Ten years and the thirtieth day after the Battle of Yavin…
Or the forty-fifth year and the thirtieth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Seven months and the fifteenth day since the arrival).
Located at the intersection of three regional hyperspace routes at once, the planet Dac—the capital and center of the Mon Calamari sector—resembled a beautiful pearl from space, a beauty that light had never beheld before.
Leia Organa Solo stood by the large viewport occupying most of the briefing room wall, admiring the play of light from Dac's local star on the planet's oceanic surface.
The planet Dac.
Practically the entire world called Dac was covered by oceans. Except for some islands.
Dozens of oceanic cities on the planet gleamed with snow-white walls, rounded designs, and pointed spires, attracting the attention of every tourist without exception who visited this world.
Before the young woman's eyes slowly passed the massive "Galactic Traveler" star cruiser, compared to the previous constructions of the "Mon Calamari Shipyards."
Like the "Defiance," aboard which Leia and the other significant figures of the Alliance were located, the "Galactic Traveler," despite its modified stern section, belonged to the newest MC90-type ships, just built by the mon Calamari to replace the already outdated MC80s.
The Mon Calamari MC90-type star cruiser.
At the moment, there were few such starships—"Defiance," "Galactic Traveler," "Tatooine," "Mon Calamari," "Yavin," and "Star Tide."
The last one was undergoing rapid completion, but like its siblings, it was destined to become the flagship of formations protecting the security of those hundreds of sectors and thousands of systems throughout the galaxy that had joined the Alliance.
At just over twelve hundred meters in length, the MC90 was the first vessel of its kind produced at the "Mon Calamari Shipyards," capable not only of fighting Imperial Star Destroyers on equal terms but also of defeating them.
How many decades had it taken to achieve this result…
But now they had a weapon capable of providing the necessary rebuff to the growing aggression from the Imperials.
Previously, the Rebel Alliance had chronically suffered from a shortage of large combat ships, which is why they tried to avoid open battle with the Imperial fleet.
The situation had fundamentally changed after the victory at the Battle of Endor, which led to the death of Emperor Palpatine and his sole heir—the Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Immediately after the proclamation of the New Republic, the need for large ships had increased even more, as thousands of joining planets needed to be protected somehow.
Many sectors, of course, transferred their available starships to the New Republic Defense Force, but this was far from what was needed. The Republicans, of course, took the "miscellaneous" spacecraft, serviced them, and sent them to war.
However, their repair and maintenance, procurement of spare parts and components, turned into a real logistical nightmare and a monstrous burden on the budget.
The newly formed Alliance went the path of unification, making the ships produced at the "Mon Calamari Shipyards" the basis of its fleet, which eliminated almost all issues of supply and discrepancies.
The joining sectors, of course, brought their starships, but by order of the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, General Garm Bel Iblis, these starships remained in the sectors, forming self-defense forces whose task was reduced to protecting territories from raiders and pirates.
And the maintenance—fell on the shoulders of the sectoral governments themselves.
Until the Alliance's economy was properly normalized, it was not worth thinking about taking on such a burden.
And yet, both Bel Iblis and Han, and General Kota, under whose command the "Defiance," "Galactic Traveler," and "Tatooine" had respectively come, believed that Mon Calamari starships were the best that the newly formed state could have at the moment.
After Grand Admiral Thrawn, in his ruthless campaign that ended with a suicidal attack on Sullust and Sluis Van, deprived the New Republic of light forces and all starships of Imperial design, Coruscant lost an entire fleet—captured or destroyed—and the New Republic effectively lost control over the southern part of the galaxy.
Now, according to agent reports, isolationist and openly hostile sentiments were unfolding there.
Both toward the New Republic and the Alliance.
The Sluissi, who had never forgiven the Republicans for effectively putting them under Thrawn's blow, had withdrawn into their system, ignoring all appeals and fortifying their borders, massively acquiring or repairing starships that now formed their armed forces.
Leia thought with fear that one day the Republicans or Alliance troops would have to go to war with the Sluissi people.
And most likely, the first ranks of the attackers would include Mon Calamari star cruisers.
It didn't matter who it would be—heavy surrogate cruisers MC80 and MC80A in service with the New Republic, MC80B, MC80 "Home One," or the newest MC90s of the Alliance.
Former allies would have to fight each other.
And the blame for this—Grand Admiral Thrawn, who had quarreled parts of the young state.
"Candy," she heard her husband's quiet voice as he embraced her, sneaking up from behind, "everyone's already gathering."
"Yes, I'll be right there," Leia said just as quietly. "Admiring your new ship."
"The 'Galactic Traveler' was good right off the slips, but after I applied my creative approach and the imagination of a self-taught mechanic, it became the fastest of them all," her husband said with a touch of smugness. "It's amazing that the Mon Calamari had so many of these new ships up their sleeve when the Alliance was formed."
"I talked to the Mon Calamari about this," Leia said even more quietly. "They were building them in secret to protect their own sector after the New Republic command failed to safeguard the Hast shipyards."
"Hm," the Corellian said, hugging his wife tighter.
In fact, Leia knew almost everything about the new type of ships.
Immediately after the Endor battle, Admiral Ackbar, who at that time headed the armed forces of the young state, had tasked the "Mon Calamari Shipyards," the best shipyards of the New Republic at the time, with developing a new type of purely combat ship that fully met the new military-political realities.
But fulfilling the order proved not so simple.
The development of the new battlecruiser and the construction of the lead ship of the series, named "Defiance," dragged on for five years.
Immediately after Thrawn, passing off his ships as the fleet of the Ciutric Hegemony, attacked the Hast shipyards on the very borders of the Mon Calamari sector, the inhabitants of the planet Dac, having suffered serious humiliation from the subsequent actions of Counselor Borsk Fey'lya, not relying on protection from the New Republic, arbitrarily launched the construction of this type of starships at shipyards in their sector, shielding them with a veil of secrecy.
Without arousing much suspicion, away from the eyes of Bothan intelligence, the Mon Calamari built, besides "Defiance," four more identical starships by the time the New Republic suffered the weight of defeat at Sluis Van.
"Star Tide" became the last of the "secret" MC90s being completed by the Mon Calamari.
At the moment, such starships, as well as the excellently proven MC80 "Home One" and MC80B, were being built at accelerated rates in almost every corner of the Mon Calamari sector to produce the necessary number of combat starships as soon as possible to protect the fragment of true democracy.
The Mon Calamari themselves classified the new type of spacecraft as a "battlecruiser," pointing to its high speed and significant superiority in maneuverability and armament compared to its predecessors.
Unlike the MC80s, which were conversions of civilian liners, the MC90 battlecruiser was a full-fledged combat ship, one of the few modern worthy opponents of Star Destroyer-class vessels.
The total power of its broadside salvo exceeded the might of the "Imperator's" guns, and overall, the design was not supposed to yield to those modernizations of Star Destroyers of this class that the New Republic had encountered in the Battle of Ossus.
An effective armor system and the power of two deflector generators allowed the MC90 to withstand fire from even heavy turbolasers of Imperial Star Destroyers for a long time.
A very useful feature of the deflectors was the ability to quickly restore the integrity of the protective field.
Because of this, completely stripping the MC90's shields was incredibly difficult by the designers' intent.
According to Han, the control system had undergone significant changes.
Now, MC90s could be operated not only by natives of Mon Calamari but also by representatives of other species.
This was an important and necessary step in the development of the Alliance's fleet, as the number of the state's ships was rapidly increasing, and there simply wouldn't be enough qualified Dac natives to form crews for all battlecruisers.
But the main thing that Han appreciated—and Leia fully trusted her husband in such judgments—was standardization.
All modifications of the MC80 were built "so that each ship differed from its sister ship." The attempt to fix this on MC80B ships was met with enthusiasm.
But the Mon Calamari went even further.
They adopted the experience of the "Kuat Drive Yards," significantly reducing the construction and commissioning time of line-class starships.
The modular structure of the MC90 and standardization of the ship's exterior and interior greatly simplified its serial production and operating costs.
Thanks to the same design, MC90s could even be assembled at non-Mon Calamari-type shipyards.
Which greatly increased the potential for rapidly growing a new fleet.
The MC90 became the first major combat ship of the Alliance built not only at Dac's shipyards.
It was assumed that in this difficult endeavor, the Sluissi would help, but…
The Sluissi sector and its population, disillusioned with the New Republic leadership, preferred isolationism.
There were other options being explored at the moment and were to become another agenda item at today's meeting.
Armed with seventy-five heavy turbolasers, thirty-five ion cannons, six launchers, and carrying six squadrons of fighters and bombers in its arsenal, the MC90 was primarily oriented toward space combat with enemy ships.
The number of troops it could carry was substantially reduced by the designers.
However, even the existing regiment of infantry with equipment was sufficient to capture and hold a planetary base, a small colony, or a space station.
This decision was driven by the fact that the Alliance's ground forces did not have as large a number as the New Republic's, so if necessary, reinforcements could be delivered by other starships, leaving the MC90 exclusively for delivering the first strike and fighting similar-class starships in space.
Unfortunately, due to their small number, all these starships were currently in the Mon Calamari sector, guarding the strategic core of the newly formed Alliance.
Han had argued long with Bel Iblis on this point, arguing that the newest battlecruiser, the only one in the Alliance fleet capable of taking on a Star Destroyer single-handedly, was being held in orbit over the most protected worlds as a scarecrow.
At the same time, old MC80s of all modifications, which had undergone several major overhauls, were to continue being sent to fight and perish under the guns of Imperial battleships.
The compatriot did not develop this discussion, and Leia privately explained the reason to her husband.
The Mon Calamari feared for their sector and did not want significant damage to be caused to it.
Therefore, first and foremost, the newest MC90 arrivals would be allocated to replace outdated ships in this sector. The latter would be sent to the front lines to maintain border security, but time was needed for that.
As soon as the Mon Calamari took care of their homeland, MC90s would flow powerfully into the other fleets.
Mon Calamari sector.
Catching with the corner of her eye the reflection in the transparisteel of Mon Mothma, clad in her traditional white, appearing, Leia gently led Han to the soft chairs encircling the oval conference table.
When all those present had settled into their places, Leia once again looked at the gathered.
At the head of the table sat Mon Mothma, who had not experienced a single day of calm since the split of the New Republic.
The Chandrilan had not left negotiations with leaders of other sectors, speaking at sessions of the alternative to the New Republic Senate—the Alliance Congress.
Her fiery speeches ignited hearts, urging sectoral rulers to "tighten their belts" and not cease preparing for defense, investing all resources into stabilizing the new economy.
To her right sat General Garm Bel Iblis, whose aged face also bore traces of sleep deprivation.
The Corellian rushed from sector to sector, checking the combat readiness of forward forces, rightly fearing that the aggression of the Imperial Remnants would not be limited solely to the New Republic.
Next to him sat Han, General Rahm Kota, Admiral Juno Eclipse, and Galen Marek.
To the left of Mon Mothma sat Leia herself, behind whom stood the irreplaceable C-3PO, serving the present company.
After Leia sat Lando Calrissian, Kyle Katarn, who clearly felt out of place, and Talon Karrde.
And if everything was clear with those seated opposite—they represented the military wing of the Alliance—Lando and "The Claw," though without much desire, were engaged in gathering information across the galaxy through their companions in legal, semi-legal, and completely illegal dealings.
Katarn, like Galen Marek, was primarily involved in special assignments from Mon Mothma.
Honestly, Leia did not know the reasons why they attended almost every operational meeting, but she had no doubt that today they had something to say to those present:
"Thank you for gathering so quickly," Mon Mothma said. "The situation in the galaxy changes every hour and not for the better."
This had been clear in the past six months.
But now…
One could envy Mon Mothma's composure, who still found words without saying outright: "catastrophe."
"Agent Katarn, do you have anything to report?" the Chandrilan asked.
"Unfortunately yes, ma'am," Kyle replied in a gloomy tone. "Jan Ors and I conducted reconnaissance in the Core Worlds to gauge the scale of the Imperial offensive. The results… are discouraging. The Pentastar Alignment fully controls the territories of the Core Worlds and the Mid Rim, effectively capturing the Imperial Center oversector. At the moment, we know they suffered heavy losses during the battles for Coruscant, Empress Teta, Foerost, Chandrila, Anaxes, and Korulag. Essentially, Grand Moff Kaine has exhausted his offensive potential, spending his reserves on capturing the Imperial Center oversector. He has switched to defense, deploying blocking squadrons of Star Destroyers and heavy cruisers on planets along the Corellian and Perlemian Trade Routes to avoid flank strikes. His ground forces operate on planets that were not directly attacked by the fleet but were surrounded and blockaded."
"Quite logical on his part," Rahm Kota grumbled. "I'm actually surprised that with such a small number of line starships he managed to defeat the New Republic's First Fleet."
"There's nothing surprising about it," Leia sighed. "While we were accumulating star cruisers by the dozens, he was building heavy cruisers by the hundreds."
"His tactics are clear," Bel Iblis stated. "He threw all forces into a frontal assault, and when he couldn't break through the defenses fortified after Thrawn's attacks, he switched to attacking Coruscant and a number of key worlds. Then, defeating detachments of the First Fleet separately, he imposed blockades on planets and now, leisurely, having set up a barrier from the remaining heavy forces, will wait for the occupation of the planets to complete. During this time, he will repair damaged ships—now he has Foerost, Grimmal, Anaxes, Kel Seti, and everything that was at the disposal of the New Republic's First Fleet. And then continue the offensive along the Corellian Run to Rendili, besiege or capture it, depriving the New Republic of its largest shipyard."
"I think before that he will strike, if he's not doing it now, at the territories of the former Sixth Sector Army to capture Roxuli, Kril'Dor, and other worlds on the galactic west, thereby organizing a direct path for himself between occupied territories and the Pentastar Alignment," Han said, projecting a galactic map before the seated. "We must not forget that relations between Kaine and the Imperial Ruling Council have cooled lately. He captured Bpfassh," Han pointed to the nodal world at the intersection of the Hydian Way and the Perlemian Trade Route. "This will give him the opportunity to continue expansion further south in the galaxy."
"At the same time, after Rendili, he has the opportunity to link up with the Diktat on Corellia," Lando noted. "And there is a pro-Imperial stance, a considerable fleet… Their march into the southern sectors will be quick, bloody, and clearly successful."
"Just where the New Republic doesn't have many forces left," Admiral Eclipse remarked.
"They have none there at all," Bel Iblis stated.
Looking at Mon Mothma, clearly receiving her approval, he added:
"A couple of hours ago, we received a request from the Sullustans to join the Alliance," the Corellian said. "Republican troops and ships remaining from the Fourth Fleet have left Sullust, relocating to Naboo. It is assumed they are heading to join the remnants of the First Fleet to form at least some force. Now we are forming a fleet to send it to defend Sullust while we still have the opportunity to use regional routes in the eastern galaxy."
"Do you assume that they will soon be cut off too?" Karrde inquired.
"You tell me," Bel Iblis suggested. "Based on your data, I get the impression that Imperial Space intends to expand precisely eastward in the galaxy."
"Yes, my informants are convinced of the same," "The Claw" said. "Star Destroyers from Orinda have struck the Colonies and the Mid Rim from the Mandalorian Sector to Bpfassh. Now they are driving the Third Fleet's ships back to their new base on Mimban and have effectively approached the territories of the Hapes Consortium, and in a week or two at most, they will reach Kashyyyk. They already control sections of the Perlemian Trade Route from Bpfassh almost to Taanaab. According to my information, they encountered the same problem as Kaine—they threw all forces into storming all planets in a row, which considerably thinned their capabilities for continuing the attack. The New Republic's Second Fleet is retreating to Denon, where they intend to organize a deeply echeloned defense and prevent further Imperial advance toward Bothan Space. My sources indicate that Orinda is accumulating three strike fists—for continuing the offensive on Taanaab, Lantilles, and further along the Perlemian Trade Route. Heavy fighting is also underway for Taris, and reserves have been redirected there. If they conquer the planet, wresting it from the neutrals—they can then move along the Hydian Way all the way to the Corporate Sector. And there, as far as I know, the 'corporates' don't just fondly remember the Empire, but a considerable part of the nearest sectors is still controlled by Imperial moffs who didn't shine much after Endor."
"And the third fist?" Rahm Kota inquired.
"Mimban and Denon, as far as I know, and further—who knows?" "The Claw" shrugged.
The old Jedi grumbled.
"So I take it the First Fleet no longer exists?" Han asked, looking at his comrade.
"Far from it," Lando objected. "Our acquaintance, Admiral Daala, not only gathered scattered detachments into a fist but also paid Kaine a visit at Coruscant, which ended for the Grand Moff with the loss of ten Destroyers just destroyed. Yes, Daala withdrew from the system as a heap of battered scrap metal, but she didn't lose a single starship and managed to evacuate the besieged Coruscant garrison. I got word from Rendili that she tested some new ship at Coruscant, and it exceeded all expectations of the New Republic Military Command, so they laid down a good dozen more like it at Rendili. At the same time, they are repairing what remains of the First Fleet."
"Most likely, Daala will hold the Rendili shipyards to the last, because after Sullust's exit from the New Republic, there are no such large shipyards and companies on their side," Bel Iblis assumed. "Except Bestine, but there production is mainly concentrated on fighters."
"Ours too," Mon Mothma said. "I've learned that the Verpine have refused cooperation with us. As has 'Incom.'"
"This means big problems with fighter supplies," Lando realized immediately.
"Such a decision from Fresia could have been anticipated," Bel Iblis sighed heavily. "When it became clear that Kaine couldn't be driven from Coruscant, it was only a matter of time before 'Incom' switched sides."
"I don't think it's that bad," Leia shook her head. "Perhaps we'll get a situation similar to the Galactic Civil War, when part of 'Incom's' engineers defected to our side, and the company publicly disowned them."
"Unfortunately, we're not in quite that position," Mon Mothma said. "Some engineers and scientists from 'Incom' have already arrived on Dac, that's beyond doubt, but please don't spread word of this event. According to them, the company has begun mass production of fighters on Imperial orders."
"From the Imperials' point of view, it's logical, since Lianna has lost its production capacity," Galen Marek said. "They have ships, but pilots and fighters are dying. They need to be replenished somehow."
"But we have exactly the same problems," Han reminded. "We have ships, but if they start—and they will—losing fighters, we simply have nothing to replace them with."
"Moreover, the Mon Calamari intend to maximize efforts to deliver MC90s to us," Bel Iblis said. "They need to be equipped with something too."
"But we have neither 'Incom' nor Verpine," Eclipse reminded. "What other options are there?"
"The Mon Calamari definitely won't produce fighters," Mon Mothma assured. "It's an uncharted field for them, and how much time it will take to create and test prototypes is not entirely clear."
"A dilemma," Lando said slowly. "'X-Wings' were supplied by 'Incom,' 'A-Wings' too, 'B-Wings'—Verpine, 'wishbones'—'Koensayr Manufacturing.'"
"At the moment, only the last ones haven't refused us," Leia reminded.
"They are literally next door to the Antimeridian sector," "The Claw" said. "And the moff there wants so badly to get his hands on something that will bring him profit that there's no point in deluding ourselves—the planet and its 'Manufacturing' will soon belong to the Empire."
"That sounds pretty bleak," Han grimaced. "I bet the Bothans negotiated with those same Verpine just to spite us."
"Or they simply don't want to get involved with either side, given that in the past the New Republic failed to protect them," Galen Marek offered his view of the problem.
"Which is most likely the truth," Rahm Kota concluded. "But we need to decide, because words won't fill ship hangars."
"We have a small command reserve, but in case of full-scale battles, we won't be able to equip all ships with these 'X-Wings,'" Bel Iblis unexpectedly admitted.
"That makes the issue of finding a fighter and bomber supplier even more acute," Han insisted.
"We need to contact Koensayr," Leia stated. "Whether they are under threat of attack or not, we haven't received a negative response from them yet. Therefore, at minimum, we can hope for cooperation if nothing happens before we can provide them protection."
"Besides Koensayr, there are other manufacturers," Bel Iblis reminded. "'Kuat Drive Yards,' 'Hoersch-Kessel Drive,' 'SoroSuub,' a multitude of smaller companies. The Alliance to Restore the Republic used many models from various fighter manufacturers. I'm sure some of them will agree to help us."
"I'd advise against dealing with Kuat," Kota stated. "Those business tycoons have their own fleet, and a considerable one at that. They definitely won't fight the Empire, and meanwhile the New Republic keeps retreating and retreating. As already reported, the First Fleet withdrew to Rendili, though it could have dug in at Balmorra, Himbari, or Commenor, finally. But Admiral Daala withdrew much further. If he's not a complete idiot, he either assumes these territories won't be loyal in case of approaching Imperial fleet…"
"Or on the contrary knows that Kaine will break all his teeth trying to defend them and won't be able to advance further," Han stated. "I fought with that guy at Sluis Van; he's a pretty sharp fellow."
"You can be as smart as you want, son, but if you have traitors in your rear, the best you can do is retreat, leaving them in front of you," Rahm Kota said meaningfully and with knowledge of the matter.
Leia knew the history of this Jedi Knight of the Old Order.
During the Clone Wars, he too had been a general, leading Republic armies forward.
But instead of clones, he had gathered an army of volunteers he trusted, unlike copies of Jango Fett.
When Palpatine declared the Jedi outlaws, most of them were killed by clone troopers, while Kota and his volunteers survived.
And later formed a militia that not only harassed the Empire but inflicted a defeat on Darth Vader at Kamino.
After the Dark Lord of the Sith was freed on Dantooine, Rahm Kota and his host remained always on the move, becoming a separate group of rebels operating apart from the Alliance.
Like Garm Bel Iblis in his time.
"I agree that Kuat is not the most reliable supplier," Mon Mothma said. "But within the framework that in the past they already jacked up prices for their services. If they even agree, the payment for their work may prove unaffordable for us."
"There's something else," Leia stated. "I think we have a chance to get a new supplier."
"And which one?" Bel Iblis inquired.
"'Santhe Technologies,'" the former princess explained.
Seeing skepticism on her comrades' faces, she explained:
"The corporation is currently dismantled, that's a fact. It is surrounded by pro-Imperial sectors."
"And survived the 'New Republic attack,'" Admiral Juno Eclipse reminded.
"Yes," Leia agreed. "Precisely the New Republic's. We all know that was Thrawn. Now the company is in disarray regarding the seizure of assets. Valles Santhe's son supports the Empire, but her grandson—and we know this for sure—sympathized with the Rebel Alliance. Perhaps we can convince both that it wasn't us who attacked Lianna, we aren't behind their plundering. And that we are ready to help them if they intend to support us."
"That comes off a bit two-faced," Lando noted.
"And suspicious," Karrde chimed in. "On one hand we hit them, on the other—we offer help."
"We didn't attack Lianna," Mon Mothma firmly repeated the common thought, furrowing her brows.
"And how do you intend to explain that to the Liannans, most of whom left the planet for the Dominion?" Karrde clarified. "I can confidently say that most engineers and technicians of flying and star products from 'Santhe Technologies' and related companies went to the Dominion, following the equipment that Thrawn seized. I think without the Grand Admiral rising from the grave and confessing to this provocation, there's no point in thinking we'll be believed. Especially in light of Vice Admiral Pellaeon's recent statement on the 'Holonet' that Dominion forces managed to track and capture ships, as well as equipment, that the New Republic took from Lianna."
"What struck me more in that speech was Pellaeon saying they couldn't capture the 'Lusankya,'" Lando supported. "Allegedly, the Star Dreadnought dropped its cargo, then damaged the Dominion starships and jumped to hyperspace. Do you understand what that means?"
"Like no one else," Bel Iblis said. "The Dominion is once again playing the picture for everyone that they supposedly aren't involved in the 'Lusankya's' actions."
"And simultaneously casting a shadow on the New Republic," Leia added. "Whatever the 'Lusankya' does now, it will be attributed to Fey'lya's government and the New Republic."
"Actually, I wanted to say that Thrawn wouldn't have let the ship escape, and Pellaeon's tales of the fleeing 'Lusankya' made him look quite weak compared to his former boss," Calrissian coughed into his fist.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Mon Mothma addressed all present. "We have strayed from the topic of conversation."
"That's true," Bel Iblis admitted. "First, we need to understand how much the Orinda advance along the Perlemian Route threatens us. In my view, this advance is a direct threat to the Alliance."
"I agree," Rahm Kota said reluctantly. "If we can slow their advance at Lantilles, we can not only show our strength, unlike the retreating New Republic, but also gain a suitable base for our forward forces, with all the necessary infrastructure for basing a large fleet, as it was during the Clone Wars."
"Essentially, holding Lantilles, we can not just slow but stop the enemy," Bel Iblis clarified.
"Not to mention that we will protect our staunch Wookiee supporters," Han agreed.
"And hold the communication corridor with Hapes," Leia added.
"Onderon is there too," Rahm Kota squinted. "In the Clone Wars, the Onderonians proved themselves fierce freedom fighters. Possibly, given the Empire's threat and the New Republic's position, they will want to join the Alliance."
"But now they prefer not to interfere," Juno Eclipse noted. "Perhaps they just want to sit it out."
"Then we need to assemble a fleet and send it to support Lantilles," Mon Mothma stated. "I'll handle the diplomatic nuances. Leia," she looked at the former Alderaanian princess. "I'll ask you and General Solo to go to Lianna to conduct negotiations. I think Mr. Karrde is right—we are unlikely to convince them that the New Republic is not involved in the attack. But we are not the New Republic. We are the Alliance and bear no responsibility for their actions."
Leia, as well as all present, opened their mouths, realizing what the Chandrilan meant.
Not to convince of the Republicans' non-involvement, but on the contrary, to point out that the Alliance is maximally distant from the current New Republic government.
"Honestly, the plan is so-so," Calrissian said. "If they have any brains at all, they'll remember that Leia and you, esteemed Mon Mothma, were on the New Republic's Provisional Council when the attack happened. And now in the same positions in the Alliance…"
"That's exactly why Leia is going there," Mon Mothma said, looking again at the Alderaanian. "You need to convince them that Fey'lya was behind it all, not us. We can't make Thrawn speak from the grave anyway, and this way we have a chance to get not only supporters in the form of this corporation but also production capacity for military equipment."
"Not to mention that there are hyperspace routes leading straight from the pro-Imperial Corporate Sector right to Lianna," Calrissian reported.
"That's true," Karrde confirmed.
"So we simply must gain control over the planet," Mon Mothma stated. "Otherwise, as soon as Taris falls and the Empire continues its march along the Hydian Way north, we face strikes from several sides."
"Probably the Dominion too, though now they are sitting behind their borders in full isolation, won't miss the opportunity to strike us, joining the Imperial coalition," Han added.
"If the Mon Calamari provide us with ships, and Lianna in league with the defected Incom engineers—with fighters, then we have all the opportunities to fully create armed forces."
"Not quite," Bel Iblis interjected. "We have a rather limited number of ground forces. The Wookiees, forming the basis of assault units, are masters of their craft, but we also need ground equipment. At the moment, we have equipped most of our land forces with Republican equipment from stockpiles, but in war it will steadily decrease, break down, be destroyed. I think we need a supplier for it too. Because the companies that produced it for the New Republic have refused to trade with us—I spent almost a month working on each of them, but got only a modest, polite bureaucratic response that I don't want to voice to avoid shocking you with the beauty of its verbiage."
"Don't tell me we'll have to develop tanks from scratch too," Mon Mothma grimaced.
"Actually, no," the Corellian smiled slyly. "I think Lianna will come in handy here too."
"How so?" Karrde asked with interest. "They produce Imperial ground equipment."
"And in fact, only such shops remain with them," Bel Iblis agreed. "But I have something that Thrawn didn't reach during the attack on the 'Peregrine's Nest' during the feint. Because the combat platform was far from the base, and honestly, we forgot about it."
The Corellian placed a small holoprojector on the table, above which a white-and-blue volumetric copy of a squat armored combat and armed-to-the-teeth platform arose.
"This is the prototype of the 520 combat platform," the Corellian explained. "It has heavy armor, excellently protected. The prototype was developed by 'Arakyd' on Carida, but I managed to steal it. The Empire put a cross on the project, which is good for us. The platform is equipped with four heavy laser cannons on the sides and powerful deflector shield generators. Two turbolasers, located front and rear, were capable of penetrating heavily armored machines. According to the developer—they weren't even afraid of the blaster-absorbing armor of AT-ATs, but in practice, it couldn't be tested. For defense against infantry, there are four anti-infantry laser cannons. Yes, no anti-aircraft guns, but my engineers upgraded the anti-infantry guns, and now fending off an air raid is no problem."
"In fact, is this a heavy tank?" Rahm Kota asked, leaning forward.
"Rather super-heavy," Bel Iblis clarified. "The prototype has been delivered to one of our bases, and if necessary, I will hand over the 'Gargantuan' to our allies. I think it won't be much trouble for them, having the schematics, to redirect their capacities not for producing paper Imperial tanks but for manufacturing such combat platforms."
Combat platform 520 "Gargantuan."
"An impressive piece," Karrde stated. "Won't it be too expensive?"
"For starters, we should secure Lianna's support," Mon Mothma interrupted any hints of argument. "Leia, Han, I count on you."
"We'll do everything in our power," Solo replied.
"And last," Mon Mothma looked at Admiral Eclipse, Galen Marek, and General Kota. "We will contact Koensayr to clarify if they need our support. If we save them from conquest by the Empire or one of its Remnants, with subsequent nationalization of the corporation, they will clearly be grateful and supply the necessary armament. I ask you, Galen and Juno, to go there and ensure security if the planet wants to deal with us. As for you, General Kota, you will lead the battle group that will go to defend Sullust. I also ask you to find out from 'SoroSuub' what contribution to our common future victory they are ready to make."
"Honestly," the Jedi objected stubbornly, "I would like to train Lady Organa Solo. As I heard, she is a beginning Jedi. And in the absence of her brother, we will need all the Jedi we can gather to repel Palpatine's attack. I have no doubt he has someone to back him up after Darth Vader's death."
"Or, worse yet, Vader not only had cloning cylinders and my DNA on Kamino," Marek added grimly. "At one time, I had to do the impossible to kill the clones he unleashed on me. And no one can guarantee that the Empire doesn't have a reserve for a rainy day. Though we destroyed the cloning center, I repeat, there's no guarantee that, just like with Vader raising a secret apprentice, the Emperor wasn't aware of his successor's antics."
A tense pause hung.
Each of those present sat and realized how bad their situation would be if the Emperor had dozens, or worse—hundreds and thousands of unmanageable aggressive clones in hand, ready to kill anyone their commander pointed at.
"I suggest not succumbing to despondency prematurely," Han said diplomatically, seeing the faces of those present grow serious from Marek's last words. "If Palpatine has Jedi, even cloned ones, why hasn't he used them yet?"
"Remember Luke's story about Polis Massa," Leia said. "He was attacked by dark Jedi. Possibly clones—without Luke himself, we can't say for sure."
"As we can't reach Kamino to sort out what happened," Marek lamented.
"What was at the Empire's disposal on Kamino, we destroyed," Eclipse said sharply. "And if we sit now, fearing that the Empire has another 'joker' up its sleeve, it's easier to run and hide right now. Personally, I disagree with that. We need to fight."
"Darling," Han's crooked smirk faded from his face when he saw Leia's gaze on him—wary and promising plenty of future trouble, Marek's—interested, Eclipse's—condemning and clearly harboring plenty of barbs in response from her herself, "ahem, Admiral Eclipse, no one intends to surrender. But regarding the 'joker,' I wouldn't count on it. Palpatine prepared for this for years—surely he has a whole marked deck."
"That doesn't change the situation," Eclipse cut off. "We must fight. Period."
"I agree," Rahm Kota said reluctantly, turning his head toward Leia. "Well, Princess, I've managed to show you some Jedi mastery over these past few weeks. I hope we continue the lessons when the galaxy quiets down a bit."
"If everything succeeds, we'll have a chance to create full armed forces to repel the Empire's attack," Bel Iblis stated.
"The Empire—maybe," Rahm Kota said. "But what will we do when Palpatine and his pack crawl out of the Deep Core?"
"Hope that by then the New Republic hasn't fallen and, as Thrawn predicted, becomes a buffer that protects the entire galaxy from this madman," Mon Mothma said.
"An alliance with the Dominion, which now has ships galore, you categorically aren't considering?" Karrde asked.
"Not after Luke rid the galaxy of Thrawn," Han said, looking guiltily at Leia.
"Even if that hadn't happened, we still wouldn't ally with the Dominion," Mon Mothma stated firmly. "In the past, cooperating with Imperials, we already made plenty of mistakes and only brought more problems on our heads. If Thrawn wanted an alliance—he would have surrendered, like Octavian Grant did, told everything he knew, and helped us destroy Palpatine, instead of starting a war engulfing the entire galaxy."
Leia opened her mouth to say that there was their fault too in the confrontation, as well as the demonstrative denial of those truths Thrawn had tried to convey to them, but, meeting the Chandrilan's angry gaze, she fell silent.
"So I take it no one is planning to negotiate with the New Republic either?" Rahm Kota clarified in a grumpy tone. "Together we could give the Empire a proper thrashing."
"I will propose a temporary alliance to Fey'lya," Mon Mothma unexpectedly declared.
"Agent Katarn," the Alliance leader addressed Kyle sitting at the table. "You will make secret visits to several sectors to gauge the local population's mood toward us. The faster the Alliance deals with priority problems, the stronger we will stand to withstand all adversities. I'll send you the list of planets after the meeting ends."
"It will be done," Kyle Katarn replied.
"Mr. Calrissian, Mr. Karrde, I ask you to continue gathering agent reports that are vital to us," the Chandrilan said, addressing both named men.
"You pay—I work," Karrde replied calmly. "Though progress—after Sluis Van, no one attacks me anymore."
"You never found out who was behind the attack on your suite?" Calrissian asked in surprise.
"Of course I did," Karrde grimaced. "Naturally, it was Thrawn's people. They killed my guard and most of my guys at the yards and docks."
"Seems Thrawn intended to destroy your organization at the end of his campaign," Leia assumed.
"For the umpteenth time, he almost succeeded," Karrde shrugged. "And for the umpteenth time, I have to gather the fragments anew. Not the first time. The organization works, steadily gets credits," he nodded to Mon Mothma, "delivers information. Business as usual."
"I think we should focus efforts on the advances of Imperial Space on Taris and Taanaab," Leia suggested. "So we know exactly what to expect from there."
"Thank you for the advice, Princess," Karrde smiled. "I work all fronts at once. I think even before you start your diplomatic games, my people will already know where not to poke and why."
"That would be nice," Rahm Kota grumbled.
"The meeting is adjourned," Mon Mothma proclaimed. "Each of you has an assignment—and I hope it will be carried out. May the Great Force be with us all."
They dispersed in complete silence, each immersed in their own thoughts.
***
Garos IV, orbiting two moons, was a pleasant world of forests, mountains, and oceans.
It was located in the Mid Rim, that is, at a considerable distance from the Dominion's metropolis, on the western outskirts of the oddly named Msst sector.
Msst sector.
Not far from the Mandalorian Sector, which, despite the passions and conflicts raging in the galaxy, remained, contrary to the Mandalorians' eternal belligerence, a quiet and calm place.
The population of Garos IV mainly lived on the single continent in three large centers: a coastal resort town on the ocean shore; an industrial base and agricultural breadbasket—a city called Garan, located on the bank of a beautiful and full-flowing river, not far from an equally beautiful and quiet valley.
And also in the capital itself, called Ariana.
The Imperial mining complex, from which hybrium was extracted—an indispensable resource for our "Asteroid-II" masking fields—was located in the mountains lying on the coastal cape to the ocean.
The planet with a population of just under twenty-five million inhabitants was largely self-sufficient, so fluctuations in the economies of the states it had been part of at various points in history had little impact on this world.
Besides Garos IV, the system also had another inhabited planet—Sundari.
A mining world that received food supplies from Garos, it had once been at war with the latter.
Before I sent Captain Doria here over half a year ago to pacify Republican cells, there had been a simmering "cold war" between the planets.
Doria's Star Destroyer put an end to it.
How?
Very simply and purely militarily—yanked the instigators from both planets, held a public inquiry, found both sides guilty, and shot them.
Having studied the reports on this incident, I must say that Doria acted harshly, but it led to a reduction in confrontation between the planets.
Now both work for the good of the Dominion, and if the summaries of Major General Carner, responsible for the military contingent in the system, are to be believed, there are many among the inhabitants of Garos and Sundari who want to enlist not just in the Dominion's armed forces but directly in the regular fleet, whose glory for actions against the New Republic has spread quite widely across the galaxy.
Not least thanks to the popularization of the campaign through mass media.
I set aside the major general's report and looked at the rear admiral sitting opposite me.
"And how do you intend to resolve the current crisis, Doria?" I asked the commander of the squadron guarding the system.
Three Star Destroyers, a dozen heavy cruisers, two dozen Nebulon-B escort frigates in Dominion modifications.
Not to mention a regiment of stormtroopers on each planet and ground-based aviation—Dominion-upgraded "Ether Fairies."
The rear admiral, taking a large gulp and half-emptying the glass of water, looked at me with a bewildered gaze.
"Rules are rules, sir," he said uncertainly. "I have nearly three hundred thousand volunteers wanting to join the fleet service. Young guys—both humans and aliens, aged fifteen to thirty. Mostly former farm kids or from small industrialist families. Almost every one has clearances for operating or maintaining light equipment. Civilian, of course—tractors, combines, speeders, irrigators, and so on. But it's a good foundation to grow something more from them."
"That's exactly why I changed my route and arrived on Garos," I explained the reason for stopping at Garos. "By our own laws, these sentients cannot immediately enter the regular fleet."
"Yes, sir, they must first serve in the Defense Forces," Doria agreed. "But I must note that there aren't that many star systems of interest in the Msst sector. If I had additional equipment for these recruits, additional ships, I could organize the capture of these systems in a short time and subordinate the sector to the Dominion."
"Using conscripts?" I clarified.
"The sector conquest can be postponed for some time," Doria toned down his enthusiasm. "And send the recruits to training centers for preparation, then transfer them to regular troops…"
"No, Rear Admiral," I objected, looking the man straight in the eye. "No matter the enthusiasm of our conscripts, none of them has experience in the Imperial army service, and therefore—legally—has no right to serve in regular troops. There are only two options. First—they are sent to educational institutions on general terms and serve by conscription in the Dominion Defense Forces with subsequent transfer to the regular fleet based on a personal application and contract scheme. Second…"
Crews for nearly ten Star Destroyers…
Which are practically swimming into our hands.
Just agree.
After all, after recruiting criminals, letting those who rush there themselves to the front—is that as criminal as it seems?
It only requires changing the law and scooping up several million fighters at once?
After all, it's so simple…
Just two papers—one to repeal the previous law, the second—to write a new one.
"Second, sir?" Rear Admiral Doria repeated, clearly hoping for the answer I interrupted with my musings.
"Second, Rear Admiral," I said, making the decision. "These volunteers stay on Garos IV and study Dominion legislation more thoroughly. Without service in the Defense Forces, they are not needed in the regular troops. Tell that to their initiative group just like that."