After outlining the idea to the Jedi, I completely shifted the entire implementation process onto their shoulders. And all of it under Fay's supervision. Now it was their headache to figure out how to make everyone accept the concept. A fleet for protection would also be allocated from the general reserves—for a good cause, so to speak. We, as the instigators, would oversee the matter. Though, "oversee" was a strong word; rather, we would take an active part in the object's defense and remain responsible for the station's technical condition.
The fact that the Jedi would now be keeping an eye on us didn't dampen the idea in the slightest; moreover—when Day X arrived, we could catch them in their own incompetence! Heh-heh-heh, how well everything was coming together! Ooh! No, I definitely understood Damask now and his feelings when everything goes exactly as it should, exactly as planned, and even better! I felt like sitting on an improvised throne and giggling wickedly.
With Fay, by the way, a rather amusing situation arose. The Jedi believed she was on their side, and therefore tried to bring her back into the Order on the condition that she "return to the Light." Fay herself was in no hurry to join the ranks of fanatics and hang extra obligations around her neck. No, she followed her own goals and ideals and actively tried to guide the members of the Order onto the true path. At the same time, Fay continued to quietly fulfill our agreements and follow the plan. The funny thing about all this was that if push came to shove, Fay wouldn't even hesitate to write the Order off as scrap. Yes, she would fight for them until the end, trying to save them, but if the client didn't want to live, then as one of my teachers used to say: "May Bogan and Ashla receive you."
Thus, in a good mood, I left Coruscant and returned to Dathomir. Even from space, it was evident that since my last visit, changes were occurring with the planet that were worth observing. And these changes were happening right before my eyes. Without the constant nourishment from the Infinity Gate, the planet had begun, if one could say so, to heal. The clouds were vanishing, the light of the local star shone brightly overhead, dispersing the gloom, and the dark, unwelcoming planet was transforming into something more hospitable.
The changes also reflected on the flora and fauna. Plants that absorbed the Force and were used by the Witches in their rituals were gradually withering. But while some were dying, others were being reborn. Plants that had hidden in corners of the planet with the lowest background were finally able to take root in other places. The beasts, especially those sensitive to the Force, were also experiencing problems. Those who had appeared as a result of spontaneous Force mutations were dying; others were trying to adapt to the new conditions. Thus, over the past time, several species of organosilicon life forms had already managed to disappear. Without the Force, these creatures were forever frozen as silent statues of themselves. The only way to preserve these creations was either to create a special zone with an increased background or to relocate them closer to the Kwa reactor. But no one was in a hurry to do either just yet.
While I was staring at the local nature, the master of the city and, concurrently, the official ruler of the planet, tried to reach me. Afterward, the White Witches sought a meeting with me, followed by an entire coven. And everyone needed to see me and talk right this instant. But! No one was let in. Once again, as I had long ago, I had crossed that threshold where not everyone could talk to me, for my time was limited and very expensive. For this reason, if anyone did see me, it was from a distance.
No, seriously, what was I supposed to talk to them about? I didn't intend to consult them, nor to take on any obligations. The Terrans and Mandalorians were doing a fine job handling affairs on this planet, and my intervention wasn't required. Where I was needed was at the excavations of the Infinity Gate.
According to my order, the Terrans didn't meddle inside the Infinity Gate complex without my knowledge. They fenced it off, secured it, but didn't enter. Now, with my arrival, we went underground as an entire delegation. Along the way, I explained what worked and how, because the controls here were not intuitive in the slightest. Where the hidden panels were, how to open and close doors, turn on lighting, and where it was better not to go at all—and why. The Kwa were quite the paranoiacs, and if you handled their button for opening an ordinary door incorrectly, you could really get blasted by Force lightning. And in the best-case scenario—only you, not everyone in the corridor. The security system was like that. I wonder how many people the Sith lost in these corridors?
Once downstairs, at the main terminal, I slowly and demonstratively conducted a system diagnostic, collected damage notifications, and explained where the security system was, and most importantly—how not to trigger self-destruction. And how not to accidentally wreck the reactor. The Force, of course, can endure much, but it has limits too.
After that, the internal exploration of the complex began. Not all systems were operational, and responses didn't come from everywhere. Taking the facility plan, we dispersed. Some went to check the integrity of the supports, some to the residential block, some to the charging stations. I gave the latter a separate order in the form of an entire manual. I remeeeeeember how Dalien used to fuss over one such charging device in his time. One mistake and any of the blocks could spawn a black hole. Therefore, extra precaution wouldn't hurt.
I, together with Radiy, headed to the third storage facility. The first, which was also the main one, was for storing cargo coming through the portal right now. It contained cargo platforms and elevators used to send cargo to the dock.
The second storage was a long-term cache. Things that couldn't be transferred through the portal immediately, or were received and had nowhere to go here, and so on. And the third was, if one could say so, the engineering storage. It housed spare parts, some tools, consumables, and much more, thanks to which the optimal operability of the complex was maintained.
Alas, to get to the storage, we had to do a bit of digging. Literally. Despite the Force that kept this complex in working condition, even it couldn't preserve its original appearance. On the other hand, if not for the cave-in, Tenebrous or Damask would have found it, and so I hoped to find Kwa holocrons there.
I was even sincerely happy when I got into the storage, because, apparently, it was untouched. Only the joy didn't last long, because there was everything here except what I had come for. Tools, spare parts, household trifles, and much more. Eh... Apparently, I'll still have to work with my hands and write a manual.
For the next week, I dropped out of reality and worked actively on a new holocron. Finding parts for it here was no problem; everything necessary was at hand, and thanks to the fact that the materials had been exposed to the Force for thousands of years, the holocron turned out to be simply a sight to behold in its quality. The crystal diamond, encased in metal brackets, glowed with a white radiance like a star in my hand. Mmm, beautiful!
While I worked on the holocron, transferring everything I knew about the Infinity Gates from my head into it, I gave new orders to Warren and Radiy. We wouldn't be moving to Dathomir, as some had managed to think, but it was necessary to properly entrench ourselves here and build a proper defensive station in the system. This task was a long-term one and didn't require immediate implementation. We already lacked resources as it was, and the Infinity Gate wouldn't attract anyone if we didn't make noise. I also placed an order for a couple of tens of thousands of combat droids here to maintain order. Well, just in case.
I was distracted from my work on Dathomir by a report from the Terrans. Intelligence was finally ready to provide some data on the unknown outsiders. Leaving the holocron and the Infinity Gate temporarily in peace, I visited the command center, built back by the Sun Guard and refitted by us. Several holograms were already standing at the holographic table, among which were Loki and Don. The Terrans communicated freely with the Mandalorians and discussed some developments.
"Ancient One," Don interrupted himself as soon as I appeared in the doorway.
"Greetings. Loki, let's get straight to the point; what did you find?" I stood at the terminal, placed my mask on it, and Ziro landed on the table nearby, ready to work with the data. The little fellow already knew me quite well and was preparing in advance to execute orders not yet given.
"As you wish. In grid M-23-41, system 044, a civilization matching the description you gave was discovered," the scout began his report. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his feet were shoulder-width apart. His head followed the holoprojector, on which an image appeared first of the galaxy, then its grid, the system, and finally the planet itself.
Inspecting the map, I noted that this was literally the edge. Beyond this system was only unexplored space. Furthermore, the system itself was located quite far away and was hidden in a nebula. I don't know what effort it cost them to find and study it.
"There are five planets in the system, but only one is inhabited. At least from the looks of it. We failed to establish peaceful contact with representatives of this species. The attempt to enter a dialogue ended in an attack followed by the capture of our ship. They tried to take our ship carefully, and at first, nothing portended trouble. During the skirmish, we discovered several characteristics of the aliens at once. Very important characteristics," Loki emphasized. "Despite this, the ship not only got away but also captured their vessel, which it towed all the way to the Spark."
"Tauok nak'it," Warren, standing next to me, laughed softly, commenting on the "admirable" negotiations and the various fools who got boarded themselves.
"The first thing I want to note is the technological aspect of this civilization. They have no technology in our understanding. Physically none. All achievements belong to biotechnology. This applies to everything, from ships to spacesuits. Even breathing masks are living organisms. However, this civilization feels perfectly at home in space. Their ships can move freely between stars, but for some reason, this isn't happening. At most, we saw their scouts, hiding in the guise of asteroids or comets. We failed to intercept these ships. They don't take risks and, upon closing with us, immediately leave. It reached the point where they flee the system the moment we appear in it. What this is connected to is unclear. There is an assumption that they simply don't want to deal with us."
"Or they don't want to give away any new secrets," Don added.
"Yes. Further, the most important thing we realized is that this race has no sensitivity to the Force. It is not in them. Simply none. We are used to the Force being around us, everywhere, even in metal," Loki tapped his breastplate, "but in them, it is completely absent. Because of this, they cannot be felt properly, just as their intentions cannot be sensed. However, they can be found by the void in space. Also, the Force can be used on them indirectly. Force lightning, pyrokinesis, a thrown rock—all these work perfectly, unlike techniques directed specifically at them."
"Do they block the Force?" I clarified with tension. If we were facing an entire race capable of blocking the Force, it was game over.
"No. At least this characteristic was not noticed. We compared them to ysalamiri, but the lizards interact with the Force to block it. They are part of our world, which cannot be said about these creatures." Another hologram appeared on the table, demonstrating a representative of the conditionally hostile civilization. The alien's face looked more like a lump of pulsating flesh with deep-set eyes covered by bluish lids. On the head were distorted bony growths, here roughly stitched skin, there tattoos, and there open scars. A ghastly monster. And extremely similar to the one Fay had shown me.
"So we found them for sure," I commented on the image. "Ziro, download it."
"Accepted!"
"Further, representatives of this race are distinguished by extreme resilience and adaptability. Their bodies are modified; even a severed arm or leg cannot cause death. They endure pain calmly, if not with enjoyment. Also, they continue to live for some time in decompression conditions; the time is from thirty seconds to a minute. This is enough to reach a protective mask, let alone a spacesuit."
"What about language? Culture?"
"Nothing. We couldn't decipher their language; there are no close analogs even in the archive. We also couldn't learn any cultural characteristics, except that they love to inflict pain and mutilation on themselves. Either that, or we caught an entire crew of a ship that had committed an offense and been severely punished," the scout spread his hands.
"Communication?"
"It's not so simple with that either. We were able to intercept signals, but there were problems with decryption. These signals most resembled the conversations of two space leviathans. Apparently, this is due to the design features of their transmitters, as those are also alive."
"Weapons?"
"Living. And aggressive. Both for close combat and projectile-firing." The image changed to a staff/snake, something looking like a pistol with teeth, and something completely incomprehensible clinging to the arm.
"If everything they have is alive, then their ships don't have shields either, right?" Warren asked thoughtfully, inspecting the weapons with a serious look.
"Actually, they do. And I wouldn't call them weak. Moreover, when studying the ship and its operating principles, we found that these beings found many of our technologies in a bioengineered analog. On the ship we captured, there was a device, about three meters in diameter, resembling a dark red heart covered with blue spikes. One could assume this is the ship's heart, but that's not the case, because there are several of them and each is slightly different from the other. One is located in the tail, another in the center, a third in the nose. This creature, or device, is used instead of a deflector shield generator, tractor beam, repulsor, and even a sublight engine. Also, apparently, it was with this thing that they tried to strip our protective field, and also generated singularities."
"In other words, this junk plays with gravitational fields," Warren commented.
"Exactly. How? Unclear. However, we are capable of opposing them with our own developments. Both technical and Force-based. Especially Force-based."
"Did you fly into their system?"
"Not into the system itself. We dropped out somewhere on the approach in open space, and from there, from a safe distance, watched the system. The nebula didn't allow the ship to be detected, yet it wasn't enough to prevent us from watching. Inside the system, a serious defensive fleet is concentrated. The planet itself, apparently, has undergone terraforming. I assume planetary defense batteries."
"In other words—they've entrenched themselves properly," I finished, rubbing my chin.
"Exactly."
"What about neighbors?"
"None observed. For many systems around, no one. They knew where to land."
"Most likely, they are preparing a bridgehead for the next relocation."
"Shall we strike?" Warren perked up.
"No. Not yet. We don't have enough strength; we need to wait. We need a fleet. A normal, full-fledged fleet and an army, not what we have."
"Hey!"
"No offense to you, Warren, but there are too few Mandalorians. You aren't an army; you're special forces."
"But we took Dathomir. And staged two campaigns," another commander disagreed.
"Compare Dathomir to this," I pointed to the defensive fleet in the enemy system.
"Point taken," Warren snorted.
"So we'll prepare to receive uninvited guests. By the way, Don, what about the clones?"
"The project is already launched. We've laid down the first batch of clones. By the time they mature, the complex will be fully completed."
"What about the timeline?"
"Ten years. Less—only at the expense of quality. All clones without exception will have a connection to the Force, albeit a weak one. In view of this, we are developing appropriate training programs for them."
"I understand. Well done, good pace. And the factories?"
"Running at half nominal capacity. An acute shortage of resources is taking its toll; the worker ships physically cannot keep up with supplying the necessary materials."
"Is there an opportunity to speed up production?"
"Only by purchasing materials from outside," he shook his head.
"Hm..."
"Shade."
"Mmm?" I turned to Warren.
"We happen to have a bunch of free hands that appeared recently. We aren't going anywhere else, so let's put the extra criminals to corrective labor?"
"Good thought. I'll bring it up at the council of clans. Pity the banks collapsed; we could have continued purchasing," I sighed.
"What are the further orders for me?" Loki asked.
"Continue to observe, and don't stir up the nest unnecessarily."
"Accepted."
After resolving the main issues, we moved on to less important ones. Thus, it was mentioned in passing that the Infinity Gate is not only a portal but also a weapon. I knew that the mechanism had another mode of operation, but I didn't understand it, as it was discovered and properly studied only after my time. For configuration, unknown manipulations were required. And apparently, it was thanks to this that the Hadians in the past destroyed entire planets.
After consulting on this matter, we concluded that it was better to first properly master the gates before trying to switch them to another mode. No, I'll laugh if we really have a variation of the Death Star in our hands. Too bad the Terrans didn't have the necessary data.
After Dathomir, I stopped by the Mandalorian fleet. They were completing the campaign and in many ways arriving where everyone had already bolted. You know, it's quite funny when a gang of cutthroats rushes to another base, bursts in, and... finds no one. The owners took what they could and cleared out. The feeling of disappointment among the Mandalorians was literally hanging in the air, and you don't need to be Force-sensitive, let alone an empath, to feel it.
Thus ended the second Mandalorian campaign. Returning with them to Mandalore, I convened the council of clans, where I outlined further plans. I warned them that in about ten years we would go to war properly, but not against the Republic. Though, perhaps, against it too—I don't know how everything will turn out yet, but we'll prepare.
Afterward, I asked for help with resource supplies. Since there were many shady characters who needed constant watching, we organized a sort of correctional institution. Well, what—you can't just release bandits to their own devices unpunished? This way, they'll be occupied, won't do stupid things, and they'll have money in their pockets.
After the meeting, strolling through the city, I noticed that due to the expansion of the zone of influence and active operations, Mandalore had become a bit empty. There were usually few people here compared to the whole planet, and now at most two-thirds of the capital was in place. As for Concord Dawn—I won't even mention it; half was definitely absent, scurrying somewhere. Again, it is the Mandalorians who establish new contacts, provide aid to poor worlds in our region, and actively recruit from them. Right down to buying children from poor families. I hinted at this to other Mandalorians, so they won't be sitting idle. Training, classes with the youth, upgrading equipment, and learning to manage new ships—there's much to do, and as usual, not enough hands. Но how good it was to look at the strengthened economy. The people literally straightened their shoulders, and pacifist sentiments flew out of the masses at the speed of the wind. The people were united again.
Having tasked the Mandalorians, I left their planet and flew to Tatooine. Stepping over the threshold of the citadel, I caught myself thinking that for the first time in a long while, I didn't have to rush somewhere headlong. A strange feeling that I had already managed to get used to. Even a bit unsettling. All the time in motion, all the time nerves, and then suddenly—a window appeared. And you almost feel lost.
But it was too early to relax. I needed to go through the statistics on the most problematic worlds of the Republic, fly around them, and, if possible, sway them to my side. By the way, why not deal with it right now? Or...
Mentally looking back at the canon, I decided to take a different path. I'm a so-so negotiator, to be honest. And just this month, a character who had grown disillusioned with the Order asked me to give him a few lessons. Maybe I should involve him? Mmm... Though no, Dooku isn't ripe yet. But it would be funny. And canonical. If the Count goes to gather worlds into a new coalition, and instead of the CIS, there's the Hadian Empire. Heh-heh, what a twist.
I was distracted from work by two unexpected calls. The first from my mother, stating that her task was done, and the second from the Jedi. The latter called to report that the Sith had appeared again, killed several Jedi, blown up the north wing of the Judicial Corps, once again wrecked the temporary building for senators, and even(!) dropped one of the Temple's towers. How exactly, the Jedi didn't tell me, but Mom enlightened me after my return call. It was interesting! Since the Judicial Corps and the Temple stand nearby, one of the ships simply lost control and slammed into the tower. She hadn't planned it, but that's how it turned out. I see.
And criminals had become active too. Again, not without a kick from Aala. Rumors that only those senators who turned out to be bought and loyal to the Sith survived went around Coruscant before we started spreading them, and that says something.
The Hutts joined the commotion, having decided under the cover of the mess to snatch regions from the Republic that were left unsupervised. Here I got a little tense, because we and the Hutts were closest neighbors, but Jabba, practically teleporting into my citadel, assured me—all was well, the slugs wouldn't come for me. Right.
On the opposite side, in the "Greater Javin" region, its own movement began. One of the trade centers in the Outer Rim fell under showdowns between the Trade Federation and Kuat Drive Yards. Local gesheft-makers paid good money to the Trade Federation, and it supported them in the goal of profiting from the Inner Rim worlds. Let me remind you, the Republic currency is under the floorboards; trade goes through kind, Hutt peggats, or other more or less usable currency. To my surprise, Mandalorian tergs also entered this list, and not even in the last places.
Kuat, meanwhile, having its own branches in "Greater Javin," thought and thought and came to the conclusion that screw the traders and various middlemen—it's better to do it themselves. And crossed the TF out of the supply chain. Yes, unlike the TF, Kuat didn't have a large number of giant transport ships—not their specialty—but the guys compensated for this shortcoming with their battleships. Because it's easier and cheaper to fly twice on a battleship than to pay a middleman for delivery once.
The TF looked at this and tried first to go to the Republic with grievances: "Why the hell are battleships flying freely through the systems?!" but ran into a problem—who to go to? The Senate was wrecked a second time. Therefore, they solved the problem themselves and radically—they themselves broke other, smaller contracts with Kuat and even more so—arranged a trade blockade of the planet. Many firms, even if they aren't part of the TF, are connected to it, and banning them from trading in a specific place is no problem for them. For Kuat, this was like a sickle to the groin. A huge industrial planet that, having gotten greedy, decided to screw over the traders, found itself without supplies and couldn't export itself. Negotiations weren't working, you can't send the defensive fleet to trade, and even if you did—who could guarantee the planet's safety?!
In general, every day I opened the news—and every time I was amazed by the avalanche-like increase in the level of trash and nightmare happening in the Republic. Laws? Some duties, import bans—what are you talking about? There is no law, no Senate, the Judicial Corps is trying to recover from the last terrorist action, and the Jedi... well, the Jedi are in shock.
So, the combination of these events served as a simply magnificent incentive for the Jedi to move. They needed to immediately assemble a new Senate and judicial department before it was too late. But! It became clear as day that Coruscant was not safe. Even the Temple was not safe, and my idea with a separate station for planetary representatives and the judicial department sparkled with new colors. It reached the point that an emergency online conference was called between new senators or heads of their planets where a senator hadn't been chosen yet. They quickly, and not without help from the Jedi, elected a new chancellor. This time, a senator from Eriadu was elected chancellor. And not just any, but, damn it, Tarkin. A man whose clan for hundreds of years had fought for the return of the Republic's military forces. A man who respects dictatorship.
I don't know how, with what, or with the help of what forces this character managed to crawl into the post of chancellor, but I know something else for sure. Tarkins are serious guys, and they won't be fooling around in these times, and after reading the dossier on one specific representative, I began to silently await decisive actions from the Republic government.
Under the threat of the Sith, under the threat of collapse (by the way, as it turned out, more than seven hundred worlds had already broken away from the vaunted Republic), this character secured emergency powers for himself, with which he began to bring order.
Only, how seriously, I hadn't even imagined. Because one of his first decisions was the repeal of the Ruusan Reformation. At that moment, my jaw hit the floor, and my good mood evaporated. The built plans, meanwhile, patted me on the shoulder and, with the words "never plan or rejoice prematurely," prepared to die.
Further, despite his dislike for the Jedi, he understood their importance, and therefore met them halfway and restored their former combat powers. So now the Order could once again have generals, an army, and twist their fingers at both senators and the Judicial Corps. The Ruusan Reformation had seriously limited them; it forced the Order to obey the Senate and the Judicial Corps from the legal side. Or rather, how. Jedi have the right to hunt Sith. They also must obey the judicial department and the Senate. In general, they obeyed, but in some cases they didn't give a damn, because when the Ruusan Reformation was adopted, they left a number of loopholes for themselves that they used to this day.
But now, with the repeal of the reformation, they didn't have to worry. Now the Jedi could take a fine-tooth comb and go through the entire future Senate, cleaning it out. And not just the Senate, by the way.
At that moment, getting a bit spooked and turning gray, I dialed Mom's number without looking and gave the command for a sweep. Supposedly the Sith got scared and moved to active operations. We needed to immediately eliminate the most active adepts before these unique individuals ruined all my plans!
No, I need the Republic. I need it whole and strong enough; it must have a fleet, because if what Fay foresaw happens—the Hadian Empire won't withstand the blow. But damn it!!! At this rate, the Republic itself will crush us! The question is, how do I make it rise, get stronger, help get rid of the galactic migrants, and then successfully fall apart?! Only by controlling development. And in the current environment, losing control is very, very easy.
Alright, cancel the panic. So far, everything is going according to plan. Because as the next step, the new chancellor began to assemble a new Judicial Corps. Literally a new one. And into this structure, strangely enough, I was invited. I must admit, everyone was surprised by this turn—me, the Jedi, and the Mandalorians with the Terrans.
There were several reasons for such a development. The first, lying on the surface—I am the author of the idea of building a separate controlled facility. The second reason was our activity in the Outer Rim. Eriadu, a planet that ended up in our sweep zone. Not to say it suffered from crime—after all, the world is located on one of the main hyperlanes—but they could see perfectly well what was happening literally in the next system. The order we were bringing to the doorstep of our home was very much liked by the authorities and nobility of Eriadu. Well, and our uncompromising nature and the fact that we honor our own code also played a part.
The combination of these factors prompted him to offer me the leadership of the station's security department, which I had to politely decline. I know the future of this station, so nooooo. On the other hand, I pushed the Mandalorians as protectors. Yes, not without problems; there were many protesters, but it worked. Albeit with a small side effect. Several of our guys also had to be assigned to the Judicial Corps. After all, bribing a Mandalorian is practically impossible. Man... bribing a mercenary is impossible... it's come to this. On the other hand, Tarkin looked at Mandalore, the order there, then assessed the front of work we had done and realized that this was a good solution, so they even organized a soft chair for us to track and suppress corruption. Oh... laughter and tears.
And yet a year ago, no one could have even thought of this, even me. We, those who truly fight crime with fire and sword, made an impression on Tarkin, so the man was on our side. Although his family had liked our kind before this too. Relatively. At the very least, they trusted them with reliable matters. On the other hand, the reputation of mercenaries... Bloodthirsty mercenaries(!), who are trying to save the Republic—this is not what the new senators want to hear. The world is definitely going mad!
And I also realized that I personally couldn't go and assemble the Hadian Empire. Not only is there a high chance of being exposed, but the Republic would also receive it extremely negatively. This way, if I am supposedly with them, I can serve as a damper. What difference does it make who rules on the fringes, if that someone is part of the Republic and pays taxes regularly, right? Until, heh, it becomes too late. Though...
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan