On Galactic Standard Year 5, Month 4, Day 15, Aayla Secura left Ryloth with Phin-Law Wo and Minas Velti, heading for the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. According to Aayla, she was returning to deliver a periodic work report.
"Go and come back fast, Master!" Max waved both hands, seeing the Jedi flower off.
With Ryloth's follow-up matters arranged, Max also prepared to depart Ryloth and return to Bespin.
The first order of business was to ride the momentum of Operation Spring Thunder and reorganize Ryloth's local armed groups—including Free Ryloth—into a formal Ryloth Defense Force.
Max planned to leave the Bespin Mandalorian Armed Forces Navy Second Fleet stationed on Ryloth as the training fleet for the RDF's Skyforce. The Naval Marines 101st Regiment would remain as well, serving as the Army's training corps.
"On every major and minor matter, report upward and seek guidance from the Supreme Commander. Don't freelance," Max instructed Lei Vizsla and Jaron Delle. "Understood?"
"Understood!" Lei Vizsla and Jaron Delle snapped to attention, saluted, and answered loudly.
"Oh, come on—" Senator Orn Free Taa waved his hands repeatedly. "Max, my brother, I understand a little politics, sure, but militarily I don't know a thing. Don't ask me, don't report to me. Let the two commanders coordinate with you."
"No, no, can't do that." Max waved his hands right back. "The military has rules. I'm the advisor, which means I can offer staff recommendations—nothing more. You're the Supreme Commander. That means you're responsible for everything. Like the old saying goes: if you want the crown, you bear the weight. So… you'll have to work a little harder."
"Oh, Max… you just love dumping trouble on me."
Max put on the act of noble restraint, but he wasn't doing it out of pure virtue.
Max absolutely wanted control over the Ryloth Defense Force. But fighting for control right at the start would only sour Orn Free Taa and push him into backroom obstruction.
At the same time, building a brand-new military from scratch was exhausting—endless details, endless headaches. If everything had to go through Orn Free Taa at first, he wouldn't last a week before he got sick of it and started delegating authority away.
For once, Orn Free Taa was uncharacteristically generous on the RDF project.
When he learned Max Vizsla had put up well over a billion credits to build a planetary shield network for Ryloth, Orn Free Taa gritted his teeth and still produced 500 million Republic credits as construction funding for the Ryloth Defense Force.
Of that 500 million, 300 million went to equipment procurement—and on that slice, Max made a tidy profit.
Ryloth placed an order with the Bespin Arms Works for 40,000 Shriek Hawk-20R blaster carbines and 10,000 WESTAR-35 blaster pistols as the RDF's standard small arms. The Shriek Hawk-20R was priced at 1,300 Republic credits per unit, the WESTAR-35 at 1,500 per unit, for a total contract value of 67 million.
Ryloth's Skyforce selected the Fang-class starfighter produced by Bespin Aerospace as its primary combat craft. They bought 240 at 200,000 credits each, for a total contract value of 48 million.
In addition, on Max's recommendation, Ryloth's Skyforce chose Republic Sienar Systems' Marauder-class corvette (the base model with two heavy guns and a large hangar) as its main warship. They purchased 24 at 4.8 million credits per ship, for a total contract value of 115.2 million.
When Ryloth's local armed groups—including Free Ryloth—were reorganized, those with higher education or under eighteen were assigned to the RDF Skyforce. Everyone else was assigned to the RDF Army.
Cham Syndulla originally had no intention of joining the Ryloth Defense Force—he distrusted Orn Free Taa and Max Vizsla from the bottom of his heart. His plan was to take Free Ryloth's core team into the remote regions, build a new base, and continue the struggle. But in the end, Max's words pushed him to change course.
"The era's changed. The way modern war is fought is already beyond your framework. Bring your people into the Ryloth Defense Force—think of it as going to a war college to learn how to fight. Learn real skills. Next time you rise up, your odds will be better."
"It's a revolution, not a rebellion," Cham Syndulla corrected.
Max smiled and said nothing. Cham Syndulla stared at him and asked, "Aren't you afraid we'll learn the real thing and then come back to overthrow you?"
"I'm bringing advanced production and I'm going to give the Twi'leks a better life," Max said. "If that happens, will you still oppose me—still try to overthrow me?"
"Hah." Cham Syndulla laughed. "Then I hope you do what you say, Vizsla. I'll be watching you."
On Galactic Standard Year 5, Month 4, Day 20, two improved Marauder-class corvettes (the Bespin custom variant with three heavy guns and a smaller hangar) arrived at Ryloth and entered the operational order of battle of the Bespin Mandalorian Armed Forces Navy Second Fleet.
Early last month, RSS delivered the first two improved Marauder-class corvettes to the Navy First Fleet. The other four would be delivered to the Third and Fourth Fleets in phases over the first half of the year.
On Galactic Standard Year 5, Month 5, Day 15, the joint construction flotilla of Shenlong Pharmaceuticals and the MandalMotors shipyard arrived at Ryloth—also the first New Mandalorian construction flotilla to come from Mandalore itself.
That day, the RDF Skyforce training fleet fired a ceremonial salute. The Flamingo Squadron's Fang-class starfighters painted the sky with smoke trails in escort. Max and Senator Orn Free Taa waited personally at Lessu's spaceport to receive the ships. At the welcome banquet, Max wore New Mandalorian formal attire and clinked glasses one by one with the New Mandalorian personnel assigned to the project.
"You build and develop. We'll guard the route. Together—revive Mandalore!"
"This is the Way."
On Galactic Standard Year 5, Month 5, Day 20, Max departed Ryloth aboard the Dor'bulla-class heavy cruiser Dragon, setting course back to Bespin. With him traveled two thousand Twi'leks—new hires added in Fygge Mining's supplemental recruitment.
Before that, twenty thousand young Twi'lek recruits had already departed on chartered transports arranged by Fygge Mining. They had arrived, or were about to arrive, on Bespin. After two months of pre-employment training, those new employees would be assigned to the new factories in Sky City.
On Galactic Standard Year 5, Month 6, Day 21, Max arrived back at Bespin Sky City.
"Boss, the Golden Dragon aviation battleship has finished repairs and refit. It's ready to be handed over to the Navy for service!"
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