The NPF are meant to demonstrate what can happen when there is no outside voice, like the Rebel Alliance advocating a Hearts and Minds strategy, to moderate discussion. Views can spiral into extremism when everything is being discussed in an Echo Chamber, hence the name of the Omake. Qworo exemplifies this by showing how being locked in an isolated compound filled with fanatics for over a decade with minimized outside contact can shift your view of the world and your place in it.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: The Petty Debt Crisis

The History of The Petty Debt Crisis in the Myto Sector By Jiro Namagidir

Introduction

The Myto Sector took the Post-Yavin era by storm. Increased military patrols, economic development, and the rise of institutions like the Guild led to great wealth being attracted to the Sector. One would be forgiven that these rising tides were lifting all boats.

Unfortunately as history has shown, not every government makes decisions in line with their long term interests. A small category of worlds across the sector were led more in line with the exploitative economic policies common to other sectors at the time. These policies eventually culminated in the Petty Debt Crisis.

Aspects of Petty Debt Governorships

So what were these policies that led to the Petty Debt Crisis and why did Governors enact them? The main source can be attributed to a mindset cultivated among some Imperial circles. The belief that planetary governorships existed for Imperial taxes first, the Governor's personal enrichment second, and anything else a distant third. Treating their assigned postings more as a fiefdom than a position of stewardship as many other Myto sector Governors did. When viewed from that perspective, the following policy decisions in to make a twisted sort of sense.

Over specialized economies

Governors of what would later be called Petty Debts Worlds (or PD Worlds for short) tended to follow a similar economic model. They would be assigned a world, identify the most profitable or most influential good on that world, then dedicate most of the economy to producing that good to the detriment of all other industries. These specialized goods were often raw resources like a particular mineral or farmed plant so that the Governor could more easily direct as many sentients to work as possible in order to maximize output.

This method did have some benefits. It allowed these worlds to use their often minimal resources on their most profitable industries. Unemployment on PD Worlds was often low due to the favored industry always looking to expand and hire more workers. Bureaucracy was able to be kept small as there was just one main industry to keep track off. Taxation was also simplified as when almost everyone is working in the same sector in similar jobs, tax rates could be imposed more or less uniformly. If one were only to consider the positives, one could be mistaken for thinking this was a sound economic model.

Unfortunately there were also severe downsides to the level of overspecialization PD Worlds engaged in. While specializing in one good allowed for worlds to export a lot of that good, it also drastically increased import needs as other domestic industries suffered. The PD Worlds' economies were also rendered incredibly brittle. Prone to boom or crash with the fluctuating prices of their chosen good. All these factors capped the growth of PD Worlds while leaving them vulnerable to financial instability.

Lack of Economic Investment

As PD Worlds were focused on producing a singular good, other aspects of their economy suffered. Governors spent minimal budget on things like social services and utilities not directly involved in the world's main industry. In their minds, it appears any part of their planet not dedicated towards their favored industry was a waste of funds.

This left both the private and public sector anemic outside the extremely bloated exception. Utilities like water and power suffered chronic stoppages. Independent businesses received next to no government support or were even suppressed under the justification of "stealing workers". Environmental damage also spiked as any regulations were quickly removed in the name of increasing profits. These factors led to a rise of food shortages and health crises breaking out across PD Worlds.

That being said, it is not like the entire budget could be dedicated to the world's main industry. The second largest item on the budget on most PD Worlds was often listed as "discretionary spending" in some form or another. As one can imagine this item did little to promote economic development on PD Worlds beyond luxury import businesses.

Poor Debt Management

With PD Worlds entirely beholden to the wider commodity market, it comes to little surprise that they suffered from chronic debt issues. What tended to happen was that the price of the specialized product would fall, causing an increase in the World's debt. Then prices would inevitably rise, but the Governors would use the profits to double down on investing in the main industry rather than paying off the previous debt. This led to a vicious cycle of consistently growing debt and deficits that would ultimately culminate in the Petty Debt Crisis.

Who owned the debt also resulted in problems. Governors of PD Worlds would often force their citizens to purchase "Patriot Bonds". Failure to purchase these bonds would often result in consequences varying from loss of employment, losing access to public services, to outright imprisonment for "suspicion of disloyalty". A citizen could not even hope to cash in their bond as they would often have them "annulled" as punishment for a minor crime.

What credit Governors couldn't acquire from their citizens would come from increasingly suspicious sources at increasingly rising interest rates. These deals often involved certain remote tracts of land on the PDs Worlds put up as collateral. This final part of the loan agreements would be what ended up dooming a majority of PD Govenors once these transactions came to light.

Asset Seizing

Citizens of PD Worlds had difficult lives. Forced to work in an industry with a singular company that paid little and was also the government. Food prices were often high even on Agriworlds as farmland was being used to produce cash crops for export. Most were kept in a state of poverty teetering on outright destitution and a social safety net was nothing more than a fantasy.

Yet somehow Governors of PD Worlds managed to make things worse. Personal debt was a fact of life for sentients on PD Worlds as they struggled to make ends meet. Governors would use this debt as a justification to seize both person and property at blasterpoint. Entire neighborhoods were cleared out to make way for yet another personal project for the Governor. This constant upheaval heavily discouraged private saving and investment as most saw little reason to put Credits toward a future that could be taken away so easily.

Loyalty Purchasing

With policies such as these, how did Governors of PD Worlds keep ahold of their positions? How did they avoid some staging an uprising against their rule? This was mainly accomplished through a practice referred to as Loyalty Purchasing.

Political power was kept in the hands of a small group of elites which used the Imperial Military to suppress any hint of dissent. These elites were not necessarily chosen by merit or lineage, but rather those elevated were sentients the Governor could charm or intimidate into complete obedience. In fact most cultural and traditional interest groups that existed prior to the Governor's appointment were ruthlessly oppressed to prevent a potential rival power bloc.

These elites were kept in line through a stream of selective benefits and gifts. Housing in separate and comparatively opulent communities, large quantities of luxuries unavailable to the rest of the population, and exemptions from the toil and taxation the rest of the world was saddled with. Everything the unfavored were deprived of, the favored got heaped upon them.

Governors of PD Worlds formed a collection of sycophants completely reliant on them and invested to suppressing the rest of the world. This patronage was dependent on keeping the Governor's favor and enacting his will, lest they be cast into the destitute masses below them eager to tear them to shreds. This fear of the lower classes resulted in most governments and elites on PD Worlds collaborated fully with the Governor's policies that led to the Petty Debt Crisis in order to maintain their precarious status.

This did not mean said upper classes were unified. Factions beneath the Governors formed using the same methods of patronage to spread their influence. Power struggles would often take place that would see departments and institutions undergo frequent quiet purges that left them beholden to the ascendant faction but weakened over the long term. Faith in your faction was always greater than faith in the overall government on PD Worlds.

Sector Wide Reactions

Naturally this rapid accumulation of debt and sliding decline did not go unnoticed by the wider sector. Despite efforts to suppress their financial situation, eventually news of these worlds' potential bankruptcy had spread. Other worlds and players in the sector began to take notice, and action.

The most immediate outside group to interact with the Crisis was the Constellation of Power. A cooperative of neighboring systems that banded together focused on producing power cores at below out of sector import rates. The CoS made cores for buildings, appliances, and industrial equipment to support the economic boom throughout the sector. This industrial concern took the Petty Debt Crisis as a chance to expand their markets.

The CoS adopted a strategy of selling cheap, quality power cores and their accompanying machines to all sections of society in nearby PD Worlds in exchange for significant quantities raw resources being produced there. The elites wanting to maintain their lifestyles and producers wanting to improve their output, accepted. This led to a further focus on raw resource production and away from domestic industrialization as they became new markets reliant on the CoS.

The sector government also did not sit idly by while these worlds slid into financial ruin once it noticed the direness of the situation. However the sector government's awareness of the severity of the Crisis was delayed by the actions of the previous Moffs. The negligence of Moff Tarry, and the focus on ladder climbing of Moff Hiral, meant the building Petty Debt Crisis progressed went relatively unnoticed by the Myto's institutions until Moff Las assumed the office.

Once reports finally reached the Moff's desk, Myto's government was left with an uncomfortable choice. While some of the debt was owned by illegal or otherwise fraudulent lenders, a large portion was owned either by local companies, offworld companies, or through bonds held by the planet's population. Allowing the debt to remain as is would cripple the planetary governments' budget for decades to come. However canceling the debt too recklessly would ruin lender confidence on the local level at minimum and could even damage the reputation of financial credibility Moff Las had been painstakingly cultivating.

After removing the Governors for gross incompetence in their duties, an order was issued for an emergency audit of the afflicted worlds to get proper estimates of the damage. While the debts were substantial for the small planets, it was comparatively minor to a sector. As such a restructuring of the Petty Debts was declared with the sector government acting as a guarantor. This not only reassured creditors that they would eventually get their Credits back and reduces interest rates, but also gave the sector government immense leverage over the PD worlds in the coming years.

In order to help PD Worlds recover, Guild resources were dispatched to begin development programs on those worlds in order to stabilize them at minimum. However upon arrival Guild personnel found they had little to work with as both the private and public sector had been gutted by the Petty Debt Crisis and the decisions that led to it. Unfortunately the legacy of overspecialization has resulted in estimates of former PD Worlds lagging behind their neighboring contemporaries for decades to come.

——

A lot of people would assume a time of sector wide prosperity would encourage smart financial decisions. A lot of people also underestimate how short sighted political leaders can be. Plenty of governments in history being given a chance for long term prosperity decide to immediately kneecap themselves in exchange for some benefit for those in power.

That fact the political culture the Empire encourages this kind of short term prioritization among its elite only increases the likelihood. Figured I would give Las some nearby examples to reference for that book on the Empire's shortcomings he is writing.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | IGCPP-OPERATIONAL-STATUS

SUBJECT Internal Security and Naval Logistics of the Imperial Guild

DISTRIBUTION Myto Sector Command / Naval Logistics Division

AUTHORIZATION Office of the Moff, Myto Sector

CLASSIFICATION Restricted Asset Overview

---

I. ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

The Imperial Guild of Commerce, Protection and Production (IGCPP) maintains a decentralized naval presence to secure member-world trade routes. Rapid expansion of the Guild has resulted in a non-standardized fleet profile. While integration with the Imperial Navy is a long-term strategic goal, current operations rely on a variegated inventory of third-party and decommissioned vessels. This logistical complexity is noted but deemed acceptable for localized defense.

---

II. ASSET CLASSIFICATION

The Guild fleet is comprised of three primary categories of vessels, ranging from light interceptors to heavy sector anchors.

Primary Command Anchors

The Guild maintains a limited heavy-hull inventory, capped at 24 total vessels to remain within Imperial naval quotas.

• Dreadnought-Class Heavy Cruiser Standard heavy engagement platform.
• Neutron Star-Class Bulk Cruiser Utilized for high-durability patrol loops.

Escort and Carrier Elements

• CR-90 Corellian Corvette Standard configuration for rapid response.
• CR-90 Farstar Refit Modified light carrier variant capable of supporting one starfighter squadron.
• Marauder-Class Assault Corvette Specialized for anti-piracy and heavy ordnance delivery.
• Sphyrna-Class Hammerhead Corvette Utilized for picket duty and interdiction.
• Tartan-Class Patrol Cruiser Primary anti-starfighter screen for Guild convoys.

Starfighter Complement

The Guild utilizes a broad array of older models including the R-41 Starchaser, Z-95 Headhunter, and Toscan 8-Q. However, the CloakShape Fighter remains the preferred platform due to modular customizability and simplified maintenance cycles.

---

III. PATROL GROUP ARCHITECTURE

While standardization is ongoing, the Guild generally deploys in mixed-tonnage "Security Taskings" organized around a central carrier or heavy hull.

• Heavy Security Tasking
  • 01 Command Anchor (Dreadnought or Neutron Star)
  • 02 CR-90 Farstar Carriers
  • 03 Tartan or Marauder Escorts
• Light Patrol Element
  • 01 CR-90 Farstar Carrier
  • 02 Sphyrna-Class Corvettes
  • 02 Mixed CloakShape Squadrons

---

IV. OPERATIONAL CONSTRAINTS AND JURISDICTION

Guild forces operate under strict geographic and legal limitations to prevent encroachment upon Imperial Navy prerogatives.

• Jurisdictional Boundary Guild patrols are strictly prohibited from exiting the space of authorizing member systems. Under no circumstances are Guild ships to initiate hyperspace transits into unaligned or deep-space sectors without Imperial escort.
• Imperial Command Override All Guild assets are subject to immediate commandeering by Imperial Navy officers. Commandeered Guild ships remain tethered to Guild-member space and cannot be utilized for out-of-sector campaigns.
• Emergency Mercenary Procurement In high-threat scenarios, Guild commanders are authorized to issue impromptu mercenary contracts.
  • Credit Ceiling 15,000 Credits maximum per engagement.
  • Payment Protocol Compensation is handled via centralized Guild offices. No liquid currency is stored on Guild vessels to mitigate the risk of crew corruption.
  • Audit Requirement Proof of tactical necessity and detailed after-action reports must be filed within 24 hours of contract issuance.

---

V. LOGISTICAL SUMMARY

The current fleet composition presents significant strain on the supply chain due to the variety of required parts for non-Imperial hulls. Sector Command acknowledges that while these forces are effective for low-intensity piracy suppression, they are to be viewed as supplementary to the professional might of the Myto Sector Fleet.

--

Just a little something I decided to throw together. In my mine, the Guild has grown very quickly and there would obviously be growing pains with that. Since the MARD was busy, they decided to simply buy what ships they could on the open market and deal with it later, leading to an eclectic group of ship types. Now that Las is Moff, things will start to change but it will take time, as most tasks of this scale often do.

-Freefaller

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Meat Lockers and Microfilm

POV: Kerr Kelen, in front of a newly franchised Shaak Strips and Races, Globobia, Myto Sector

"Welp, that's the last of the equipment. You good setting it up on your own?"

Manager Kelen gave a firm nod to the Jarell. This moving company was known for dumb labor. He didn't trust them to do more than move loads. Even if the moving company had a suspiciously glowing recommendation from an Imperial Governor. The fact they hired primarily Guineo affirmed Kelen's lack of trust. Poor fellas never got the chance to get a good education before having to make their way in the galaxy. It always saddened him when people were dealt a bad hand in life.

"My employees will be more than enough. Some of them are from another location, so they know their way around the equipment. Now here, a reward for being so efficient with the unloading. No word getting around to our competitors and Varanus' Busters may have more work from Shaak Strips and Races in the future."

What Kelen did trust them to do is be dumb labor, not look inside the crates they were moving, and not ask too many inconvenient questions. Breaking that part of the contract would hurt them far more than him, but it would still be an embarrassment. The boss finagled his tentacles in a way that suggested a warm smile, or a vicious grin. Hard to tell. Nevertheless the moving company loaded up and sped off with professional haste.

"Alright, I want everything from the kitchen to the Meat Locker in working condition by 1700 sharp for opening day tomorrow! Let's get moving!"

Kelen's employees unleashed a groan that could be heard across the lower rungs of society. Something all middle managers fed on as parasites to the working class. Perfect. He was going to be the bestest manager ever.

——

"Tri! How goes the set up?"

The once resting Twi'lek snapped to attention with an uncomfortable quickness. A speed born of the constant threat of displeasing the shouter. Kelen tried not to think about it. Appearances had to be maintained in public and he didn't want anyone outside to see him wince.

"All the kitchen appliances just got installed. Condenser units ready to cook when we open tomorrow. Really wished you could have let the Busters take care of some of the heavier stuff."

Kelen knew he was running his employees rather hard. That his employees had undergone the training necessary to move and install everything didn't stop the guilt. It was just he hated standing here "supervising" when he should be on his knees helping them. Someone who treats their subordinates as disposable has no defense when their boss treats them the same way.

However it was all for a good cause and they all knew it when they took this job. Middle managers could be lax, they could be incompetent, but no one ever expected them to be kind. Start being too nice and it might start spawning the wrong rumors. If he was to maintain his cover, some light poor treatment of his employees in public was needed to keep up the mask.

"And what of the Meat Locker? Ready to accept tomorrow's shipment?"

Tri nodded before leading Kelen into the back. The storage room was freezing and looked like any other back of a restaurant. At least those that didn't deal solely in "processed" ingredients. Logically he knew it was cheaper and people couldn't afford better, but the thought of someone paying their hard earned Credits just to get served that slop disgusted the service provider in him. Only proper food for proper Credits for his customers!

"Brrr. Really wished the we could and gone for thicker uniforms. Definitely don't keep warm enough when the temps drop."

Now that they were out of potential sight Kelen offered Tri his manager's coat on instinct, but she refused. Tri moved a lightweight box and tapped a code in a keypad that wasn't installed in the building until recently. A hidden staircase opened up leading to a room that wouldn't look out of place in a military base. The S2R safehouse and monitoring station was the true heart of the restaurant.

"We needed to keep the uniforms light Agent Tri. We needed them unobtrusive enough so it would be easy to put armor over them when required. Now Agent Duo, status update."

Agent Duo stood up from her chair to give Kelen a salute. Agents Tri and Duo were in the same training batch, and it showed in the warm smiles they gave one another. In private of course. They barely acknowledged each other when on the job.

"Sir! Just finished setting up the monitoring equipment. Venting some of cold storage's cooling into the server room is really helping. Credentials let us have discrete access to the satellite network without issue. Should have a decent infiltration of the system's HoloNet by the end of the week!"

Always good when things are progressing ahead of schedule. Agent Duo was a fantastic slicer even before we got our hands on her. Now with the resources at our disposal no one in this system is going to be out of her reach. Agent Tri ruffled the head of the Lepi woman.

"That eager to finish up and serve drinks to our clientele? I didn't know you had that side of you."

Hissing came from Agent Duo's lips. Perhaps it would be better to remind them to be professional. However it had been a long day, and Kelen was going to be enough of a no good boss during store hours. The reason for this sports bar business model was to cover up potential suspicions by keeping people distracted with the alcohols and a focus on mounted sports entertainment. He never had an alcohol before, but he knew how popular and muddling they were from his fellow sentients in arms.

"It is supposed to be just a sports bar. The customers are going too busy gawking at Swoopdueling to leer at me. You're lucky you will be mostly in the kitchen, Tri. Besides at least you got a nice cover name for this operation. With a cover name like Dyadia everyone here is going to assume me parents named be for my big ears, or my front teeth."

Alrighty then, this is starting to get out of hand. Any further and these two will continue long into the night. They'll be spending enough long nights here if they ever get a priority search order or need to use the detainment room in the back of the safehouse. Clapping his hands, Kelen drew their attention back to the status report.

"Okay enough banter. How is Agent Quad setting up the servers?"

The Kler'terrian was supposed to be handling the "supplemental" electronics being installed in the building. Kelen's Agents would keep an ear out as well, but being able to listen and store information digitally would prevent mistakes if someone misremembers something in their post-shift report.

"Both the main and backup storage server are set up and isolated. A slicer won't be able to access either unless they infiltrate the safehouse itself, and at that point we have bigger problems. She also got the bugs set up ahead of time while placing traps for the fleshy ones."

Excellent! Kelen has to remember to praise Agent Quad for her work ethic when he gets the chance. Keeping employee morale high is an integral part of being a manager. Not in public of course, he has to keep reminding himself of that. However that doesn't mean he can't share his real feelings in private.

Ooooo, maybe Kelen could scold Agent Quad for placing the bug traps too visibly while they are in the kitchen. Loudly enough that a conveniently open door can let some of it slip into the customer's ears. He'd have to check if that is okay with her first. Kelen didn't want to hurt her feelings after all.

"And I assume Agent Sept is finished unloading and checking over the weapons?"

The sheepish grin told Kelen that no, Agent Sept hadn't made as much progress as Agent Duo. Their Askajian weapons expert always did have a love for blasters bordering on the unhealthy. At least that meant their DD6s would be ready should they ever be activated.

Realistically they would likely stick to low level monitoring and occasionally providing infrastructure for outside agents to utilize. The whole point of Project S2R was quietly keep track of the mood and rumors in city districts containing populations with a history of civil unrest. The day-to-day would be gathering data to compile into weekly reports to be sent up the chain to be put in graph or database somewhere.

At most they would head off a planned riot or two, maybe pass along info from loose lipped criminals to the authorities. Little chance of them bagging something like an elusive Recruitment Agent, but that was what more elite teams are for. Not like their work wasn't just as important to safeguarding the Empire, as he keeps reminding his Agents during his weekly pep talks.

"Right, tell Agent Sept to be out by closing time. She has to report to her apartment and establish her identity on this world. Then you all can report five minutes before opening so I can yell at you in public for not being ten minutes early like we planned during our last Bad Boss Treatment Planning Session.

Let's make this place unremarkable Agents. T wants our operation seeded and rooted by the end of the year. I expect the S2R Division to be the least talked about division ever. Dismissed. Have a great rest of your evening everyone."

With the Guild's access combined with the Security Bureau's expertise, Shaak Strips and Races should be in the process of opening all across the sector by now. The flimsiwork trail depicting it as an inconsequential franchise with just the right combination of permits and Imperial benign inattentiveness to spread quickly. Serving customers, drawing eyes, and ready to answer the Empire's call at a moment's notice.

——

One of the culminations of HAVEN and ISB collaboration. Nobody expects your favorite restaurant to be an Imperial front! Or a cartel front. Or a mafia front. Or a Rebel fron… you get the idea. To be fair, if everyone is doing it, then the idea must have some merit. The Moff's intelligence network has to expand somehow and why not go with a classic?

Writing Manager Kelen was an interesting experiment. For this job they wanted someone who can act like an insufferable manager without being an insufferable manager. Someone who can yell at their "employees" with zero malicious intentions conveyed. The result was Kerr Kelen, quite possibly the nicest person currently working for the ISB. To an almost unsettling degree.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Freefaller]

IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU | PERSONNEL SUMMARY

Moff Las Mola (Formerly Governor of Minda and Edin systems)

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BIOGRAPHICAL OVERVIEW

• Birth: 5 BFE, Coruscant.
• Residency: Relocated to Eriadu during childhood, now resides on Ugea.
• Physical Description: 5'10" with a pale complexion and brown hair.
• Distinguishing Marks: Heavy scarring on the right side of the face resulting from an assassination attempt by the Crowns syndicate (Check Medical File 77B).
• Education: Expelled from the Imperial Academy of Eriadu for impertinence.
• Combat Training: Private self-defense instruction under Commander Kaela Grant (Check File Grant-K).

---

FAMILY ASSET DISTRIBUTION

The subject has consolidated his immediate family into critical sector roles to ensure absolute loyalty.

• Dornun Mola (Father): Serves as an informal information gatherer and local intelligence asset.
• Jir Mola (Mother): Former Academy Commandant who was discharged by the subject immediately upon her arrival in the Myto Sector.
• Shal Mola (Sister): Commander of the ISD Heavy Judgement tasked with guarding the Minda shipyards.
• Zyx Mola (Sister): Former Military Intelligence agent now serving as a direct administrative aide.
• Alvi Mola (Sister): High-ranking TIE pilot currently patrolling the Edin system.

---

ECONOMIC AND SECTOR ACHIEVEMENTS

The subject maintains a philosophy of economic stability that prioritizes long-term yields over immediate Imperial quotas.

• Imperial Guild: An expansive economic infrastructure providing loans and managing market competition through a strict ranking and trust system. It utilizes tiered rewards to incentivize productivity, such as granting high-ranked mercenaries exclusive equipment rights. The system even incorporates "Sourcing Specialists" to hunt rival smugglers and repurpose or dispose of illicit cargo (Check File Guild-PROD).
• Rothana Assets: Acquired RHE's orbital shipyard and specialized factory components for 9 billion credits to negotiate more lenient quotas for the system with the then-Moff (Check Financial Report RHE99).
• Negotiation History: The transaction was successfully brokered by the former secretary Oioro.
• Technological Push: Developed and mandated Personal Digital Assistants to replace standard datapads for more efficient data processing and administration.

---

LOYALTY AND POLITICAL ALIGNMENT

Mola's methods have drawn significant scrutiny from COMPNOR regarding his adherence to New Order orthodoxy.

• Ideological Deviance: COMPNOR has logged formal concerns regarding the subject's strict meritocratic systems and his willingness to allow aliens into high-level government roles.
• Auxiliary Forces: Under his tenure, non-human auxiliaries have become increasingly common within sector security forces.
• Imperial Benefits: Despite these deviations, the Myto Sector has experienced a dramatic rise in tax revenue and logistical efficiency.
• Civilian Stability: His policies have fostered a growing middle class that expresses vocal loyalty to the Empire, creating a counter culture to potential local revolutionary sentiment.

---

PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

Mola presents as a high-functioning workaholic with an extreme focus on logistical optimization. He lacks a traditional social circle and avoids the standard political posturing common among his peers.

• Work Ethic: Historically logged 14-hour days as Governor and currently maintains a strict 56-hour work week.
• Interpersonal Relations: Social interactions are limited to his pet lizard and a red-skinned bodyguard of unknown origin.
• Staffing Preference: Shows a consistent pattern of hiring non-human secretaries who are eventually promoted to positions of significant influence.
• Political Ambition: Appears low. His maneuvers are consistently aimed at fiscal health rather than personal power.

---

SECURITY CLASSIFICATIONS

The subject's connection to the Inquisitorius is currently obfuscated. The Seventh Brother was present during an incident on Edin, but all related documentation is inaccessible to this branch following the restructuring of the Inquisition (Check Restricted Archive SEC-00). The identity and background of his primary bodyguard remain unverified, but are suspected to be related to this incident.

–
BFE stands for Before the Formation of the Empire.

Said I'd drop this, so here it is. Also, they call Zyx an aide cause thats her official title, they have no clue of her more secretive activities.

Keep it real.
-Freefaller

 

[Freefaller]

ALLIANCE INTELLIGENCE | OPERATIONAL DOSSIER

TARGET DESIGNATION Subject-Myto

SUBJECT IDENTITY Moff Las Mola

---

VITAL STATISTICS

• Birth: 5 BFE, Coruscant.
• Residency: Ugea (Minda-3).
• Physical Profile: 5'10" height with a pale complexion, brown eyes and hair.
• Distinguishing Features: Severe facial scarring on the right side from an explosion.
• Origin: Moved to Eriadu as a child before beginning his career in the Imperial bureaucracy.

---

PHYTOCELL ASSETS AND THE RUSTY REFIT

The Phyto Cell currently maintains a high-value presence within the Minda system through the Rusty Refit Orbital Yard. This facility was established early in the subject's governorship through a deal involving Alliance-aligned entrepreneurs.

• Operational Terms: The yard allocates one third of its capacity to Imperial system defense while the remaining two thirds operate under private control.
• Strategic Value: The facility serves as a vital conduit for refurbished hyperdrives, thruster assemblies, and light freighters distributed to cells across the galaxy.
• Guild Benefit: The yard has significantly expanded its influence and procurement capabilities through membership in the Imperial Guild.
• Liaison Status: Initial access was secured via Darna Sabrir who was a former Phyto Cell agent. However, Sabrir has since ceased all communication with the Alliance and appears fully committed to the subject's administration (Check File Sabrir-D).

---

SECURITY THREATS AND ANOMALIES

While our intelligence on the subject's inner circle is less comprehensive than Imperial records, certain events have impacted regional operations.

• The Scarred Hand: An unaffiliated extremist group launched a series of terror attacks that nearly compromised the security of the Rusty Refit.
• The WEB: During a covert rest stop by the Specters (Phoenix Cell), unidentified actors calling themselves the WEB warned the group that they were not welcome on Ugea. Alliance Command has no further data on this organization (Check File WEB-INTEL).
• Governance Transition: Following his promotion to Moff, the subject appointed Governor Raina to oversee the Minda system.
• Defensive Capability: The subject is protected by a formidable security detail and rarely leaves his capitol building, which itself is heavily guarded.

---

RECRUITMENT AND DEFECTION ASSESSMENT

The Phyto Cell has conducted a feasibility study regarding the potential to turn the subject to the Rebel cause.

Points of Alignment

• The subject demonstrates a clear lack of human-centric bias and actively promotes non-humans.
• His administrative policies have curtailed the use of slave labor in favor of paid vocational training.
• He shows no adherence to COMPNOR's radical New Order ideology.

Risk Assessment

• Conclusion: Recruitment is strictly prohibited at this time.
• Reasoning: While the subject possesses the growth potential and administrative genius to severely destabilize regional Imperial control, he shows zero indicators of pro-Rebellion sentiment. Any attempt to approach him carries an extreme risk of failure. Such a failure would lead to the potential discovery of the true nature of the Rusty Refit Orbital Yard, the loss of which outweighs the slim chance of his defection.

---

SUMMARY ANALYSIS

Subject-Myto is a rare example of an Imperial official who builds loyalty through economic prosperity rather than fear. While he is not an ally, his meritocratic approach creates a stable environment for our covert operations to thrive. We recommend maintaining the status quo as long as the Rusty Refit remains undetected.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: C2W Blaster Pistol

Production information

Manufacturer: Guild of Commerce, Production and Protection

Type: Light blaster pistol

Cost: 700 Credits new, 450 Credits used

——

Physical and technical specifications

Size: Small

Weight: 0.8 Kg

Capacity: 50 shots

Range: 20 meters optimum, 65 meters maximum

——

Usage

Availability: Licensed

Roles:

• Personal Defense Weapon

Affiliation:

• Concerned urban civilians
• Private Investigators
• Law enforcement agencies with small budgets

——

Description

"Looking for a bit of protection in these trying times? Apply for a civilian level blaster license for a renewed sense of safety!"
Applicationsmaytakeuptotwotofourweekstoprocess.Approvalwillbedependentonavarietyoffactorsincludingbutnotlimitedtolegibilitycriminalhistoryandpatriotismindexscore.
- Ad by the Imperial Blaster Owners Association.

The C2W (or Concerned Citizen's Weapon) is a recent production from the Guild of Commerce, Production, and Protection in the Myto sector. Marketed as a personal defense weapon for the loyal Imperial urbanite, this blaster never found much success outside this niche. This underwhelming pistol nevertheless garnered a modest following in Imperial civilians in cities across the sector.

Design

"When someone pulls out a C2W it is a threat. A threat to bring in every seccer in a five block radius down on our heads." - Smuggler on the detriments of using a C2W for criminal activity.

The C2W is considered a midway point between a hold-out blaster and a blaster pistol. This middle ground came at the cost of lower range, power, and fewer shots compared to a standard blaster pistol. The urban and confined environments the blaster was designed for was hoped to mitigate the range issue. This blaster was mainly intended to defend the user from low level criminals or packs of stray animals.

Light and decently compact. Its size and weight can make it easier to carry and not get caught on clothes or other obstructions when hastily drawn from a holster or a hand bag. Although definitely not to the degree of say a blaster modified for a gunslinger. The worst one is going to get is something caught on the partial trigger guard, but it is fairly easy to shake loose.

The C2W is fairly stable with a grip that is well-fitted and comfortable for the average sentient. A smooth trigger and the low power of each shot allow for low recoil despite the short barrel of the blaster. These decisions did little to improve the range of the blaster which remained below the standard for a blaster pistol.

The C2W's shape was designed to intimidate the ignorant and the inexperienced. It is also purposely designed to make significant noise when fired to frighten the user's attackers be they sentient or non-sentient. This makes the C2W unsuitable for more subtle occupations that would want to avoid drawing attention. However if one actually wants to notify all local law enforcement in several blocks that a blaster has been fired and they should head in that direction, then the C2W is certainly going to do a good job of informing them.

Sales

"Great. Another Cry To Win rookie thinking their hot stuff." - Veteran Guild Member mocking a rookie trying to register with a C2W.

Once the first batch of C2Ws hit the market, it made a small, but noticeable splash. Citizens worried about the rising pirate activity resulted in a minor surge of orders in the first few weeks after release. The low power of the blaster made it easier to obtain a license than most other blaster pistols while also not being as restricted as hold-out blasters. Initial reports were rosy and there were talks of expanding production.

Despite a strong showing in the beginning, orders began to drop off after the first few months of good news. While the C2W did well enough among civilians inside of cities, it often faltered in other areas. Rural populations preferred applying for longer range hunting blasters or just bought blasters without a license. The Imperial Military and PDFs considered the blaster a silly toy for ignorant civilians. The same held true among private mercenaries such as the Guild who had access to far better options and would often mock rookies who showed up with one. Criminals and Rebels thought the C2W was a death sentence if they ever had to fire it, so the Underworld never made much effort to acquire them.

Talks of expanding production lines stalled and the C2W was designated a low priority product by the Guild. However sales of the blaster never truly stopped and the weapon retains a following among the civilian blaster community. These days the C2W remains on the shelves of weapon stores as an option for frightened civilians seeking something to make them feel safe. The C2W will never win much glory on a battlefield, but it does its job of being a reassurance to civilians and giving them a bit of protection against muggers and feral animals.

——

Meet the C2W, a blaster interesting due to its circumstances as much as its design. A civilian handgun made in the during the Galactic Civil War for Imperial civilian populations that are trusted enough to be armed. The Empire as a general rule does not want to arm a civilian population. Just one more example of why the Minda system and the Myto sector as a whole is a strange place.

For an image I was going to use something like a standard Glock, but then I saw the S333 Thunderstruck double barrel magnum and fell in the love with the goofy design. So just imagine that, but a bit larger, with one barrel instead of two, a pistol instead of a revolver, and the chamber being a power pack. A funny situation where the Star Wars version is saner than the real life inspiration.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[SwaffleWaffle]

A Young Girl's Quest for Rain:

Mandalore was a dry, hot, and dusty place. It wasn't always like this, according to historical records, but it's been that way for decades - longer than Mab Fryze has been alive. And it hasn't gotten any better because of stupid, hardheaded Mandalorians doing stupid things and making stupid amounts of collateral damage. Honestly, sometimes she thinks some of her people don't need helmets to protect themselves, but rather to protect everyone else from their bad ideas leaking out.

What Mab was doing wasn't a bad idea. It would be a bad idea if she hadn't done unholy things to an astromech until it could do the right weather simulations, or if she didn't have scanners pointed at her target to make sure that there wasn't anything too fragile near her target, or if she didn't have explosives rigged to blow the comet apart before it goes into the atmosphere. But she did have those things, and so she would make it fucking rain. And not rain shrapnel, ash, nuclear fallout, or plasma, but water.

Her father, Victor Fryze, might have objected, but he had taken her comatose mother out of the sector to try and get her medical attention from the kind of facilities which no longer exist on Mandalore. The Myto Sector, or something like that. Mab wasn't paying much attention, because she was at the time too busy making plans for the ship her father was leaving in system: the old Republic Tugboat which the family once used to salvage and tow ships around the system. Which the family hadn't used in a while.

Once she flew it up the gravity well and scoped out a good target, she had to find and then acquire the package she would drop on Mandalore, a big ol' comet which was totally fine for her to take, as nobody else was using it. It looked a bit bigger than the virtual comet she used in her simulations, and took her just a bit longer to tow over to orbit over Mandalore, but a bit of extra water wouldn't hurt, right? If the people on Mandalore couldn't handle a bit of rain, they didn't deserve to be called Mandalorians, and thus were undeserving of human rights - at least that's something some of her uncles would say. She didn't quite agree with their bigotry, but the people on Mandalore were tough these days - surviving their collective idiocy was an impressive feat.

She had a bit of a problem getting the comet to slow down and get into the right orbit, but she was smart and left a bit of leeway in her plan for exactly such a thing like that. She didn't think she'd use so much of it, but clearly her unconscious self was even smarter than she was. Her astromech, Ice Cube, beeped at her in a disapproving tone , somehow sensing her smugness, and her eye twitched. Oh, she had been talking to herself again.

"Okay, fine, you also get some credit, but I made you into what you are today, and thus your credit is my credit. And if you disagree, you are free to challenge me to a duel later, or something", she retorted. Take that, you smug snarl of circuits! That would get him to back down. Right?

"Anyways, shut up, we're in the final stretch - be a good droid and help me with this"

Ice Cube beeped in amusement, and declined to help. Leaving her to do the final drop of the comet on her own. This was fine, she was a smart mandalorian, one who was good at math which didn't involve weapons or ammunition, and this was almost the same as the simulation anyways. So, as she orbited around towards the target, she began using her ship's big strong tractor beams to push the comet down. Not too fast, and not too slow, as overshooting or undershooting might annoy some Mandalorians. And an annoyed Mandalorian is a potentially lethal threat - especially to her, as she wasn't really that much of a fighter, at least compared to her fellow Mandalorians.

Then, as the comet was heading down towards the target in a beautiful arc, it broke apart far sooner than planned, and spread out. Apparently she wasn't just going to overshoot or undershoot, but do both at the same time. She might still be ok though.

She watched the icy fragments further break apart and boil as they fell, and she realized that she may have chosen a comet that was a bit too big. The explosives she had earlier placed on the comet then went off, making an even more beautiful picture.

As the deed was done, and then some, she decided to head home as fast as she could, and set her course for Concordia. The flight back was silent - she would say too silent, but space was supposed to be silent, right? Rather than lingering in her guikt and anxiety, she pulled out her PDA to see what she had missed on her long water-hauling trip. She had received messages from one of her friends, asking where she was, as there was apparently a massive storm happening in the patch of desert she said she was going on a trip to as a cover for her research for the mission. At least, the messages started with concern for her. They progressively became accusations, and demands to know what she had done, which was just hurtful. Tita-nia had no proof she was involved! The fact that she was correct in this case was irrelevant.

Back home, Mab stretched her limbs and yawned.

"Alright, Ice Cube, time to go to bed. Well, I get to go to bed, you have the recharge port in the closet."

Not hearing any response from Ice Cube, she looked back to see that he has somehow attached a robotic arm to himself, which was wielding a Beskad.

"What the fuck!?", she very reasonably and calmly stated. There was no squealing going on at all, and she resented the accusation! From who? The force or something. Whatever that voice in her head was called. Ice Cube beeped at her again, slowly, insistently, before slowly rolling towards her. While holding a Beskad.

"Oh hell no! Nope. Nope-nope-NOPE," she noped verbally before noping out physically, walking briskly towards her house, which didn't seem quite close enough all of a sudden. She heard the whir of Ice Cube's wheels raise in pitch and come closer. She tactically retreated into the house - she might have technically run away but that was just semantics.

She did not escape, and in a matter of moments she was repeatedly bonked on the head with the flat of her own Beskad by her astromech while in the foetal position in front of her garage door. Ice Cube beeped again, demandingly, patiently, maliciously, and for a moment she considered trying to run away again until she resigned herself to doing what Ice Cube said. A tear ran across her face - no, it was a rain drop! Or so she tried to tell herself. She wasn't very convincing.

"… I am an idiot. I am an idiot. I am an idiot. I am an idiot…"

This continued on for a while before Ice Cube let her go. Mab's head hurt for days afterwards. … she really shouldn't have upgraded Ice Cube so much.

 

[SwaffleWaffle]

"Legally, It's A Light Freighter"

SS-54 Light Assault Gunship Light Freighter

Production Information

Model: SS-54 light assault gunship

Manufacturer: Botajef Shipyards

Type: Gunship

• Due to a quirk of imperial bureaucracy, it's actually legally classified as a Light Freighter, allowing many to purchase it even if they would not normally be allowed to purchase a Gunship

Cost: 110,000 Credits

——

Technical Specifications

Length: 24.19 meters

Maximum atmospheric speed: 800 kph

Engine unit(s): Incom HA-980a H/O ion engines (2)

Hyperdrive rating: Class 2.0

• Backup Class 12 Hyperdrive

Armament:

• Forward twin ZX7 laser cannons (2)
• Aft dual laser cannons (1)

Complement: Varies, based on modular configuration

Crew: 2-3

Passengers: 6-10

Cargo Capacity: 30 tons

Consumables: 2 weeks

——

Usage

Availability:

• Widely available across the Rim, most common near Botajef, as it is produced at Botajef Shipyards
• If Eriadu is the Coruscant of the Rim, Botajef is the Kuat of the Rim, and has a fitting amount of production,

Role:

• Military Gunship
• "Light Freighter"

Affiliation:

• Mercenaries
• Bounty Hunters

——

Description

"Sure, it's a light freighter, if you count body bags for bounties as freight"

"By the motive force! This is surely a miracle from the omnissiah, a sign of his favor of the Mard, the Moff, and the Myto Sector. Oh, uh, anyways, I think we should buy a lot of these. These could help meet demand. And cut that first part out of the record." - Guild sourcing specialist suspected to be a former member of a mod gang

The discovery of the legal status of the SS-54 assault ship as that of a Light Freighter was met with extreme enthusiasm by many guild members, especially newer ones who are not yet licensed to purchase ships which are legally gunships.

Design

"It's definitely a gunship. I know it, you know it, Bill knows it, Mola knows it. Let's call it a light freighter anyways. After all, who are we to go against imperial law?" - Lead analyst for the SS-54 "light freighter"

It's important to note that, due to the modularity of the design, it actually can work as a light freighter, albeit a well armed one. Given these trying times, better armed light freighters would likely boon to the security and prosperity of the sector

The SS-54 light freighter has been tried and tested by mercenaries and bounty hunters, who hold it in high regard due to its perceived simplicity, reliability, and versatility.

The primary weapons of an SS-54 are its two twin ZX7 laser cannons, mounted below the prow of the ship on one turret each, which can be independently aimed and fired. This may not seem like much, but a relatively high rate of fire and level of power can be sustained for a long period without issue, one of the reasons for its reputation for reliability.

Conclusion

"I love it. I love it so much, I wish we had another shipyard just to make more of these" - Guild worker sharing a common view on the SS-54

The SS-54 is not only a good and reliable ship, but its modularity, versatility, and legal status take make it a superb choice for many guild-registered mercenaries.

——

Recommendation

Comments about acquiring more shipyards to construct SS-54 "light freighters" quickly went from idle speculation to serious evaluation when it was discovered that Botajef Shipyards, the designer and manufacturer of the SS-54, have a currently abandoned auxiliary facility in the Mako-Ta system called the Mako-Ta Space Docks. Further investigation into the Mako-Ta Space Docks is suggested, along with the viability of acquiring them in a similar manner to how Moff Mola acquired the Rothana Heavy Engineering assets which now comprise the Mard. In addition, it is plausible that pirates have taken up residence there to make their Ambuscader Class Corvettes. Thus, the securing and acquisition of the Mako-Ta Space Docks would accomplish a number of goals.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Elicitor Class System Transport

Production Information

Manufacturer:

• Primitech Solutions (Subsidiary of the Guild of Commerce, Production and Protection)
• Guild affiliated primitive civilizations

Model: Elicitor Class System Transport

Type: Transport

Cost: 70,000 Credits

——

Technical Specifications

Megalight per hour: 40 MGLT

Engine unit(s):

• 4 reusable and refillable rocket boosters
• retrorockets

Hyperdrive: none

Shielding: none

Power:

• Nuclear fission reactor
• 2 deployable solar collectors

Hull: Titanium Hull

Armament: 3 light flak guns

Crew: 8

Passengers: 3

Cargo Capacity: 500 tons

Life Support: equipped

Consumables: 4 months

Other systems:

• Landing claws
• Magnetically sealed beds and seats

——

Usage

Availability:

• Licensed

Role:

• intrasystem transport
• Initial commercial and logistical space fleet for newly space capable civilizations

Affiliation:

• Atomic and Information level civilizations
• Museums

——

Description

"Why did you build this museum piece?" - Myrthos upon seeing an Elicitor.

The Elicitor is an odd sight when exiting the hyperlanes. An archaic design stripped of commonplace comforts such as antigravity and nuclear fusion. It has nonetheless become an increasingly common sight as the workhorse for many mid-uplift worlds across the Myto sector.

Development

"Look we already have our hands full just with Vylos. It is going to take ages to uplift every single civilization we come across enough to fully integrate and utilize repulsorlift and ion engine technology. To say nothing of getting them to work on hyperdrives without outside assistance. Let's just design something the Atomics and Infos can use to get around their home system themselves in the meantime to lessen the load on the Empire and the Guild." - Myto Sector Committee on Civilization Integration discussing the logistical concerns of fulfilling their mandate.

The Myto sector, like most Outer Rim sectors, contains a wide variety of civilizations of every technology level. In the early ABYs the new sector government began a series of programs designed to standardize and bring these worlds closer in line with Imperial standards.

Unfortunately these efforts quickly ran into difficulties. Some worlds contained Fringers and colonists who while uneducated, descended from societies that contained a galactic level knowledge base. The foundation was there and enough certain terms and theories allowed those worlds to be brought up to speed quickly enough.

The real problem came with civilizations in the sector that had never even seen so much as a repulsorlift prior to the Empire's arrival. Efforts to educate these primitive populations have been slow going even with information level civilizations. Projections estimated it would take at minimum years to decades before these civilizations as a whole reached a space technology level in matters such as heavy engineering and power generation.

This has led to an increased logistical load on the sector's naval resources. Ever more Imperial Navy and Guild personnel were being dedicated to accomplish minor tasks such as flying a cargo shuttle to deliver development aid to a remote town. Attempting to raise a nascent logistics fleet for every pre-space level civilization in the sector solely composed and serviced by non-native personnel was deemed too costly by the sector government.

Faced with a problem of trying to crew ships on worlds with an undereducated population, a proposal was put forth to design a ship out of entirely atomic level technology. Such a vessel would be built using principles the native civilization could understand while utilizing millennia of incremental advancements by the wider galaxy. As a bonus, native space programs and infrastructure could be more easily converted into servicing such a vessel rather than more advanced ships. This would do nothing to help civilizations below the atomic level, but the estimated savings in ship and maintenance personnel was deemed sufficient to give the project the go ahead.

Design

"Worry not my citizens! We will no longer be completely dependent on offworlders to maintain our interplanetary empire! I give you… the Elicitor! - King Fergulon of Orzwar II addressing his citizens' complaints by presenting a new "locally built" starship.

Designing what would become the Elicitor started more as an archival study than a procurement process. Libraries, museums, and historical societies were scoured for how to build an efficient and easy to maintain pre-space level starship. People from professors and forum design theorists were called upon for information relatively freely for a ship design project, given the archaic nature of the project.

The Elicitor was constructed out of simple alloys able to be manufactured in low tech industry. Parts and components were kept as simplistic as possible for even the electronics and computers. The lack of advanced technologies left the Elicitor without otherwise standard safety features such as a shield generator and artificial gravity. To ensure the capability of reliable atmospheric entry and exit, the hull was strengthened as best as the design specifications could allow. All these choices resulted in a vessel that could be maintained and even manufactured entirely in primitive planetside facilities with some instruction and supervision. Although it is significantly easier and faster to build an Elicitor in modern space shipyards, it was hard to secure priority in those places for such an archaic design.

The Hardcell-class interstellar transport proved invaluable for providing a modern example of how to use rocket thrusters as the main propulsion system. The Elicitor's thrusters were made to be as easily reused and refilled as possible so that even primitive starport facilities should be able to do it. The chemical makeup of the fuel mixture was kept to what could be commonly sourced or easily synthesized from most planets. High capacity collector coils were installed to keep the hazardous emissions to a minimum.

A lack of artificially generated gravity led to some additions to compensate. The Elicitor was advised to maintain a constant thrust to simulate a gravitational pull. Should that not be possible the crew's beds and seats came with heavy duty straps and could be made magnetic to secure their forms should the speed of the ship fluctuate. Ensuring a capability of rest, if not comfort. Sentients who have slept aboard an Elicitor described the experience as "trying to fall asleep with a heavy weighted blanket after a full sprint".

Power generation utilized similarly outdated methods in the form of a nuclear fission reactor. Emphasis was placed on reliability and ruggedness given the nature of the component. The reactor is contained in a separate room that contains an ejection system in case of an emergency. Two solar collectors can be deployed to provide minimal power until rescue in case of reactor ejection. Maintenance is heavily encouraged to be conducted only at a planetside facility and with properly licensed personnel present.

For armaments an Elicitor had three simplistic light flak guns manually controlled individually from its respective weapons station. These weapons were simpler to produce and their ammunition was made of common metal alloys and chemical propellants. They were mostly intended for destroying minor obstacles like small asteroids and mynocks. Magazine size and ammo storage were kept intentionally small to reduce incentive to use Elicitors as combat vessels. If forced into an engagement, a standard Elicitor could last one, maybe two quick fights before running out of ammo.

Reception

"Please note, attaching missile launchers of any kind will invalidate the warranty on your Elicitor. The ship is not designed to fire intercontinental ballistic missiles meant for planetside use." - Line in the official Elicitor owner's manual.

A majority of the Elicitor's sales were predictably among "developing" planetary governments around the Myto sector with rudimentary spaceflight capabilities. Most would frustratingly admit the Elicitor was better than their native designs in both refinement and capability. Adoption became more enthusiastic once the Empire announced development aid would be put towards the creation of "Atavist Logistics Fleets" that replaced their native designs with the Elicitor. Once registered, these local logistics fleets and their maintenance facilities were subsidized by the sector government as long as they took contracts supporting the interplanetary logistics of local governments and passed periodic inspections.

Users of the Elicitor found it to be about as agile as a rock. The lack of antigravity was a detriment to crew comfort to say the least. Constant thrust mitigated the stresses on the crew, but also tended to force travel routes to go in straight lines and be difficult to alter. Trips were often kept to neighboring planets and their moons. Cargo capacity was sufficient for supplying outposts and small colonies, which tended to be the limit most Information level civilizations were capable of.

Combat wise the Elicitor could fight in a battle and theoretically have a chance of scoring a kill against a more modern civilian ship. It certainly won't be standing up to proper capital ships, but expand the ammo stores, add a rack of dumb fire missiles, and it could frighten off a few starfighters or a civilian freighter with some luck. However any combat focused modifications were heavily discouraged by Imperial authorities who encouraged reliance on Imperial and Guild protection while keeping the Elicitor's focus on the development of the owner's civilization. This only discouraged the practice, it did not halt it completely.

Conclusion

"That was the least comfortable flight I have ever had, and you guys do this on the regular?" - Guild observer sent evaluate the performance of an Elicitor's native crew.

Some would deride the Elicitor as an outdated design built to pander to primitives unworthy of the wider galaxy's time. Yet for those civilizations not caught up with the rest of the galaxy, the Elicitor is often their first real foray into reliable space travel. Not a nail biting attempt with flimsy cabins, tape, and a prayer, but something that can turn the fantastical miracle into mundane routine. The ability to travel between world under their own power and not as a passenger or cargo. A crucial step to breaking these sentients out of their shells and on the way to becoming true galactic citizens.

——

The Elicitor was a challenge for myself to design something a "primitive" civilization could produce and field in Star Wars. Before they figure out the more fantastical technologies like on demand artificial gravity, blasters, and shield generators. I wanted to make something you could give to space programs on Earth in the 1980s and generally have them understand how it works. The result was not too terrible by my standards in terms of performance.

It is mostly assumed that civilizations either know or can purchase these highly complex technologies ready to use. However I imagine actually attempting to fully bring your civilization into the Space tech level and implementing those technologies into your society could get a bit more complicated. So the Elicitor is a stopgap that they didn't have to rely on offworld specialists every time a screw needed to be tightened, which would be useful while the civilization plays catchup on the tech tree.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Branching Out into New Markets with Subsidiaries

POV: Mining Boss Xosana, Owner of Xosana Concern a RIII Corporation Mining Company with a Safety Officer specialty in the IGCCP, also Owner of Xosana Enterprise a RI Cooperative Mining Company with a Safety Officer specialty in the BGES, Guilder District, Borantha City, Velecose IV, Braxant Sector.

Stepping off his used Star Seeder-class Colony Ship, Xosana took his first breath on the second visit to his new District. Well a lot of it was officially owned by the Braxant Subsidiary of Xosana Concern, Xosana Enterprise, but given he was Xosana and he owned both companies it was basically semantics. Point is, no sentient was going get in the way of his appreciating this growing District before him if he could help it.

"All right lads! Fan out! Take in the sights a bit before your designated appointments. First Wave has set up the foundations. Head to the central office in time for your appointment and get your housing situated."

The Dowutin's heavy duty prosthetic leg gave a creak as it helped hold up his ton of weight. He took a quick stroll through the Guilder District. Most of the folks he saw were from the First Wave, but there were a couple of natives. Makes sense with Xosana Enterprise owning most of the land and being the main employer of the folks in the District. Guilder Districts were what happened when the Guild found something worth investing in on a planet, but the population wasn't ready or able to take advantage of the opportunity. Could be mining, farming, or some other particularly profitable resource. A company or companies wanting to get the first bite of that opportunity ships in their workers to set up the initial operation.

In exchange for being allowed to set up a District, the companies give a pledge to train and employ local workers to handle most of any expansions. In addition the companies must allow other competing companies to get a slice of the action or set up their own businesses inside the District if they wanted. Also they agree to make their best effort not to "disrupt any local communities". This basically means a Guilder District tends to be built just outside a settlement's limits on unincorporated land rather than buying out the locals's homes and infrastructure.

The practice had been getting more popular now that the "legally distinct and separate" Braxant Guild of Economic Stability had been founded. "Transferred personnel" from Myto companies would set up subsidiaries of their parent companies back home in order to use their institutional knowledge in this new market. A lot of worlds in the Braxant sector were too poor to do the initial development, so they saw a Guilder District being built as an economic opportunity for their planet. Some of these subsidiaries acted like de facto branches of the original company, but for legal purposes they were registered as subsidiaries with their own separate legal and financial identity. Bigger companies like CEC, BlasTech, and KDY use the same kind of loopholes to move into sectors at times, so the galactic Imperial government would have difficulty preventing the practice.

"Steady with those crates fellas! Can't risk those thinsuits and breath masks getting damaged. Mess up here and it's the miners that will suffer up top!"

To give an example, Velecose IV was a world littered with mountains and minimal vegetation. What drew the Concern to this place was the signs of rich mineral veins on the higher elevations. While the atmosphere was breathable enough up there, most of the natives refused to go up even when the Concern promised generous incentives and funding for founding up their own mining company. The mountain they would be mining wasn't a cultural icon or religious ground or anything, Xosana had checked per Guild regulations. Locals just didn't like to work in the thin and frigid air.

In response to these difficulties, Xosana had sunk a significant portion of the Concern's funds and his own savings into a new subsidiary, Xosana Enterprise, to set up a mining community just outside of Borantha City to extract resources from the planet. Valuable minerals would be exported to keep the Enterprise in the black while more practical minerals will be stored for future expansion of both the District and the rest of the planet. So far the foundation phase has gone well, and now it was time to get down to the mining.

"Everything progressing well, Mining Boss Xosana? I would hope my assistance would be sufficient lubrication for things to run smoothly."

Xosana hoped he wouldn't hear that nasally voice so sound after landing. Velecose IV's Imperial Liaison Krump was more than happy to assist in getting the land both near the city and up the mountains sold to Xosana Enterprise. Personally Xosana found the lanky human a bit of a wallflower, but he is absolutely loyal to the Empire. Probably how he was sent this posting in the first place after he transferred over from the Diplomatic Corps. Xosana could handle Krump buzzing around occasionally like an annoying fly if it means securing the Concern's first major venture outside the Myto sector.

"Yes we are on schedule, Krump. Once Xosana Enterprise is done building we'll lend our Z7 Series droids and make a voluntary contribution to help construct the ground facilities for those communication satellites. A deal's a deal. Just make sure to keep helping ensure things between the locals and the Guilders stay calm."

It was a win-win in Xosana's book. Velecose IV was close to a hyperlane route and Krump hoped connecting to the wider Imperial Network would raise the planet's standing and his own with it. Xosana Enterprise gets some good PR with the locals and the government by contributing to some public infrastructure, and Xosana and his subsidiary's workers get access to the ability to send quicker messages back home. He'd be able to get in touch with the Myto office way quicker once those satellites get set up.

Speaking of his subsidiary's workers, from the locals' perspective the settlers from Myto may have looked like one cohesive group. However, the Concern wasn't a big enough company for the personnel they transferred to be entirely internal. Instead they had hired from the myriad of communities around the Minda system to scrounge up the numbers they needed to populate the District. Everything from Alderaanians interested in Velecose IV's mountains, a few Muun looking for office jobs, a Sullustan Warren-clan hoping to get in on the ground floor, to a smattering of kids from the original Ugean settlers looking to emulate their parents by going offworld.

Despite their differences, the other Guilders had mostly circled the speeders with the Concern's more veteran employees when it came to interacting with the locals. Preferring to focus on their shared ties to the Myto sector and each other rather than try to integrate. It caused some tensions in the beginning. Nothing violent. Just some heckling and insults being exchanged and local institutions dragging their feet for things like licenses, permits, and correspondence.

However Krump was able to flit between any lines drawn and settle any issues that popped up. Some community events, a few dinners, and participation in a local festival and things calmed down a bit. For all his flaws, the man can be inoffensive and play the role of the neutral mediator when he tried. Why there were already some locals heading to the local Guild office in the District to apply to become Guilders themselves.

"Of that you can certainly trust me. Now I believe one of your employees wants a word with you. Talk to you again soon."

Hopefully not too soon. Something about Krump always put Xosana on edge. Maybe it was his instincts from when he was a Sector Ranger. Two centuries of service in the institution gave plenty of time to hone his ability to smell a pest. Still, Xosana wasn't in a position to arrest anyone anymore. Best he could do is keep a passive eye on the Krump and send act as a "concerned citizen" if anything turned up.

"Flibron! How are things? Noticed the prefab homes are up. With this wave of folks we are set to hit well over one thousand settlers. Spotted a few cantinas for recreation, and a general store for supplies."

When Xosana had promoted Filbron to senior manager in charge of setting up Xosana Enterprise, this place was just some empty fields. Now things were beginning to look like proper place to visit off the clock. The Guilder District was mainly designed for a place the miners to get some R&R. Course that meant hiring some mercs to keep order given talks about establishing a branch of local law enforcement in the District were still ongoing. It was needed with how rowdy his folks could get in the cantina.

"About as well as could be expected Boss. Hangars permits just came in for housing ore haulers. Landing pads are fully staffed with operators in the control towers to avoid accidents. The droid maintenance facilities just got the final adjustments on their tooling. Fusion smelter foundries might take some time yet, but they are at the end of our production line.

Up top we are just about ready to do the initial boring with 11-17-series mining droids. Afterwards organic miners will do the mineral extraction with beamdrills, primarily the GP-G9 Pulse Drills, in addition to blaststicks and repulsorcarts. Maybe we can ship in a few utility arms in the future to boost productivity. Specialists are also fully certified to use the Mechanized Autominer Mk IVs for extraction and collection."

It was a sound enough plan when they drew it up back on Ugea. Well within the restrictions they would be operating under. Due to this planet containing a native population, energy mining was forbidden in line with galactic Imperial law. Guild regulations meant thinsuits and breath masks are required both up the mountains and inside the shafts during exploratory mining in case of gas pockets and cave ins. Especially when using any amount of explosives like blaststicks. Might cost a bit more, but it was worth it to stay on the right side of the law and keep his folks safe.

"Right I am gonna head over to the central office and make sure things run smoothly. Finish up whatever offloading documents need approval. Maybe catch some shut eye before my real first day begins."

Yep this is exactly what Xosana wanted when he used his pension to found the Concern. A way to spend his retirement productively while heading new and interesting projects. Maybe after about five decades he could leave running the Concern to a successor and spend his later years wandering the remote wilderness regions of Velecose IV. Either way that was for future Xosana to deal with. For now current Xosana has to prepare to get his hands dirty assisting the build up of this community of folks under his watch.

——

A look at how the Guild is spreading out across the new sector. Companies are going to take advantage of new markets, even if they have to put on a new coat of paint to do so. Apparently making separate businesses is pretty common for business owners, especially in the rental property industry.

Mining and trade operations tend to end up attracting other industries and further immigration. Even without government encouragement, I can see the these new "Guilders" migrating to new worlds and gradually becoming a distinct cultural group popping up on a bunch of worlds. Guilders are not quite Imperial High Human, but not in line with the local culture either. Think more an ancient Mediterranean colony with Minda as the first Mother City rather than a Colonial era colony with a Mother Country. This expanding cultural and economic network is probably going to be the bedrock of support for Las on a lot of worlds both in and out of his home sector.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | MSD-ASSET-REPORT

SUBJECT Technical Specifications and Operational Overview of the Arbiter-Class Heavy Cruiser-Carrier

DISTRIBUTION Myto Sector Command / Naval Logistics Office / Sector Patrol Division

AUTHORIZATION Office of the Moff, Myto Sector CLASSIFICATION Restricted Asset Overview

---

I. DEVELOPMENTAL BACKGROUND

The Arbiter-Class was developed by Sector Command to combat a surge in piracy following the collapse of the Zann Consortium. Splinter groups, utilizing high-yield assets like Aggressor-Class Destroyers and Vengeance-Class Frigates, have significantly increased their striking power. These elements rely on logistical tails and shadow ports located outside the Myto Sector, utilizing mobile raiding bases to strike within our borders. The Arbiter-Class is specifically designed for heavy sector patrol and the interception of these mobile pirate hubs. To ensure cost-efficiency, the vessel utilizes a streamlined Victory-Class hull and a recessed, pre-fabricated Victory bridge module.

---

II. NAVAL ARMAMENT

The Arbiter-Class is a hybrid design, balancing the carrier capacity of the Gladiator with the structural durability of the Victory.

Primary Battery

• Heavy Dual Turbolaser Turrets (08): 4 Port / 4 Starboard.
• Medium Turbolaser Batteries (16): 4 Fore / 6 Port / 6 Starboard.

Ordnance and Point Defense

• Assault Concussion Missile Launchers (20): 10 Fore / 5 Port / 5 Starboard.
• Quad Laser Cannons (25): Distributed for 360-degree anti-starfighter coverage.
• Heavy Tractor Beam Projectors (06): 4 Fore / 1 Port / 1 Starboard.

---

III. STARFIGHTER COMPLEMENT

The hangar is the primary offensive tool of the Arbiter-Class, housing 96 craft to provide the versatility needed to hunt mobile pirate bases.

Standard Wing Manifest

• 04 Squadrons (48) TIE-M: The primary shielded, missile-equipped mainline fighter.
• 01 Squadron (12) TIE/IN-M: Myto-pattern Interceptors for high-speed engagement.
• 01 Squadron (12) TIE-R Ranger: Hyperdrive-equipped scouts for tracking pirate raiding parties.
• 01 Squadron (12) TIE-B: Shielded bombers for neutralizing pirate capital ship escorts.
• 03 Units TIE-P Patroller: 60-meter heavy gunships used as sector-patrol anchors.
• 01 Squadron (09) Sentinel-Class Landing Craft: Logistical support for ground and boarding operations.

---

IV. GROUND FORCES AND DEPLOYMENT

Ground forces are organized into a Line Battalion designed for boarding actions and surface-level interdiction.

Troop Strength

• 01 Line Battalion (828 Personnel):
  • 03 Line Companies: Standard infantry for ship security and boarding operations.
  • 01 Assault Company: An armored company providing heavy support for the line elements.

Vehicle Support

• Light Expeditionary Combat Armor (LECA): Small walkers that act as heavy infantry support for the line companies.
• K79-S80 Troop Transports: Repulsorlift units for rapid movement of battalion elements.
• Hovertank Patterns: Primary armored assets assigned to the Assault Company for heavy engagement.

---

V. LOGISTICAL SUMMARY

• Vessel Length: 800 Meters.
• Crew Requirement: 3500 Assorted Personnel.
• Operational Role: Heavy Sector Patrol / Anti-Piracy Command.

The Arbiter-Class serves as the primary deterrent against Consortium splinter groups, providing the Sector Patrol Division with the endurance and fighter throughput required to secure Myto trade routes.

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | MSD-PATROL-STRATEGY

SUBJECT Operational Doctrine and Composition of Sector Patrol Groups

DISTRIBUTION Myto Sector Command / Naval Logistics Office / Sector Patrol Division

AUTHORIZATION Office of the Moff, Myto Sector

CLASSIFICATION Restricted Tactical Overview

---

I. MISSION OBJECTIVE

Sector Patrol Groups (SPGs) are deployed to maintain Imperial sovereignty and suppress the proliferation of Zann Consortium splinter elements. Primary objectives include the disruption of pirate supply lines, the protection of trade corridors, and the neutralization of mobile raiding bases. While standard customs duties remain active, tactical priority is shifted toward anti-piracy engagements.

---

II. GROUP COMPOSITION

Each Sector Patrol Group is structured around the carrier-first doctrine of the Arbiter-Class. Assets are allocated based on the anticipated threat level of the designated patrol zone.

Command and Carrier Core

• 01 Arbiter-Class Heavy Cruiser-Carrier: Functions as the mobile command hub and primary strike platform. It remains in a rear-guard position to coordinate starfighter deployment and provide long-range fire support.

Flanking and Aggressor Elements

• 02 Arquitens-Class Light Cruisers or 04 Raider-Class Corvettes: Assigned as the primary aggressors. These units utilize superior speed to pin enemy vessels or destroy light pirate craft, preventing hyperspace escapes while TIE wings maneuver for the kill.

Specialized Escorts

• 01 Lancer-Class Frigate: Provides dedicated anti-fighter screening. Its reduced speed is considered an acceptable trade-off for the absolute protection of the Arbiter's hangar bays.
• 02 Carrack-Class Light Cruisers: Assigned on an ad-hoc basis for heavy anti-capital duties. These are deployed specifically when intelligence suggests the presence of heavy splinter assets such as Aggressor-Class Destroyers or Keldabe-Class Battleships.

Logistics and Reconnaissance

• 02 Gozanti-Class Cruisers: The IGV-55 variants are utilized as sensor boats to expand the group's detection radius. While not intended for direct combat, they provide essential ground operation support and can ferry additional TIE units if required.

---

III. ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY

Tactical operations emphasize a carrier-centric approach to minimize risk to heavy hulls while maximizing sector coverage.

Defensive Posture

The Arbiter-Class typically occupies a standoff position, utilizing its 96-craft wing to dictate the flow of battle. The Lancer-Class maintains a tight tether to the carrier core to neutralize incoming ordnance and bomber threads and make up for the Arbiters more spread out point defense coverage.

Offensive Execution

Arquitens or Raider elements push forward to engage the enemy's flanks. Their role is to fix the target in place, allowing TIE-B bombers and TIE-M fighters to deliver precision strikes. If a target presents significant anti-fighter capabilities, the Arbiter-Class will transition to a forward-leaning stance to draw fire and utilize itsturbolaser batteries for judicial suppression.

---

IV. OPERATIONAL SUMMARY

The Sector Patrol Group architecture provides a scalable response to the rising criminality in the Myto Sector. By prioritizing starfighter throughput and specialized escorts, these groups can effectively dismantle pirate logistics without the need for additional heavy-hull reinforcement from the Imperial Navy.

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL NAVAL PROCUREMENT EVALUATION | IN-ORD-7742-L

SUBJECT Technical Assessment of the Arbiter-Class Heavy Cruiser-Carrier (Myto Sector Construction)

DISTRIBUTION Imperial Naval High Command / Core World Logistics Oversight / Naval Tactical Review Board

AUTHORIZATION Office of the Grand Admiral, Naval Procurement Division

CLASSIFICATION Restricted Internal Review

---

I. PRODUCTION AND ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY

The Arbiter-Class is a localized construction originating from the Myto Sector. While the sector possesses a non-standard level of industrial maturity for a peripheral territory, the vessel is a derivative assembly based upon the Victory-class chassis. Architectural efficiency is compromised by the integration of a pre-fabricated command bridge module partially recessed into the primary superstructure. This modification, intended to reduce the command profile, introduces unnecessary structural complexities that fail to align with standardized Core World engineering protocols.

---

II. NAVAL ORDNANCE AND DOCTRINAL INCOMPATIBILITY

The armament manifest of the Arbiter-Class represents a significant departure from established Imperial engagement philosophy. The platform prioritizes high-volume starfighter throughput at the direct expense of heavy battery density.

Comparative Battery Deficiency

• Energy Projection: The dual and medium turbolaser configuration (24 units total) offers insufficient energy output for high-intensity theater operations. It lacks the requisite alpha-strike capability provided by standard Imperial-class octuple barbettes.
• Ordnance Loadout: The 20-tube concussion missile array is inadequate for planetary blockade or saturation fire.
• Tactical Deviation: The vessel compromises factors crucial to Imperial psychological doctrine in favor of a carrier-first strategy. This approach is fundamentally incompatible with standard Naval procedure, which emphasizes direct capital ship dominance over decentralized fighter reliance.

---

III. STARFIGHTER LOGISTICS AND FISCAL REDUNDANCY

Sector Command has implemented several non-standard modifications to the TIE/ln and TIE/IN platforms. These "M-Pattern" variants incorporate shielding, life support, and missile hardpoints.

• Fiscal Analysis: These upgrades result in an approximate 15% increase in unit cost. Given the Imperial Navy's reliance on attrition-based mass deployment, the allocation of additional credits toward individual pilot survivability is a redundant expenditure.
• Operational Drift: The inclusion of hyperdrive-equipped scouts and heavy gunship variants, such as the TIE-R and TIE-P, suggests a move toward independent, multi-role small-craft that bypasses the logistical simplicity of the standard Imperial fleet wing.

---

IV. PROCUREMENT DETERMINATION

The Arbiter-Class is a specialized solution to a localized problem. While effective for suppressing low-intensity piracy within the Myto Sector, it lacks the structural density of the Victory-class and the strategic weight of the Imperial-class.

Recommendation: REJECTED

Naval Procurement Division finds no utility in the adoption of this hull for broader fleet integration. It is an over-specialized platform that cedes primary offensive agency to expensive, shielded starfighters. It remains a regional asset, suited only for peripheral duties where the presence of a true Star Destroyer is deemed an excessive allocation of resources.

---

V. FINAL SUMMARY

The Arbiter-Class remains a localized curiosity. No further shipyard allocations or Core World contracts are authorized for this design. It functions as a sufficient instrument for regional pacification, but it does not meet the rigorous standards required for the fist of the Empire.

–

Can you tell the one writing this report is a snide core worlder? I tried to get that across while keeping things professional. And yes, there are more of these reports incoming pretty soon, I've been working on them for a while now to just have a bunch ready for when certain aspects get brought up again.

The next one will cover the many LECA variants and the roles they cover, armaments, etc... I've also got one in the works for the Myto-Pattern Stormtrooper armor featured last chapter.

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | MSD-ARMY-ASSET-REPORT

SUBJECT Technical Specifications and Operational Overview of LECA platform and assorted variants

DISTRIBUTION Myto Sector Command / Naval Logistics Office / Sector Patrol Division

AUTHORIZATION Office of the Moff, Myto Sector

CLASSIFICATION Restricted Asset Overview

---

I. DEVELOPMENTAL BACKGROUND

The Light Expeditionary Combat Armor (LECA) was developed by Sector Command as a heavy infantry support walker meant to provide support to ground troops. Despite initial setbacks regarding R&D, the design was finalized and put into limited production. Now, it is commonly utilized across Sector Army forces as a light alternative to heavier platforms. Its primary purpose is to allow smaller infantry formations to bring heavier firepower to bear without reliance on platforms such as the ATST, ATPT and others. The LECA has since then been developed into multiple variants for both combat and civilian roles.

Common Chassis

• LECA units are designed with a common core chassis and modular hardpoint system, creating a modular and streamlined production pipeline. While variants make various modifications of varying complexity, the core chassis and hardpoints allow for simplified unit design and construction alongside lessened logistical strain.
• All LECA units come equipped with 1 small forward facing shield generator, intended to extend operational durability and protect from powerful munitions.

---

II. COMBAT VARIANTS

1. LECA-A1 "Grunt" General Infantry Support Configuration
   1. The first produced and most commonly used military LECA, the A1 is built to be a versatile multi-purpose heavy infantry platform.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary Armament: 1 tri-barreled heavy repeating blaster cannon.
      2. Secondary Armament: 1 shoulder mounted light E-WEB blaster turret.
      3. Utility: Multi-Spectral Smoke Launcher array, allowing for smoke cover over a large area.
      4. Utility: Supply pack that carries extra rations, blaster cartridges and bacta patches for infantry.
2. LECA-A2 "Tank Hunter" Anti Armor Configuration
   1. A variant meant for use in situations where enemy armor is present, the A2 is built to deter or destroy armored targets assaulting allied infantry positions.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary Armament: L-s7.2 scaled-down TIE laser cannon featuring high penetration but a low rate of fire due to ammo and cooling concerns.
      2. Secondary: 1 shoulder mounted light repeating blaster for anti-infantry and point defense.
      3. Tertiary: 1 shoulder mounted dual tube dumb fire disposable rocket launcher that allows for high power strikes against armor.
      4. Utility: 1 Rangefinder and designator package, allowing farther ranged hits on armor.
3. LECA-A3 "Skirmisher" High Mobility Configuration
   1. Featuring far higher speeds and mobility than its counterparts, the A3 is built to flank enemy positions faster and with more survivability than standard infantry units. However, less armor has been attached to allow for this speed, increasing the danger of heavy blaster and explosive weapons.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary: 2 arm attached TL-50 repeating blasters. The model was modified through simple means to attack to hardpoints on the arms, allowing for suppressing fire while reducing weight.
      2. Secondary: 1 shoulder mounted semi-automatic grenade launcher. This weapon allows for a variety of grenade types, however unlike the multi-spectral smoke launcher it cannot fire in multiple directions at once. Is commonly equipped with impact grenades, though some units prefer thermal imploders.
         1. CAUTION: Thermal detonators can be fired from this launcher, however the extreme explosive yield is incredibly dangerous. Recommended use by expert pilots only.
      3. Utility: 4 leg mounted jump jets. These can be used both to vastly increase jump distance and greatly increase running speed through micro boosts.
      4. Utility: 1 mapping uplink, allowing A3 units to send terrain and tactical data to allies and commanding officers for fire support coordination and other strategic concerns.
4. LECA-A4 "Skybane" Anti Aircraft Configuration
   1. The A4 is purpose built to support infantry and other elements by posing a danger to enemy aircraft. While not as powerful or long ranged as a dedicated AA platform, the A4 presents a more mobile package that is less easily targeted and can stay closer to infantry units. However, its sensor package is a weight that necessitates the reduction of armor in order to maintain acceptable levels of mobility.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary: 1 extended tri-barreled heavy repeating laser cannon with higher projectile velocity to allow for a tighter leading of targets.
      2. Secondary: 1 shoulder mounted light repeating blaster for anti-infantry and point defense.
      3. Utility: 1 targeting sensor package.
      4. Utility: Cooling vents that allow for a higher volume of AA fire.
5. LECA-A5 "Mortarman" Indirect Fire Support Configuration
   1. The A5 is a support platform that allows for closer and more accurate indirect fire support for infantry. While it lacks the power of dedicated artillery, its more mobile nature functions well in urban warfare situations.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary: 1 arm attacked TL-50 repeating blaster for anti-infantry.
      2. Secondary: 2 shoulder mounted mortar launch systems. Ammunition is modular, allowing for HE, fragmentation, thermal imploders and other standardized explosives.
         1. WARNING: Same warning from the A3 applies. Thermal detonators are only to be utilized by experienced pilots.
      3. Utility: Retractable stabilizer struts can be extended from the chassis to ensure stability when firing.
      4. Utility: ID10 Seeker Droid integration for spotting targets and feeding sensory data to onboard targeting computers.
6. LECA-A6 "Guardian" Medical Evacuation Configuration
   1. The A6 is a model that sees use only in harsher conflict zones. It focuses on evacing injured troopers while under fire, and retreating to safe zones where further medical treatment can be found.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary: 1 tri-barreled heavy repeating blaster cannon.
      2. Secondary: Multi-spectral smoke launcher.
      3. Utility: 1 back mounted enclosed armor pod made to fit 4 soldiers in stable positions for medical treatment.
      4. Utility: 2 shoulder mounted manipulator arms controlled by the pilot with assistance from an attached droid brain. These arms are used to perform emergency medical field dressings, bacta sprays, and for loading wounded into armored back pods.
7. LECA-A7 "Shield-Bearer" Bulwark Configuration
   1. The A7 is built solely for the purpose of carrying a shield generator and allowing infantry and armor to advance with extra protection. Larger than the normal LECA by nearly a meter, it is the most expensive standardized LECA variant by far and the least produced. However, its defensive capabilities provide a tangible battlefield advantage when deployed.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary: 1 arm mounted TL-50 repeating blaster
      2. Utility: 1 back mounted heavy shield generator and cooling fans. The shield bubble at maximum range can extend to cover an area of 50x50 meters.
      3. Utility: 2 forward facing shield projectors, allowing the shield to be projected solely forward as a wall. This is stronger than the bubble shield due to the concentrated energy, but lacks the size or coverage.
      4. Utility: 2 shoulder mounted deployable mantlets. These are durasteel sheets that, in the case of shield failure, can be deployed to the A7's hands in order to continue protecting infantry units and itself.

---

III. CIVILIAN UTILITY VARIANTS (LCUW)
The Light Civilian Utility Walker (LCUW) refers to the decentralized production of the LECA chassis for non-combat applications. Unlike the military A series, these units are manufactured by independent corporations under license. These models retain the modular hardpoint system, allowing for rapid conversion between industrial roles.

1. LCUW-DS7 "Stevedore" Heavy Cargo Configuration
   1. Manufacturer: Pathline Inc. The DS7 is the primary logistical workhorse for orbital docks and surface-level warehouses. It is optimized for high-volume cargo throughput in environments where repulsorlift sleds are impractical.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary Utility: 3 independent tractor beam projectors (02 shoulder, 01 chest). These allow for the simultaneous manipulation of multiple standardized crates or the stabilization of oversized loads.
      2. Secondary Utility: High-torque manipulator hands with magnetic-grip palms for physical contact and fine-motor adjustments.
      3. Safety: Magnetic locking soles. These ensure the chassis remains anchored to freighter hulls or wet-dock surfaces during high-wind or zero-G operations.
2. LCUW-AQ4 "Hydronaut" Deep-Sea Salvage Configuration
   1. Manufacturer: Abyssal Industries Designed within underwater facilities for ship-breaking and reef-mining, the AQ4 features a reinforced pressure-hull. It is commonly used to strip wrecked vessels following pirate raids.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary Utility: 02 arm-mounted heavy-duty plasma torches. These are capable of cutting through starship-grade hull plating in sub-aquatic or vacuum conditions.
      2. Secondary Utility: 01 shoulder-mounted high-capacity magnetic winch with a 50-meter durasteel cable.
      3. Utility: Integrated maneuvering thrusters and an internal high-pressure oxygen reserve for extended extra-vehicular operations.
3. LCUW-FR9 "Firefighter" Emergency Response Configuration
   1. Manufacturer: Belladoon Walker Works The FR9 is a specialized disaster-relief platform capable of navigating collapsed structures or toxic environments that would neutralize standard droids or unarmored personnel.
   2. Equipment:
      1. Primary Utility: 02 arm-mounted high-pressure cryo-foam cannons. These can suppress chemical or electrical fires at a distance of 30 meters.
      2. Utility: Multi-spectral thermal imaging sensor array. This allows the pilot to identify life signs and structural weak points through thick smoke or debris.
      3. Utility: External rebreather link. This allows the LECA to act as a mobile oxygen hub for trapped civilians or infantry.

4. LCUW-KM1 "Rock-Cracker" Mining and Excavation Configuration

1. Manufacturer: Khagan Motors A ruggedized, "Frankenstein" style build that utilizes reinforced, off-the-shelf industrial parts. It is prized for its reliability in asteroid mining and high-gravity excavation.
2. Equipment:
   1. Primary Utility: 01 high-impact vibration-drill arm. Designed to fracture heavy ore veins or reinforced ferrocrete.
   2. Secondary Utility: 01 shoulder-mounted heavy excavator bucket for material clearing.
   3. Utility: Acoustic resonators. These sensors detect gas pockets or structural instabilities within mine shafts, providing an early warning for potential cave-ins.
   4. Utility: Retractable stabilizer struts. These are identical to the A5 "Mortarman" configuration, ensuring a firm base for drilling operations.

---

IV. LOGISTICAL SUMMARY

The LCUW line demonstrates the extreme versatility of the common LECA chassis. By licensing the design to independent firms, Sector Command has ensured a steady supply of spare parts and skilled technicians throughout the Myto Sector. While these units lack the primary armament of military variants, the Common Tool Interface software of the LECA is compatible with LCUW chassis, allowing them to be up-armored and weaponized within two standard hours given the proper technicians are on standby.


V. REPORT CONCLUSION

The LECA and LCUM frames are highly versatile and logistically sound units that complement the growing industrial and military framework of the sector. It is this body's recommendation that LECA production be increased to match future projected military and industrial expansions, and that research continue into both the LECA platform and the overall standardization program.

–

Told yall, huh?

LECA's are something that I threw in out of nowhere, and they actually ended up being pretty neat. They've been absent for a while, a background detail at best. I hope to feature them more heavily in upcoming chapters and interludes.

 

[Demonianism]

Thoughts and Opinions

"Well, Admiral? What are your thoughts?" Mon Mothma asked.

Gial Ackbar had a lot of thoughts, but he rather suspected the woman wasn't interested in his political takes on her reactionary ways. The report on the other wave, written by a Kuati no doubt, was a frustrating miracle.

"We are, once again, saved by Imperial idiocy," he began. "The Arbiter class, and even more so its fleet deployment, may have been aimed at pirates but it would most certainly spell the end of our current gains. Indeed it would likely set us back more than a decade, save for our new supporters."

Moronic core worlders, finding out that they were just as likely to be oppressed as the rest of the galaxy once Palpatine was able.

He continued on, "That is not to say it will not be a threat if someone in the enemy camp manages to grow a strategic brain. The designers clearly put a great deal of thought into ease of adoption and manufacture. If the Empire's most capable ship yards were to start building them…we could see them used against in less than three standard months."

The ground pounder Syndulla protested, "But they've been experiencing fairly high casualties for Imp ships."

Obviously. Thankfully Raddus was here to prevent Gial from enlightening the fool.

"With undertrained sailors, yes. With properly trained crew? Catastrophic losses for us. The entire reason we need star fighters with hyperdrives is because we lack proper carrier capacity. It's hard on the pilots, hard on the fighters, and limits our strategic options by no small measure. Our boys are the best but going into that kind of fight, facing well rested enemy fighters, with shields, and a Lancer? We're not looking at victory, we're looking to survive."

Dodonna actually had something of a brain for strategy when he cared to exercise it, "It sounds like these ships could be an enormous boon to our own tactics."

Completely true. For a brief moment Gial imagined having just two of the carriers. Running three shifts and hot bunking they could support far more fighter craft than most could imagine. Uncomfortable, yes, but enormously effective. The amount of reach for their preferred hit and run tactics would at least tripple.

Unfortunately for his dreams the spook, Draven, was already shaking his head. "Myto sector may as well be impossible for large acquisitions. Even the info we get is little better than civvy accessible. And that's unlikely to change with how well the sector is doing. It's hard to find malcontents when the economy is roaring and the Moff is firmly in the anti-corruption camp."

"Well," Mon Mothma began, "We're just going to have to keep relying on Imperial Idiocy."

Like they hadn't been doing that for two standard decades.

———
Ackbar had more opinions than I thought he did. Typed up on my tablets' touch screen, so it's probably a bit rough.

 

[Freefaller]

ALLIANCE INTELLIGENCE | THREAT ASSESSMENT: NAVAL SUPPLEMENT

SUBJECT: Arbiter-Class Operational Hazards and Structural Vulnerabilities

DISTRIBUTION: Alliance High Command / Starfighter Command / Sector Cell Leads

AUTHORIZATION: Office of SpecForce Intelligence

CLASSIFICATION: High-Priority Tactical Brief

---

I. STRATEGIC THREAT ANALYSIS

The Arbiter-Class Heavy Cruiser-Carrier is specifically engineered to dismantle the foundational tactics of the Alliance. While a standard Star Destroyer acts as a blunt instrument for planetary subjugation, the Arbiter is a precision tool for sector-wide pacification.

• Counter-Insurgency Doctrine: The vessel utilizes a carrier-first approach that directly negates our hit-and-run advantages. By prioritizing starfighter throughput over raw battery power, an Arbiter can maintain a persistent "no-fly zone" across a wide engagement radius, making it nearly impossible for our strike packages to achieve the local space superiority required for an extraction.
• Anti-Piracy Heritage: Because it was designed to hunt mobile raiding bases, the Arbiter is exceptionally efficient at tracking and intercepting the low-signature logistical tails our cells rely on. Its inclusion of TIE-R Ranger units ensures that even if we jump to hyperspace, there is a high probability of being shadowed.

---

II. CRITICAL WEAKNESSES AND PRODUCTION FAILURES

Despite its tactical utility, the Arbiter is a product of desperation and rushed industrial cycles. Intelligence confirms these hulls are being completed in only 2.5 months, leading to several exploitable flaws.

• Absence of Ion Weaponry: In a staggering production oversight, the Arbiter features no ion cannons. It lacks any organic capacity to disable our vessels non-lethally or efficiently suppress high-output shield generators. Alliance commanders should exploit this "Ion Gap" by utilizing electronic warfare suites, as the Arbiter has no way to "fire back" in the electronic spectrum.
• Personnel Deficiency: While the fighter pilots are elite, the naval crews are significantly subpar. Due to Oversector Command drawing away veteran personnel and denying mass deployment of properly trained sailors, the Arbiter is currently manned by green sailors rushed through makeshift academies. Expect slow response times to hull breaches, poor gunnery accuracy, and a general lack of composure during sustained boarding actions.
• Structural Fragility: The 2.5-month construction window suggests a lack of internal reinforcement. The recessed Victory-style bridge module, while reducing the silhouette, creates a localized stress point. A concentrated torpedo strike at the junction between the bridge neck and the primary hangar deck is likely to cause catastrophic decompression.

---

III. ENGAGEMENT ADVISORY

The Arbiter is a "glass carrier"—it can project an elite, Edin-trained fighter wing that will decimate our starfighters, but the ship itself is structurally and operationally vulnerable.

Tactical Recommendation: Do not engage the fighter wing directly. Utilize Y-Wing or B-Wing elements to prioritize ion strikes against the Arbiter's hangar bay doors. By jamming the launch racks, you trap their best assets, the pilots, inside a hull manned by a crew that doesn't yet know how to save it.

IV. STARFIGHTER CORPS ANALYSIS: THE MYTO VARIANTS

While the capital fleet suffers from rushed construction, the starfighter complement represents a more calculated threat. The "M-Pattern" refits are designed to close the traditional gap between Imperial mass-production and Alliance durability.

• Enhanced Survivability: The addition of shielding and integrated life support to TIE-M and TIE/IN-M units has effectively neutralized our "one-pass" kill advantage. Pilots are reporting that these units can withstand grazing hits that would disintegrate a standard TIE/ln, necessitating sustained target tracking.
• The Edin Factor: Intelligence confirms that the TIE pilots graduated from the Edin Military Academy. Unlike the green crews aboard the Arbiter-class, these pilots are highly disciplined and possess tactical proficiency exceeding standard Imperial Navy averages.
• TIE-W Whirlwind "Black-Tier" Warning: The Whirlwind is a purpose-built interceptor utilizing rotary wing assemblies to create unpredictable firing arcs.
  • Engagement Scale: A single Whirlwind is manageable but dangerous; expect at least one to three casualties to secure a kill. However, a full squadron (12 units) creates a lethal saturation zone.
  • Standing Order: Do not engage Whirlwind squadrons without high-quality capital ship support to provide a flak screen. If unassisted, immediate tactical withdrawal is the only sanctioned response.

---

V. GROUND ASSET EVALUATION: THE LECA PLATFORM

The Light Expeditionary Combat Armor (LECA) serves as the primary mobile support element for the Line Companies. Its deployment is intended to provide heavy firepower in environments where larger walkers are physically constrained.

• Bureaucratic Containment: Due to successful long-term efforts by Alliance assets within the Imperial Army Procurement Office, the LECA is currently dismissed by the Core World high command as "backwater scrap." This perception has successfully limited its proliferation, though it remains a staple in the Myto and Braxant sectors.
• Tactical Versatility: The LECA's modular hardpoints allow it to cycle through anti-infantry, anti-armor, and AA roles with minimal downtime. Its bipedal agility makes it a significant threat during boarding actions against Alliance blockade runners.

---

VI. ENGAGEMENT DOCTRINE: LECA COUNTERMEASURES (THEORETICAL)

Priority Note: Alliance SpecForce currently lacks direct combat telemetry against the LECA platform due to limited proliferation and a lack of active ground operations within the Myto or Braxant sectors. The following protocols are derived from technical schematics and simulated humanoid-frame stress tests.

Tactical Environment and Deployment

Field analysts must assume the LECA will rarely be encountered as a localized solo threat. Standard Imperial doctrine for the platform emphasizes a symbiotic infantry link. The walker provides the heavy fire-chamber and mobile cover, while the accompanying infantry squad protects the walker's rear and flank blind spots. Do not attempt to isolate the walker without first suppressing the supporting fire-team.

Projected Vulnerabilities

• Balance and Center of Gravity: While the humanoid frame allows for superior traversal of uneven terrain compared to traditional bipedal scout walkers, it is susceptible to similar balance disruptions as humanoids in general. High-impact kinetic strikes or localized seismic charges are projected to cause stumble-state failures. Targeting the ankle-actuators or knee-servos during a lateral movement phase could result in a total platform tip-over.
  • Note: It is unknown if the LECA contains extensive enough internal technology to achieve superior balance over standard humanoids that would negate such tactics. However, the platform's size and focus on maintenance simplicity indicates this is unlikely.
• Optics and Sensor Overload: Unlike the narrow viewing ports of larger walkers, the LECA appears to rely on a centralized sensor pod for the pilot's HUD. Standard Alliance flash-bangs or high-intensity ion flares are theorized to be effective against this smaller, more sensitive array.
• Shield Limitations: Technical data indicates the forward-facing shield generator is a directional wedge rather than a full bubble. This suggests a critical vulnerability to flanking maneuvers or ambushes. If the infantry screen can be broken, a single thermal detonator to the rear power-coupling is the theorized best kill-method for units without heavier firepower.

Combat Recommendation: The Tri-Point Trap

In the absence of field experience, SpecForce suggests a staggered engagement. Use a bait unit to draw the LECA's forward shield and primary weapons fire, while two flanking elements target the platform's unshielded rear with explosives or other heavy ordnance.

Warning: Avoid cable-tether tactics used against heavy walkers. The LECA's humanoid arms allow it to potentially catch or brace itself against terrain, making cable-tripping an unreliable strategy.

---

VII. COVERT ACQUISITION AND MODIFICATION (LCUW)

The Alliance continues to exploit the sector's industrial output through the purchase of LCUW (Civilian Utility) models from independent manufacturers like Khagan Motors.

• The "Slapdash" Conversion: These civilian frames are regularly modified by our technicians into improvised combat walkers. By utilizing the modular "Common Tool Interface," we can mount salvaged laser cannons or rocket pods.
• Operational Limits: These converted units are inherently inferior to the factory-spec military LECA-A series. They lack the structural reinforcement and integrated shield harmonics of the Imperial models. They are best utilized as mobile fire-support platforms for urban ambushes rather than frontline brawlers.

---

VIII. STRATEGIC SUMMARY

The Myto Sector represents a unique logistical paradox for the Alliance. While the local military output is hazardous, the sector's administrative stability is essential to our broader regional efforts.

• The Rusty Refit Mandate: Alliance High Command's primary objective in the Myto Sector is the protection and expansion of the Rusty Refit Orbital Yard. This facility has evolved into a vital logistical hub for the North and North-East regions of the galaxy. Its continued operation as a "clean" public-private partnership is a top-tier priority, any action that risks exposing our control of the yard is strictly prohibited.
• Containment Strategy: The containment of Myto-pattern technologies (Arbiter, LECA, Whirlwind) remains a concern, but it is one that requires minimal direct interference. The Core-Centric attitudes of the Imperial Procurement Office and the Core World elite do the majority of our work for us. Their inherent disdain for "Rim-built scrap" ensures that these superior designs remain isolated.
• Operational Directive: Alliance assets are to focus on subtle, psychological pushes within the Imperial bureaucracy to reinforce these biases. We must maintain the status quo. A prosperous, stable Myto Sector that both ensures our own logistical tail while preventing the betterment of Imperial military doctrine.

---

FIELD ADVISORY: Maintain low-profile signatures. Do not provoke Sector Patrol. Ensure the Rusty Refit remains the invisible spine of our Northern logistics.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Trigon Class Starfighter

Production Information

Manufacturer: Curcio Dynamics (Recently joined subsidiary of BGES)

Model: Trigon Class Starfighter

Type: Starfighter

Cost: 60,000 credits

——

Technical Specifications

Engine unit(s): Koensayr brand Ion Jet Engine

Maximum atmospheric speed: 900 km/h

Hyperdrive: none

Shielding: equipped

Power: fusion generator

Hull: titanium hull

Sensors: equipped

Armament: 2 IX4 laser cannons

Crew: 1 Pilot

Cargo Capacity: 50 kg

Life Support: equipped

Consumables: 3 days

——

Usage

Availability: Licensed

Roles:

• Cheap interceptor
• Low priority patrols
• In-system escort

Affiliation:

• Private interests during Moff Surrde's rule
• Imperial aligned PDFs in the Braxant sector
• BGES companies

——

Description

"What do you get with half a Y-Wing, some scrap hull plating, and some really desperate buyers? A Trigon." - A joke among scrap dealers in the Braxant sector.

The Trigon Class Starfighter is a starship designed with component and supply scarcity in mind. This basic starfighter was designed during the Moff Surrde era in the Braxant sector. It was primarily sold to private actors and PDFs for defense fleets. However, it has recently seen an increase in production after the founding of the BGES.

Background

"At the rate things are going, Moff Surrde is going to run this sector into the ground. If we want to keep producing starships, we gotta make a design to account for that." - Recording of a Curcio Dynamics meeting regarding the economic state of the sector.

The Braxant sector in the years leading up to the Battle of Yavin were not what one would call prosperous. Moff Surrde's flagship Military First policy had wreaked havoc on the sector's economy. Faced with potential and realized technological regression in the private market, companies began to adapt to these conditions in an effort to stay in business.

One such business was Curcio Dynamics, a small starship manufacturer. They saw which way the wind was blowing and the need to make a change. Their solution was to set out to design a product they would be able to manufacture even should contracting with other manufacturers be unavailable. This proved prophetic with Moff Surrde's decree giving the Imperial Military monopsonistic status over a large amount of small scale starship component manufacturing in Curcio Dynamics' subsector. The plan was now even more crucial to the company's survival than ever.

The plan was to make a starship that could be assembled primarily out of old Clone Wars era components. Working or semi working models of ships like the Y-wing in the sector were long since snapped up, however the pieces and components of such vessels were still on the bone so to speak. While outdated and in dire need of refurbishing, these components were still in relative abundance in the sector given the vast amount of resources both sides but into their navies and the final stages of the war occurring in the Outer Rim. Curcio Dynamics began scouring scrapyards, bargain hunting at secondhand sellers, and using what minimal influence they had to grovel before officials in charge of Imperial stockpiles. They determined to use primarily Koensayr brand parts for the project, as they were the most abundant and therefore easier to acquire in sufficient quantities.

Design

"Look I get the firepower is anemic, but what's the point of a launcher when we can't even source torpedos anymore?" - Curcio Dynamics salesman trying to pitch the Trigon to a reluctant customer.

The Trigon is unimpressive in a vacuum. A starfighter that is mediocre or below average in most metrics. The only strong points are its ease of repair and affordability. However given the market circumstances it was designed under, the fact a small manufacturing company could continue producing starfighters at all is a small miracle.

The Trigon is named as such for the three wings it possesses. Two side wings and one vertical wing on top. This triangular shape made it unpopular with the Imperial Military mainly due to bringing up bad memories of the Droid tri-fighter. This was actually an intentional decision by Curcio Dynamics, as the Trigon was made for private buyers and the hope was the unpopularity with the Military would discourage the sector government from wanting to nationalize their company.

Protection wise the Trigon is nothing special. Armor production had been one of the few things that managed to stay stable during the Surrde years. Foundries producing for the Navy always had stock procurement officers deemed inadequate for the Imperial Military. This stock was heavily fought over by Curcio and other companies as what's not good for the military was often good enough for private companies. Procuring outdated, but useable shield generators by comparison faced even less issues due to many of Surrde's naval commanders adhering to Traditional Imperial starfighter doctrine.

For propulsion the Trigon uses a single Koensayr Ion Jet Engine. The specific model could vary depending on the supply situation. However the most common was the R200 as it is what the GAR used in their Y-wings so they were spread throughout the galaxy in large numbers. The engine allowed the Trigon to reach adequate speeds for a starfighter. However the agility of the starship was lacking as the number of maneuver thrusters on the Trigon was limited due to supply shortages. This led Trigon pilots favoring relatively high speeds and wide turns.

Adding hyperdrives to the Trigon was nothing but a pipe dream. New productions in Braxant were slated for the Imperial Military, while used models were ripped out of starfighters to be jury rigged into larger, more important vessels. Such luxuries in the Braxant sector were jealously guarded by those private owners that had them. As such the Trigon would be operating primarily in a single system with anything else generally requiring being shipped via freighter like most non-hyperdrive equipped vessels in the sector, or carried in the rare carrier vessel that was not already in Imperial Military hands. This was not a deal breaker for the Trigon's buyers as they were mainly concerned with defending their planets or convoys. The capability to launch offensive raids and other operations were not a high priority.

Armaments on the Trigon were another sticking point as there are only two IX4 laser cannons for its weapons. Launchers could be procured or produced. However the ammunition was a different story with Moff Surrde's forces seizing as many torpedoes, missiles, and bombs they could get their hands on. Even attempting to purchase large quantities would get you a visit from a stormtrooper squad or the local ISB. As for ion cannons, trying to go cheap or secondhand on those usually resulted in a finicky piece of tech that breaks as often as it works, so the decision was made not to include that either.

Production and Sales

"What do you mean Curcio Dynamics are still making starfighters in the Braxant Sector? I thought Surrde disemboweled most of the independent production with his policies." - IGCPP official reading through reports of Braxant's production capabilities.

Production and sales were slow when the Trigon was released. The issue lay more with the former than the latter. Due to the economic recession in the Braxant sector the equipment necessary for mass production was either not available for purchase or unable to be maintained due to lack of replacement parts on the market.

For most years around a dozen Trigons were produced annually. This was mainly due to having to large amounts of the manufacturing having to be done by hand and Curcio Dynamics not being a big company in the first place. Numbers picked up as the company got more experienced near the end of Surrde's reign with his final year having Curcio producing over two dozen starfighters.

Sales were usually done individually or in small numbers rather than large procurement orders. Buyers were mainly private interests looking for any form of defense when the Imperial patrols were not nearby. Users found the Trigon sufficient for dealing with the uglies that pirates were fielding due to suffering their own supply problems. The main advantage Trigon had over the uglies was the fact its parts were all designed to fit with each other and it being made in a semi-proper factory setting rather than in some cave with a box of scraps. Quality control was also drastically higher due to workers at Curcio Dynamics checking over every Trigon they produced like their company's life and their livelihood's depended on it (which it did).

The fall of Moff Surrde and the rise of Moff Delinian has begun to bring changes to the Braxant sector. Curcio Dynamics has since joined the new BGES and has secured some investment loans to modernize and expand its facilities. BGES leadership agreed to support Trigon production until sector supply chains and manufacturing can be rebuilt to the point better options can be locally produced.

Already the increased ease of trade has lead to procurement offers for the Trigon with PDFs and companies around the sector. This surge in demand is unlikely to last if Braxant manages to stitch its economy back together. However there are rumors of the development of a Trigon-2 in the works to take advantage of future component availability and the PR the brand has earned during the economic dark times.

——

A whole new sector to explore. You know what that means? New component shortages and supply issues to design vehicles around! After all, why should Myto get all the new designs? When people have regressed to using slugthrowers on the ground, the private spaceship market probably is degrading a bit in advancement as well. Curcio Dynamics represents those small manufacturers who have to adapt and continue producing products even when governments stop making economic or even reality based decisions. Curcio made it through the Surrde years through mostly spite, and the determination to get back up despite circumstances sucker punching them repeatedly.

The Trigon is basically Poor Market Conditions: the starfighter. There are a lot more limitations placed on a ship's design when there is not an economic boom or a friendly government to facilitate development and production. It uses decades old component and weapon stockpiles to make a starfighter able to do the job when everything more modern or expensive has been cannibalized or seized by the Imperial Military. Think getting access to some of a Cold War era stockpile and trying to make something to field in a modern military for a minor country. Heck Paraguay apparently is still using refurbished M3 Stuarts, a light tank made in the early 1940s, in their tank fleet today.

Inspiration for the look of this one is the Lippisch P.13a. Funnily enough it also looks a bit like the old non-canonical Imperial attack craft before it was decided TIE fighters would be the main Imperial starfighter. Was not my intention when making it, but a funny coincidence that fits the outdated theme nonetheless.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Freefaller]

IMPERIAL R&D ASSET REPORT | PROJECT-SKYFALL

SUBJECT Phase I Testing and Evaluation of Orbital Insertion Prototypes

DISTRIBUTION Minda System R&D Division / Sector Army Logistics / Office of the Moff

AUTHORIZATION Lead Researcher H. Vane

CLASSIFICATION Restricted Research Data

I. PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Project Skyfall seeks to develop a self-contained orbital deployment method for the LECA platform. The goal is to bypass the reliance on landing craft and deliver combat-ready walkers directly to the surface from a cruiser in high orbit. Testing has been moved to the industrial testing grounds on Minda-4 to utilize the planet's heavy manufacturing infrastructure and automated recovery zones.

II. PROTOTYPE A: MODEL-88 ROCKET HARNESS

This configuration consists of a standard military LECA chassis equipped with a detachable rear-mounted thruster assembly and an experimental particle shield overlay for thermal protection.

1. Technical Approach
   The harness is designed to be a low-cost solution that detaches immediately upon touchdown, allowing the LECA to enter combat without delay. For safety and data integrity, all test units are controlled via remote automation. No live pilots are authorized for this phase of testing.
2. Test Log 09-B (Minda-4 Range)
   The unit was released into the upper atmosphere. The particle shield successfully managed the thermal load during reentry. However, as the unit transitioned to the powered descent phase, the harness experienced a structural misalignment. The high-stress environment caused a failure in the primary mounting brackets. Upon ignition of the retro-thrusters, the uneven thrust distribution resulted in a violent flat spin. The automated system was unable to compensate for the torque, leading to high-velocity impact and total chassis loss.

III. PROTOTYPE B: INTEGRATED DROP POD SYSTEM

The second configuration utilizes a specialized, heavy-duty drop pod to encase the LECA. This pod is intended to protect the walker from both orbital heat and potential anti-aircraft fire.

1. Technical Approach
   The drop pod is theoretically the safer method for the hardware, but it carries significant logistical weight. It requires more fuel for its larger retro-thrusters and necessitates more complex launch infrastructure aboard the Arbiter-class carriers. To keep production costs viable, the design utilized heavy-duty mechanical shock absorbers rather than inertial dampeners. Inertial dampeners of the required scale were deemed cost-prohibitive given the extreme force of the projected impact.
2. Test Log 12-F (Minda-4 Range)
   The pod maintained a stable descent and corrected its heading effectively. The retro-thrusters fired as scheduled, successfully slowing the pod to its target landing velocity. However, the mechanical shock absorbers failed to dissipate the kinetic energy upon touchdown. The force of the impact was transferred directly into the LECA's internal frame. Both legs of the unit were crushed and the lower torso suffered severe structural shearing.

IV. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

The Rocket Harness is more cost-effective and takes up less hangar space but currently lacks the stability required for reliable deployment. The Integrated Drop Pod offers better protection during the flight phase but the weight and impact-force issues remain unsolved without the inclusion of expensive inertial dampening tech.

V. PROJECT STATUS ADDENDUM

By order of Sector Command, Project Skyfall is transitioned to low-priority status. Funding for further Phase II testing has been reduced.

Sector Command currently identifies no immediate military necessity for orbital drop technology. Current engagement data suggests that Myto Sector naval forces can achieve and maintain orbital superiority against local pirate elements with minimal resistance. Given that pirates remain the primary threat, standard deployment via landing craft is considered sufficient and more logistically sound. R&D will continue to refine these designs in the background as resources allow.

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | MSD-ECON-SUBSIDY-ALLOCATION

SUBJECT Identification of Systems Eligible for Industrial and Economic Subsidies

DISTRIBUTION Office of the Moff, Myto Trade Commission, Sector Treasury

AUTHORIZATION Sector Ministry of Industrial Development

CLASSIFICATION Internal Economic Assessment

I. REPORT OVERVIEW

This report is for the purpose of listing all systems designated as Fringe systems (Check File Sys-Classification) in order of need and ability to act on subsidies granted for industrial and economic concerns and infrastructure. These factors have been into two main categories, Need and Absorptive Capacity.

1. Need: Need is defined by multiple factors focused mainly around labor statistics and economic/industrial decline. These include unemployment rate, labor force participation, median household income relative to sector average, rate of deindustrialization, infrastructure deficits, and demographic flight, among others.
2. Absorptive Capacity: Absorptive Capacity is defined by factors relating to economic diversity and existing industrial capacity. These include the systems economic complexity index, manufacturing readiness level, labor elasticity and skill alignment, and institutional quality, among others

II. PRIMARY ALLOCATION CANDIDATES

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

• Rodu (157,862): This single world system focuses on agriculture and remains ripe for investment in genetically robust crops and larger scale industrial farming, which would improve local food security.
• Malgoaan (1,845,648): This system has a high potential for assembly plant growth if provided with equipment grants to utilize its large labor pool.
• Relalon (1,814,047): Strategic funding for subspace transceiver arrays will improve coordination with nearby trade routes and reduce signal lag.
• Dromunon (1,813,328): This system requires grants for heavy machinery to revitalize its primary mining zones and stop the trend of people leaving for other systems.
• Vantulal (1,810,252): Investment in localized holonet relay nodes will allow for better integration with the sector economy and trade networks.
• Xisios (1,799,613): This system has high manufacturing potential but suffers from power grid instability that requires immediate repair.
• Rykeixia (1,696,996): Funding for salvage processing units will turn this system into a primary hub for recycled materials.
• Yularis (1,676,803): This system shows a need for better resource refining tools to increase the value of its primary exports.
• Belsuus (1,673,186): Subsidies for vocational training centers will align the local workforce with modern technical needs and shipyard standards.
• Muraarminor (1,663,971): This system requires infrastructure grants to build larger transport hubs for industrial goods.
• Vunisminor (1,654,548): Investment in chemical processing vats will allow this system to support the sector needs for industrial fluids.
• Harnonal (1,648,862): Funding for automated orbital defense platforms will secure this system against pirate raiding and cargo theft.
• Gromeaan (1,602,566): This system has a large workforce that would benefit from grants focused on light manufacturing and assembly.
• Mytixix (1,582,782): Strategic investment in hull plating factories will support the naval production goals of the sector.
• Yuleis (1,530,712): Subsidies for agricultural drones will help expand the limited farming output of this system to neighboring areas.
• Malgaral (1,521,621): This system shows high potential for electronics assembly if provided with modern workstations and assembly tools.
• Kalaxmajor (1,497,658): Funding for subspace comms units will fix the persistent connectivity issues found in this outer system.
• Kalosv (1,487,202): This system requires grants for waste management systems to support its growing urban centers.
• Tioniv (1,464,831): Investment in fuel refining tech will make this system a vital stop for military and civilian ships on the fringe.
• Feltulmajor (1,449,522): This system has a strong labor pool that needs funding for specialized tool manufacturing.
• Vantaen (1,406,150): Subsidies for housing development will reduce the rate of people leaving for the settled systems.
• Draxuon (1,398,528): This system shows a need for improved landing pad infrastructure to handle larger cargo vessels and freighters.
• Belsosix (1,358,986): Funding for local security forces will protect industrial assets from the current rise in piracy.
• Vantulon (1,354,349): This system would benefit from grants for clean energy arrays to lower the overhead of industrial production.
• Dromunos (1,352,933): Investment in mining safety equipment will allow for deeper extraction in its primary moon belts.
• Krakaxix (1,305,918): This system shows high absorptive capacity for heavy vehicle production if provided with initial capital.
• Sienosos (1,304,529): Funding for holonet relay stations will connect this isolated system to the sector capital for better trade data.
• Reloen (1,299,007): This system requires subsidies for water reclamation plants to sustain its growing industrial districts.
• Harnosv (1,282,396): Strategic grants for shipyard repair tools will allow this system to service local patrols and scout ships.
• Prakoal (1,282,232): This system is ripe for investment in atmospheric scrubbers to improve the quality of its manufacturing zones.

III. CONCLUSION

The systems listed above represent the best opportunities for the Myto Sector to improve its infrastructure without relying on external support. By focusing on systems with both a high need and a path toward industrial expansion, the Ministry can ensure the sector grows as a unified economic entity. The Rodu system in particular remains a priority due to its potential for high yield industrial farming.

–

Here it is. The one benefit of AI is that it can make names and numbers quickly. The downside is that I then must go and write out a description of each and every world's industries. This was not as fun for me as it might be for you.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Pirate Processing

POV: Silvaka Birgbird, convicted pirate, Imperial Penal Colony 2-4-9-N, Cockaigne, Cockaigne system, Myto sector

Silvaka glared at the clear sky as she was led off the loading ramp. Cockaigne's star looked as if a slightly larger dying ember amidst its peers, which were still visible. Before her was the harsh and searing shine of Imperial Penal Colony 2-4-9-N which robbed her of her night vision with a single glance. The artificial light still needed in midday due to the distant starlight being insufficient for most sentients on the system's sole world to see by. All that would greet her if she looked beyond the glow of the prison would be the inky blackness concealing a frozen, desolate landscape.

"Move it convict! No trying to get frostbite on your day as an inmate thrall!"

Silvaka fought off the urge to try and take a bite out of the Detention Block Guard as they moved between blocks. She had been fighting back the urge to shiver since they got off the Kiltirin-class dungeon ship, despite the thick jumpsuit they gave her. She didn't want to take her chances in what passed for solitary confinement.

Warden droids were patroling the outside and the usually unoccupied sections of the prison. Even if she could get out of the prison, the freezing temperatures and total darkness outside the facility were used as a method to keep its prisoners from causing trouble afterwards. A rough shove through the door struck what further thoughts were beginning to form in Silvaka's head.

"In front of the imager and then to the medical droid. The sooner you get your mugshots and locator chip, the sooner I get to stop dragging you around."

Processing was as quick as it was humiliating. The imager felt invasive while the anesthetic was light enough that the place they implanted the chip still felt sore. The pain made Silvaka think of how just a bit earlier this situation was reversed. Wasn't too long ago her crew would be filling this world with slaves, not occupying it. The weak are meant to submit to the strong, Silvaka's crew just helped make the truth a bit starker.

Her captain had a deal going with Cockaigne's Governor to offload "criminals" as inmate thralls and in exchange he would keep their ship's transponder off the records. However once news of their patron getting arrested surfaced, they tried to record race out of the sector for more welcoming space. Unfortunately a patrol of Guild mercenaries "happened" to come across the route they were taking. Probably a rival crew from Revik set them up to try to take control of the sector's flesh trade. Good luck to them given how frustratingly vigilant the sector's navy was being.

"In you go thrall! You're lucky today's work shifts are done! You get to sleep before your first day of picking and carving up ice begins."

Ice carving. Carving Ice on Cockaigne was a fate joked about in Myto's Underworld. Whenever someone didn't come back to the ship after shore leave they'd joke that their missing crewmate was probably carving ice. Something brought up as a probable fate for failed criminals and bumbling fools. Guess Silvaka counts as the former now, doesn't she?

"So you are my cellmate then? About time they got around to it after they started letting all the soft meat go. Name's Yuspin."

Silvaka was unable to hide her disappointment at the sight of the Moyn sitting on a bed bolted to the wall in the brightly lit cell. The captain had been taken away by the ISB almost immediately following their arrest. The rest of the crew were shipped to Cockaigne after their trials were over. She had lost track of them on the dungeon ship as their captors had wisely kept them separated. She had hoped against hope that she would share a cell with one of them.

"Name's Silvaka. Was a pirate before this. So what'd you get sent here for? Don't want to share a cell with someone who can't tough it out."

She could already hear Tito's sniveling in the back of her mind. Their enslaved tech who was led away after they were brought to the authorities. Probably gave some sob story to get sent to a minimum security prison. Little whiner wouldn't last a day here.

"Nah used to be a marauder. Was carving flesh before carving ice. Had a sweet gig going where the humans in our crew would dress up like Army Imps, "scare" us vicious raiders off, and then "requisition" the loot from villages. We "arrested" anybody that resisted and the rest weren't too keen to ask too many questions when they didn't come back. Got caught when a new general got put in charge of the planet's forces and the Imps stopped acting like we did.

You won't find any brittle folk here these days. Order from on high. Cockaigne is an exclusive club now. Only for sentients with 20 years or more on their sentence with a violent crime on their record. A dumping ground for all the criminals who avoided a summary punishment in this latest crime wave. Bit silly considering they also shut down the gladiator pits."

Shut down the gladiator pits? But that was the most fun you could have in a prison and it was how they freed up the cell blocks for new intake. Silvaka had already been thinking of new and fun ways to break her fellow convicts.

"That must not have been popular. How are the regular buyers for stables offworld supposed to refill their stocks if they can't pick from the prize fighters?"

One of the lesser known exports from Cockaigne besides inmate-mined ice and mineral water was gladiator and pleasure slaves. The fighting pits and the deadly cold made it simple to "lose" a convict or two for the right price. The flesh trade was so frequent that the former Warden-Governor had sentencing papers and death certificates pre-signed in case the captain came across any potentially profitable "bounties" while perusing the slave markets.

The prison population was complicit in the practice as well in order to have a chance to not die on this iceball. Trapping rivals in fixed fights and scarring their beautiful features with icicles was commonplace among inmates. Competition was fierce if you were aiming to get yourself a chance of getting sold. Only the toughest and the most ruthless got a chance of a more enjoyable enslavement, as is proper.

"Didn't ya hear? Cockaigne got a new Warden-Governor. Hand picked by Moff Mola. Has the new guy by the hairs. When the Moff says jump he asks how high.

Mola is a pretentious and tyrannical Imp. First thing he did after getting the job was throw a tantrum and imprison a load of petitioners. Thinks seeing someone with a collar walking around his cities is intolerable. When his lackeys protested the move, he had them all "disappeared" for daring to contradict him. He would rather all the slaves be pushed to the dark corners of the sector where no one privileged with freedom will see. All the comfortable or fun jobs for slaves are being cut off, leaving nothing besides hard labor. Like he wants every slave in his sector to suffer just because they wear a collar.

So now the new Warden-Governor is trying to keep the prison above board. Old channels for contraband are getting plugged, guards search your cell even if you try to bribe them, faces that used to show up to pick up the goods are now either a distant memory or a constant presence. Only way to get off this icy hell these days is to qualify for a posting in an offworld chain gang, and they only give those out to brownnoses who have been on good behavior for at least seven years."

Emperor's Folds. How have there not been slave revolts across the sector? No wonder pirates were hitting this sector so vigorously. All the places to slake their baser thirsts were losing their suppliers. How can someone enjoy their rightfully pillaged wealth if there is nowhere to spend it on warm bodies and bloodsport?

"So what, people are just enduring the cold and wagging their tails to the Guards now? How is this prison not shut down from frequent riots with all the fun gone?"

Yuspin gave a chuckle like he had been expecting Silvaka to say that. It bothered her how he had been leading the conversation. However she had never been on the other side of these cell doors. She could deal with some patronizing if it increased her chances of survival and power.

"Nah it ain't all boredom and brown nosing. Part of the Warden-Governor keeping things above board is that he's got to make a better show of following regulations, even the safety ones. Did you know prisons are supposed to have gyms and libraries? I didn't.

Ice carving is less lethal than it used to be. Cold weather gear got less holes in them even without bribing. The prison is even giving access to cheap prosthetics to inmate thralls when the frostbite sets in, instead of sending them to "gather snow outside" when they get too crippled. Most of them are either low powered or completely mechanical, but they work well enough for simple things like carving.

Still restricted to simple tools on work shifts. However guards got new laser ice-cutters in sealed rooms above the work areas to cut up large chunks of ice for the prisoners. Let's us process more ice, so maybe the Warden-Governor struck a deal with a smuggling ring under the table to line his pockets from increasing exports. Either way it leads to more work points for down at the store or the cafeteria. There is even a weekly choice of fruit or dessert provided you ain't being punished. Frozen of course."

Well isn't this just a slice of paradise. Silvaka let the Moyn prattle on while she slipped into her machinations. Just because she wasn't expecting to get enslaved doesn't mean it will stop her plans. Step one is getting to that gym and bulking up. Just because the gladiator pits are down doesn't mean physical power isn't still respected here.

From there it is a matter of gathering resources and influence and waiting for the rot to set back in. No institution like this can avoid seeping back into corruption. It was a proven fact of the galaxy. When the natural order does return she'll be coiled and ready. Silvaka spared a glance at a CAP-2 Captivator walking down the hall of cells as she has planned her rise back to power.

——

A look into how the prisoner-slave underclass of the Myto sector is doing in a dark, cold corner of the sector. The ones who are definitely not getting emancipated by Las' legal audit. Penal colonies are actually a thing during the Republic and are also still a thing with the New Republic. With the flood of pirates galavanting through the sector, small local prisons on frontier worlds are probably not going to cut it. Even if Las finds the practice of prison planets and prisoner-slaves distasteful, intake and enslavement are probably picking up in places like Cockaigne given a lot of pirate crews are not going to try and fight to the death. Pirates are not exactly known for the zealotry or discipline needed for last man stands.

One interesting thing to remember is that a lot of Las' abolitionist policies like HAVEN's activities tend to be clandestine by necessity or otherwise have a different public excuse. We the readers get the benefit of looking into Las' head to understand what he's thinking. Many people in the sector haven't been to the Minda or Edin systems and don't try that hard to keep up with sector politics. They know some of Las' actions and often none of the motivations or background context. People like Yuspin are going to draw their own conclusions about Las' motivations from the information they can gather and process it through the lens they view the galaxy through into an explanation they see as reasonable.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Freefaller]

CRIMSON DAWN SHADOW LEDGER | ENTRY 8842

SUBJECT Asset Analysis TIE Whirlwind

RECIPIENT High Command Shadow Syndicate Leads

ORIGIN Minda System Myto Sector STATUS High Threat Low Proliferation

I. ORIGINS AND PROCUREMENT The TIE Whirlwind emerged from the Minda System during the tenure of Las Mola as Governor. It was the centerpiece of a localized upgrade initiative. While technically superior to the standard line, the unit was deemed cost-prohibitive for Imperial mass manufacture. Consequently, it remains restricted to specialized ace wings. Crimson Dawn agents should view this craft as a bespoke instrument of the Myto Sector elite rather than a standard Imperial resource.

II. TECHNICAL PROFILE AND PERFORMANCE This variant occupies a niche between the standard TIE and the Interceptor. It is faster than the former but lacks the raw velocity of the latter. Unlike standard TIE units, the Whirlwind is equipped with shielding, granting it a level of survivability uncommon in the Imperial starfighter corps.

• Primary Armament: Two dual laser cannon turrets
• Secondary Armament: Two concussion missiles
• Maneuverability: The wings and integrated engines are capable of independent rotation. This allows for rapid changes in flight geometry and rotation that defy standard intercept trajectories.
• Firing Arcs: The dual laser turrets operate independently of the cockpit orientation. Combined with folding wing panels, the pilot can engage targets in nearly any direction including the rear, above, and below the chassis.

III. TACTICAL THREAT ASSESSMENT The Whirlwind is a masterwork of unorthodox engineering. Because the flight profile is so erratic, standard combat maneuvers are largely ineffective. An ace pilot in this craft can punish even the most experienced opposition.

• Engagement Protocol: Total avoidance is recommended. The craft is lethal because of its maneuverability, not its armor.
• Pilot Limitations: The learning curve for the Whirlwind is exceptionally steep. The number of Imperial pilots capable of utilizing the craft's full potential is negligible.
• Syndicate Integration: The high unit cost makes it an unsuitable asset for Crimson Dawn fleet acquisition. The ship is too conspicuous for our operations and requires a logistical tail that contradicts our preference for stealth.

IV. SYNDICATE POSITION The Imperial Procurement Office continues to reject Myto-specific hardware in favor of Core World standardized designs. This bureaucratic friction ensures the Whirlwind will not see widespread deployment outside its home sector. Crimson Dawn operations are not currently threatened by this unit in significant numbers. We will monitor the situation but interference in production is not required at this time. Maintain observation of the Minda labs for any further deviations from standard Imperial doctrine.

–

Honestly couldn't think of how the Dawn would write a report. Then I remembered their entire thing is info gathering and sneaky stuff, so they'd be just as capable of bureaucratic nonsense as the rest of the galaxy. If I think of a better way to write this, or if someone suggests one, I'll rewrite this and make the next Dawn report in the same manner. Cause this, it just doesn't feel right.

 

[TheManW/oAPlan]

(((OOC, not my best omake but an Imperial Spy would definitely overthink the conversation. Watch Las fail upwards!)))

The young lady in red and white sighed. She had been hoping to get more out of the Moff. She had expected bad pick up lines, expected him to boast about his sector's military strength, but he chose to discuss taxation policy. Even if he was not attracted to her, he should have been more willing to talk to her about something less benign. After all, everyone should knew who she was. As much as she sometimes hated the fact that her heterochromia gave her away in field work, it was undoubtedly useful in being noticed. She had expected asking for favors, asking for a date, maybe asking to be left alone, but he had done none of those. He was completely nonplussed and wanted to discuss economics. Pulling up the dossier on the Moff, she noticed that he intended to focus almost to an absurd amount on economics, and generally let other people handle the other aspects of his sector. Though the presence of non-humans in nearly all corners of his administration was alarming, his focus on economics did bear fruit.

She then realized something. He was talking to well known Imperial intelligence agent about economics. What was he trying to tell her about? Granted, she generally did not care much about the administrative aspects of her work but perhaps that was a mistake. Pulling up a spreadsheet, she began to cross check the reports with the treasury reports. She frowned. While she had expected some discrepancies, she had not expected to find them that quickly. She was not a forensic accountant, so if this was what a cursory review did, perhaps she should bring this up the chain. A week later, she was in formal military dress kneeling before his Imperial majesty.

"Your highness, I am concerned with some of our accounting numbers. A moff brought it to my attention, and I believe he is correct to be concerned. As such, I would reque -" Palpatine raised is hand. She stopped talking.

"You are a faithful servant. You have earned enough trust that if you believe something should be looked into, it should be looked into. What specifically do you require of me?" Palpatine requested.

"My lord, clearly the man is an economic savant. He has somehow governed a backwater of a planet into a productive one and his sector appears to be undergoing the same transformation. Given his esteemed rank and loyalty, I thought it would be best if you order him to do an audit for the benefit of the Empire," she explained.

"Granted. You are dismissed," the Emperor ordered.

Three weeks later, in the Moff's office...

"What do you mean I am doing an audit of the entire Empire!" Las yelled.

"The order comes from the Emperor himself. Apparently you impressed someone on your last trip to Imperial Center." Zyx commented.

"Is there any way to get out of this?" Las aswked.

"Sorry bro. The orders came from the Emperor himself. Sometimes the reward for good work is more work," Zyx replied.

"But I wanted to take a vacation..." Las whined.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Tales from the Skull Market

POV: Tak Gwut
RIII: Guardian
Certifications: Negotiator IV, Infiltrator II, Adviser III
Head of Administration of the Mynock Pailers, a RII: Alliance Mercenary Company,
Vio's Indoor Skull Market, Edin system, Highreach, Edinspire, 2ABY

Tak gave a stretch as she entered the indoor market. Cargo lifters and speeder trucks lined the floor in a roughly organized manner. Some makeshift stalls lie on trailers dragged behind the former two. Spots near the entrance and the center were fiercely competed and bid for. Some cargo containers were even stacked on top of each other until they reached the ceiling.

"Reminds you of when we were two chumps wandering around a Guild-A-Gear, doesn't it?"

It certainly brings back memories. Only instead of a calm, almost sterile atmosphere, there was a fevered and humid anticipation as hawkers shouted their offers to all who could potentially hear. Of course they were always a few squads of RIV mercenaries on hand to prevent things from getting out of hand. Petty thieves looking to get lucky were in for a rude surprise. Most didn't bother to look up at the surveillance droids watching the area.

"Let's keep our eyes on the prize Garik. We have to find some upgrades for the Pailers, not gawk at every stall in this Skull Market."

Skull Market was a term for the network selling goods seized from pirates in Guild space. A network that had only grown and become regulated with the Zann Consortium's failed push into the sector. Quality of these used goods were often questionable, but the markups were low in exchange. Plenty of low ranking independent merchants try to get their start stocking up at forfeiture sales hosted by the Guild and sector law enforcement, then attempting to turn a profit selling it off piece by piece at the Skull Market. It was seen as a proving ground by the Guild merchant community.

Protection and regulation of the Skull Market is taken very seriously by the Guild. The concerningly paramilitary nature of some of these pirates meant the equipment seized could be heavily restricted. Only those with the proper permits and licenses could open a stall at one and submit themselves to inspections at any time. The Guild paid well for high ranking mercenaries to patrol and monitor Skull Market locations. These measures prevented most illegal practices, although a few brave criminals still tried their luck on occasion.

"Yeah I guess you're right. Don't want to let that monkey swindle us more than he already did at his cantina."

Garik was still fuming with the Skull Market's manager. The Andrennian had played him like a drum by making her partner pay to introduce him to the Market's owner. Only to take his Credits in one hand and hold out another to introduce himself. It was only a few Credits, more of a prank really, but it still stung Garik's ego.

The Cantina owner had predicted the Skull Market's rise and had prepared accordingly. He purchased and renovated a warehouse owned by a defunct smuggling ring in Edinspire to set up an indoor market. When the Guild started looking for a place to set up shop on Highreach, he showed up before they made a public announcement. Now Skull Market Traders rent out his stall spaces to peddle their wares while the Guild pays him for the privilege of using the land.

"Alright enough staring at the big picture, let's go find some upgrades for the Pailers."

Their SKZ Sporting Blasters were alright for low rank jobs around Minda-4. However the Pailers had begun to look into contracts offworld ever since the contract for Dewbacks ended. If they wanted to be taken seriously with the likes of Mandalorians roaming around, upgrading their equipment is a requirement. Speaking of taking things seriously.

"Garik stop making googly eyes at that row of boarding armor. We are looking for more equipment, but we are not made of Credits. Besides the Hurt Wagon is geared for transport over combat, even with the three fighters we have."

With the nature of piracy primarily being a problem in the void, a lot of the gear on sale was for space combat. Guilders looking to grab an onboard amenities unit or a Plasma Cut Boarding Device had a decent chance of coming across a used model. They wouldn't find anything truly restricted like a shift coffer in a Skull Market. However it was obvious where the pirates spent most of their time. Starship weapons were a bit rarer and more heavily regulated by the Guild. Merchants selling them tended to be housed in a dedicated building with a constant guard detail, but a high enough rank could give one access to that stock.

Unfortunately the lack of carrier space on the Pailers' main ship limited their area of operation by how long their fighter pilots can stay in their cockpits. Most mercenaries weren't keen on sleeping and doing their daily business in a starfighter for days on end. As a result the Pailers could only take contracts a system or two away from their base on Minda-4 unless it was long term or well paying enough to justify spending the Credits for out of house transportation.

"Alright, alright. Let's head over to the ground vehicle section to see if we can get a more impressive ride for the Pailers than a cargo speeder."

That isn't to say the Skull Market catered exclusively to spacers. Most crews had at least something if an opportunity for a Dirtside Raid ever presented itself. Plenty of merchants bought up a lot of one type of good to consolidate and build up a reputation as the local "insert good here" merchant of their Skull Market. The dirtside selection may be sparser than the space selection, but suppliers still managed to accumulate a decent stock.

"Looks like a lot of Starhawks this season. A bit outdated, but still usable and ubiquitous enough that people still produce spares for them. Could give the Pailers some added mobility."

Their primary options for small patrols were either the Arrows or their blurrgs. A stable of speeder bikes could allow them to respond to alarms and minor threats much quicker. Might have to organize bike lessons to keep anyone from crashing their Starhawk on their first patrol. Riding an animal and riding a speeder bike were two different things.

"Aw don't tell me you are thinking of adding side-cars. How are we supposed to intimidate our enemies scrunched up in a lame side-car?"

Garik does have a point. Appearances have a quality all on their own. Plus adding a side-car would decrease the speed somewhat, but it would still be a step far above blurrg speed. However the trade off of being able to bring more bodies and firepower to a situation should more than make up for it. Now how to phrase it to her partner?

"If they think we are weak because of a side car, they'll regret it when we attach repeating blasters or mortars to them."

The temptation of bringing squad level firepower to bear seemed to mollify Garik long enough to consider the option. Sure they were not expecting to lay siege to another base anytime soon, but being able to disorient or disperse a crowd with smoke or stun gas was always helpful. Especially if they were taking contracts outside of Minda in systems where public security is less stable. After consenting to at least trying it out, the two made their way to the infantry gear section of the Market for the meat of their purchases.

"Alright we both agree stun grenades for the individual Pailers' kit and the mortars are a must. We want a way to take care of groups and they are the easiest to get licenses for. Better armor would be nice to have, but lower priority at the moment. The last major item on our list is blasters. Quantity matters more than quality given pirates aren't exactly known for standardization. As long as it is within the budget and better than the sporting blasters we are currently using."

Blasters were something that was always in great supply in the Skull Market. Dozens of the same type of blaster markedly less so. Garik cracked a joke about making every Pailer a gunslingers by giving them each a C-10. All Tak could think of was having just brought their rifle marksmanship to above rookie standards, only to go back and have to drill them all to use heavy blaster pistols. She admits she took more time than necessary admiring a bryar rifle. Long enough for Garik to comment using collector's items as a standard weapon would give their logistics a heart attack.

Eventually they settled on purchasing a merchant's entire stock of three dozen GLX Firelances. The Republic design was popular with bounty hunters and pirates alike for the strong stun setting it came with. Both of them agreed the lower body count the Pailers left behind after a contract, the better. This loadout would encourage them to take more security contracts than wiping out pirate bases. Settling on a theme would also encourage similar contracts in the future. All the old crew back at base had experience with that from the Dewbacks contract, so the necessary skills were already in the company. Seems like the Pailers were going to be known for security utilizing outdated tech. Not the worst thing to be known for out in the Rim in her opinion.

They had to hire a dozen more recruits so they could have a garrison at their base when a contract took them offworld. Even had to promote a new lieutenant, an Anomid named Tear, to hold down the fort. Tak would have to disperse the new recruits amongst the old blood so they could pick up their tricks. However the fact they even have a veteran/rookie divide shows the Pailers are no longer the fresh faces they started out as. Hopefully Garik and her can take the company even further up the ranks.

——

POV: Mwork, Aqualish Head of Security for Vio's (legal) commercial empire, apartment courtyard not far from Vio's Indoor Skull Market, Edin system, Highreach, Edinspire, 2ABY

"Mwork, got eyes on those cases of Savareen brandy? Supplier is starting to get antsy."

Mwork gave a sweep the area from his Corona Limited. He was almost tempted to stay in his kudana leather seat and let the droids handle it. Almost because he was aching for some proper action. Vio forbade him from any shockboxing matches until the Market was fully established. Tasks like these were the only way he could stretch his feet and fists.

Someone had hit a merchant in Vio's Skull Market. Naturally this was an insult to Vio's protection and demanded a response. His boss assured the merchant that he would be sending "his best men" to retrieve the goods. While the merchant probably thought that meant Guild mercenaries, he contacted Mwork to get the job done quietly while trying to persuade the merchant to keep their mouth shut. No need to have a record of Vio's new business getting hit so early in its operation.

"I am at where the locator is. Unless the thieves knew ahead of time where it was hidden, they shouldn't have been able to remove it in such a short time. Heading in now."

As Mwork got out of his new-to-him landspeeder and adjusted his suit while double checking the coordinates. The supplier's locator pointed him to an apartment a few blocks from the Skull Market. It was actually part of his old gang's turf for a bit back in the day. Course it was cleaner and more well kept than back then. He didn't even have to step over any broken glass or trash.

"Aw how precious. This looks like baby's first larceny."

As Mwork leaned into the courtyard he found a gaggle of youths. The youngest looked no more than 17, the cusp of adulthood. Unfortunately they were standing around the cases of brandy he was sent to find. Their excited shouting was about their "big score" sealed their fate as the thieves he was looking for. Poor fools hadn't even set up a lookout to watch for any retribution. You don't hit the biggest game in town then stop running after ten minutes.

Reminded him of the time he hotwired his first speeder for the Rancor Maws and they let him bring it home after redoing the registration. Thing ran like a gungan with its legs broken and everyone laughed when he showed up in it, but that didn't matter because it was his. Guess after almost every gang was wiped out in the Purges, Highreach's next generation of criminals didn't have anyone to show them the ropes.

"You three, stick to the background unless someone flashes a blaster. I will handle these kids myself."

The shiny black and blue droids brought a hand to their saucer heads. With a flourish of their capes that Mwork knew was excessive, the security droids holstered their blasters and retreated to the shadows. No idea where they learned that given all they did was follow him on his rounds. He was still getting used to working alongside droids, but working closely with the Guild gave them options for the more… high performance models seized from criminals. The boss even had some fancy trade permit he had been approved for mounted on his office wall, said it showed off his growing influence.

Vio's operations were getting big enough that more manpower was needed to prevent wandering eyestalks and appendages. Unfortunately most of the reliable organic muscle market on Highreach had been cornered by the Guild. Most toughs Mwork knew found it easier to get good work with a Guild certificate, even if reporting after every job was a hassle. Despite staying on friendly terms with the Guild, the boss wanted the core of his network loyal to him and not report to some multi-sector spanning institution every little thing they did. So until the boss could train up more meat from the ground up, servos would be handling a lot of the lifting. Either way, it was showtime.

"Good evening everyone! You appear to have the brandy my boss sent me to find! If you just hand it over nice and easy, I promise to only leave some facial bruising to show what happens to wandering appendages."

The laughters and snickers stopped as Mwork strutted up and made his announcement. His words bounced around the kids' empty skulls while their eyes tracked him with confused wariness. That wariness turned into youthful cockiness as the snickers returned with a vengeance. Their eyes betrayed their lack of education in street smarts.

"And what are you going to do about old man? Swing that fancy cane at us? Why don't you beat it before you throw out your back."

Now that was just uncalled for. He was just in his late thirties! His abs were only beginning to devolve into a gut from a lack of fighting! Frakking kids don't know how to respect their elders. Not showing deference to someone well dressed and calm in a potentially violent environment was a good way to wind up face down in a gutter during the Dark Years. Well Mwork tried it the easy way, but if they were going to ease his guilt by mocking him, hard way it was.

"Guys I think my words gave old man a senior moment. Let's pack up the stuff annnn-oof!"

These idiots were so busy laughing at their bad humor they stopped watching him. Made it easy to walk up and throw his cane the air. Eyes drew upward by the sudden movement as he gave Loudmouth a haymaker to that mouth. If they had been watching him, he never would have gone for something so telegraphed. Loudmouth wobbled for a moment before crumpling into a heap as the cane ended its flight.

Snickers responded to his friend's fall by pulling out a shiv. Bad move. He swung wide which allowed Mwork to seize his arm and pull him off balance. A liver shot and he is doubling over in agony. The shiv clatters across the ground and out of anyone's reach. Not that it would have done much to the armored vest he had under his suit. Lucky it wasn't a blaster or Snickers would have ate a bolt from the droids.

Chuckles looks at his mates on the ground before meekly raising his hands. Kid should have thought of that before rejecting his offer. Mwork winds up a bolo punch sends the kid flying in a way that would have brought cheers in the ring. The kids where left on the ground quiet or squirming and no fourth opponent emerging from the shadows. The calm signaled the fight's end as Mwork picked his cane back up. All in all a bit of a disappointment. He didn't even have to activate his shockmitts.

"OI MWORK! WHAT YOU ROUGHING UP THOSE LADS FOR!?"

And there is Ms. Whitamayj, right on cue. Mwork glanced up at the aging Togruta hanging out her apartment window. The bat was old back when he was first initiated into the Rancor Maws gang. Always gave baked goods to the younger criminals and retaliation was swift for anyone who gave her trouble. Her screeching was background noise for the local community.

"Just teaching a lesson to some kids who thought they could steal from Vio, Ms. Whitamayj!"

"WELL THEN GIVE THEM A GOOD STOMP ON THE CROTCH FOR ME MWORK! VIO'S GOOD PEOPLE! HELPED ME GET THE PARTS SO I COULD WATCH MY STORIES!"

Good thing Vio insisted on "giving back to the community". If Vio couldn't be feared without going to prison, he figured he might was well be loved. A few cheap bits and bobs sent to the folks for free and suddenly everybody is singing his praises. The boss planned to use that goodwill to build up manpower independent of most of the Guild's influence. They'd still go to the Guild for training and licensing, but he'd have his hooks (and their loyalty) from the beginning. Yet being loved and being soft are too different things, as Mwork had just plainly demonstrated.

"Halt citizen! My sensors have detected a violent altercation has occurred! Do not attempt to flee and explain the situation at once!"

Just after dealing with one obstacle, another pops up. A 501-Z trunged into the courtyard looking to fulfill its peacekeeping programming. Of course it arrived just after things died down. Ah frak it is still staring at me. What was it that Vio told him to say if this happened?

"I was just, uh, performing a citizen's arrest and reclaiming some property for the Skull Market officer. Here's the credentials for the goods and my identification."

One good thing about working with the Guild is Vio gets a bit of leeway when it comes to violence. Leeway which is extends those under him like Mwork. As long as the violence is kept controlled and the right flimsiwork is filed afterwards, roughing up some criminals like this shouldn't draw much heat.

"Scanning…processing documentation…documentation registers as legitimate…beginning preliminary analysis of crime scene…level of force registers as within acceptable levels for Highreach's legal code…very well. Please remain here while a vehicle arrives to take these criminals to the station. Would you like your bounty payment deposited in a personal or business account?"

Well there goes keeping this quiet. Even if Vio clamps the supplier's mouth shut, a police report is going to ensure word gets out. Maybe if Mwork gives Vio the whole bounty it will soothe his anger. The chance to throw some really damaging punches was more than enough. He was getting punch-starved after spending so much time without setting foot in the ring.

——

Whenever there is a crisis, someone is going to try to profit off it. At least the Skull Market is relatively better regulated than most Black Markets in Star Wars and the legalized gunrunners are less likely to shoot you. Vio's indoor market looks a bit like an indoor market like Kirkgate Market in Leeds with the feverish and mishmash aesthetic of an Outer Rim bazaar. Only instead of selling produce, knick-knacks, and assorted jewelry, it sells blasters, raiding gear, and assorted jewelry seized from pirates. Why the guards don't even take bribes or collect "additional" fees!

Mwork's section was intended to demonstrate that despite Las bringing law and order to the Edin system, it still retains some of that "rough and tumble" charm from when it was a hive of scum and villainy. Also poor Mwork really isn't that acquainted with "high class" fashion. The closest he has ever got to fancy folk is guarding the entrance to the VIP section of a nightclub in Highreach and that one time he watched over a businessperson his gang kidnapped for ransom.

Mwork: "I am no longer a gang enforcer. I must look like a respectable security consultant for a legitimate and growing business. A look that says: there goes Mwork, a high class and respected man."

Also Mwork: Comes out of his local suit rental having purchased something like this and walks with his superfluous cane to his fancy used speeder.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: B-65 Colonial Defense Rifle

Production information

Manufacturer: Primitech Solutions (Guild of Commerce, Production and Protection Subsidiary)

Type: Slugthrower rifle

Cost: 300 Credits

Physical and technical specifications

Size: Medium

Materials: Common metals

Weight: 3 Kg

Capacity: 20 round magazine

Range: 150 meters

Rate of fire: 30 rounds a minute

Usage

Availability: Civilian

Roles:

• Minimum industry service rifle

Affiliation:

• Colonial militaries
• Fringers
• Remote farmers

——

Description
"Alright got a good number of generators, some air and water filters, some rations, the prefabs, and some B-65s. Anything else we need before setting out?" - Expedition leader prior to setting out to establish a colony on a remote world.

The B-65 Colonial Defense Rifle is a weapon designed by the Outer Rim for the Outer Rim. Following increased interaction between the Myto and Braxant sectors, Primitech Solutions started exploring potential opportunities in the latter's primitive firearm market. The result was a semiautomatic slugthrower marketed as "a young military's first service rifle". A low power, yet reliable firearm meant to allow colonies isolated by choice, age, or circumstance to be able to field a standardized military.

Design

"What makes a B-65 so easy to maintain? I can count the amount of moving parts in the thing with one hand." - Toydariantalking about the B-65.

The B-65 was designed from the ground up to be simplistic, easy to maintain, and requiring next to no offworld support outside of the initial purchase. To accomplish this both the firearm and the ammunition were made out of metal and other materials commonly that could be produced on most worlds such as steel, aluminum, and brass. The chemical makeup for the gunpowder was also kept to commonly available variants.

Weight was kept light due to expecting soldiers not to have access to vehicles and have to march on their own feet. Most able bodied sentients could lug a B-65 around in long marches without too much difficulty. A wooden stock was sometimes used to further lighten the weapon, but a metal option was more widely used.

However what truly made a B-65 a dream for armorers was the lack of moving parts. There were only three moving parts in the whole firearm: the trigger assembly, the magazine and the recoil spring. B-65s had no firing pin, rather they relied on a milled-in nub that served to smash into the rimfire primer and set off the cartridge as the bolt slammed forward. There wasn't even a dedicated ejector for the shell casings. Instead the B-65 was manufactured in such a way that the blowback was directed so the casing would be ejected out of the barrel in reaction to the gun being fired.

Overall the B-65 is an efficient slugthrower that sacrifices quality and performance in exchange for ease of manufacture and reliability. The simplicity and cheapness allowed the B-65 to be produced en masse without too much industrial investment on Primitech's part to keep costs low. The firearm can be used for decades without much decrease in functionality if it is kept in decent condition and storage.

Performance
"Might not have the same punch as a high quality hunting blaster, but I can crank out the parts and ammo in my workshop and I don't have to take a trip to the Starport every month. - Fringer discussing the maintenance benefits of the B-65.

Performance wise the B-65 is fairly lackluster. Choosing to scrimp on the materials did lead to a decrease in long range accuracy. The B-65 was designed with unarmored sentients or local wildlife as the main intended targets. It can penetrate leather and armorweave even if it may struggle a bit. However things like durasteel are almost entirely resistant to a round from a B-65, let alone things like an armored vehicle or a megafauna. Droids were also fairly resistant, although of a round can hit the joints or make it to the internals it can still do some damage. Even a sentient with fairly tough skin such as a Trunsk can take over a dozen good hits to incapacitate. Most of the time colonial militaries use things like explosives such as grenades or rockets, or fixed defenses like turrets rather than relying on their B-65s for the heavier opponents.

So how does a B-65 make up for its poor firepower? Mainly through quantity and volume of fire. Remember the B-65 is designed to be used as a service weapon. It is meant to be used on the squad level, not the individual level. When you are being shot at by a B-65 it is usually not just one rifle, but rather ten to a dozen firing at once. Whatever small raid or pack of animals that is attacking tends to be smaller than a colonial military in total. If they can bring those numbers to bear, then quantity can usually outweigh the quality of the weapon.

For that reason the B-65 is encouraged to be used in a defensive manner. In order to more easily concentrate as many firearms to the location under attack as possible. B-65s are optimally used behind a fixed position in a large group. Thankfully most new colonies only have one or two locations worth defending anyway, so this situation tended to happen without much intention. As an added benefit, a defensive stance usually meant most colonial militaries are right next to their main supply base, negating most of the logistical downsides of using large amounts of slugthrowers.

Sales
"Do you know far out from the common hyperlanes we are? The shipping costs for the gas alone would break our budget. Just order some B-65s, spend a few weeks training a new armorer to keep the things working, and move on." - A yearly budget meeting on a newly settled world discussing defense spending.

The B-65 targeted a very specific clientele at a specific point in their lives. B-65's were marketed towards new colonies in the process of setting up their first military formations. While it is not that hard to acquire a blaster in the Outer Rim, getting hundreds of fairly uniform blasters and the infrastructure to keep them running was beyond most colonies in their initial years. Even more so if they were in a remote part of a sector away from the main hyperlanes. Also at those amounts an organization had to almost always buy new instead of used given tracking down hundreds of used guns of a specific model is usually not worth the additional effort and time needed. To say nothing of the erratic rate of equipment failure that would cause in a military.

Analysts at Primitech estimated the period a colony starts forming a military beyond an emergency militia was around when the main settlement started getting above the 20,000 number in permanent residents. Large enough that the colony could sustain raising a company of soldiers out of the unemployed and the unspecialized, too large for the few squads of law enforcement to handle every threat, and still too small to reliably import or manufacture blasters. The B-65 was meant to arm these initial colonial militaries with cheap and reliable weapons until their budget and infrastructure grew large enough to equip their military with blasters like most PDFs. The B-65s were often kept past this period as a weapon to be given to third and fourth line formations instead of spending the extra Credits on blasters for soldiers unlikely to see any action.

Primitech primarily sold in bulk orders with their most popular size being the company size. Company size was enough B-65s in to arm every soldier in a company and enough ammunition for a quiet training year for about 50,000 Credits plus shipping. By the time the purchased ammo runs out a local workshop is usually converted to make spare parts and ammo which means no more reliance on offworld trade or industry.

For reference, arming a similarly sized company with new A280 blaster Rifles would cost 187,200 Credits. To say nothing of the additional cost in infrastructure and supplies needing to be built, shipped in, and staffed to maintain all those blasters. If a frontier colony could acquire that kind of machinery in the first place, which it likely could not in its starting years. Even if a colony had the option to outfit their military with A280s, most would probably prefer a company of poorly armed soldiers over a platoon of decently armed ones to patrol all the hopefully empty land surrounding their still developing colony. If a patrol with the B-65s gets eaten, then at least it was a smaller percentage of their forces and the colony now knows which direction to position the rest of the military.

In a bid to make the B-65 more marketable to its customers, every order of over fifty rifles came with complementary detailed technical manuals for how to set up manufacturing for spare parts and ammunition for the B-65. The manuals used simple language and had options for manufacturing by hand or with whatever machinery could commonly be found in a workshop in a new colony. This often meant Primitech lost sales in those ammo and parts, but its buyers were often so remote that the shipping costs would have eaten up all the profit anyway. Also a colony that survived was more likely to purchase B-65s for a second and third company than one that ran out of supplies and died to pirates or hostile wildlife.

Another group of buyers Primitech found for their weapon was among isolationist worlds and communities. Worlds that for one reason or another wished to keep industry and starship traffic artificially low. These could be Luddites who reject advanced technology, nature worshippers who despise pollution, hyper-specialized artisan communities who do not want to commit the resources for extensive arms production, or just isolated exclaves seeking to remain separate from the wider galaxy for ideological or other reasons. These fringe communities saw the B-65 as a way to increase their self sufficiency while not sacrificing too much collective self defense capability.

Sadly the B-65 found far less success among individual buyers. Outside of the occasional fringer wanting to play hermit, a farmer looking for some self defense, or the occasional slugthrower enthusiast, most individual buyers preferred purchasing blasters over the B-65. This was especially true in the Guild with its robust logistics network. Mercenaries saw the rifle as a weapon meant for hicks in remote worlds and generally not worth the space it would take up in their loadout when even a sporting blaster could perform better in a lot of metrics.

Overall the B-65 is considered a financial failure by Primitech. The target market was too niche and the profit margins were too small to warrant the capital spent on the project. For every military contract they made with a colony, that often equated to less than 250,000 Credits in sales with higher expenses than was standard due to the remote nature of their clientele. Other military firearm contracts broke a million Credits per world easy even if it was just a support weapon. Even if the B-65 did break even, it barely did more than that. Prices couldn't be raised and improvements couldn't be added lest the B-65's small market share dry up to the then cheaper alternatives. Add in its durable nature and ease of maintenance and repeat sales per world were limited at best. The gun was made too efficiently for the company's own good.

Production was only kept open due to a combination of good PR, government subsidies and contracts, the current rate new worlds are being settled in the galactic area, and the prestige that came with the B-65 being included in development aid packages. The moment any of the above four start waning, Primitech is likely to halt production. However that would do little to stop the usage of the B-65, as the dissemination of technical specs in the manuals means copycat designs are liable to appear to pick up the slack should that occur.

Conclusion
"How did this dirtball get so many frakking guns!? *gasp!* Killshot nooooo! Don't go off into that bright looiiiiight! - Pirate experiencing the effectiveness of coordinated B-65 fire.

Two words that can be used to describe the B-65 would be purpose built. The gun was made for colonial militaries in their infancy to defend themselves and it does that job well enough. It gives any world in the galactic area a solid dependable floor in terms of military strength. B-65s may not be used for long in the relative scale of a world's history. However more and more planets are going to have their PDF's history started with some former day laborer clad in nothing more than fatigues and a helmet, carrying a B-65 in their arms.

——

Meet the B-65. A tier zero rifle designed to be used by military formations on distant underdeveloped worlds. Something you would see starter units use in a RTS game before you did any research in the tech tree or built any special buildings. Worlds isolated enough from the rest of the galaxy's logistics network can often struggle to maintain blasters long term. No matter how snazzy a gun is, most militaries won't adopt something en masse unless they can maintain it reliably.

The B-65 was created to showcase the difference between a mercenary wanting to arm themselves out of their own pocket and a squad of infantry being armed with a defense budget. In the latter case, quantity and reliability often win out over quality and flashy bits. The B-65 was tailor made for the best case scenario for using large numbers of slugthrowers in Star Wars, and even then I struggled to justify making it more than a barely profitable niche product due to the logistical costs and the Forever Pencil Problem. Blasters won the war for logistics and mass quantity for a reason.

Inspiration for this one is the Gevarm E1, a semi-automatic rifle made by the French in the 50s.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Dlazblaster Carbine

Production information

Manufacturer: Delkanor Munitions (member of BGES)

Type: blaster carbine

Nicknames: The Garbage Gun, The Hand Firework, The Blaster With Alcoholism

Cost: 500 Credits (10 Credits a power pack)

Physical and technical specifications

Size: Small

Weight: 2 Kg

Capacity: 40 shot per Shrud gas power pack

Range: 40 meter

Rate of fire: 120 rounds a minute (if no malfunction occurs)

Usage

Availability: Licensed

Role:

• Poor quality, but available blaster

Affiliation:

• Low ranking BGES mercenaries
• Braxant Locals

——

Description
"Look if you want blasters in the Braxant sector, Delkanor is the way to go. Even if they tend to be malfunctioning pieces of slag." - An independent mercenary advises a rookie on getting a firearm at the tail end of the Braxant Blaster Drought.

The Dlazblaster carbine represents the Braxant Sector's slow climb back from its technological regression. A low yield blaster using low grade blaster gas. Nevertheless this weapon shows how much a Sector can endure and recover once its leadership changes.

Design
"Why does your blaster always smell faintly of booze and burnt vomit?" - A comment from a sentient with a sensitive nose about the Dlazblaster's unique aroma after firing.

The Dlazblaster was designed by Delkanor Munitions, a founding member of the BGES. Specializing in larger weaponry and some mining equipment contracts. The dearth of blasters during Moff Surrde's reign caused them to begin researching a variant of blaster gas that could be produced cheaply and locally. Their research concluded and refineries were online shortly before the end of Surrde's term and life. The mix would be come to be known as Shrud gas.

Shrud gas is a mix of ingredients either already in Delkanor's supply chain or could be easily acquired in the Braxant Sector. Its primary ingredient was solid fuel slugs used in beamdrills that were liquified, heavily diluted, and then evaporated. The other two main ingredients were a bit more novel compared to conventional mixes. Chemicals harvested from the bile extracted from the pellets of Buffle Hens were added to improve the power of its bolts to below mediocre levels. Acquisition was simple due to the Buffle being a common livestock on some agriworlds in the Braxant sector. Finally some Edicetus brand 140 proof absinthe to give the mix some much needed stability and shelf life. Further research being done to deal with the smell after using Shrud gas is ongoing.

Delkanor then built an economical blaster around the use of its newly invented gas. Mostly because using Shrud gas in other blasters was considered a waste of a good blaster. Shrud gas tended to produce thin bolts so a carbine design was settled on. Gas was kept in a drum-like blaster power pack which was inserted into the bottom of the Dlazblaster. Braxant's low level of industrialization and technological advancement necessitated a more uncomplicated design. Components were kept cheap and easily made with a focus on quick fixes over long lasting use. Overall the Dlazblaster was a cheap carbine that performed below the galactic standard. However it was cheap and available, two things that made it attractive in the Braxant Sector during the early ABYs.

Performance (Issues)
"The Dlazblaster is a great way to learn trigger discipline. Mainly because if you don't exercise it, you might end up losing that trigger finger." - Advice on how to use a Dlazblaster.

While the invention of a new blaster gas is a notable achievement, utilizing the Dlazblaster as its testbed and flagship product had left the carbine with a myriad of issues. Users of a Dlazblaster were encouraged to keep a Blaster Repair Kit on hand to prevent a malfunction from cascading into lasting damage. To the blaster or the user.

For one Shrud gas has tended to overheat more frequently than standard gas mixes. This was not helped by the subpar quality of the components used in the Dlazblaster's construction. Attempting to fire an entire power pack of ammunition at once was unlikely to succeed without some malfunction happening. This did not stop some from trying anyway and potentially losing a hand. Thankfully the low yield of Shrud gas made these explosions mostly survivable, especially given the pack was usually low on gas when the blaster went off.

Speaking of explosions, the Dlazblaster also had an issue where the remnants and byproducts of Schrud gas had a tendency to build up in the gas chamber without more frequent clearing than standard. This build up had nasty habit of igniting whenever the XCiter ever got too hot from overheating. These usually small ignitions were barely noticeable until they eventually wore down the chamber. Most users recognize the wear and swap out the chamber before anything goes wrong. Those that don't tend to meet a similar fate as those in the above paragraph.

To further discourage holding down the trigger, the Dlazblaster had a nasty kick despite the low power of its bolts. This can lead to the barrel jerking erratically without an iron grip on the weapon, further decreasing the weapon's lacking accuracy. Typical firing was done in bursts with two hands from the hip to minimize spread. Precision shooting wasn't too common given the weapon's low power being insufficient to secure a kill in one shot.

Conclusion
"It's over Officer Plainclo Thesman! My boys got you surrounded with Dlazblasters ready to fill you full of holes!" - Rodian Holodrama villain Furjo Bfangafika in the Plainclo Thesman action series.

Delkanor's experimentation reminds the galaxy that when a sector was hit hard, it can attempt to recover with surprising vigor. However that doesn't make the Dlazblaster carbine and its Shurd gas anything more than an attempt to fill the void until more standard blasters take over the market again. Still, if one wants some light suppressing fire on the cheap, the Dlazblaster is at least affordable on most budgets. As long as one ignores the lingering smell after every firefight.

——

This is my exploration into the examples of blaster weapons that are made below normal galactic standards. We see mainly galactic brands like BlasTech in most Star Wars media, but there probably exists a quality/ubiquity level below that at the sector or sub sector level. The Dlazblaster looks like a sketchy TEC-9 with the long magazine replaced with a drum shaped blaster power pack you slap on the bottom. To further cement Braxant's status as Myto's poorer and more suspect sibling.

As for Shrud gas, there exists hundreds of blaster gas mixes in Star Wars and some of them have some pretty wacky ingredients. Like the one that adds berries and Morodin slime secretions for that extra kick. With how gutted Braxant's blaster market is, it leaves room for the less… appreciated mixes to gain some market share. This particular mix comes from researching strange things people have tried to make gunpowder out of and trying to come up with similar ingredients for the Star Wars galaxy. Old gun smoke tended to smell like rotten eggs due to high sulfur content in old gunpowder, and that was before some people tried adding brandy and manure byproducts to the mix.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Well I got inspired by all the suggestions and designs. So here's a potential ground vehicle for Myto's Imperial Army

Omake: Ferdana Light Tank

Production Information

Manufacturer: Myto Sector Imperial Government

Model: Ferdana Light Tank

Type: Light repulsortank

Nicknames: The Trainer, Young Reliable, Ablative Armor, The Crib Coffin

Cost:

• 38,000 Credits

——

Technical Specifications

Engine unit(s): Repulsorlift

Speed: 250 km/h

Shielding: Equipped

Power: Fusion generator

Hull: Armored hull

Sensors: Equipped

Armament:

• 1 light repeating blaster
• 1 medium blaster cannon

Crew: 4

• 1 driver (front station)
• 1 gunner (top station)
• 1 tank commander (center station)
• 1 comms and sensor operator (back station)
• 1 optional seat for a free hand or instructor (small side seat near the front station)

Minimum crew: 1

Cargo Capacity: 200 kg

Life Support: equipped

Consumables: 8 days

Other systems:

• Integrated fire control and assistance
• Standardized crew stations with PAD screens

——

Usage

Availability: Military

Roles:

• Low skill floor armored vehicle
• Fire support
• Flanking attacks
• Skirmisher
• Insulating attrition
• Trainer vehicle

Affiliation:

• Myto Sector Imperial Army

——

Description
"Eyes on your screen and easy on the handles cadet Cawsei. Now run the course while cadet D'reno handles the aiming." - Myto Imperial academy instructor guiding new cadets through their first drive with a Ferdana.

The Ferdana Light Tank is an armored ground vehicle designed to accommodate an expansion of the Myto Sector Imperial Army. An increase of training facilities and graduates in the Sector was predicted to lead to an increase in undertrained tank crews until the academies' curriculum and staff could be properly organized and tested. This hovertank was made simple and easy to control to allow green crews to be fielded with minimal risk of catastrophic accidents due to inexperience.

Design
"Look we are in the strange position of having more production than skilled crews. Let's just use the former to make up for the latter." - Myto Sector Imperial Army procurement committee.

A Ferdana is as uncomplicated as a tank can get. Its chassis is a rectangular structure with a single rotatable turret on top. Said turret at base contains a single blaster cannon for armored targets and a repeating blaster for fighting infantry. Nothing from its armor to its engine is that innovative. It uses typically well known components from well known manufacturers with the fact it is an Imperial Military vehicle giving it access to some good supply contracts to keep the price down.

The most notable thing about the Ferdana is the focus placed on ease of use. Locomotion is handled by a repulsorlift that is designed for stability and handling over top speeds. The low armament means there are fewer weapons for the crew to keep track of in the chaos of combat. Care was taken to make the structural layout of the Ferdana simple to understand and easy to traverse. Quality of life additions such as enhanced temperature controls were also added to minimize stress on deployment. All this is meant to keep inexperienced crews calm on their first deployment and allow them to focus on the enemy rather than becoming anxious about if they twist some knob left or right.

This focus on ease of use is exemplified in its standardized crew stations. Each Ferdana contains four crew stations. One in the front for the driver to control the vehicle, one on top for the gunner to aim and fire the weapons, one in the center for the tank commander to issue orders, assign objectives, and designate targets, and one in the back for the sensor and comms specialist to facilitate internal and external communications. This division is to allow each crew mate to maintain focus on a single aspect of the tank to make full use of their limited experience and skill in doing that one thing.

Each crew station is designed in the same layout as the others. The two handle bars in the driver's station for driving the tank are the same type of handle bars for the gunner to aim the turret and fire the weapons with the other stations having empty slots for those handle bars as well. The internal communication system for the tank commander is structured the same as the external communication system the comms specialist uses. All four stations use the same PAD screen for display and they all use the same program structure and operating system. Even the chairs are kept similar so swapping from one to other feels familiar to the crews no matter which station they are switching too. This also helps if a crew mate gets incapacitated as it is fairly easy to have another crew mate substitute and perform the bare minimum of that station.

This standardization also allows a Ferdana to be controlled from a single crew station if said station was configured correctly. However by the point someone demonstrates that level of proficiency and multitasking, they should have been moved to a more advanced vehicle to better make use of their talents. It is still just a Ferdana after all.

Performance
"Wow this feels just like the trainer."

"That's because it is the exact same model as the trainer." - Two fresh graduates out of a newly opened Sector Army academy in Malgoaan.

In terms of performance the Ferdana was an unimpressive, if reliable tank. That reliability combined with its price allowed it to be deployed basically anywhere in the Myto Sector with minimal concern for logistics or terrain. However it was slower than the more ubiquitous and popular Imperial-class repulsortank line. In addition to the stigma of being made by an Outer Rim designer meant it did not see wider adoption. Most Imperial Army commanders saw the Ferdana as an unnecessary compromise between the light and medium Imperial-class with none of the flexibility of having interchangeable parts between the light, medium, and heavy variants of the latter. Yet there were plenty of other roles the Ferdana could fulfill besides acting as a main battle tank.

The Ferdana proved quite popular with light formations primarily made up of infantry. A single Ferdana could serve as a fire support platform and armored anchor for their infantry platoons. Expected opposition for these formations was infantry and light vehicles, both of which would consider a Ferdana a significant threat. This came at minimal logistical cost since the Ferdana required barely more advanced maintenance facilities than the personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles already in use by these formations. A Ferdana would basically act as the heaviest option in a light force.

Armored formations also learned to appreciate what the Ferdana had to offer. In these groups Ferdana tanks tended to act more as insulation for heavier or specialized vehicles such as Broadswords and LECAs. Whenever a need for skirmishing, flanking, or vanguard duty came up, most commanders found it easier to risk relatively more expendable Ferdanas while keeping their heavier metal in reserve. This allowed these formations to maintain peripheral operations without running the risk of having their elite troops and powerful vehicles unavailable for the primary battle due to damage or destruction from attrition. A Ferdana would basically act as the lightest option in a heavy force.

On a lighter tone, the Ferdana also made an excellent training vehicle. There was enough room next to the driver station for a small seat. An instructor could sit there, connect an academy PAD with the proper codes they brought with them to the Ferdana's stations. Doing this allowed them to instruct the cadet crew while also being able to monitor what each cadet is doing at their station. This lead to the driver station being nicknamed the Hotspot by Ferdana crews due its proximity to the instructor during exams.

Conclusion
"I don't need no baby tank! I am going to ride a real tank the first day out of the academy!" - Recording played at a disciplinary hearing after a new graduate crashed a heavy Imperial-class into a warehouse.

The Ferdana was never going to be the next big thing in tanks. It was designed to meet a purpose that was outside the purview of most other models and it does it quite well. Providing green crews with a safe and reliable first vehicle was never a real concern in the Imperial Military. However as the chaos of the Galactic Civil War forces cadets into the field earlier and earlier, the Ferdana will provide that little bit of comfort in increasingly desperate times.

——

With the coming investment and expansion of the Imperial Army, the proportion of green soldiers is going to grow a lot. If it is anything like the naval expansion, then their quality post-graduation is going to be called into question at best. So here is a dead simple to operate light tank to stick them into until they get some experience and learn what not to apply from the ISB's "helpful lectures".

The Ferdana is for those groundpounder regiments just out of the academies that are either semi-permanently planetside or attached to larger generalized formations. I went for handle bar controls because it was fairly easy control system for me to pick up on back when I drove riding mowers at an old job. One could actually be pretty agile with those mowers once you got good at it. Inspiration for this chassis is the KhTZ-16. A Soviet improvised fighting vehicle that ran on a tractor engine. If want a mental image just imagine one of those, but it's a hovertank, rotatable turret, and a bit more quality of life additions.

As an aside, sweet Force is the Imperial-class repulsortank a good, slightly generic vehicle to pump out a metric ton of and be usable in 90% of situations. It felt odd being on the other side of the "make everything parts compatible" line. Still, at least the Ferdana has ease of use over it. Hopefully.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Manda, Tanda, Tomato, Tomoto

POV: Warchief Plainsbleeder of the Windnotcher Clan, Head of Breeze Shear Companions LLC, a RII Alliance Mercenary Company in the BGES, Nuyerum, Braxant Sector

"Warchief, the prey is making their way through the valley."

Plainsbleeder jolted as Grassslice's words spoke through his earbud commlink. The Tanda Warchief was still not used to the whispering stones gifted to them. One of the many signs of favor from Marv Delinian, the local High Chief of the Grand Imperial Confederation that ruled most of the galaxy. It had only been two generations since the Tanda clans first encountered peoples from the stars. Now they had gone from sporadic contact to traveling those same stars under the patronage of one so high in galactic society.

"When they pass the tip of the middle mountain, we shall emerge from our camouflage nets, not a moment sooner. Let us repay the gifts our patron has granted us."

It all started when the High Chief's representatives, the Beegees, visited the Tando clans and announced a great contest to find and honor the greatest of local warrior peoples across the Sector. The clans that joined would be shipped to a world filled with enemies of the Imperials. Whomever could bring plenty of the enemy dead would enjoy bountiful boons from High Chief Delinian. While the Windnotchers clan may be small compared to our peers, we contained some of the fiercest warriors of our people. Naturally we participated in the contest, where we were declared the Breeze Shear Companions LLC by the Beegees Flimsitalker in charge of managing the contestants.

Over the course of that first contest we returned with many hearts and heads to the Beegees outpost. The latter being requested after the first bagful of the more traditional former. Not that the High Chief seemed bothered. He had clapped his hands at the sight of the organs splayed across the reception desk, declaring that they would be the equal to the Manda clans in the Myto sector. Plainsbleeder did not know of these clans, but they must be mighty indeed to be considered the Tanda's peers.

High Chief Delinian had proven true to his word, offering many technological wonders to his people and the promise to host further contests across the sector through his Beegees. Many clans had jumped at the opportunity to earn more glory and wealth. Warchief Plainsbleeder had chosen the Voidwind as their primary prize, so that the entire Windnotcher clan might dedicate themselves to traveling world to world indulging in the Guild's contests of blood and honor.

"Now my companions! Let their cries birth new sorrowwinds across this world!"

The Windnotchers emerged from the camouflage net and their Gutkurrs screeched to the skies wearing their new armor. Plainsbleeder's companions charged down the hill. The vicious beasts bucked and leapt, but the Tando had long since learned to move and shoot with the rhythm. A flurry of blades from Vac Attack disc launchers and slugs from looted pistols cut into their quarry's pale flesh and vehicles alike. Yet another earned improvement over throwing knives one by one.

As the companions drew near the pig men squealed and scrambled to respond. Their slugthrowers prove incapable of penetrating Tando chitin armor. Eventually the warband got close enough to fire stun net launchers at priority targets. Plainsbleeder had instructed his companions to aim for the ones with the most opulent decorations. Those were usually the ones who the Beegees pay the most for alive.

"See them scatter and quake! Run them down and grant them a coward's reward!"

These walking pigs proved a poor substitute for the ferocious green ones whom Plainsbleeder tangled with in the past. Now that their quarry had routed, it was time to wet their blades to save on ammo. Gutkurrs happily tore into those that ran, while the companions' shotels proved even more deadly after being upgraded into vibro-weapons. It did not take long for those that resisted to be mauled, dismembered, and finally beheaded.

"Another successful hunt. Call Groundnicker and the others to bring the repulsorcanoes to carry the loot and captives back to the Voidwind."

Gone were the days of having Gutkurrs pull warcanoes across the plains. The High Chief's gifts made hauling heads, captives, and loot a breeze. The non-Tanda merchants are appreciative our Gutkurr no longer attempt to chew their soft bits off whilst haggling. Too many times a deal has soured by a the cry from a bleeding stump or other portion being taken.

Now those beasts were turned to their true calling, that of the hunt. Tando calvary range ahead as outriders and chase down those Imperial warbands are too unwieldy to catch. This change has led to better temperaments among the Gutkurrs as noted by the Mandiblescritchers. Such as Groundnicker and the others who arrive to carry back their prizes. Someone calls Plainsbleeder's name before he can inquire how the rest of the herd is doing.

"Plainsbleeder! A fine haul you have secured for this contest. Have you given much thought to where the clan share will go? Perhaps towards that proposal I mentioned?"

The voice belonged to Wallscraper, the chief Flimsitalker of the Windnotchers. Most Tanda know enough letters in Aurebesh to interact in non-Tanda settlements. However these specialists are those that make it their primary role in the clan. It is they who handle the obscure and complex mysteries that the wider sector operate under in order to safeguard the interests of their kin.

Many a Warchief has learned not to dismiss their Flimsitalker's expertise in light tablet incantations of the HoloNet Plane and the mysteries of the clerical cults who interact with the Bureaucratic Plane. Wallscraper had explained to him that these near-invisible Planes lie adjacent to our physical reality and to each other. The rest of the galaxy had learned rituals and invocations to manipulate these alternate Planes for their own survival and benefit. Apparently there are whole worlds dedicated to these Planes and to the entities that lurk within them, seeking to enact their will upon the physical reality.

"I had been considering purchasing another voidship. The Voidwind has been becoming rather cramped when the clan, the Guttkurrs, and the repulsorcanoes all stuff in there. However the ritual you and the other Flimsitalkers learned from the Tall Folk sounds interesting."

The Windnotchers and the other clans have done many favors for the Tall Folk by guarding their voidships and collecting on favors owed. Truly nothing gives Plainsbleeder more pleasure than righting the scales of balance and ensuring justice is maintained in the sector. In exchange the Tall Folk have provided generous payment and loot allocations, in addition to instructing the Flimsitalkers in further mysteries of their craft.

Lately Wallscraper and the Flimsitalkers of the other clans been in many meetings with each other. They say it might be a time to enact a grand confederating ritual that the Tall Folk have taught to them which they call the Corporate Merger. Many non-Tanda in the Beegees and beyond utilize this ritual's power to increase their wealth and prestige. Performing a Corporate Merger ritual would involve much oath swearing and gift giving as well as many hours of complex incantations being etched into the light tablets. Wallscraper says the ritual will bind the names, fortunes, and power of the Tanda clans to summon forth a new entity onto the Bureaucratic Plane called Tanda Confederated Incorporated. This entity shall be under the clans' collective power and can be used to ensure the prosperity and security for the Tanda people.

"Very well, Wallscraper. I shall put both my own and the clan's share of this contest towards the enacting of the Corporate Merger. I shall sacrifice so that the winds may guide your hand when conducting the ritual."

Truthfully Plainsbleeder does worry the Windnotchers may be changing too fast too soon. However he also sees the powers and rituals the rest of the sector use for even the most mundane task. The Windnotchers were always going to have to change the moment they left their homeworld. It is not a question of going back, but of how to ride the winds they are now caught up in.

It will be Plainsbleeder's job to ensure his clan is not flayed alive by the great winds that blow through the Braxant sector. In order to accomplish this, the Windnotchers must continue to complete contests and earn further prestige and wealth. So that when the time comes to summon forth Tanda Confederated Incorporated, he shall be named to be on the Board of Directing and be able to guide this new entity for the good of his clan and all Tanda.

——

Eh, bloodthirsty Mandalorian warrior clans, bloodthirsty local warrior clans, tomato, tomoto. One is heavy infantry flying on jet packs, the other is light calvary riding vicious bug mounts, it is all the same isn't it? I can see Moff Marv wanting to mimic Las and get his own mercenary Mandalorians, but also being lazy enough to take some shortcuts and settle for whatever warrior peoples he can find at home that sound close enough. It is not like straight up bare chested, loincloth, wearing, barbarians are that hard to find in the Star Wars galaxy, especially in the Outer Rim. There is something amusing to me about the concept of a bunch of primitive barbarians being given access to sci fi technology and then trying to fit things like ordering takeout from a website on a tablet or navigating labyrinthine bureaucracy into their worldview. Surely empowering a bunch of semi nomadic barbarian tribes with sci fi technology and scattering them across the economically depressed and under equipped Braxant sector will have no consequences in the future.

The Tanda clans may not have the Mandalorian's equipment, training, technology, or general knowledge of the wider galaxy, but they got spirit and a willingness to use newly discovered tools to their advantage. Really the Tanda clans' greatest strength is having a class of people who understand the levers of galactic society and decide not to exploit that knowledge to the point of their people's collective detriment. They still exploit it for their own personal benefit, just not enough to try to screw over everyone else in their society. That's the model of restraint compared to some other examples *cough*Senator Dorr-Femi-Bonmi*cough*.

Spoiler: Totally ignorant vs. ignorant, yet interactive musing that got away from me.

Wallscraper's explanation equating corporations and bureaucracies to something akin to spirits and bureaucratic flimsiwork and utilizing the HoloNet as rituals is factually incorrect. However, it is contextually correct enough that the average Tando can conceptualize it and start adapting and utilizing these concepts for their own purposes. Essentially connecting A to D without getting bogged down trying to understand the complicated mechanics behind B or C. One doesn't need to know a mechanic's knowledge of how a car works to get that gas pedal make car go and turning steering wheel make car turn.

Plainsbleeder doesn't need to understand the exact bureaucratic mechanics involved in a corporate merger. He just needs be informed enough of what the requirements and effects of the merger would be, and how to delegate performing that process to those skilled and trusted enough to make it happen i.e. the Tanda Flimsitalkers. People make those kind of decisions about mechanisms of society they are mostly ignorant of all the time. Trying to explain the in-depth intricacies to someone who is technologically illiterate of how an IT Wizard fixes their computer, someone who is financially illiterate how a Financial Planner transmutes their savings into a retirement fund, or the average citizen who has been in a presidential republic their whole lives how a parliamentary election works will tend to earn you a similar uncomprehending stare followed by a one-two eye blink the average Tanda does trying to understand the HoloNet.

Just because someone is ignorant of something, doesn't mean they are unable to interact and benefit from it. The floor of understanding required to utilize complex societal institutions is lower than a lot of people think. Plenty of sentients in Star Wars are going to operate at that level when thrust into the wider galaxy with little to no perpetration. Especially if it is not by choice like being captured and enslaved by pirates or the Empire.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Auxiliary Matters of Least Concern

POV: Bria Cur, Imperial Auxiliary Private, Imperial excavation site H-745, Vantaen, Myto Sector

"I spy with my little eye… something blue!"

Corporal Curti groaned at Bria's challenge. This was her favorite challenge back during her indenture aboard the Cramped Hindquarters. She had joined the advanced trade vessel to see the stars like other Shaull. A fellow crew mate taught her this challenge to help keep her eyesight keen on long voyages. It was harder to stay active and trained on a ship than when she was back on her homeworld.

"Let me guess, the blue grass all around our outpost?"

Drat, Private Pelto was always so good at this challenge. Was he reading her thoughts somehow? Bria heard some especially capable Imperials could do that from the gossip among the Auxiliaries, but she didn't put much stock in it. Why would Private Pelto be in the Auxiliaries if he had such a potent ability?

"Aaarrrgghh! I am sick of standing around doing nothing! I am a loyal Imperial citizen who joined to defend her home! Why am I stuck in the middle of nowhere!?"

Bria flinched as Corporal Curti threw her blast helmet on the floor. Poor Corporal Curti did not take it well when she heard about the HoloNet going down and the possibility of it being enemy action. She was always so passionate about their work. Bria had spied the Imzig staying up late reading through protocols while they were being shipped to Vantaen. She probably expected to be out in an Arbiter, combating pirates every other day and being showered in the applause of rescued civilians. Not to be left in the middle of a barely settled region spending days keeping watch over near empty plains.

"You are here because some crusty old fop in the Imperial Archeological Division claims to have uncovered "the find of the century" at the ruins a few kilometers behind us. He didn't have the political capital to pull a detachment of Stormtroopers for security detail from IMSDP like he wanted, so got our company instead."

Although Private Pelto's explanation was a bit mean to Professor Blarmsmorth and his invaluable work, it was accurate. After their battalion gathered up we were immediately assigned to the Imperial Military Secondment Deployment Pool. IMSDP was a designation for Imperial units to be put on standby and be available for planetary governments, Governors, or high ranking Imperial officials to request a deployment of seconded troops to protect interests valuable to the Empire. Bria was honored at the speech where Professor Blarmsmorth announced that small part she and her company would play in such a grand discovery. She even got to help in the initial digging with her entrenching tool before her squad was sent to man this outpost.

"Of course you are fine with this Pelto. You only joined the Auxiliaries for pay and food. Well some of us joined for more than steady pay and rations. Some of us want to defend our families from the chaos that keeps haunting the Sector."

Okay now Corporal Curti was lashing out. They all had received much from the Empire. If the Empire hadn't intervened when Bria's former captain tried to "uphold" her indenture after the ship was damaged beyond repair, she would still be "indentured" to the man today. Luckily the local Imperials got very upset with him when he tried to convince her that was how things were done. Corporal Curti disparaging the gratitude they felt was stepping over a line.

"Corporal Curti I understand you are upset at not being able to draw blood to those that endanger your kin, but we are doing important work here. Professor Blarmsmorth's discovery was important enough to the Empire that someone was going to get sent. If the job has to be done, better it be us so our better trained and armed comrades can take the fight to the enemy."

Bria is sure their commander Major Scham would also want to get into the fight. She still remembers the Major's inspiring tale he gave when her company left of how he defeated a whole Rebel platoon single-handedly. A war hero who had fought in a hundred battles for the Empire must be raring to lead their battalion into fray. If the Empire was willing to send someone as capable as him to lead us mere Auxiliaries, then they must have the situation well in hand.

"Look I may not be as patriotic as you two, but Bria has the right attitude. Just because we can't see the impact we are making, doesn't mean we aren't making a difference. While I am mostly in this Auxiliary gig for the pay and to get out of the slums, I don't want the Sector to fall either. Can't exactly spend my Imperial Credits if there is no Empire in the area to say they are worth anything. We are all invested in the Empire's success in our own way."

As Private Pelto continues to try to calm down Corporal Curti, Bria notices movement in the corner. She sees a fanged maw open up a meter from Corporal Curti's exposed neck. Too close to trust the shoddy accuracy of her CDEF rifle. With a practiced motion she takes out her knife and throws it straight into the eye of the creature. The feathery reptile is left impaled into the wall of the outpost hanging limply with a slight sway. The sudden instance of violence snaps her two fellow Auxiliaries out of their conversation.

"See. Like Private Pelto said. We are keeping watch over this place for potential dangers to the Empire. We are the eyes of the Empire in its most distant corners so its heavier hands can roam freely. Now who wants to check in back at base to see if this beast is edible? The rest of our squad will be back from patrol with the X-34 and the speeder bike soon and some fresh meat stew should be just the thing to cheer everyone up."

Bria had already taken out her knife and begun butchering and skinning the beast with habitual ease. The motions reminded of those massiffs she killed and skinned back when some pirates attacked the Cramped Hindquarters. Just like then they should not let good skin and meat go to waste. Imagine her squad's faces when Bria waves them in for some fresh food. She'll have to wash her hands and face of the blood before the cooking begins. They all needed some relaxation to unwind. Maybe when they get some leave time Bria will invite the two on a trip to Tantooine. She heard from the squad that they have great water parks there. Oooh they could make it a beach trip! She has never been on one of those before.

——

Imperial Auxiliary Battalion Order of Battle and Doctrine Reviewby General Gras Umbra

IAB Order of Battle

Type: Light Infantry

Sub-type: Low-cost screening unit

Troop numbers (excluding support personnel and droids):

• 650 per battalion
• 149 per company
• 36 per platoon
• 9 per squad

Standard Auxiliary trooper equipment load-out:

• Blast vest
• Blast helmet
• CDEF rifle
• Entrenching tool
• Comlink
• Small backpack for food, water, ammo, and other miscellaneous supplies

Company level sub weapons:

• 3 BlasTech light repeating blasters
• 2 "Light Sport" hunter hunting blasters for snipers
• A small amount of anti-vehicle grenades

Battalion level sub weapons:

• 4 short range mortars
• 8 BlasTech light repeating blasters
• 2 light blaster cannon emplacements

Company vehicle pool

• 4 open top or fabric top cargo speeders for transporting troops and equipment
• 1 speeder truck as a command vehicle
• 2 civilian speeder bikes for recon
• 1 X-34 landspeeder for patrol
• 1 towed anti-air blaster turret

Battalion vehicle pool

• 2 shuttles for rapid or priority transport
• 2 speeder trucks for battalion command transport
• 12 open top or fabric top cargo speeders for logistics and company level relocation.
• 4 military speeder bikes
• 1 two man Imperial scout walker
• 1 Ferdana Light Tank

Typical IAB deployment

The typical Imperial Auxiliary Battalion is a light infantry battalion. The highest level of organization is kept to the battalion level due to anonymous and signed reports of concerns from Imperial Officers of the possibility of mass defection. Keeping their level of organization artificially limited was a compromise so they can be outmaneuvered by regiment level tactics from other Imperial formations should the worst occur. IABs are primarily used for screening or picket deployments where they assigned to defend areas as large as a planetary region under low levels of threat.

IABs are expected to operate independently in the area of operation with minimum resupply once deployed unless given orders by a higher ranking commander. Due to the spread out nature of their areas of operation, IABs are often split up and dispersed across the area typically at the company level. These areas are often sparsely populated with little to no room for quartering a company. When a company has to be deployed to a new area, a platoon is shipped via shuttle to secure the area and prepare for the company's arrival. The rest of the company arrives by speeder transport supplemented by the battalion's vehicle pool.

Once the entire company arrives, they select or are selected a position for their main base and begin digging in. Trenches are dug, fencing was set up, prefabs are assembled, and towers are raised to ensure their base is as secure as they can make it. Each Imperial Auxiliary is provided an entrenching tool to assist in the fortification process. Minimal droid and utility vehicle assistance is provided due the low supply priority of IABs.

With a base of operations established the IAB will begin running patrols by foot, landspeeder, or speeder bike. Periphery outposts may be established and assigned a squad to provide more passive and static watch over an area. An IAB's main focus is maintaining defensive positions and reporting any threats that come their way. Offensive actions are only encouraged to be undertaken if there is a large advantage in manpower and firepower.

A company of Imperial Auxiliaries can be expected to withstand an assault from light forces of lesser numbers on the defensive. Should a force of equal strength be encountered, the company shall report to the battalion command and aid shall be sent to reinforce the company. This aid can come in the many forms. Additional Auxiliaries may be sent from another company to provide extra numbers. Vehicles may be dispatched such as the two man Imperial scout walker and military speeder bikes driven by crews from the battalion command's security platoon to provide mobility, reconnaissance, and firepower in poor terrain. If the situation is particularly dire, battalion command can send the battalion's sole Ferdana Light Tank to provide anti armor capability and armored support.

Should an enemy force exceed an Auxiliary Battalion's capacity to defend in local or total, the battalion should contact nearby Imperial forces on the planet to request support. IABs are typically deployed alongside Imperial Army formations that are assigned to more important areas of the planet, so this aid should be sufficient for most threats outside of a planetary invasion. Should a planetary invasion or similar threat occur, the battalion shall contact the highest ranking Imperial Officer they can contact and subordinate themselves to their wider battle plan posthaste. Even if it should normally take them outside their assigned area of operation or engage in operations normally outside their normal activities.

Finally it has come to the author's attention that some commanders have begun to refer to a company of Auxiliaries by the term "pocket sand". While this may be accurate to how some commanders utilize IABs under their command for distractions and feints to disrupt enemy reconnaissance, the term itself is seen as derogatory. It is the recommendation of the author that a directive from Command be issued to discourage the use of the term.

——

A look into how the Imperial Auxiliaries are doing. They might be inexperienced and brittle, but at least they are taking up assignments so the stormtroopers don't have to. Despite her naive nature, rose-tinted worldview, and ignorance of the concept of sarcasm, Bria is correct in seeing the value of essentially being bodies to take up space. Seriously there are so many times stormtroopers get deployed to some random ruin or excavation with nothing militarily valuable anywhere nearby. A lot of the time there isn't even some force artifact or especially dangerous defenses to protect the archeologists from, they are just needed so a protagonist has something recognizably evil to dispatch when they show up.

The IMSDP was a designation I came up with to integrate these often frivolous assignments into the Imperial Military structure. The designation is a way to earmark reserve formations in a Sector to be dispatched piecemeal on mook duty assignments for self-important Officials. Mainly so these idiots don't try to pull a company of soldiers on active duty to go comb a barren desert or something. Not like it would be a bad concept to have in theory. A planet or Imperial Asset worried about a potential imminent threat or someone who discovered a valuable technology or resource deposit can call up the Empire to request an Imperial garrison or escort (or an addition to an existing one), and the Empire has a ready pool of troops to draw from. Would also be useful post-Endor for some old fashioned protection-selling to bring errant worlds back into the Imperial fold.

As for the IAB Order of Battle, oh boy did the Empire screw these unfortunate sentients over when it comes to armaments for cost and ideological reasons. Here's an example of just how poorly equipped the IABs are. If you take all of an IAB's sub weapons, (weapons stronger or more specialized than their standard rifle), an Auxiliary Battalion can equip just over 1 sub weapon per platoon. The typical Imperial Army formation on paper at this time has at least 1 sub weapon per squad. Things get even worse when you compare the vehicles since a majority of vehicles the IABs are using are just civilian vehicles without weapons or significant armor. At least the doctrine they use gives them some slack and the instruction to scream for help whenever something vaguely threatening and organized comes their way.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Elipur Speederwalker

Production Information

Manufacturer: Minda Imperial R&D

Model: L1-PR "Elipur" Speederwalker

Type: Speeder bike/Walker

Cost: 55,000 Credits new

Technical Information

Max Speed:

• 70 kph (walker)
• 280 kph (speeder bike)

Hull: lightly and sparsely armored

Armament:

• 2 light blaster cannons

Sensor system: limited

Other Systems:

• Transformation system (non-combat)

Crew: 1 Pilot

Cargo: 10 kg

Consumables: 2 days

——

Usage

Availability: Limited production run of prototypes

Role:

• Long mixed terrain patrols
• Scouting
• Exploration

Affiliation:

• Imperial scouting forces in the Myto Sector

——

Description

"We have combined all the strengths of speeder bikes and walkers! Now nothing can stop us!"

"Except any weapon heavier than infantry weapons. Or someone with good aim with an infantry weapon." - Conversation at the Minda R&D celebration party following the completion of the first Elipur Speederwalker.

The L1-PR (Layout 1 Prototype) Speederwalker nicknamed the Elipur is an experimental vehicle produced by Minda R&D. An attempt to combine the speed of a speeder bike and the terrain maneuverability of a walker in one vehicle. Initial testing has proven the design is viable, if still able to benefit from some refinement.

Design

"No no, see here? We put the legs on the back, and they can deploy to walk around."

"Hard to make it out with the brandy stains, but I think I get it." - R&D scientists discuss the initial blueprints for the Elipur Prototype.

The impetus for the Elipur's creation was an incident where a Minda R&D scientist witnessed a Shekelesh gunship land in a spaceport before trundling along on its legs during one of his vacation days. It got him thinking if walker functionality could be added to spaceships, why couldn't it be added to something smaller like a speeder? After a trip to the cantina later that night, the Elipur project was proposed the next day with some alcohol-stained initial designs written on napkins.

The flagship component of the Elipur is its transformation system. This system allows the Elipur to switch from a speeder bike configuration to a walker configuration as needed in order to prioritize speed or rough terrain capability as needed. First the Elipur comes to a full stop to prepare to switch modes. When the TS is engaged in speeder bike mode the legs unfold from the rear of the vehicle and plant themselves on the ground. A small repulsor jump is done to boost up the body before settling into its walker configuration. When the TS is engaged in walker mode, the legs bend to allow the body to plant itself on the ground. The legs then fold into the rear before the repulsorlift is fully engaged to allow the Elipur to move in speeder bike mode. The TS' simplicity had allowed for a quick turnaround time from drawing board to working prototype for the Elipur.

In order to test the transformation system as throughly as possible, various accommodations have been made to the Elipur's design. The legs of the walker mode have been increased in size in order to ensure stability and ease of testing while in walker mode. Weight reductions were implemented in the form of less armor and a smaller, uncomplicated control system. The walker and speeder controls both use handlebars and sensor and electronic equipment is kept to a minimum despite the Elipur's scouting designation. The TS itself was designed to favor reliability and consistency over speed of switching between modes. Armaments were kept light to dedicate more power and chassis space to the TS while still allowing for some self defense capability.

Cost wise the Elipur comes in at significantly more costly than a AT-RT while costing less than a full on AT-ST. This was expected given the Elipur was a prototype and required non-standard parts by design. The Elipur is slower in walker mode and far less armed than the most other walkers such as AT-RT. Still the ability to travel long distances at over 200 kph is argued to be a potentially acceptable trade off. In terms of speeder bikes the Elipur is a bit on the slow end which limits its potential as a pursuit vehicle against speeder based forces.

Performance Review

"Well it doesn't actively kill the testers when they use it, so already better than a lot of prototypes. It just aids the enemy doing so with its slow transformation time." - Opinion of the commander of a scouting force assigned an Elipur for field testing.

The short turnaround from design blueprint to working model left the designers of the Elipur admittedly a bit over enthusiastic. They quickly did a limited production run to make a batch before rubber stamping their approval for field testing. These testing units were then sent out to scouting forces across the Sector to evaluate their performance. Reviews say the Elipur served adequately as a scout vehicle. However numerous areas of concern were brought up before any tester would recommend going into full production.

For one, the Elipur's main feature, its transformation system, takes a painfully slow 45 seconds to complete switching between modes. This is an eternity in combat and makes drivers incredibly stressed about their vulnerability during the process. Drivers were reluctant to transform even in relatively safety due to not wanting to be vulnerable outside of their main base. Multiple Elipurs being deployed on the same patrol helped alleviate that reluctance. Although it lengthened their patrol times as drivers would only transform one at a time while the other Elipurs guarded its vulnerable sibling.

These concerns were not heightened by the lackluster armor strength and coverage of the driver. Outside some coverage on front prow protecting the mid and lower torso, the driver is completely exposed to potential enemy fire. While there have been no fatalities, fears are constant of drivers being shot out from their seats in walker mode should Elipurs be brought into battle.

These fears of enemy fire are far less in speeder bike mode where speed is seen as armor. Although being slower than most other speeder bikes raises its own concerns among testers. This is exasperated by the Elipur's relatively poor handling. The bulky legs of the walker mode are stored in the back of the speeder mode. This leads to weight imbalance and drag at high speed and turns, which causes drivers to be more hesitant to engage in high speed maneuvers compared to other speeder bikes.

Technicians servicing the Elipurs pointed out their own areas of improvement, primarily concerning the transformation system. The TS is a relatively novel use of existing technology so most technicians understand the theory behind it. However even that level of novelty brings unfamiliarity. That unfamiliarity combined with debris occasionally having a habit of being caught in the system mid-transformation has led to increased maintenance times as technicians try to figure out how to repair and maintain this new system. Every time a driver breaks or stresses an Elipur in a new way out in the field, technicians not only have to figure out how to fix it, they have to fill out reports on their methods back to R&D so they can be inserted into new updates for the Elipur's technical manuals.

All these performance issues are well within the estimated levels for testing prototypes in the field. The Elipur was designed to prove a concept, not be the most optimal of vehicles. Most testers have agreed that the Elipur had at least met that low bar. The fact the Elipur can function in the field is already an achievement according to testers given how other "working" prototypes performed in that metric.

Conclusion and avenues for improvement

"Look I get the Elipur is not the most impressive vehicle. However not every prototype has to be an ultra high spec wonder weapon flash in the pan like the TIE Defender. That's what refinement and iterative design is meant for." - R&D scientist advocating for further funding to continue research into speederwalker technology.

Overall the Elipur is currently a passable scouting vehicle with multi terrain function. As a combat vehicle it is lacking, although it may work on lightly armed and unskilled infantry. Scouting forces that have received prototypes say the concept works, but it is obvious that there is room for improvement. Currently R&D has two options for improvement should funding be provided.

One option is to focus on limiting weight and improving the speed of the transformation system. This will make the new design geared entirely towards scouting and movement while minimizing combat potential. Focus on limiting weight should reduce the cost of individual units and allow the new design to be deployed to scouting formations to ensure the enemy has little terrain they can hide in. This reduction in cost should allow this new design to be converted for civilian and law enforcement use once the transformation system is no longer labeled a military secret.

The other option is to bulk the armor, armament, and hull of the new design into the mass of a small landspeeder. This would give the new design durability more suitable for combat roles. The reinforced hull will allow the new design to have front and side armor to protect the driver regardless of which mode it is in. It would however increase the costs of the new design which would impact the feasibility of mass production. While the transformation system will still leave the new design vulnerable when switching modes, outside of that vulnerability the new design should be equivalent of a light combat vehicle. A quicker and more maneuverable walker design compared to our AT-ST while still not being as technically complicated as the LECAs.

Either way, Minda R&D will register the Elipur as a sufficient proof of concept design. We at the lab hope to be allowed to further improve the concept in the future.

——

This is my attempt at making a realistic prototype and testing unit in Star Wars. I added a bit of a scientist report tone with this one for fun. Speederwalkers I think are new to Star Wars. However with stuff like the Vulture and the Shekelesh being able to go from ship flying to walking on the ground, I feel the pieces of technology are already there to make something like this. Of course just because they are there doesn't mean combining them for the first time isn't going to lead to some initial problems. Still I think the Elipur is good foundation for speederwalkers, even if it is not an optimal speederwalker itself.

The inspiration for this one is the GTF-13M, a snow bike that can transform into a walker from the Lost Planet game series. Lost Planet has some good designs for "down to earth" walkers.

Crossposted on SB and SV