Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Freefaller]

Chp-31: Ground Level

Rhorm Rambos
Edin System, Edin 2, Edin City

With a heave, Rhorm pulled down the lever, watching as the tractor beam activated, connecting the debris-filled barge with the heavy speeder in front of it. He banged on the speeder's back end.

"Good to go!" He yelled, breath turning to white fog in the cold.

He barely heard the confirmation over the noise of the construction site, tools and ships and people all mixed together to create a loud, heavy background sound.

The Imperial Construction Unit was in the midst of tearing down a large portion of the once luxurious penthouse palaces that sat near to the capitol building. They had been owned by the richest criminals in the system, used as their centers of business and trade. Of course, the old governor had let them build that close, what with all the 'gifts' they gave him.

But now, the new governor wants it all gone. Those who owned the buildings are either dead or in hiding, and the space is better suited for more government facilities. Apparently, one of them will function as a Milita academy to train a better planetside police force. He was even paying extra to get it done in the midst of winter.

He almost scoffed at that, his gloved hand wiping away some sweat off his brow. Edin? Good policing? It was like the start to a bad joke. Edins police were so corrupt they were more like a gang of their own.

Of course, like many things, that changed when the new governor set up shop. The entire police precinct was rounded up and put under arrest by the governor's Imperial Army troopers. Hell, even the army and stormtroopers stationed here were put under temporary arrest. There was a massive investigation going on to assess whether or not they would keep their jobs.

Rhorm hoped they didn't. He liked these new cops a little. After all, just a few days ago, some punks tried to rob him. He gave as good as he got, but three on one isn't fair.

So, when two Military Police troopers stunned the lot of them, and helped him up, he was honestly expecting a shakedown. But they actually helped. The officer down at the station, this human man with a very nice mustache, took his statement without any threats, subtle messages, nothing. Just professional help, and a smoldering look that made Rhorms Togrutan predator instincts light up.

As Rhorm daydreamed about getting down and dirty with some muscle bound policeman, he almost didn't notice his supervisor waving in his direction.

He jogged over. "Heya boss. What's going on?"

"Nothing bad" said the boss, a beer-bellied nikto woman with more pounds than scales. Couldn't lift a hammer for the life of her, but Relly was a damn good planner. And very vocal about protecting her crew. "We're just finishing up the day, and I realized you're the only one who hasn't gotten his benefits paperwork yet. Shoulda gotten that when you signed on, but ID verification here is slower than on Minda."

She tapped a few times on her PDA, gloved hands making the action clumsy, then looked towards him.

"Get these filled out when you can, else you might miss out on the benefits program. As an Edin native you get a few extra things to help you out while it's still nasty here."

"Benefits…what do you mean? I already get paid for the job." Rhorm was confused. Getting paid fair and square was the benefit of the job. Only big corpos got fancy addons.

"You get medical coverage, life insurance, extra classes at any affiliated school, access to government child caring services, and as an Edin native you get priority access to the new food distribution services and the like. Along with priority for new housing and schooling, and a couple heaters until you get housed, since it's winter and all. Get the docs signed and sent back to me by the end of the week."

He scratched the back of his head as he read over some of the contracts. Sure, he could read and write, it was a common enough skill. But, like most inhabitants of Edin city, complex grammar was outside his skillset.

"Uhh, boss, I don't really know all these words. Is there a simpler version or something?"

Relly sighed. "If you look around the appstore, you can find some apps that let you scan words for their meanings. For contracts, it's helpful. Think it's called…AuraEasy, or something like that. You can also head over to the main office, talk with the people there. They can walk you through the whole thing."

"Ah, thanks boss."

As she waved him off, having just handed him this days pay, he walked away feeling…happy? It was a rare thing, and not the kind of happiness that came with making a little more money, or scoring at a bar. This was…longer? Like it wasn't the kind of happiness to stay the night but leave before you wake up. It's the kind that makes you breakfast, and wants a second date.

With his pay in one hand, and his PDA in another, Rhorm knew what he was going to do.

Learn more, get better pay, ask that surly policeman out-

-and live.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usla
Edin System, Edin 2, Edin City

Usla was hungry, but that was normal. The orphanage often didn't have enough to consistently feed the children, nor did those in charge care to do so.

Still, Usla stacked boxes. She stacked boxes and moved crates and all these other things that hurt her thin frame because if she did, she would live, and might get to eat.

If she didn't, then the gangers pulled the trigger and left her body in the sewers. She had seen it before, in the kids that collapsed.

Like the others who had been here longer, she had learned. Learn that sweet spot in terms of effort, where you move and work fast enough that they don't whip you, but slow enough that you don't expend what little energy you have left.

It was in the middle of doing this that she caught some of the conversation two guards were having.

"Hear about the new governor? Heard his Commander is cracking down, ey?"

"Yeah. Doubt he'll do much. Sure, he'll raid a few smaller hideouts, take out some small gangs, and say he 'fixed crime!'.

"HAH! Then he'll come looking at the Mandaga family, get paid, and nothing changes. Great, huh?"

"Just about." The two of them laugh this ugly laugh. Their voices were slightly slurred, the space around them smoky with the scent of spice.

Usla made sure to keep her breath held around them. Some others had gotten addicted just by being around the smoke too much. They never lasted.

Before she could continue with her work, a torrent of smoke rushed into the room. It poured in every which way, covering the entire room.

Coughing, she dropped to the floor, hiding behind the crates she had been pushing as blaster fire rang out.

She sat there for what felt like hours, cowering and shaking until the smoke cleared and the blasters stopped.

Even then, she didn't open her eyes until a soft voice rang out.

"Hello, child. Are you okay?"

Tentatively looking up, face still hidden behind her arms, she beheld the soldier in front of her.

"W-who are you?"

"My name is Commander Kaela Grant." Said the woman, as she removed her helmet. "I'm the leader of the Imperial Army Forces here. We're here to save you all."

"R-really?"

"Yes, child." The soft smile persisted, and for the first time in forever, Usla felt safe.

She fell asleep crying in the Commander's arms, and even in that state refused to let go.

The Commander herself was confused, as she had only approached the situation as her Alderaanian family would have. She hated to use their techniques, but she did not know how to comfort a child.

"Soldier, how did you all miss her?"

Checking where Usla had been hiding, he reported back swiftly. "The crate she hid behind held signal dampening armor plates. They likely hid her biosigns, as they are already low to begin with.

Looking down at the girl in her arms, the Commander sighed. She was only here to witness the final Edin City criminal den get demolished.

This wasn't what she signed up for.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zombies? What the actual fuck!?

I sat in my quarters aboard my L-99, now named Mindan Stream, as I took in the latest report from the Commander.

An honest to god zombie horde. At least, that's what it looks like. The bodies had been collected and are in the process of being analyzed, but they sure as shit look like zombies. A little more put together, since they still have all their limbs and there's little sign of decay, but still.

Tapping out my orders, I ensure my message conveys the fact that this investigation must be done with both utmost secrecy and caution.

After that, I take a look at the other reports. Grant has raided a total of 113 pirate holdouts, with Veers bombing the shit out of an additional 34 from orbit. Every major crime family has been either completely destroyed or turned into shells, which themselves are on the way out.

Good. Very good. I restrain the urge to cackle maniacally.

Sense of amusement.

I flick her on the nose, earning a startled yelp.

Sense of betrayal.

"Heh, it's what you get."

Ignoring the further emotions Mugwuffin sends over our totally not a force bond, I focus back in.

With the major criminal elements gone, new ones are going to attempt to take their place. While I've managed to fill that power vacuum fairly well with my own forces and reforms, I can't do it all.

Which is where the wonderful world of mercenaries comes in.

I sent a message out to Darna, asking her to get in contact with the Loyu family. They had been working as mercs for the Guild, and occasional instructors at the Guild classes. I wanted them in Edin if possible, to hunt down the leaders of any growing gangs to keep the underworld in turmoil.

If I could pull this off, it would give me time to situate the Guild on Edin while new gangs that form collapse without their hastily chosen leaders. Once that happens, Guild affiliated mercs can start taking bounties and protecting towns and traders, pushing back against the underworld.

It wouldn't be nearly as clean as Minda, since Minda barely had a criminal population when I took over leaving little contest against the Guild. Edin, however, is chock full of 'em.

With all this, if I could consolidate control over Edin 2, I could start pushing back against the pirate holdings across the system. It would be especially easy, since Veers recently took Belt Haven. Hundreds of pirates and their vessels captured or killed because, well, that's what happens when a fleet just shows up out of nowhere with more ion torpedoes than the pirates collective brain cells.

A knock on my door. Through Mugwuffin, I can see Oioro's force signature. Handy ability.

"Sir? The podium is ready for your speech."

"Good. I'll be right out."

Yup. Another speech. Fuckin hate it, but I can't not do it. The people of Edin have undergone some pretty violent whiplash since the government went from crime infested bureaucracy to decently competent reformist.

The problem with this speech? It was the dead of winter here. That meant snow and cold and ice, which were not the kinds of conditions people wanted to deal with just to listen to a speech.

Thank god for space heaters, cause I just had a couple dozen sprinkled throughout the plaza I was speaking at.

To combat the cold myself, I had my outfit modified. The cape had been changed into one of those big jackets that can be worn like a cape. A nice, white synthetic fur now lines it, and the rest of my outfit incorporates more whites and greys. My helmet stays unchanged for the most, since its internal systems make it harder to replace than the rest.

Stepping out of my ship and onto the podium, I survey the crowd before me. A veritable menagerie of people, bundled up but thankfully not shivering cause of the heaters.

Scanning their faces with my eyes and their emotions through Mugwuffin, I could tell they were cautious at best. For all that I had done in the past weeks to help them, cultural distrust of authority was something that had been ingrained into Edin's people for decades. And now it was up to me to prove them wrong.

"People of Edin. I am Governor Las Mola, Governor of the Minda system, and now Governor of Edin as well. As you have seen, in the past weeks I have made a concerted effort to eradicate the criminal presence here, and have brought in construction crews to help build new housing and remodel the city."

I paused, gauging the crowd's reaction. Nothing bad, but nothing good.

"In the coming months, more changes will be brought forward. These will include educational opportunities, new businesses, a better economy, and more. The Guild, a Mindan organization for merchants and mercenaries, will be settling in to help stabilize things. Many of you will find better work, and housing for those below the poverty line is being established. Once the work here in Edin City is finished, it will be renamed, and the next major city will be focused on. We expect to be done with all the major population centers by the end of this year, or the start of next year. I invite you to find out more details at the new Edin Imperial site on your PDAs, which are being distributed across the city at any aid center. Just provide an ID chit to gain access. If you do not have an official ID, please inform the aid workers, they can help you gain identification and aid. Now, as you can see, we have a second podium here for those who wish to ask questions."

And there was a second podium. Set up in the front of the crowd, it was flanked by army troopers to ensure that there wasn't fighting to get to ask a question first.

To absolutely no one's surprise, people were hesitant to ask any questions. Still, I waited, figuring I'd give them a minute or two.

Right before it got awkward, a Pantoran man stepped forward onto the podium, eyeing the troopers warily. He cleared his throat for a minute, before asking a question I really should've expected.

"Uhh…what exactly is the Guild?"

I hummed. "Honestly, I feel rather foolish for not having explained that in more detail. To summarize, the Imperial Guild of Industry, Commerce and Protection is an organization I started in the Minda system that helps merchants, mercenaries and entrepreneurs with their businesses. They help post bounties, ensure that parties keep to their contracts, regulate commerce, and more. If you want to start a business, get into the bounty game, become a merchant or more, the Guild is where you go. They offer classes, loans, and assistance for small fee's and the like."

"Ah…thank you." he said, quickly stepping off the platform.

After him, the dam broke, and I spent the next 45 minutes answering all kinds of questions from citizens. They ranged from questions on crime policy, work opportunities, new business, and more. I even got a small child asking me if she could pet Mugwuffin.

Mugwuffin was enthusiastic.

At the end, I left exhausted, having laid out the plans for new districts in the city, better living conditions, and every kind of question imaginable.

Of course, I had more work afterwards.

Fuck me.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there folks! Tossing another one out there. Wanted to touch on the viewpoints of some Edin natives, flesh out the world of Edin City and how its kinda the worst. No Nar Shaddaa, but still pretty nasty.

Anyways, as always, feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

-Freefaller

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-32: Hazardous Offers

Lab-Tech Bori Fulto
Minda System, Ugea, Accordia, R&D Bio-Lab

The new bio lab was not nearly as nice as Bori had wanted. His previous places of employment, both having been mega-corporations, had larger, more advanced and extensive labs. In comparison, the recently built bio lab in the Mindan R&D building was mediocre.

Sure, much of the necessary equipment was available, but it was usually older models. Reliable, fully functioning and well within acceptable limits, but lacking both the conveniences and in some cases functionality that more advanced equipment would allow for.

It was truly unfortunate. Minda gave him a great deal more freedom in how he worked, yet lacked the technology to let him do what he wanted. Still, the governor was generous, and if good results were produced he could see more advanced technologies being shipped in.

He could imagine it now. The latest bio-readers, dissection droids, maybe even a-

"Imagining a lab again?"

He shot a glare at his companion, scoffing. "I was simply noting the lab's lack of advanced equipment, and how that will hinder our efforts."

"Yeah, we could do with some better gear. Still, we have a job to do." said Gorlan, an irritable smirk marring his face.

The Nikto was standing next to him as the two pulled on their hazmat suits. Bori's was standard issue, as he was human. Gorlans, on the other hand, was reinforced at certain points to account for the spikes and claws that were naturally occurring amongst his species.

Having finished suiting up, they step through the airlock, the hiss of the sterilization agent being sprayed all too familiar. Entering the lab, he takes a second to look around.

As usual, the hazard lab is sparse. A large loading bay in the back for larger cargo(pressurized, of course), a multitude of tables, and a center spine that holds modules for most of the tech they use.

From the cargo bay, a LECA steps forward. Unlike the weapons those hyperactive brutes up in Engineering, the LECA here was elegant. Shining white plates of sterilized metal covered every inch of the machine, with only the tiniest gaps to be found for the joints. This kit, the Bio-Hazard module, was built for the sole purpose of moving around hazardous materials or in hazardous environments. It forsook weapons and heavy armor in exchange for being internally sealed with its own miniature life support, and some tractor beams attached to the shoulders.

As the mech walks in, it carries in its hands a sealed box. Setting it down on one of the tables, the LECA steps back, making its way towards the cargo bay. There would be many more bodies to transfer in the coming hours and days.

"Alright then, let's see what we're working with here." stated Gorlan, pressing a button on the box's side. As it opens, they get their first real look at the individuals that had attacked some troopers at site 8-12-F.

Bori was already typing into his PDA as Gorlan started listing characteristics. "Human, male, approximate age seems to be mid-30s. Copious blaster burns, large enough to only have come from the LECA that was on site for the attack. Skin is dark grey, not natural."

He lifts one of the arms carefully. "Blood under the fingernails looks old. Possible signs of struggle before becoming…this." Grabbing a scanner, he starts moving it up and down the body.

"Necrosis…minimal. Subject was alive when they became like this, and alive after." As the scanner results came back, Gorlan looked a mite surprised.

"No signs of mechanical augmentation. Muscle seems…denser. Bori, take a look at this."

Studying the scanner, Bori hums. "We need a more in depth scan, but the muscles seem unusually dense."

As they prepped the larger full body scanner, Bori ruminated. Abnormally dense muscle, to the point that the body should be twice as bulky.

As the full body scanner whirred, Gorlan turned to him. "This man should be at least twice as bulky as he is now with that kind of muscle mass. Muscle density in humans does contribute itself to a leaner build but…"

"This kind of density is abnormal, to say the least." finished Bori.

"Yeah. Some kind of bioaugmentation, to be certain."

"Most likely, yes. But that doesn't explain the lack of mental faculties displayed by the subjects."

"True" agreed Gorlan. "Even if they weren't sound of mind, basic instincts should have made them run when confronted by an armed LECA."

"Yes. While they likely didn't understand what was killing them, they would have understood on a primal level that something there was killing them, something their minds should have run from."

By then, the scanner was finished. Looking at the results, it was…incredible, to say the least.

"There seemed to be a force keeping the muscles as dense as they are." stated Bori, intrigued by this discovery. "But how? The body is dead, there should be no movement or energy being expended to keep them this way."

"Nano-droids, maybe? They would certainly be small enough, and they need specialized scanners to detect."

"No, not likely. Nano-droids are manufacturing machines. They don't function well within life forms. Don't you remember that one incident during the Clone Wars, where a man infected with Nano-Droids exploded in the Jedi Temple? Nano-droids are strictly regulated, and any code that makes them interface with the living has…explosive results."

Gorlan pushed his discomfort at the mention of Jedi away, and focused. "So, Nano-droids are unlikely, and there's no augs keeping these muscles like this. What can it be then?"

Bori sighed, frustrated at the situation. "I…don't know."

As they ruminated, a ping came through on both their PDA's. Sharing a look, they check their messages, before looking at each again.

"The lab they found seems more like a church. I mean, idols? Tomes? Rubber balls? Circles of blood?"

"Primitive tribes and species often equate medicine to their gods, do they not?"

"Yeah, but that's usually because they don't know why the plants they eat do what they do. In this case, they clearly knew what they were doing, at least to some extent."

The two of them looked at the pictures, and at the readings. Back and forth, back and forth.

"You don't think…" said Gorlan, eyes widening in fear.

"It could be…" replied Bori, suddenly nervous.

"Lets just…send this up the chain. I think this is a little beyond our paygrade."

"...Agreed…"

"...after all, the Inquisitorius is not to be trifled with."
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commodore Ife Veers
Edin System, Belt Haven, Gladiator-II-Class Star Destroyer Theorem

The conquering of the Belt Haven had been a pitibly easy task. Without the stream of more powerful, Crowns related ships the Haven had been weaker than ever before.

With the power of a flotilla and an inordinate amount of ion torpedoes launched from some recently acquired Swarm-class missile boats, the vast majority of the pirate ships had been disabled in port, with those still crewed turned into floating wrecks as they tried to escape.

After that, it had been up to the clean up crews to get the rest done. And get it done they had.

A few LECAS had locked down the port, while kill teams had scoured the rest of the base, arresting those who surrendered, and putting down those who didn't.

There were more bodies than prisoners by the end of it all.

Now she was overlooking the asteroid as transports jumped in, filled with supplies and mechanics whose job was to make sure the base was retrofitted into its future purpose as Edin's tradeport. It was certainly large enough to fit the role, and came with a dock already. Given a few months, it was certain to become a centerpiece of Edins economy.

"How is the Lucrehulk doing?" she asked, seemingly to the air.

"The retrofits are currently underway. It will be fully ready within five months, and operational as a flight academy within three, Ma'am." replied Hrax, the Mirialian woman tapping away at her PDA without even looking at her.

The two of them had come to this sort of arrangement over the last 6 or so months. Hrax was an incredible multitasker, and Ife pursued efficiency in her command. This meant that they rarely looked at each other when she passed orders down the chain, with Hrax constantly running numbers, managing other parts of the ship, and more.

"And about the list of ships for the new Edin system defense fleet?"

"The Governor regrets to inform you that due to projects on the ground, he could only authorize a total of 30 million credits for new ships and crew. He also said that the TIE Patroller factories are at least another 4 months away from beginning production at the earliest."

"Understood. I will have a list sent soon."

"Also, Ma'am, a message has come through for you. It's from the new Sector Admiral, Forun Heeter."

"Understood." was the only thing Ife said in response, already pulling up the message on her PDA. Admiral Heeter was a damn sight better than his predecessor, having actually put in the work to improve the sector with what he had. Still, she doesn't really know him, so in her mind had yet to prove himself.

Checking the message, she worked to not allow a single iota of shock to show itself on her face. The message had all the trappings you would expect from military politics, a combination of politeness and subtle mentions of the sender's authority over the receivers.

What really shocked her was the offer made. The Admiral was impressed by her work, and was offering a position in the Sector Group. It wouldn't be a direct promotion to Rear Admiral, like she wanted, but it was an opportunity. She would be bringing in the Theorem to work as support for the operations conducted by the VSD's, and could therefore earn more reputation in said operations. It was the next rung on her climb to the top.

It was not a rung she trusted.

The first clue was that she would not be assigned command of one of the existing or soon to be repaired VSDs. Instead, the Theorem would be dragged away from the Mindan flotilla. This could signal that the Admiral was trying to weaken Minda, or sow discord between the Governor and herself.

The second clue was the language. It was just like the political speech of most higher ranking military officers. Therefore, the Admiral was not likely doing this solely because he believes her to be worthwhile. There are games afoot.

Normally, she would have taken the offer regardless. Naval politics are a game she has been learning, and would have to adapt to if she wanted to raise herself. But this was different. Minda, and now Edin were expanding. If a place is prospering, there will be those who wish to see it fall. That means opportunities for her to grow.

With a few taps, she sends a response. A well worded way of simply saying that she would like some time to think about the offer. Stalling, really.

Ife looked back out the window of the Theorem. It was a waiting game now. To see which side would bring her more value.

At the end of the day, the Navy was a tower. One she would stand at the top of.

No matter what.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there folks! Sorry for the unusual delay, but I only now just realized how important planning chapters is to me. I usually write down my chapter plans in a little notebook in the middle of math class, since my math teacher is a luddite and we don't use computers in that class. Thing is, I don't have class Friday, and I ran out of the chapters I had already planned. I legitimately could not bring myself to plan out new chapters unless I was in class. Thankfully, I pulled through and planned this one out yesterday, and am writing it now before I drive my ass 45 minutes to college.

Now, it seems that overnight a lot of y'all got heated enough to bring down the wrath of the gods. Fuckin wild. Not even 50 chapters in yet.

But, I figure I should explain how the whole blasters vs bullets thing will go down in this story.

Within the confines of Governors Gambit, the story will go as such. Blasters are more efficient because of ammo and logistical chains, while slugthrowers, given advancement, can fulfill more advanced and specialized roles due to exotic ammo types and, depending on the weapon, long ranges, projectile speed and high penetrating power. Again, these are the more advanced weapons that will take a while to develop. There's a reason the railgun AA isn't being used that often. For all its power, it needs special ammo that holds an ion charge for it to pierce shields. Only the high projectile speed combined with the charge allow it to turn fighters to dust once they're in range.

Tl:dr, blasters efficient at scale, slugthrowers useful at specialized roles.

Now, onto the actual fun stuff.

Fleet building! The Edin system needs defenses, especially because it's got a much larger criminal problem than Minda. While some of the Mindan forces will support Edin, it is preferable that whatever you come up with can handle its own.

Remember, your budget is 30 mil. If the ship is Imperial, and it hopefully is, then you can assume at max a 10% discount from requisitions, and even then only on the stuff that isn't super high priority. If you order an ISD, there will be no discount.

Have fun, and try not to get the Hammer of the Gods brought down again, pretty please?

Thanks for reading!

-Freefaller

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-33: Warning Signs

Profits were going down, which was good. Kinda.

See, before the whole mess with The Crowns and the Consortium and Edin, keeping profits down was a part of my goal. Invest enough into Minda to turn it into a standout of the Myto sector without actually standing out. That is to say, create a robust economy and fairly sized military, while not drawing overt attention.

So long as the Commandant was happy and the web of greater Imperial politics didn't care about me, I was content.

Then Edin happened.

Now I need the profits, so I pulled out some of the money sinks. Not all of them, but the R&D budget was shaved down, as were certain business grants. Specifically for those businesses that are already crowded, like electronics stores which have been popping up like crazy. This cuts down on costs, while encouraging people to try for other types of businesses.

Like the pet store I buy most of Mugwuffins toys from. She really likes this little pet droid that can play simple games with her while I work. Very efficient.

Regardless, I was currently in my newly renovated office in Edin. It was similar to the old governor's office, but lacking the obscene amounts of gold and paintings. I had instead gone for a more deep, dark tone. Dark wood paneling, coupled with smooth chrome metal linings gave the place a sophisticated appeal.

On my desk sat, like many reports, a piece of flimsi. More eco-friendly than paper, the report that say on my desk detailed the defense fleet that Commodore Veers had requested for the Edin system. It was decently sized, and actually smaller than I wanted. In this regard, it would end up costing less than the allotted budget, but there were other ways to spend that money.

The fleet was as such:
(with discount)

• 1 Vindicator-Class Heavy Cruiser = 9,360,000
• 4 CR90 Corvettes(refitted) = 4,950,000
• 5 Raider-II-Class Corvettes = 13,500,000
• 5 Gamma-Class Assault Shuttle = 3,825,000
• 4 Zeta-Class Heavy Cargo Shuttle = 380,000
• 54 TIE/ln Space Superiority Fighter = 2,916,000
• 16 Alpha-Class Xg-1 Star Wings = 1,800,000
• Total = 27,945,000

It was a versatile fleet, to say the least. The Vindicator carried the bulk of the firepower that made it both a deterrent against attacks on Edin 2 and a hammer to crush particularly whiny pirates with. The CR90's had come as a surprise, but seeing the retrofits she had wanted done to them, I could understand. The extended middle section allowed the Corvette to field up to an entire squadron of TIE's. Of course, she had instead opted to field Star Wings.

This decision was outlined in her report. She had stated that it was cheaper to utilize cheaply modified corvettes as patrol stations until we could set up more permanent outposts. This way, not only did the 4 Star Wings stationed aboard each CR90 have a home base, but that home base could also respond to threats in the region.

The Raider-II was somewhat obvious. Cheaper than the Vigil but just as fast, it also carried half a squadron of TIE's, giving it flexibility in its patrol duties.

The rest of the list was obvious enough even I could understand. Assault shuttles for boarding, cargo shuttles for logistics. Easy enough, and would be supplemented by local logistics.

Logistics was actually one of the concerns that had come across my desk, and I struggled with it even as I sent out the orders for the Edin fleet. It would likely arrive within the next month or two.

Logistics were draining the bank, and kept draining the bank. For every new ship added, I had to accommodate the crew, the ship's maintenance, everything. They were like permanent linear debuffs that stacked for each new shiny piece of gear I got, and I had to keep leveling up to stave off the effects.

With that said, there was a way to keep ahead.

Contracts.

Specifically, a nearby subsidiary of CEC had approached me with an offer. They were a producer of internal electronics and wiring that went into the many ships built on Corellia. Minda produced a great deal of ores that their refineries could make great use of, and we had a trade fleet that could drop off ores on the way to the Core.

Thing is, if we dedicated the amount of space and ore they wanted to our trade fleet, that would leave precious little to go to the Core. Make no mistake, this contract alone is more lucrative than the trade fleet, but it leaves Minda with fewer options.

So, I decided to use that remaining 3 mil. Specifically, to buy 14 BFF-1 Bulk Freighters to augment the trade fleet. These budget beasts were a mere 150,000 credits, only needed 10 crew, and carried 4 Class-A cargo containers, giving it a solid 100,000 metric tons of cargo capacity.

This gave us the ability to not only ship the ore necessary, but to scale up shipping. Recently, a great deal of ore had been piling up in warehouses on account of the fact that while production had been increasing, sales had not. In fact, with The Crown, they had decreased. It would be a bit before they rose to normal, and in the meanwhile I had to find a way to deal with the excess.

The CEC contract was the perfect way. They would be paying .07 above market price, which was around 107% of the total value. Considering we sold the ores locally at .02, and at .05 in the Core, it was a solid deal that gave them priority. We could ship them a million metric tons of ore every 3 months near the beginning of the trade fleet's voyage. That space would then be loaded up with their products to be shipped down to Corellia, which was already on the route anyways.

This contract netted Minda around 40,000,000 every 4 months or so. It was decently profitable, and allowed me to pour all this remaining fleet money into something that would be reasonable.

That 20 mil all went towards Edin's reconstruction, as did a significant portion of Minda's profits. After putting money into social services, government salaries, military expenses, and the sector tithe, the total profit produced by Minda was around 70,000,000 every month. 50 was going into Edin alone, and I just tossed 30 into Edin's defence. Now, I just have to figure out where to toss the remaining 10 mil in a way that doesn't arouse suspicion.

A ping. A report. My printer chugs for a second before a piece of flimsi is deposited onto my desk.

Reading over it, I grimace.

Those infected people had attacked, and this time it was more serious. A small horde had attacked some patrolmen on their speeders. Only one of them survived, and told tale of a band of these things popping up out of nowhere on their route, jumping at them and tearing apart the other two in mere seconds.

After a few seconds of bemoaning the fact that I lived in interesting times, I sat up, locked in.

This was an opportunity. Not just to waste money sending those soldiers' families good military Death Gratuity or the programs put in place to assist said families further, no.

This was an opportunity to waste money expanding the ground forces even further. More troops, more vehicles, more patrols.

Almost made me want to thank these monsters.

Angermalicediscontent

Yeah buddy, almost, but not quite.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sabine Wren
Minda System, Ugea, Accordia

They had left Forged in Orbit some time ago, brought to the surface by a transport shuttle. Upon landing, they had split from the main plaza, planning to meet back up in a few hours. Ezra and Zeb had gone off to buy stuff, and likely snoop around. Hera and Kanan instead went on a proper date.

Guess it takes multiple near death experiences to finally get together. Well, that and a good planet that doesn't care about human/non-human relations. Quite rare.

Sabine had chosen to wander around, looking for interesting sights. She had gawked at the gaming terminals, different PDA's, and the abundance of electronic and conventional signage. Even the enforcer's were polite and clean.

She had enjoyed her time at the Mindan Public Art Gallery, where she won a free paint contest and got her spray painted mural of a Loth-wolf howling at the moon put up on their walls. Even got a little medal out of it.

Very nice.

Now she was wandering back to the meet up point, having spent all her time admiring the work at the gallery. She passed by a bevy of interesting places and peoples. She even crossed the bridge, walking through the Imperial Island. The Tower there was actually good looking, with a long, slightly slanted body and a variety of beams making they're way down onto the ground. Each was etched with the names of those who have fallen in the line of duty.

Currently, only one pillar had many names, and they only reached to right above her head, but still.

It was a rare commemoration of life from the usually callous Empire. It also served to inflame her.

Here was Minda, living proof that the Empire could do good, could do right by its people. That it was a nation with the capability to function correctly and treat its citizens as they ought to be treated.

And yet, the vast majority of the Empire was a horribly oppressive dictatorship.

Her night slightly soured, she trekked back to the meet up point, mind spinning.

Upon arrival, she only spotted Kanan and Hera, hand in hand.

"Hey guys. Where're the other two?" she asked, leaning against a wall.

Hera sighed. "We don't know, but given how they are, I doubt they're up to any good."

Kanan gave a slight smile. "Let's give them the benefit of the doubt, ey? This place is pretty nice, it's more likely they got caught up in one of those game centers we passed."

Sabine snorted, remembering those places. "Yeah, probably challenging each other to the same few games on repeat to see who's better. I swear, they have no sense o-"

At that moment, the aforementioned missing persons appeared from around the corner, eyes sketchy and posture hushed.

Immediately, they were all on alert.

"What is it? Are you ok?" Asked Hera, approaching them, worry etched into her face.

"We're fine, just fine" said Ezra, "we just…saw some things."

A groan seemed to emanate from Kanan. "Don't tell me you went somewhere your not supposed to!"

"Nothin like that, I swear!" exclaimed Zeb, "We were just checkin out the trainyards, and we saw something wild!"

"Yeah!" agreed Ezra, pushing what seemed to be a newly bought PDA in their faces. Being Ezra, it could just as easily have been stolen.

The images shown were of small bipedal walkers with fully articulated arms and legs. Yellow in color, the walkers seemed to be equipped with some sort of tractor beam technology, as they were able to remove and hold nearly a third of a large train bound cargo container internal cargo, and transfer it over to multiple speeder trucks in less than a minute.

All the while, a team of what seemed to be engineers were taking notes, while another walker and some StormTroopers stood by. The other walker, however, was what surprised them. It was armed with an enlarged blaster sporting many small rotating barrels, a projectile launcher of some kind on one shoulder, and some kind of antenna on the other.

"Some kind of new weapon? We didn't really hear about this, did we?" asked Hera, studying the video.

"No, we didn't. We should talk about this back in the Ghost. It'll be safer with all the upgrades it's getting, after all." Replied Sabine, worried about potential onlookers.

It was only as they made their way back to the shuttle, passing through an alleyway, did Sabine notice something. An extra weight in her pack that hadn't been there before. Taking out the weight, she stopped.

"Guy's…I didn't have this before."

"Looks like a recorder of some kind." said Ezra, scanning the rest of the alleyway with his eyes.

Pressing the button, a voice scratches out. It's deep and high, smooth and rough, a million cadences all at once. The kind of obfuscation that's impossible to cut through.

'The Web see's you, SPECTRES. You have behaved yoURSElves well. Your compatriots aboard the station have stayed out of trouble. HOwEVer, it seems two of you have been snooping around. The Web does not take kindly to this. OnLY The goodwill of your space bound fellows saves you this time. There will not be a NEXT time.'

With that ominous message, the device smokes and crackles, forcing her to drop it. With a final fizzle, it dies.

"The…Web?" asks Zeb, hand on his hidden holster.

"Seems like Sidheth owes us an explanation." growls Kanan, already backing out of the alleyway.

With that, they make their way back to the shuttle bay.

There were many questions. But the question of Minda's Web would remain unanswered for some time to come.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there folks! Sorry for the late(early?) post, but I procrastinated. No biggie, since I know some of you FREAKS are still up late. Don't you have work or something? Fuckin hell.

Anyways, setting up some stuff in the chapter, a lot on finance that I could probably condense but don't really feel like.

Of course, the thing your all actually here for. With an upcoming expansion of ground forces, Las will be paying out the ass for stuff. With a mil set aside for troop requisition and logistical support, the total budget for ground vehicles and the like will settle around 9 million credits.

The vehicles already in use are:

• 1 AC-AT
• 6 LA-AG's(beam weaponry switcher for rapid fire laser cannons)
• 40 K79 transports
• 20 Trexler Armored transports

Aside from that, remember that the enemy being hunted is using guerilla tactics, so plan accordingly. Wow, this is really like a quest, except I have full power and am just milking y'all for ideas. Incredible.

Thanks for reading!

-Freefaller