Jasmill leaned back wearily in her chair, massaging her temples. The glow of the large desktop datapad screen was already beginning to irritate her eyes…
A couple of weeks earlier, she had received another promotion: she was transferred to Coruscant, where she became one of the junior assistants to the representative of the Kuat–Rothana consortium on the Armaments Commission. The commission was responsible for collecting information on the operation of military equipment and issuing orders for its modernization, as well as drafting explanatory notes on improving maintenance and logistics. In addition, it received orders from the military for new models of equipment and was directly involved in testing prototypes.
There was a tremendous amount of work, but Jasmill did her best not to lose face—this was her chance to rise even higher, and she had no intention of letting it slip away.
The report sent to her by Mikore Vikt had been an unexpected gift. It wasn't as revolutionary as the first one; it focused more on details than on sweeping solutions. Still, she understood perfectly well that it was precisely such details that often decided everything.
At the moment, she was busy processing a massive amount of data, shaping it into something coherent.
"Good afternoon!"
Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice... familiar voice. Looking up, she saw Mikore Vikt standing in front of her desk.
"General Vikt! What brings you here?"
"I'm looking for something… a new starfighter. And who else would I go to, if not you?"
She smiled.
"Well, then I suppose I'll have to help you. Come on—we'll need transport. Our hangars are a long way from here."
"I came by shuttle," the man replied…
***
"What model is that?" the Jedi asked, studying the impressively sized craft.
"An ARC-170 fighter-bomber. A joint development by Incom and Subpro. It's a fairly versatile machine: scout, heavy fighter, bomber," Jasmill said, checking her datapad. "All right, let's go over the specifications. The fighter is crewed by three—pilot, weapons operator, and gunner—plus an astromech. Armament includes two medium laser cannons, a proton-torpedo launcher with a six-torpedo magazine, and a rear turret for the gunner. The bird isn't especially maneuverable, but its firepower is impressive..."
"Well, yes—you can tell just by looking at those barrels."
"Exactly. No other craft in this class has ever been equipped with weapons of this power. The reactor provides energy not only for the engines and shields, but also for those blaster cannons. And the armor is quite substantial."
"Why are the wings so… thick?" the Jedi asked.
"Ah, that. It uses sliding S-foil technology. They act as aerodynamic surfaces, improving atmospheric stability and allowing effective air combat in planetary conditions. In addition, the S-foils dissipate excess heat from the engines and also function as protective field projectors."
"And what's the price?"
"One hundred fifty-five thousand credits per unit."
"Not bad. How many do you have?"
"Two squadrons, complete with crews and technicians."
"I'll take them. What else is new?"
Jasmill checked her datapad.
"You know… I have something that might surprise you. Come with me."
They walked farther down the hangar. She gave a brief instruction, and the technicians removed the cover from a small, sleek fighter.
"Allow me to introduce the Eta-2 Actis light interceptor, manufactured by Kuat Engineering Systems. A very compact model—six by four and a half by three meters. Crew: pilot and astromech. The fastest machine we have. Armed with two light laser cannons and ion cannons."
"How many?"
"Four squadrons. Will you take them all?" Jasmine gave the young man a smile.
"Of course," Vikt returned the smile.
"So, and o-over there," Jasmill gestured, "are BTL-B Y-wing bombers. True, there's only one squadron left—they're selling fast."
"Then I'll take those as well," the Jedi confirmed.
"Anything else?"
"Two Kappa-class shuttles and six Nu-class shuttles. Can you arrange that?"
"No problem."
"Excellent. Then... send all the equipment to Fortress-Four-Seventeen."
***
Ahsoka walked beside the Twi'lek, trying to draw her into conversation.
"You must be worried about Master Vos?"
"Yes. My Master means a great deal to me."
"And… why do you still call him 'Master'? You've been a Knight for a long time now… even a Jedi Master."
"You'll understand when you're older. You'll see that you'll still call your Master 'Master,' even when you're no longer his Padawan."
"Probably," the girl replied uncertainly. After a pause, she asked, "Don't you want to fly on this mission?"
"No. I'd rather go and look for my Master."
"You know," Ahsoka said with an encouraging smile, "I probably wouldn't have listened to the Council… but then my Master himself would have scolded me."
They came upon a group of Jedi engaged in a heated discussion and were forced to interrupt their own conversation.
"What happened?" the Twi'lek asked, stopping one of them.
"Just now on the Holonet — the Separatists have attacked Gentes. Grievous is commanding the invasion forces… Excuse me, I'm in a hurry."
"Hutt! And we've been searching for him near the Ord Mantell for five days!" Secura muttered angrily. "Intelligence has failed us again!"
Notes:P@treon: /SadRaven
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