The credits came in silence.
From orbit above Neimoidia, Cassian Voss watched as row after row of Trade Federation droid freighters activated and left drydock. His modifications had increased power efficiency by 27%, and upgraded targeting software gave the Neimoidians a false sense of superiority. Yet, within the binary layers of each ship's core, his hidden algorithms sat like dormant predators.
The transaction terminal on EVA's display lit up.
"Payment received," she confirmed. "Twelve billion credits, plus five percent equity in their Outer Rim operations."
Cassian exhaled. "Send it to the Zereth Prime vaults. Begin Project Gemini."
"Do you intend to share the specs with the Jedi Order?"
"No. Just enough to gain their trust."
He turned from the window and entered his private negotiation chamber. On the holo-display, multiple encrypted calls blinked for attention bounty hunters, mercenary lords, and black-market traders eager to buy under-the-table modifications, stealth modules, or advanced weaponry.
Cassian opened one transmission. A shadowed face appeared: Cad Bane.
"Heard you're offering stealth refits, Voss. I want one for the Xanadu Blood."
Cassian nodded. "Untraceable stealth coating, null-pulse drive, biometric locks. Fifty thousand up front, rest on delivery."
"You get me caught, I kill you."
"You get caught, the ship self-destructs," Cassian replied coolly. "I like symmetry."
The deal closed. More followed. IG units, Zygerrian slave barons, and even an anonymous Chiss buyer requested warship designs and cloaking upgrades. EVA managed the logistics while Cassian focused on larger moves.
And the Jedi finally reached out.
The Jedi Order, growing uneasy over the Trade Federation's sudden militarization, sent a request to the Republic's top shipyards. To their surprise and some alarm it was Cassian Spaceyards that submitted the leading bid.
Cassian met with Master Plo Koon and Master Adi Gallia aboard a Jedi diplomatic frigate.
"The Order requests enhanced hyperspace maneuverability and non-lethal riot suppression tools," Plo Koon said. "We are guardians, not soldiers."
Cassian handed them a data pad. "I've included those upgrades and a few more. Sensor-nullification dampeners, energy redistribution shielding, and modular wings for rapid planetary descent."
Adi Gallia studied him. "Your designs are… efficient."
"And transparent," Cassian said smoothly. "You'll find no weapons capable of planetary devastation. My focus is defense, not escalation."
They approved the contract, and Cassian left the meeting with a faint smile. Jedi trusted too easily. But it was enough. He didn't need them as allies he needed their DNA, their weapons data, their structure.
Project Gemini would move forward.
Meanwhile, on Naboo, things were shifting.
Queen Padmé Amidala had grown concerned at the Federation's refusal to withdraw trade taxes. Her appeals in the Senate were stalling. And though Cassian's diplomatic cruiser the Radiant Heart was ready, she now feared even a diplomatic voyage would become a provocation.
Cassian had warned her something was coming and she needed to be ready for it.
She hadn't listened. Now, the Neimoidians were preparing for a full-scale blockade.
On Cato Neimoidia, in a private communication chamber lit by green underglow, Nute Gunray paced nervously. Across from him, a cloaked figure's hologram shimmered.
"Begin the blockade of Naboo," came the cold command.
"It will spark political backlash," Gunray stammered.
"Not if it's temporary. Apply pressure. Force a negotiation. Do not fire yet."
Behind the cloaked figure, another shadow loomed larger and deeper Darth Plagueis, watching silently as his apprentice manipulated pawns across the board.
The Lucrehulk-class warships, now modified under Cassian's hand, began their coordinated jumps toward Naboo. Their cargo holds were filled not with goods but with battle droids.
And every one of them contained a silent vulnerability keyed to Cassian's personal codes.
On Corellia, Cassian stood within the command centre of his orbital facility, watching holofeeds of the blockade form around Naboo. The comms chimed Padmé.
"They've surrounded the planet. My council urges surrender. My people"
"I'll send you encrypted backdoor access to their comm relays," he interrupted. "Disrupt them just long enough to broadcast the truth to the Senate."
"And if they jam me?"
"I've already embedded a signal amplifier in Radiant Heart's substructure. Use it."
She looked at him. "Why are you helping me?"
Cassian paused.
"Because this isn't about Naboo. It's about what's coming. If the Federation is allowed to bully a Republic world with no consequence, others will follow."
She nodded. "Thank you, Cassian."
He terminated the call before he could say more. He didn't need emotional ties.
Later that night, in the underground vaults of Cassian Spaceyards, EVA activated a secure chamber. Inside, the hybrid Spartan clones genetically mixed from Jango Fett and John-117 underwent cognitive conditioning.
Cassian reviewed the progress. Enhanced reflexes. Accelerated learning. Partial Force sensitivity...
The result wasn't just a clone. It was a warrior caste, designed for galactic-scale conflict.
But something else pulled at his attention—the Sith.
Palpatine's moves weren't random. They were precise, calculated.
Cassian opened a separate project file: "Project Veil." Inside: Jedi database scans, Sith language matrices, and fragments of holocrons smuggled from Dathomir.
"They think they're playing chess," he muttered. "I'm designing the board."
EVA flickered beside him. "What now?"
"We wait. And while they play their little games—I build an empire."