Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | MSD-R&D-DENIED-9914

DOCUMENT SUMMARY | Internal Review of Unfunded Research Proposals | Month #19
DISTRIBUTION | Office of the Moff, Myto Sector Economic Council
AUTHORIZATION | Ministry of Internal Development | Research and Development Division
AUTHOR | Director Yop Calio, Chief of Extraordinary Initiatives Research and Development
CLASSIFICATION | Restricted Technical Data

Project 1 Open-Cycle Hypermatter Scorcher

• Concept
  • This proposal outlines a high-speed atmospheric drone that runs on an open-cycle hypermatter reactor. By intentionally omitting the standard thermal containment shielding, the drone would vent raw, unchanneled solar-ionization plasma directly out of its sublight thrusters to instantly incinerate ground targets while flying at supersonic speeds.
• Reason for Denial
  • The proposal ignores basic strategic logic. Without total containment of the hypermatter reactor, the heat would melt the drone within seconds of activation.

Project 2 Sub-Crustal Tectonic Borer

Concept

• This initiative introduces a heavy boring vehicle utilizing high-output industrial repulsor-coils to project hyper-gravity downward, effectively crushing planetary rock into dust to tunnel underneath defensive energy shields. Once beneath an enemy command bunker, the vehicle would detonate a massive proton-torpedo payload.
• Reason for Denial
  • The design fails due to fundamental material constraints. The immense thermal energy generated by compressing planetary crust at tactical speeds would melt the internal repulsor-coils within minutes, welding the machine and its crew into a static block of slag kilometers beneath the surface.

Project 3 Orbital Hyperlane Interdiction Net

• Concept
  • This project involves deploying a dense orbital matrix consisting of thousands of high-tensile, automated tractor-beam minelets. The linked beams would form an invisible net across low orbit to snare and physically rip apart incoming enemy starfighters attempting to drop from hyperspace.
• Reason for Denial
  • The engineering division overlooked a glaring common-sense flaw. The inevitable tractor-beam resonance cascade would cause the net to snap outward, dragging local communication satellites and our own Imperial supply convoys into the meat grinder.

Project 4 Tectonic Rail-Cannon

• Concept
  • This concept details a massive planetary artillery installation that uses a sequence of decommissioned capital-ship hyperdrive rings to accelerate durasteel-jacketed kinetic slugs through a micro-hyperspace window. This weapon would allow the Minda system to strike stationary targets on worlds in neighboring systems.
• Reason for Denial
  • The proposal was rejected due to structural engineering realities. The immense kinetic recoil generated by forcing a multi-ton physical object through a localized hyperspace field inside a gravity well would instantly fracture the host planet's tectonic plate and cause a localized cataclysm.
• Directors Note The researchers who proposed this seemed to specify the weapons capabilities for striking other Imperial worlds from Minda. They have been flagged for psychological review.

Project 5 Unshielded Coaxium Boosters

• Concept
  • This design involves mounting volatile, unshielded raw coaxium liquid booster pods directly onto the exterior wing-joints of standard TIE interceptors. This modification would theoretically double their sublight acceleration and allow tactical wings to intercept enemy bombers before they can deploy payloads.
• Reason for Denial
  • Safety parameters make this concept entirely unviable. Liquid coaxium is notoriously sensitive to kinetic shock, meaning a single stray blaster bolt hitting a hangar bay or a landing rack would trigger a chain reaction capable of vaporizing an entire orbital station.
• Directors Note Honestly don't know what they were thinking, given coaxium is primarily used for hyperdrives.

Project 6 V-19 Void-Stalker Deep-Atmosphere Penetrator

• Concept
  • This high-altitude stealth bomber design is engineered to drop heavy proton payloads from the extreme upper layers of a planet's atmosphere. It utilizes a radical thermal-diffusing hull skin designed to compress atmospheric friction heat and convert it directly into forward deflector shield power during high-speed insertion maneuvers.
• Reason for Denial
  • The concept fails under basic aerodynamic and material constraints. The thermal-conversion matrix relies on a perfectly smooth, uninterrupted laminar airflow. The moment the bomber encounters standard atmospheric turbulence or alters its banking angle, the compressed heat vents inward instead of outward, instantly vaporizing the internal payload bay and the crew cabin.
• Directors Note The ship design has promise outside of its special hull, and is being reviewed for possible redesign and deployment pending Naval approval.

Project 7 AT V1 Specter Low Observability Walker

• Concept
  • This heavy armored walker utilizes experimental under-chassis repulsor dampeners to mask the seismic footprint of its footsteps. The hull features specialized cold-plasma plating designed to absorb all outward thermal signatures, allowing a heavy assault vehicle to sneak past enemy scout networks entirely undetected.
• Reason for Denial
  • The cold-plasma plating completely traps all internal heat generated by the walker's massive power core. Without active cooling vents, the internal cockpit temperature spikes to lethal levels within three minutes of activation, effectively cooking the pilot crew alive.
• Directors Note Some of the walker design team got their hands on one of the new AT-SW's and went a little wild.

Project 8 Spinal Fracture Siege Corvette

• Concept
  • This light capital ship is built entirely around a single massive forward-facing plasma lance cannon running the entire length of the vessel. The design strips away all traditional shield generators and point-defense turrets to funnel the entire output of the main hypermatter reactor into a single armor-penetrating blast.
• Reason for Denial
  • The ship's internal structural framework cannot handle the immense kinetic and thermal feedback of the primary weapon. Firing the cannon generates a violent energy cascade that would instantly collapse the hull forward onto itself, turning the entire corvette into a mass of crushed scrap metal.

Project 9 XR-9 Shatterpoint Sonic Siege Tank

• Concept
  • This tracked heavy armor vehicle mounts a localized seismic resonance emitter designed to neutralize fortified planetary energy shields. The tank would park directly outside an enemy outpost and tune its acoustic frequency to match the shield's thermal modulation, shattering the projector array from a safe distance without a prolonged orbital bombardment.
• Reason for Denial
  • The proposal defies common sense engineering realities. To project a sound wave dense enough to fracture a military-grade deflector shield through open air, the acoustic amplifier requires a power load that completely liquefies the ground directly beneath its own heavy treads, causing the tank to sink and swallow itself in solid rock before completing a single broadcast cycle.
• Directors Note Someone got their hands on some vintage Geonosian sonic weapons and someone else saw them and went into a fugue state for a week.

Project 10 Leech-Pattern Vector Boarding Pod

• Concept
  • This specialized armored boarding vessel is designed to bypass enemy point-defense grids by hitching a ride on our own capital ship salvos. The pod attaches to the exterior hull of an Imperial cruiser and crawls directly into a heavy turbolaser barrel, utilizing the weapon's native magnetic containment fields to launch itself forward at extreme velocity alongside the plasma blast.
• Reason for Denial
  • Severe structural and safety constraints make this concept completely unviable. The raw thermal energy of a heavy turbolaser discharge completely overwhelms the pod's heat shielding. Computer modeling shows the vessel instantly melts into a solid lump of slag inside the barrel, permanently welding the Star Destroyer's primary turret shut and destroying the boarding team before they can clear the ship's framework.
• Directors Note I don't know what to say, it's a miracle of stupidity that this escaped the confines of someone's mind.

Report Summary

While the preceding log highlights an undeniable pattern of structural overreach and logistical absurdity, it remains an essential diagnostic of our sector's primary design apparatus. The engineering divisions stationed across the Minda system represent the absolute pinnacle of Imperial technical innovation. However, this level of creative genius inherently carries a unique administrative burden.

The very traits that allow these minds to solve seemingly insurmountable structural challenges also render them highly prone to dramatic flights of fancy and erratic conceptual designs. They are an exceptionally brilliant group of innovators who require constant oversight to prevent them from accidentally fracturing a planetary crust or vaporizing a hangar bay in the pursuit of a breakthrough. It is the official stance of this office that vetting these highly eccentric proposals is a small price to pay for maintaining our regional technological superiority. We will continue to filter out the impossible and the dangerous while harvesting the genuine breakthroughs that keep the Myto Sector at the absolute forefront of military development.

Directors Note This is the shortest of the 19 reports of this kind I've had to write. I also suspect the next few will be quite short as well, given major projects have been recently greenlit. However, it is in my professional opinion that this office requires more advanced facilities. While a great deal has been accomplished using outdated and subpar equipment, it won't be enough going forward.

 

[Freefaller]

OFFICIAL SECTOR ADVISORY | MSD-R&D-ACTIVE-0412

DOCUMENT SUMMARY | Active R&D Project Status and Priority Briefing
DISTRIBUTION | Office of the Moff | Myto Sector Economic Council
AUTHORIZATION | Ministry of Internal Development | Research and Development Division
AUTHOR | Director Yop Calio, Chief of Extraordinary Initiatives
CLASSIFICATION | Restricted Strategic Technical Data

SECTION I REPORT OVERVIEW

The following dossier outlines the primary active engineering initiatives currently under development by the Minda system research division. In contrast to our conceptual exploratory logs, the projects detailed below have received full administrative authorization and funding. These initiatives are ranked strictly by their projected completion timeline, moving from immediate manufacturing readiness to long term structural design phases.

SECTION II ACTIVE PROJECT PIPELINE


Project IRONCLAD

• Current Status High Priority Production Transition
• Estimated Completion One to two months
• Project Overview
  • This initiative delivers the newest generation of the LECA combat platform by synthesizing extensive operational data gathered in the field over the last few years. The development team integrated fresh engineering personnel alongside technical innovations originally discovered by independent contractors working on civilian iterations of the core technology.
  • While the core design philosophy remains strictly unchanged, focusing on an efficient, modular, and cost effective asset, this update comprehensively addresses original engineering flaws. It successfully expands operational tolerances and rectifies numerous chassis stability problems that occurred as a direct consequence of the rushed nature of the platform's initial development cycle.
  • Alongside the optimization of the baseline chassis, the engineering team is concurrently working to create entirely new LECA variants. These specialized configurations are being developed directly alongside the main project to serve as the very first operational models of this new generation, significantly expanding the platform's tactical roles.

Project SWARMLORD

• Current Status Secondary Development Phase
• Estimated Completion Two to four months
• Project Overview
  • This project focuses on adapting the versatile ID10 seeker droid framework originally manufactured by Arakyd Industries and utilized by Imperial special forces units. Development initiated immediately following prolonged delays regarding the acquisition of corporate licensing rights from the parent manufacturer.
  • The objective centers on using the ID10 chassis as a standard baseline for a diverse suite of specialized companion droids tailored for soldiers, pilots, and field specialists. A preliminary variant is already fully operational as a dedicated spotter unit attached to the LECA A5 model. Upcoming variants currently in development aim to provide specialized flight assistance for ace pilots and real time tactical information integration for infantry squads.

Project GHOSTSHIP

• Current Status Mid Stage Optimization
• Estimated Completion Four to five months
• Project Overview
  • This long standing engineering initiative focuses on a comprehensive redesign and internal refit program for existing Star Destroyer class vessels. The primary objective is to drastically reduce the baseline crew complement required for standard deployment cycles.
  • Although the core goal is conceptually straightforward, execution has proven highly demanding due to the sheer scale and systemic complexity of a capital ship. The team is currently finalizing automated network subsystems to safely bridge legacy mechanical control interfaces without compromising ship security.

Project THUNDER

• Current Status Early Developmental Phase
• Estimated Completion Six to eight months to prototyping, one year to final production
• Project Overview
  • Inspired by recent advanced walker designs introduced by MynockArms, this project involves an entirely new and currently unnamed four legged mobile artillery asset. The weapon system is engineered to provide sustained indirect fire support across the theater of operations.
  • This unit aims to fill a critical tactical gap by avoiding the massive logistical footprint of an SPHA walker while bypassing the direct line of sight requirements that limit the AT AP platform. Because the project is in its infancy, current engineering efforts are focused on auditing preexisting Imperial supply lines to maximize components compatibility, which remains a core requirement for the success of all Mytoan military assets.

Project IMPERIAL REBIRTH

• Current Status Conceptual Architecture Phase
• Estimated Completion Minimum of one year to first prototype, final deployment timeline undetermined
• Project Overview
  • Following several years of persistent advocacy from the primary ship design team, the Ministry has officially greenlit this foundational naval architecture project. Unlike the parallel Star Destroyer refit initiative which focuses strictly on modifying existing hulls for manpower efficiency, Project Imperial Rebirth represents the ground up creation of an entirely new unnamed capital ship within the Star Destroyer size classification.
  • The design group is currently drafting core structural layouts and hypermatter reactor integration schematics to establish a completely modernized framework for next generation sector power projection.

Directors Note I'm not sure how they got permission for this one, but from what I can tell it was 'authorized' by the Moff in that he was busy muttering something about Akahista and said 'sure do whatever' when asked.

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-119

Admiral Gerel Dionhar
Akahista Orbit
3.1 ABY

Admiral Dionhar stared at the vessel through the shuttle viewport. The Vigil of Starless Night hung before him, the second ever Arbiter-Class vessel.

A cowards ship, meant only to stay behind the vessels of true warriors. Fitting that the Moff had chosen it as their meeting place.

Oh, he was aware that calling a Moff a coward would be career suicide. At least, for most Admirals. Dionhar wasn't under the command of the local Moff, after all, and reported instead to the Grand Moff directly.

A prestigious position, if only it didn't also leave him in the ass end of nowhere without a chance at glory or prestige in combat.

Upon the shuttles docking, he disembarked into the hangar. It was vast, holding countless TIE's of various types, many of those being the newfangled Mytoan variants he'd seen in the Akahistan's governors forces.

Above him claws held individual fighters along a rail system, while on the ground sat larger vessels.

Before him stood an aide who nervously guided him towards the meeting room.

The halls of the vessel were lively with personnel rushing to and fro. At the same time, those hallways disgusted him.

On one wall, there was a poster for a Walker-Ball match in the hanger! If this had been his ship, he would've personally executed anyone who dared to suggest such a blatant waste of time and effort!

It was clear to him how the Moff liked to run things, and it felt distinctly anti-imperial. Still, Dionhar held his tongue. This would all be in a report to the Grand Moff anyways, and if Kaine had any sense Mola would be demoted.

Soon he found himself inside the meeting room, a utilitarian place with not a decoration in sight, simply two chairs and a table, sitting across from the Moff himself. A large, lizard-like creature wound itself around his shoulders, eyes seeming to bore into his soul.

"Glad to meet you, Admiral Dionhar." Said the Moff, reaching a hand out to shake. He accepted, if only to keep up the veneer of politeness.

"The pleasure is mine, Moff Mola. Now, what brings you to my post? Its rare for my position to get visitors."

The Moff before him straightened in his chair, eyes tightening. He removed from his pocket a small disk, a holo projector, placing it on the table.

Upon activation, it showcased a map of the galaxy. Markings showcased fleet movements, policing actions, and more.

"Can you see the pattern, Admiral Dionhar?"

He stared at the map for a little while longer, trying as he might to find it. "No, I'm afraid not, Moff Mola. What is the meaning of this?"

"The pattern, Admiral, is the Crimson Dawn. In every known sighting in the past months, the Dawn has gotten away. In fact, overall sightings of Dawn ships have dropped dramatically. Almost as if they knew where Imperial ships were going to be."

In a flash, Dionhar was at his feet, hands slamming into the table. "Are you accusing me of treason!? How dare you! I was personally chosen by the Grand Moff himself!"

Mola stayed infuriatingly calm, his posture unchanging even as his eyes scanned the Admiral. The lizard let out a low, almost threatening rumble. Dionhar avoided looking at it.

"Calm yourself. I'm not making any accusations here. If I suspected you to be a traitor, we wouldn't be having a conversation in the first place."

Dionhar huffed, dropping back down into his chair. "So, what? Am I to believe that somehow spies have infiltrated the Hub? It's one of the most tightly secured facilities in the galaxy, of that I've made sure."

"And yet, like all facilities, it's connected to the holonet."

The Admiral frowned. "At best a slicer could listen in on encrypted comms, and we change the encryption every other week, as well as the techs making the codes, and the five teams of people adding more complexity to the encryption. Safe to say, the Dawn would need to compromise nearly a hundred people."

"Thats not what I mean, though it is something that should be checked. No, what I mean is, last year, someone took down the holonet relays. In the panic, ships were pulled from Akahista."

Dionhar leaned forward. "You mean to tell me that somehow, Crimson Dawn caused the relay blackout to infiltrate the Hub?"

"It seems the only explanation" was Mola's response, gesturing towards the projector. "The data lines up. And the Dawn is specialized in infiltration. If anyone could do it, it would be them."

Dionhar felt a thin bead of sweat start to form despite the room's chill. This was…bad. Very bad. He didn't quite believe it, but that didn't matter. What mattered is that it was believable enough, and as such if this information was revealed to his superiors…

Well, Naval HIGHCOM had a habit of scapegoating whenever possible. He'd be lucky to be demoted.

Before he could continue to deny the accusations, the Moff spoke.

"I come to you with this so that we may coordinate. By investigating this issue with the help of the Governor-General and ISB, we may yet find the spies."

"You want to bring the ISB in on this?" Dionhar was in shock. To purposefully bring in the ISB, or any of their superiors, was a death sentence!

"Of course. They will eventually, inevitably, discover the same information I have. Better we report it ourselves and work with them to fix this."

"It'll see us both demoted at best!"

Here the Moff seemed to grow angry, his voice rising just a tad. "Admiral. We are servants of the Emperor. If demotion is the punishment for our failure, then so be it. I will be sending the message in 24 hours. Full cooperation will be expected."

Dionhar studied the Moffs face. A patriot? A real Imperial patriot? Damnation, why did he have to get stuck in a room with the rarest species in the galaxy!?

"...I understand. For the Empire, Moff Mola."

"For the Empire."

They saluted one another, and Dionhar left the room at a quicker pace than he'd entered with. He had no time to waste, after all. And that lizard scared him.

It was imperative he get to the Hub, and change the outgoing logs! His master override should work, and so if he could just change the logs, erase evidence he changed them, he could buy himself time.

After all, the ISB would arrive, see completely normal looking logs, and then leave to focus on the Moff wasting their time! It would give him the time he needed to track down these spies, if they existed.

And if they didn't, the logs would be perfectly fine, and he'd be perfectly fine. But the sweat upon his brown betrayed the truth.

If there was even the slightest chance the Moff was right, he had to check!

–

Akahista, Pyramid One
3.1 ABY

Three shadows crept down the side of the building, silent limbs using magnets to avoid the treacherous fall.

They had inserted themselves in the dead of the planet's night cycle, and now poised themselves before the gaps between the pyramids layers. A small maintenance shaft stood there, and quickly they entered, sleek black ID-10 making quick work of the electronic lock.

No noise was made as they swiftly passed through the hall, their armor covered head to toe in noise and signal dampening material.

Through the maintenance section they went, arriving swiftly into the main cooling bay of the pyramid. Here liquid was pumped in and out of the supercomputer above, then moved to sites further away in the city to cool off before being cycled back in.

From their hidden location, the shadows once again dispatched their droids, the red glow of their eyes removed to maintain their stealth. The metal creatures found their way to the cameras in the room, setting them to loop footage one by one until the room was blind to the security forces.

Then, they made their way to the engineering consoles. The shadows above fired small darts into some farther off machinery, small electrical discharges causing a commotion and bringing the engineers away from their consoles.

With unrestricted access, the droids hacked their way in, one droid accessing the panel and the other two plugging into the first droid in order to combine their processing power.

In seconds, pumps started to stutter. Liquid was sent out in short bursts rather than a continuous stream. A common enough glitch in coolant systems galaxy wide that the only eyebrows raised would be those of engineers wondering how such an advanced location would allow such failures.

Of course, such concerns would never be raised. After all, failures were things to be hidden in the Empire.

The shadows left their hiding space in short order, slipping into an open hatch in the coolant pipes. The stuttering pumps meant they weren't swimming in coolant, yet the pipes were far below a survivable temperature regardless.

Each of them activated simple heating packs stitched into their armor and checked their environmental seals before moving onwards. They held onto their droids, using the machine's propulsion to speed up through the waist high coolant.

Within a single harrowing minute, they were able to exit the cooling pipe and enter the colossal supercomputer, the Hub itself. Machinery lay all around them, piling high up above with crisscrossing wires and perilous gantries abound.

Not a single guardrail either, though workplace safety wasn't an Imperial concern.

Again, their droids went first, finding each and every camera along their path. The shadows climbed silently, grappling hooks pulling them upwards with ease.

Finally, they found themselves at the central access computer. The heart and soul of the compound.

Expert hands installed the device easily enough, hidden eyes scanning for threats where there were none. The second team across the facility had done well in drawing attention away from the computers center.

Soon, the second illegal modification to the computer was installed. They could've removed the first, it was right there. But its discovery was key. So, for now, they did as ordered.

Their path out was much the same, and within the hour three shadows slunk back into the darkness of the surrounding city.

–

Yo. For some reason writing just hasn't been coming to me as easily. Maybe i'm just not as excited to write this story, maybe i just don't like writing as much as I used to, who knows. I'll finish this story, as I promised, but it'll take more time. Its gotten almost out of control, this one, growing far beyond my intended premise. Did you know that in the beginning, I had intended the story to stop at Endor, with Las as a Governor? He was never supposed to become Moff, but I liked the idea so much I had to throw it in. Same with so many other aspects. And now I have a dozen characters I can barely remember and a rough draft of a plan for post-endor so rough it could be used as sandpaper.\

But, I said I'd finish the story, so I will. Planning will be refined and the chapters will be continuing. I expect that once this more stressful chapter of my life has passed this will come easier to me.

As for the cooking update, I actually did a few new things. Tried a new chocolate cake recipe, it was aight, honestly very moist even after a couple days but kinda bland. Great with ice cream tho. Also made some cucumber and zucchini bread, the former because I bought cucumbers by accident. Didn't like it, zucchini bread is better for sure.

Gonna go for braided danishes next, because normal danishes i buy from Costco piss me off. Too much of the cheese is left in the center in an island and you either toss it and waste food or eat it and get too much cheese taste which is gross.

-Freefaller

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-120

Admiral Gerel Dionhar
Akahista Orbit
3.1 ABY

Two days after meeting the Moff, Dionhar found himself back aboard the Vigil, and once again within a meeting room.

The smaller room he'd been in previously had been replaced with a near-standard Imperial meeting room. Near standard because instead of being a stark grey box, it was circular, holding warm lighting and comfortable seats.

He might've brushed it off as the Moffs personal meeting room but given how he passed three other rooms of the same kind on the way in it was clear these were standard on Arbiters. Another flagrantly anti-imperial modification that would encourage laziness among sailors.

Still, he put those thoughts in his mind. After all, he was supposed to be feeling great! After all, he successfully covered his tracks. Once things blew over he could quietly find and deal with the Crimson Dawn spies and be rid of this debacle. Or perhaps extract a concession or two from the Dawn, if possible.

All he had to do was wait for the Grand Moffs representative to arrive. The report he sent to his superior clearly indicated the Moff in the whole debacle, so he should be fine.

Of course, the reality was that he wasn't feeling great, mostly because of the "fool I see before me who dares to question the integrity of my character!?"

The ISB agent before him, one Lieutenant Bree, scoffed. "It is hardly an insult to speak facts. You failed to ensure the security of the facility you were assigned to guard."

Before he could respond, Bree turned to the Moff. "And I am quite surprised that you also allowed this failure to occur, Moff Mola. You've been nothing but an exemplary servant of the Emperor until now."

"My sincerest apologies, Lieutenant. The blackout was a sudden event that created an immediate and massive crisis. The Governor-General has been focused heavily on mid-rim trade route protection, rightfully so, however this means the sector's forces were simply not in large enough supply to both deal with the piracy spike and keep a stricter eye on the relay network."

Bree's eyes narrowed, then flickered over to the man sitting next to him, a representative of the Governor-General who was also attending the meeting on account of the report the Moff sent both offices.

"Don't look at me! The Governor-General has been acting in his official capacity to protect the sectors under his command."

"Which has put other sectors under his command at risk. This is unacceptable."

"Oh please!" exclaimed the representative. "You're just a Lieutenant, ISB or not. Speaking poorly of your betters reflects badly upon you. Not to mention, this whole debacle would never have happened if the ISB did their jobs properly!"

Now Bree looked angry. "The ISB is infinitely more competent than you and yours. The fact is, if the Admiral here had any skill, and if the Governor-General had any real ability-!"

His PDA rang, a report. He paused his rant, glaring at the representative before going to check it.

"Ah, it seems the Hubs logs have been acquired. Now lets see here…"

Before further action could be taken, the doors slid open to reveal a new figure. An Admiral, uniform fit and clean. Face mired in anger.

"I am here on behalf of the Grand Moff himself, and I DEMAND an explanation!"

From there, things devolved. Dionhar would've liked to say that he was above it all, and sat back to watch the show, but to his shame he got viscerally involved. By the end, his face was red from shouting and everyone was standing up.

Everyone, save for the Moff, who had remained seated, calm, and collected. Even his pet lizard, seemingly glued to his shoulders, was perfectly calm. He only spoke when asked a question. Each time, deflecting blame subtly to a different faction.

Dionhar's eyes widened. He was playing them against one another! But just as he went to speak–!

Khhohhhhhh… Pwhhhhhrrr…

The hair on the back of his neck rose as the temperature seemed to plummet. Dionhars heart began to beat quicker, sweat breaking out on his brow.

Behind him, he heard it once more.

Khhohhhhhh… Pwhhhhhrrr…

That sound. He'd heard it only once, years ago on Coruscant. Yet, despite how much time had passed, the fear was no less real.

Khhohhhhhh… Pwhhhhhrrr…

Not a single one of them spoke, all of them standing frozen as the pressure subtly shifted higher, air suddenly a little thinner.

Then, a voice. The Moffs.

"Lord Vader, it is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like a seat?"

Dionhar's eyes darted to the side. The Moff was now standing, his face noticeably more brittle. A part of him wanted to laugh at the man and how his perfect facade was now on the verge of breaking, but he couldn't help but understand.

A behemoth stood before them, staring at the Moff and his lizard-thing. The stare lasted a little longer than was polite.

"...No."

The titan of gleaming metal looking slowly across the room, a predator gazing at the prey before it.

"I am here on the Emperor's orders to correct a disturbance in a critical part of our security."

Vader loomed now, bearing a pressure upon all their shoulders as though the vast ocean weighed down on them.

Explain. Now."

Dionhar wanted to speak. To grovel at the monster's feet and explain everything, if only to shirk the blame and escape this horrid beast alive. But his throat was closed with fear.

"L-lord Vader! I have the Hubs internal logs here! With them, we should be able to ascertain the culprit!" Bree was trying, and failing, to show any fear.

A single nod was the only response, and Bree quickly dove into his PDA, reading through the report.

"It…it seems that many of the logs from the period of the blackout, when the suspected Crimson Dawn infiltrators entered the Hub, have been tampered with extensively! But, the access logs are intact, and indicate that…"

Bree looked up from his PDA, staring directly at Dionhar. "...that the bases Master Access Key was used. Of which, only the Admiral here would've had nearby."

There were no words to describe Dionhar's emotional state. Fear, one supposes, could be the closest thing, but it was deeper than that.

Dread.

He was certain he'd covered all his tracks, erased all evidence of his wrongdoings! He'd triple checked the access logs alone!

His eyes darted across the room, throat still too dry and speak, when he glimpsed the Moff, off to the side of Vader.

For a fraction of a second, the tiniest hint of a smile graced the Moffs features. Dionhar's eyes widened.

"You–!"

–

Las
3.1 ABY
Akahista Orbit
Vigil of Starless Night
Meeting Room #3

Admiral Dionhar's corpse crumpled to the ground. Eyes still open, if facing opposite of where his head should've been pointing.

A part of me wanted to giggle at the corpse, if only because the outrage on his face combined with the way he crumpled was kind of silly.

Of course, I didn't giggle. Partially because I'm not a monster, partially because its just plain rude, but mostly because–

DARTH FUCKING VADER

–was in my ship, in front of me, breathing heavily.


"I trust you can clean up the rest?"

"Of course, Lord Vader! My agents are scouring the Hub as we speak for Crimson Dawn infiltrators. We already extracted their listening device."

As much as I didn't like interacting with the family of the old Las, Zyx certainly came in clutch. Infiltrating the Hub, planting the device, getting out, then doing it all over again just to get rid of our own device and leaving the Dawns there.

"Good."

Vader then abruptly turned and made to leave. He was blunt like that, but then again I imagine he was annoyed at being here and not trying to enslave the galaxy.

Sure, he has some more nuance than that, but I wasn't feeling particularly generous given the circumstances.

Before he left, he stopped. I swear I could hear everyone's hearts stop beating. His head turned towards me.

"This ship. I have never seen its like. I would have its type added to Death Squadron."

For a second I blinked in confusion. Darth Vader wanted and Arbiter? I thought the Imperial motif was 'make it REAL BIG then hope it works'.

Ah! I'd forgotten! He's a mechanic, right? Must like that sort of thing, but can't ask like a normal person because of Sith stuff. Makes sense, of course.

"Of course, Lord Vader. The Arbiter-class is a local invention based off of the Victory-Class hull, but focused on carrier operations. We can most certainly reserve the next hulls coming out of the yards for you."

"No. I will take your most experienced ships immediately."

Fuck. "Understood, Lord Vader. I'll have the Sector Admiral pick the ships with the most experienced crews for you." Goddamnit.

Ife was going to be so pissed. We just got our best crews to a decent level of experience and now this asthmatic was going to grab them?

"How many other 'local variants' have you produced?"

Of fuck off! He wants more!? At this point I was more angry than scared, but still more than scared enough to answer instead of telling him to go fuck himself, given he can't fuck his wife.

"Well, the Myto sector produces a variety of vessels and units locally. I can have a document sent to you if you so wish."

He just stared at me, again. I knew Mugwuffin was protecting me, or at least making my emotions a tad muffled, as though I had great internal control.

I don't. This guy is just kinda annoying. Terrifying, given he can kill me, but annoying.

"...Do so. I will requisition what I require."

"Of course, Lord Vader."

Khhohhhhhh… Pwhhhhhrrr…

The breathing was cool at first, but now he just kinda sounded like some sort of chud breathing heavily onto some porn or something. Get some cardio old man.

And with that, he actually left. Some might have described him as a wall of shadow streaking from the room. I'd call him a socially awkward widower waddling away after getting all the toys he wanted.

But with that, it was, miraculously, over.

Sure, there was some complications. Vader wanted to take one of the Whirlwinds in the hangar for a spin, and beat everyone's records.

Specifically, he flew at 191 of the maximum maneuver rating. Meaning Seventh Brother was no longer the reigning champ, and Vader now had the power to drift a starfighter in space.

A part of me feared for the future of the rebellion, for I was relying on their victory at Endor to escape.

A part of me just though the idea of Darth Vader drifting a TIE fighter in space to be really fucking cool.

–

Yo. Was gonna have Las be way more scared, then remembered this is a comedy not a drama so I changed it up.

Also watched that Vader: Episode II that came out and got all hyped. While the video itself is mostly just an alright popcorn watch, hype moments and aura are a good time in general. I think the creator is controversial? But I don't really know or care, it was as 7/10, hope they make more.

I did channel the vibe they gave Vader there a bit here, a menace, a presence, a wall. I leaned more on the shadows and stuff and the idea that in a confined space he would loom over others, this almost animalistic yet controlled thing, not quite a man anymore. Which made it all the more fun to have Las call him a chud.

Tired. The more political/economic stuff will be in the next chapter.

-Freefaller