Ten years, two months, and twenty days after the Battle of Yavin…
Or forty-fifth year, second month, and twentieth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Nine months and five days since arrival).
"The situation is getting significantly complicated," General Bel Iblis said after Leia finished recounting the details of the negotiations with Lord Bonteri to him and Mon Mothma.
"More than that," the head of the Alliance agreed. "I remember Lux from his work in the Senate – both in the final months of the Old Republic's existence and in the Imperial Senate. I never would have thought that such a decent boy could grow into such an arrogant monster."
"Sentients are prone to change, Mon," Bel Iblis remarked. "If someone had told me thirty years ago what we would come to now, I would never have believed it and would have mocked anyone who told me."
"One way or another, the Tion Hegemony is determined," Organa-Solo concluded.
"I would even say – 'very brazenly'," Bel Iblis stated. "The boy, having taken charge of an ambitious, strong, and wealthy House, decided he could dictate terms to us."
"One way or another, he is dictating them," Mon sighed. "Clearly understanding and unambiguously hinting that we don't have many options. If we don't make a deal with them, we will leave a powerful enemy in our rear, possessing the Imperial fleet."
"Which he intends to preserve to keep his post," Leia noted. "The Tionians want the restoration of their territories, and also to profit from those that were lost a very, very long time ago."
"And they want to do it with our hands," Bel Iblis said bitterly. "Whether through negotiations or military action, he clearly doesn't intend to solve problems independently."
"His self-confidence is enviable," Mon Mothma shook her head. "Other sectors also have considerable fleets, ambitious leaders, so counting on a bloodless annexation is overly optimistic."
"I think Lux Bonteri perfectly understands how much Tion blood will be shed if he decides to start subjugating neighboring sectors by brute force," Leia suggested.
"Yes, that's understandable," Mon Mothma agreed. "They are trying to use us for something we are not happy about."
"On the other hand, if we manage to persuade other sectors to join the Tion Hegemony, it will mean a major diplomatic success," the former Alderaanian princess declared. "And we will gain a major industrial and economic ally."
Mon Mothma and Bel Iblis exchanged glances, then looked at Leia with sad eyes.
"No, I understand that it will cost us time and nerves," the daughter of Darth Vader began, "but when it's achieved, the entire galaxy will see our determination and understand…"
"Palpatine didn't divide these sectors out of sheer will," Mon Mothma stated. "If it were only about territorial division – a mere revenge for supporting the Confederacy of Independent Systems – then one could say that the peoples would truly not be against reuniting. But we saw something else in the Senate."
"I don't understand," Leia frowned.
"Discontent among certain territories within the Tion Hegemony has been brewing for a very long time," General Bel Iblis came to the Alliance leader's aid. "Palpatine divided the Hegemony into various sectors at the very beginning of his reign as Emperor, when he still needed the Senate to control the galaxy. Therefore, he carved out sectors from the Hegemony not against the will of the majority of the population, but to please them. Each of the opposing aristocratic factions received a territory where their loyal subjects, who shared their ideals, historically lived."
"And then, with the formation of new sectors, he brought senators from them into the Imperial Senate and thus gained their support, satisfying their nationalist aspirations," Mon Mothma continued.
"After which he began his favorite game – giving his sycophants what they wanted, but not in amounts that would fully satisfy them and make them apathetic," Bel Iblis said. "He demonstrated to his appointees in the new territories that they could have absolutely anything they desired – but only by supporting him and his decisions."
"He substituted the interests of the local population," Mon Mothma explained with a sigh. "He shifted their aspirations from galactic problems to national claims and power struggles. Yes, it took him years, but as a result, we now have sectors that are extremely negative towards each other – except for the weakest ones, who understand they will fall first in case of an armed takeover. The others, like the Kron Mandate, the Allied Tion, and until recently – Lianna – will fight for their independence to the end. The history of the Tion Cluster is a history of conflict between peoples whose nationalist sentiments have been maximally inflamed and cultivated by Palpatine for the last two and a half decades."
"Oh," Leia sighed. "I heard that the Tionians have numerous disagreements even among themselves, but I couldn't believe they were so serious."
"It's much worse," Mon Mothma tried not to offer false hope. "Perhaps Lux Bonteri managed to negotiate with the Thanium Worlds somehow, but regarding the sectors of Allied Tion, Kron Mandate, Indrexu, and Keldat, I highly doubt he conducted any negotiations at all."
"Do you think he lied to me openly about his diplomatic progress?" Leia clarified.
"As if politicians who tell the truth during negotiations are a common occurrence," Bel Iblis grumbled.
"I assume he at least embellished the situation," Mon Mothma stated. "Perhaps secret negotiations did take place, but open ones… It's unlikely any of the aristocrats would have dared. For example, the Kron Mandate has been ruled by the aristocracy of House Kron for decades. Since the establishment of the Empire, the local government and the upper echelons have done nothing but fawn over the Emperor. They have a huge military fleet of their own – and the Empire also stationed one of its largest garrisons and sector fleets there."
"Which is logical, considering that the main export of the Kron Mandate is minerals that were vital for the Empire to build and maintain its exorbitant military machine," Bel Iblis added to the negativity.
"The worst part is something else," Mon Mothma said. "The population of the Kron Mandate organically despises Tionians. And not just the inhabitants of the Tion Hegemony – but also the inhabitants of other sectors, whom they also consider Tionians. That's why I believe Bonteri is at least exaggerating what he did to recreate the Tion Hegemony within its historical borders."
"If you think about it, he decided to stick his hand into a runaway reactor to fix it with someone else's hands," Bel Iblis sighed. "Moreover, I'm proceeding from purely military goals. The Houses of Tion and Kron have the largest fleets in this region. They can easily crush their neighbors and expand their zones of control. But they don't do it because they understand how difficult it will be to defend their territories in case of failure. Therefore, they are simply waiting for one of them to weaken enough to seize its territory with minimal losses for their troops."
"We've been chosen as scapegoats," Leia said with dismay.
"I'm afraid so," Mon Mothma agreed. "I would not be at all surprised if it turns out that the starships that attacked the mercenary fleet of the Tion Hegemony near Galidraan were the machinations of Bonteri himself."
"But according to him, he would then lose the Thanium Worlds, which doubted his strength," Leia stated.
Bel Iblis gave a bitter chuckle.
"Conquering the Thanium Worlds is nothing for Bonteri," the Corellian said. "Especially now that they have practically no defense other than planetary. But this means regrouping troops. Which will not go unnoticed by the Kron Mandate. That's why Bonteri sent mercenaries there – he spent money to secure his investments and prevent expansion into the Tion Hegemony from his neighbors. If negotiations did take place, then after some time he could easily announce the annexation of the Thanium Worlds to the Hegemony. And none of the other sectors would say anything or do anything to him – because his main fleet is in the Hegemony and can at any moment depart for the territory of his neighbors. And no one would decide to take the Thanium Worlds from him – because then they would weaken their fleets in their home sectors. Pure outmaneuvering of the opponent with minimal firing.
"But then the destruction of his own mercenaries would not have been in his interest," Leia pointed out. "Otherwise, nothing of what you described would have worked out."
"Here I see two assumptions," Bel Iblis stated. "We cannot establish at all whether they were his mercenaries or the forces of the Thanium Worlds, as they claim. Second – we cannot exclude the fact that a third force intervened. Because, I want to remind you, the ships that attacked Galidraan transmitted the identifiers of our star cruisers. Which, in turn, have actually disappeared. Whether they were destroyed or captured is unclear to us now. But the fact that our identifiers are mentioned suggests that at least our departure was monitored on Lantilles. The local security service is searching every nook and cranny to find a spy. But, I think, this will yield no result whatsoever."
"According to Bonteri, in addition to the identifiers, the attacking starships also had an identical engine signature," Leia stated. "Identical to those that departed from Lantilles. He was informed of this by some reliable source – I have forwarded a copy of the data to you."
"And this again adds to our questions," Bel Iblis agreed. "It turns out that Bonteri has his own network of informants on Lantilles. Let's assume that the provocation was not his doing. Then we get another network of spies who had access to our ships to record their identifiers and engine frequencies. But this can only be done from a short distance – a couple of dozen units. In that case, both intelligence agencies acted directly at the Lantilles shipyards. Given that there are no degenerates among the Security Service of this planet, it is impossible to assume that they missed as many as two spy networks – and it is indeed a network, because the ships were in different docks, in different parts of the orbit, and only their own crews work there – it is impossible. This is complete incompetence."
"Excuse me, but I lost the thread," Leia admitted to her shame. "What does this even mean?"
"That Bonteri is playing us for fools," Bel Iblis sighed. "The Lantilles Shipyards Security Service is one of the best in the galaxy. I have no doubt that they could not have missed as many as five or ten spies who infiltrated the shipyards. It's not easy to get in there. So, let's assume that the data on engine frequencies and identifiers were not obtained on Lantilles. Then we have only two options – either our ships were captured during transit, or they were destroyed, but the necessary data was recorded from them and other Mon Calamari cruisers were passed off as ours."
Leia shuddered once again during this conversation.
"If we didn't know that Thrawn was dead, I would consider all these seemingly incoherent situations to be part of his grand plan," the former princess admitted.
"This fact cannot be excluded either," Bel Iblis stated.
"Garm, we've already discussed this," Mon Mothma said sternly. "Thrawn is dead!"
"Or the Dominion wants us to think so," the Corellian stubbornly insisted, clearly voicing his argument for the first time.
Leia looked at the Alliance leader and the Supreme Commander in surprise.
It gave the impression that they were arguing about this issue for the first time.
"It's too foolish from a political standpoint to create the Dominion and pretend to be dead," Mon Mothma shook her head.
"But it would free his hands," Bel Iblis countered. "I don't think Palpatine, when he arrives, will be delighted with what Grand Admiral has done. If we strip away all that the New Republic has acknowledged as its actions – the attack on Lianna, the attack on Lianna and Pentastar Alignment convoys, the defeat of the Ubiqtorate – we can understand a simple truth: he fought not only against the New Republic, but also against pro-Imperial Remnants. Palpatine would never have forgiven him for this. No, I think Thrawn, like Palpatine in his time, has gone into the shadows. And he coordinates the actions of his armed forces without fear for his life."
'The New Republic admitted responsibility for the destruction of the Ubiqtorate?' Leia thought in bewilderment.
She wanted to ask directly, but she didn't dare ask Mon Mothma or Bel Iblis such a question.
It would be better to cautiously inquire with Winter or Han.
Perhaps with Car'dè, if he makes contact, and not like Lando – deliver her to Dak and go about his business.
"If Luke actually killed him, then he clearly couldn't have made a mistake," Leia said. "Confusing a sentient with a droid or even a double is impossible. Visually – maybe, but in the Force… That's a completely different way of identifying sentients."
"The Empire always had enough resources to pass off what was desired as reality," Bel Iblis did not give up. "Remember how Thrawn operated! He delivered disconnected strikes, which, in the end, led to the desired result! And we didn't understand what was happening until it was too late."
"Garm, you have an obsession," Mon Mothma stated. "You want Thrawn to be alive so you can fight him again. Your commander's pride is at play."
"Yes, damn it!" the Corellian exclaimed. "This sentient led the galaxy, fooling everyone as if we were all little children, and he was our group leader, flipping the light switch and saying he commanded the stars! He destroyed two of our fleets and disappeared from scanner screens undefeated!"
Mon Mothma and Leia exchanged furtive glances.
An obsession in the Supreme Commander's mind is a danger worse than a Mandalorian attack.
"So far, we have no evidence that Thrawn survived and faked his death," Mon Mothma stated. "But, let's assume for a moment that you are right. We currently do not have the resources to attack the Dominion. We even rejected the initial plan to intervene in the affairs of the D'Astan sector due to lack of resources. Now we have a much more threatening situation – our fleet is holding back the advance of Imperial Space. And there is likely a danger of opening another front – in the territory of the Tion Cluster."
"This is practically a done deal," Bel Iblis waved his hand. "Negotiations, as you yourself said – an unattainable dream. So, if we need the Tion Hegemony, we should prepare for war with the sectors indicated by Lord Bonteri. I see no other options."
"We will do everything possible to prevent this," Leia assured. "One should never reject diplomacy as long as there is at least some chance to resolve the problem without bloodshed."
"In any case, I wouldn't advise trusting this Bonteri's words about an alliance," Bel Iblis suddenly said.
"In what sense?" Leia asked.
"Purely in a military sense," Bel Iblis clarified. "He offers us markets, financial and other assistance. But what does he ask in return? Territorial concessions from us, to give him Lianna. Let's not consider that he is appropriating the sectors of Allied Tion, Kron Mandate, Indrexu, and Keldat. Let's focus on this. He wants Lianna and the Thanium Worlds. By uniting the indicated sectors, he gains control over a vast territory of the Parlemian Trade Route and effectively divides the Alliance into two parts – one close to the Mon Calamari sector and one close to Lantilles. At the same time, we are withdrawing our production facilities from Lianna, as I believe, and giving him a convenient trading world, not to mention that the Corporate Sector transports a huge number of its caravans throughout the galaxy through Lianna. We intended to establish an outpost on the planet precisely to tax these shipments. Without Lianna, through which a network of regional hyperspace routes from the Thanium Worlds passes. In fact, if Bonteri wishes, he can easily block all such interstellar routes with his fleet and leave us with the same situation that Thrawn created for the Empire by closing almost all routes through the New Territories. And this means an increase in cargo transport time bypassing the blockade, an increase in the cost of goods, and a decrease in the response speed of our forces to threats from one direction. I'm not even mentioning that we have Dominion fortress planets like Makem Te, Trogan, Columex nearby."
"Your concerns are understandable," Mon Mothma sighed. "They also haunt me – if Bonteri gains control of all these pro-Imperial sectors, he will be able to claim dominance in the neighboring territories and compete with us."
"Well, at least here we are in agreement on the assessment of threats," Bel Iblis chuckled grimly, looking at Leia.
"One way or another, we must admit the obvious," he continued. "Bonteri knows where and what to pressure. And how to take advantage of the situation for his maximum benefit. At the same time – blinding the opponent with tinsel. That's why I say I don't believe in Thrawn's death – too many things in the galaxy are happening supposedly by chance. Take the seizure of Kessel by the Dominion. We are already feeling that our supplies of potent medicines are dwindling…"
Leia stared straight ahead, at the polished surface of the metal table.
But now she saw much further than just the smooth tabletop in front of her.
The Force came to her aid.
Raising her eyes, she looked at the head of the Alliance and the Supreme Commander sitting before her.
"What if it wasn't Bonteri who started this provocation on Galidraan?" she quietly voiced her question.
"In what sense?" Mon Mothma didn't understand.
"He is the most obvious beneficiary of our intervention in the affairs of the Tion Cluster," Bel Iblis stated. "To get what he wants through others' hands. Since he so admires the Emperor, he might well parody him on a regional scale."
"'Grand Admiral Thrawn and his Dominion have shown the entire galaxy what happens when states and sentient beings act solely out of their pragmatic interests'," Leia said thoughtfully, staring into space. "'Get used to it—you're unlikely to find a friendly atmosphere in negotiations anywhere else'."
"What does that mean?" Mon Mothma asked with alarm in her voice.
"It's not just Bonteri who, one way or another, takes his cue from the powerful," Leia shook her head, as if shaking off a spell.
The veil that covered her eyes.
"And yet, I don't understand why that phrase was said," Mon Mothma insisted.
"The last thing Lord Bonteri told me before concluding the meeting," Leia explained. "Thrawn has indeed had too great an influence on the galaxy. We've noted it ourselves. But it wasn't just Bonteri who held Thrawn up as a positive example. Remember how one of the members of the Provisional Council pointed out to us that the New Republic should take an example from the Grand Admiral in matters of protecting interests and obtaining what one desires by any means necessary."
"I still don't understand what that means," Bel Iblis frowned. "Perhaps my and Mon's brains have rusted..."
"Pragmatic interests," Leia, unable to contain her overflowing emotions, jumped up from her chair. "Let's compare the facts. Who among our acquaintances would step over others for their interests? Who called us radicals who would step over others? And now you yourself said that the New Republic, which denies destroying the Ubiqtorate and attacking convoys across the galaxy, has suddenly admitted to all of it."
"Fe'liia?" Mon Mothma suggested with doubt in her voice. "No, he wouldn't trespass on our territory to..."
"To repeat the Grand Admiral's tactic and simulate an attack by proxy?" Leia clarified. "Bonteri explicitly said that the Dominion sold all its captured Mon Calamari star cruisers to the New Republic. And not long ago, we heard that the New Republic, retreating due to a lack of capital ships, suddenly struck at the Empire's rear base. Where did they get extra warships?"
"They can't even repair the ones they have," Bel Iblis mused. "They have plenty of damaged Mon Calamari cruisers—the Rendili and Bestine IV shipyards are swamped with them. There aren't as many combat-ready ships as it seems..."
"And now imagine that Fe'liia, who has already suffered reputational damage after our intervention in the Battle of Lantillis, decided to use a staged attack to prevent our alliance with the Tion Hegemony," Leia continued heatedly, feeling her blood begin to boil that she had found the right path while wandering in the fog. "He kept these ships in reserve for several months, and now—a massive strike that postpones the capture of Carida. And the attack on Bonteri's mercenaries—a disruption of a direct alliance with us. And instead of immediate help from the Tion Hegemony, we'll get an ally in a few years at best."
"If we get one," Bel Iblis corrected her.
"So that's the answer to where the data on engine frequencies and our starship identifiers leaked from!" Leia continued excitedly. "There were no spy infiltrations, as we assumed. It's just that at the Lantillis shipyards, there are those who sympathize with the New Republic, not the Alliance. It wouldn't be difficult for them to record the necessary data!"
"That's possible," Bel Iblis frowned. "But to risk so much to prevent the Alliance and Hegemony from allying..."
"On the contrary," Leia interrupted the Corellian. "That's precisely Fe'liia's style. The Empire's offensive has already begun to falter due to excessive losses. And the nerds decided not to allow our reinforcement to prevent us from counterattacking!"
"The Imperials didn't reach Carida and are forced to fight planetary battles," Bel Iblis continued. "The New Republic is holding the last lines in that direction. Rumor has it that Grand Moff Kaine's 'Reaper' has come out of repair and is moving to the front. If we were to counterattack with the Hegemony's forces, we could retake many systems from Tanaab to Brentaal IV. We would have an advantage in starships, and then..."
The Corellian faltered.
"Are you thinking the same thing I am, General?" Mon Mothma asked, exchanging glances with the Corellian.
"If Fe'liia can destroy or capture the 'Reaper,' as well as its battle group, it will definitively cause the Pentastar Alignment's offensive to falter," he replied. "If Fe'liia has reserves—at least a dozen star cruisers and accompanying combat escorts—he can launch a counterattack after that and force the Alignment to retreat. And we, deprived of the Hegemony's support, will be forced to sit on Lantillis further. If Fe'liia truly intends to counterattack Kaine and defeat him, then, again, it's just speculation, he might use Thrawn's tactic of publicizing his victory throughout the galaxy. Without the 'Reaper' and its group, the Alignment's fleet is a mass of heavy cruisers that won't cope with the New Republic's star cruisers. And if they are indeed launching new Star Destroyers at Rendili, the counterattack could push the Imperials all the way back to the Zero Sector."
"To Coruscant," Mon Mothma breathed.
"Now do you see how beneficial it was for Fe'liia to disrupt our negotiations?" Leia clarified.
"He doesn't want to allow our victories and counterattacks, but intends to achieve glory himself," Mon Mothma nodded slowly. "But we understand this. How can we convince Bonteri that Fe'liia or someone from the New Republic is behind the attack on his mercenaries?"
Leia, inspired by her logical victory, drooped.
"We can't," Bel Iblis said in her stead. "It's clear to us that the nerds know how to and love to play behind-the-scenes games. And selling someone out for extra profit is normal behavior for them. Now, of course, we understand where the rumors come from that cargo ships are transporting military equipment for the Dominion across half the galaxy—Fe'liia, lacking funds, agreed to take the blame for what Thrawn did onto the New Republic. And in addition, he gives him imperial junk. For this, he received ships with which he messed with everyone around. But this is nothing more than speculation, not based on facts," the general said with disappointment. "Just like my assumptions that Thrawn is behind everything that is happening, that he didn't die but went into hiding. But without proof—it's just a hypothesis. The same goes for Fe'liia's involvement in the provocation against the Alliance and the Tion Hegemony. Bonteri will laugh us out of the room if we don't provide evidence. But," seeing Mon Mothma open her mouth to object, he raised a finger warningly. "If Fe'liia is not an idiot, and he is not an idiot, especially after being captured and experiencing Thrawn's genius, then he has long since destroyed all evidence pointing to his involvement. Engine frequencies can be reprogrammed by replacing partial equipment or entire engines. Perhaps that's exactly what they did—after all, they don't have a supply of spare parts from Dac for their starships. And fake transponders can be installed. Unfortunately," he sighed heavily, "we won't prove anything to Bonteri unless the nerds confess."
"And they'll wallow in the mud faster than admit to a behind-the-scenes game," Mon Mothma concluded with disappointment. "And now, for the Alliance to live, we'll have to play by Bonteri's rules, hoping to gain a strong ally. Because now it becomes clear—since Fe'liia doesn't shy away from such dirty games, he definitely intends to confront the Alliance..."
"Unless Palpatine stops him," Leia countered.
"Strangely enough, that's our only hope," Bel Iblis chuckled sadly. "We can only prevent the Empire from advancing further and slowly build up our armed forces. Fe'liia, apparently, doesn't have much faith in Palpatine's existence and his secret fleet in the Deep Core, since he refused a similar containment tactic. He's rushing forward and clearly intends to break the Alignment and Imperial Space apart piece by piece. Unless Kaine suffers too much damage, Orinda won't even stir to help."
"And vice versa," Mon Mothma noted.
"Besides, Imperial Space has focused its main forces on us," Leia reminded them. "And until we get interdictor ships, we could face attacks..."
"We've already brought the old interdictors back into service," Bel Iblis waved it off. "The problem is that we don't have enough of them. We need ready-made solutions to increase the number of our ships, but building Imperial or Corellian variants is too long and expensive..."
The Force helped her this time too.
"'Loronar Corporation'," Leia said. "Didn't they have projects for Strike-class medium cruisers with a gravity well generator?"
"They did," the Corellian agreed. "Not exactly top-of-the-line, but..."
"They're built quickly and aren't expensive," Leia suggested the advantages. "Besides, you yourself said that Admiral Eclipse would have to strike at Loronar to drive Moff Gethellos out of there."
"I did," Bel Iblis grimaced. "But I don't think she's ready for that..."
"Garm," Mon Mothma interjected. "We need those ships. How did the Dominion manage to get to Kessel? How did they attack our star cruisers?"
"Only if the enemy penetrated our borders," Bel Iblis agreed distractedly. "Yes, we need more interdictor ships. I'll talk to Eclipse to prepare for the attack."
"If we can establish patrols on the regional routes that Thrawn so loved to use, and Pellion surely continues to use, we can cut off reinforcements and supplies to their group at Kessel," Leia elaborated. "And prevent enemy ships from breaking through and moving into our territory."
"How is Kessel related to this?" Bel Iblis frowned.
"Kessel is spice, and spice is money," Organa-Solo explained.
"Leia, I'm from Corellia," the former senator chuckled good-naturedly. "I know what spice is..."
"Imagine if we could control its sale to medical organizations across the galaxy?" the former princess asked.
"That's a huge amount of money, not to mention replenishing our own reserves of potent medications," the Supreme Commander of the Alliance finally understood. "And then we won't need financial assistance from the Tion Hegemony!"
"And we won't have to wage war with half a dozen sectors, weakening ourselves before Palpatine's arrival!" Leia continued. "Instead, we can deceive Bonteri!"
"What?" Mon Mothma was taken aback. "How?"
"We'll pretend to negotiate on his behalf with small sectors," she said. "But not to annex them into the Tion Hegemony, but to offer them membership in the Alliance! I'm sure that, seeing the threats awaiting them from the Allied Tion, the Tion Hegemony, and the Kronos Mandate, they won't hesitate long in choosing sides."
"Bonteri will be furious when he finds out he was deceived following his own instructions," the head of the Alliance declared. "He might lose his temper, make a deal with the Kronos Mandate, and attack us..."
"And we'll be craftier," Leia narrowed her eyes. "What else did he want from us? Lianna? Then let's give him a planet devoid of all our industrial production. We'll evacuate all specialists and the population that doesn't want to join the Tionites."
"So far, I don't see the logic," Bel Iblis frowned, as he often did. "We're giving him a planet as compensation for a few sectors? Who would fall for that?"
"Probably those whose sector Lianna belongs to," Leia smiled, pleased that she had managed to outmaneuver the general. "Moff Gronn, according to rumors, recently strengthened his army and hid a large part of his fleet somewhere. We won't tell anyone that we're giving Lianna without all the industrial equipment that Gronn so desires, will we?"
"The Tion Hegemony and the Allied Tion will start a war over Lianna's production, which won't be there," Mon Mothma understood, her eyes widening. "This is... a multi-layered maneuver that they definitely won't expect from us. From Thrawn, Palpatine, the Iceheart, the nerds—maybe. But not from the Alliance, which has never built multi-stage plans. It might work."
Leia felt a slight unease in the Force at Mon Mothma's mention of Ysanne Isard.
The fate of the Iceheart was still unknown.
Her ability to manipulate enemies, on the other hand, was all too well known.
But by indirect signs, the Alliance believed that the Iceheart had either died during General Madine's operation on the 'Lusankia,' or (which was true for the case if she was dead), her subordinates had taken the Super Star Destroyer into the Deep Core and joined the Emperor.
Of course, unless Bel Iblis's opinion that Ysanne was indeed dead was correct, and the ship was in the Dominion.
Along with the one that destroyed Admiral Akbar's fleet.
Except Bel Iblis could be wrong due to his obsessive certainty in Thrawn's survival.
Because some time ago, he stated that Thrawn might indeed be dead, and Ysanne Isard controlled the Dominion, saving reserve forces for the needs of the resurrected Emperor.
But none of this had the slightest confirmation.
The Alliance had more important problems that needed to be solved here and now.
And it would be desirable to solve them "yesterday," so to speak.
But seasoned fighters for democracy were no strangers to being the ones playing catch-up.
"Ah, as we suspected, seeing their weakening, the Kronos Mandate might attack them," Leia continued. "If by then we can increase the number of our capital ships to the required amount, then we, not they, will come and finish off the remnants of the pro-Imperial regimes."
"We can't count on the Mon Calamari in this matter," Mon Mothma stated with regret. "They build their newest ships quickly, but not quickly enough for our plans."
"But we have Star Destroyers that were captured at Lianna," Leia reminded them.
"Yes, I promised them to General Solo," Bel Iblis said. "To strengthen Lianna's defenses."
"However, if we withdraw troops from there, we don't need to hold Lianna," Mon Mothma reasonably observed. "Control over spice mining and sales will more than cover our financial difficulties. We won't need Lord Bonteri's support or taxes from Corporate Sector transport at all. By capturing Kessel with free forces, we will solve all the Alliance's current problems."
"Simultaneously eliminate the threat in the rear and capture their territories, industry, and economy without dubious deals," Bel Iblis drummed his fingers on the table. "Yes, I think this is the best way out of the situation we're in. Leia, you are a born tactician!"
The former princess modestly lowered her eyes, deeming it unnecessary to reveal the name of the one to whom the groundwork she had used actually belonged.
After all, it was she, not Winter, who had put it all together into a coherent picture.
***
Bossk's eyes narrowed, finally rejecting all hints that the Trandoshans had evolved.
"You s-s-say that Korkrus was subjected to orbital bombardment?" his voice was literally like a snake's hiss.
"Not the whole planet," 'Serg' stated. "Only the capital—Vlarnia—and the spaceport were destroyed."
"It makes no diff-f-ference to me," Bossk rasped irritably.
"Well, there is a difference, actually," observed Marg Sonat, sitting to the right of his boss. "The rest of the planet was not affected. There is still a local population that was not harmed..."
The next moment, the Ithorian was already flying to the deck plating, knocked off his chair by a powerful blow from the Trandoshan's fist to his head.
"Silence!" Bossk roared. "I don't care about the whole planet! I don't care about the natives! I needed the 'Kiuimin Survivors' and other gangs! And now they are destroyed!"
"I don't think all of them are," Sergius winced. "Republicans landed Wookiee troops, so someone was clearly taken prisoner."
"It's strange that you survived," Sonat said, rubbing his large head, getting up from the floor and sitting at the other end of the table—further away from Bossk. "Or did this happen by accident?"
Sergius gave his sycophant a menacing look.
"What are you implying, scavenger?" he asked menacingly, rising from the table and clenching his fists. "Are you saying I led them there?"
"But a prisoner escaped from you!" the Ithorian continued, looking ingratiatingly at his boss.
"Only because someone clearly helped him," Sergius raised his voice, drilling the Ithorian with his gaze. "While I was searching the ruins of Vlarnia for survivors! Because I intended to complete the mission I was assigned! Not sit here, like you, kissing the commander's ass..."
"Enough!" Bossk hissed at both of them, who had been lost in thought until then. "What's done is done. We need to move on. We were outplayed, but we are strong."
"Did that person I captured in the ruins of Vlarnia say anything else besides what I extracted from him?" Sergius asked.
"Nothing that contradicts your words," the Ithorian grumbled. "As if you're saying the same thing..."
Sergius looked at him as the Emperor looks at a junior senator-Gungan from Naboo.
"Are you an idiot?" he asked. "Everything I told you about what happened on Korkrus—I know it from him."
"That's what you say," the Ithorian retorted. "But you were late..."
"Because you need to look at what flying scrap metal you give me!" Sergius declared. "And what freaks you send as guards. I smell, Sonat, that those two 'guards' who tried to kill me in my sleep—they're your doing."
"Don't talk nonsense," Bossk intervened. "Maka and Paka were sent by me. And they were not given orders to kill you."
"Forgive me, boss, but I don't believe those two idiots could have decided to kill me themselves," Sergius shook his head. "Such filth under the claws never does anything on their own initiative. Someone set them on me. And the only one with whom I have a misunderstanding in the entire organization is Marg Sonat," the agent pointed his index finger at the Ithorian. "I have no doubt that he was the one who wanted to kill me and cast doubt on the mission. If I knew even a little less about the workings of the 'Lambda,' I would have been breathing vacuum long ago!"
"If I wanted to kill you—you'd be dead!" the Ithorian boomed with his multiple mouths, jumping up as if scalded. "And I would have done it myself, not entrusted it to some bunglers who can't string two words together, let alone kill someone!"
"You would never have done anything yourself!" Sergius retorted, leaning threateningly towards the Ithorian, causing him to recoil. "A coward and a sycophant, incapable of anything!"
"I s-s-said—shut up!" the Trandoshan roared, slamming his hand on the table. "Both of you!"
Sergius obeyed the order.
But Marg Sonat did not.
"Bossk, we need to get rid of him!" the Ithorian stammered. "Ever since he appeared in the organization, there have been nothing but problems. You send him on a mission—and immediately a raid is carried out on a secret base of the most prepared groups. Our plans for Kessel are going..."
The Trandoshan did not tolerate the bickering.
Like a wild beast, he jumped from his seat and attacked his subordinate with his fists.
Marg Sonat managed to get up, and even defend himself from a couple of blows, but in the next second he was on the floor, crawling into a corner.
"I!"
A kick to the stomach sent the Ithorian further away.
"I s-s-said!"
This time, Bossk slammed his powerful foot into the Ithorian's face.
"Shut up!"
Another blow to the face—and Sonat was thrown into the corner of the room, bleeding from his broken face and one of his two disfigured mouths.
Sergius silently watched the scene of the boss's reprisal against his closest subordinate.
Bossk delivered blow after blow, literally turning Sonat into a piece of bloody meat.
In bandit groups, everything happens very quickly.
Including punishment for disobedience.
The information that Sergius provided to his employer, as expected, infuriated Bossk.
The bickering from his closest subordinate, who had already made mistakes, only fueled his rage.
The legend, although hastily concocted, could not be disproven by anything other than 'Serg's' own words.
Staging a supposed attack on him by both guards was not a great difficulty.
After all, Sergius had extensive experience in sabotage and provocation.
A few simulated damages on the 'Lambda' with residual traces of both corpses, while they were not yet completely cold, were also not the biggest problem.
Finding and bringing back a survivor was a much more difficult task—and Serg added this milestone to his plan after leaving Korkrus and his 'official' arrival.
But the words of the man, one of the 'survivors,' only completed the picture of what had happened.
The pirates, although they undoubtedly tried, could not find the slightest trace that he had communicated with anyone using the shuttle's equipment.
The surveillance systems, with which the ship was literally stuffed, turned out to be either damaged during the 'fight with the guards,' or did not provide informative recordings—thanks to the Noghri and the 'icebreaker' they delivered.
But the colorful account of the only 'survivor' about how the Mon Calamari cruisers bombed Vlarnia, and the landed Wookiee and other alien troops mercilessly cleared out those who survived the attack—is the best demonstration that the groups on Korkrus were not destroyed by the pro-Imperial government.
When Marg Sonat finally fell silent in the corner, Bossk's rage subsided, but did not disappear entirely.
Sergius could tell this from his deep breathing, narrowed pupils, and trembling fists, stained, like his legs, with the blood of the Ithorian, who didn't know when it was vital to shut up on time.
"Now you are my right hand, S-s-serg," Bossk ordered, breathing heavily, licking blood from his fists.
"As you say, boss," Sergius replied without a hint of a smile or triumph, not even paying attention to the piece of meat in the corner of the room. "What are your orders?"
"F-f-first, we n-n-need to c-c-contact our a-a-allies," Bossk pulled a rag from his belt and wiped the blood from his hands. "I was counting on the 'survivors' and other organized gangs. W-w-without them, it will be difficult for us to capture Kess-s-sel."
"Kessel, of course, is good," Sergius nodded. "Controlling the largest source of pure spice, and especially—glitterstim—of course, we need to. Then the whole market will be under us. But since when is that a problem? There are many good and dangerous guys in the mines, guarded by Imperials who haven't received reinforcements and salaries for God knows how long. Let's just offer them to join our gang, and that's that? Everyone wants to eat—abandoned Imperials too."
Naturally, he had no intention of demonstrating his awareness of what had recently happened on Kessel.
Bossk hissed.
Only after a couple of seconds did Sergius realize that the Trandoshan was laughing, not raging.
"Smart guy," he praised the agent. "That's what we intended to do, but we would have had to fight with the leadership."
"Why?" Sergius was surprised. "Are they such stubborn idiots?"
"They worked for another group," the Trandoshan explained. "We intended to bribe some influential figures there to overthrow Morat Dool during one recent scuffle, but we were beaten to it by Pellion's soldiers. Now the Empire is there, not Dool's weakened soldiers. We'll have to fight. That's why the 'survivors' and other groups from Korkrus were needed."
So, Bossk's group intended to stage a coup on Kessel, controlled by 'Black Sun'—a front for the 'Zann Consortium.'
And they wanted to do it by bribing several influential criminals in Dool's circle.
And they were supposed to pull it off "during one recent scuffle"—the attack by 'Chimera' and its group on Kessel.
Moreover, the enemy knows that Dominion troops are there.
Given the standard sweep tactics of the regular fleet, jamming further communication, it is unlikely that anyone could have reported the attack during the assault.
But Bossk knows that the Dominion is still there.
Therefore, somehow they are receiving information from Kessel, almost in real-time.
Unpleasant news.
"So that's what this whole army is for," Sergius nodded understandingly. "We're building strength to fight for spheres of influence."
"Something like that," the Trandoshan replied vaguely. "We need Kess-s-sel to control the s-s-spice market. W-w-war requires money. A lot of money. If we t-t-take Kessel from the Dominion—it's less money for our enemies. And we'll fill our pockets."
"Spice is a hot commodity," Sergius agreed with the Trandoshan's reasoning. "We can drive up prices. Especially if, besides Kessel, we control several more deposits. Then we can hire a lot of fighters across the galaxy—and become the strongest group."
"We are already the strongest," Bossk declared. "As soon as our ships are finished on Nimban, we will crush all our enemies. The Account Keeper will be pleased."
"Of course," Sergius chuckled. "So, boss, will someone tell me what I'm supposed to do on your flagship?"
"Of course," the former bounty hunter smiled broadly. "But f-f-first, we're going somewhere."
"No problem," Sergius shrugged. "Can I choose a cabin now?"
Bossk gestured towards the exit and left the room first.
Sergius, showing respect, let his new patron go first.
Then, with one long stride, he crossed the room and found himself near the body of the bloody Ithorian.
Leaning over his body so that he could hide the actions of his hands, he finished the work that would ensure his guaranteed career advancement in Bossk's organization.
If one knew how, one could be sure that the representative of this race was indeed dead.
But Marg Sonat was breathing.
Barely noticeably, but still alive.
"Not for long," Sergius thought, pressing a few points on the unconscious criminal's body.
It took a few seconds for him to finally breathe his last.
Straightening up with a crooked grin on his face, so that it could be captured by possible surveillance equipment, Sergius shook his head:
"Well, Bossk, what a machine," he added genuine admiration and respect to his voice. "Killed him with his bare hands... You must not let this Trandoshan down under any circumstances, or you'll end up like this piece of meat."
After which, he headed for the exit of the compartment.
The spectacle for the unknown viewers continued.
However, he was already beginning to guess who was behind this group and where all these behind-the-scenes games were leading.
***
Delusion.
The most underestimated and poorly illuminated sin in Imperial military doctrine, inherent to a commander.
It arises from a lack of real intelligence information and the replacement of unknown variables with one's own conjectures.
The latter stem from ignorance and the belief that what fits the criteria of what is happening so well must be a fact.
Conjectures are dangerous and harmful.
They are what lead to failures.
On par with underestimating the enemy.
Often they appear to the commander directly on the battlefield and decide the outcome of the battle.
The outcome of the entire campaign may depend on it.
It's good when there is time to assess new information and sort it out.
But, while last year I had plenty of time to create ideal and long-term plans, now I have to adjust multi-stage maneuvers almost as fresh intelligence comes in.
Yes, it was my big mistake—to think that Palpatine didn't know that crime had gained strength.
The most rational thing would have been to pit two opposing factions against each other.
And finish off the survivors.
If I had known what I know now last year, the campaign against Tyber Zann would have developed quite differently.
But what's done is done.
And now I have to adjust the plans to slip between the multilateral millstones with minimal losses for myself.
Unfortunately, I still lack information about what is happening in the Deep Core.
And this is what worries me the most.
As is the fact that Palpatine is actively infiltrating agents into the ranks of the most influential opponents.
This should have been foreseen.
A mistake.
Let's fix the thought.
Such a thing should not be allowed.
Another point is that now I have incomplete information.
If we don't delve into conspiracy theories, what is known about Palpatine's actions against the forces in the Corporate Sector?
That there was at least one of his agents there.
But at what level was this agent?
Is he embedded in the Corporate Sector's armed forces?
'Black Sun'?
'Zann Consortium'?
Yes, he mentioned in a conversation with Ventress that Palpatine would attack when the criminals tore each other's throats out.
But criminals for Palpatine also included Jedi who wanted to overthrow him, based on their moral right to destroy Sith.
Could he call 'corporates' criminals who un-mothballed old Imperial storage facilities and took over a significant portion of the Imperial 'defense industry' in the sector?
Yes, quite possibly.
But still, it is unlikely that in such a case he would not have called them 'traitors.'
Danaan Kerr is a person of little independence in matters of preventive action.
Based on this, we can conclude that by 'criminals' in relation to the forces in the Corporate Sector, he meant those sentient beings whom Palpatine himself also called that.
Flattery is the highest form of imitation, after all.
So, let's take as a starting point that Palpatine knows about the Corporate Sector being in the hands of criminals.
It doesn't really matter who he considers the instigator—'Black Sun' or the 'Zann Consortium.'
This man did not throw all his strength into the attack when he realized his Imperial pawns were not coping.
He is waiting.
Does this mean he is not a psychopath after all?
Certainly.
He probably hasn't gone mad enough yet to charge headlong.
Well, failures on the front will push him to it.
All we need to do is wait.
Moreover, I already know how to "let off steam" for my opponents and force them all to go on the defensive.
And I am implementing this plan.
The steps are quite risky, but they will still rouse the opponents from their state of "hibernation" and waiting.
Tyber Zann is an extremely resentful and vengeful man.
Therefore, he will not ignore the Dominion's blow to Bosf.
Since the destruction of the forces left by Moff Harsh in the sector and the disruption of supply lines did not force him to act a few weeks ago, since he silently swallowed the defeat of the grouping in the Karthakk sector and the attacks on his convoys, then the destruction of the Picket Fleet in the Yubosf sector should really anger him and force him to respond.
Especially since he has all the necessary "bookmarks" for this on Dominion territory.
Our actions on the other side of the galaxy should convince him that speed of reaction is more important than the severity of the blow.
Accordingly, he will choose forces sufficient to destroy the grouping that defeated his troops in the Bosf sector—and the surviving enemy commander will "hint" to him exactly which forces were acting and what can be expected from them.
At the same time, he will make allowances for the defense of the territory—which means the forces for the strike will be increased manifold.
Will he use a rear attack, the Chiloon Rift?
Yes, he should—it will help him advance quickly to the Dominion's center.
The plans for the attack in the Bosf sector—a simultaneous strike from several directions—clearly demonstrate that he knows how to build not the simplest tactical combinations.
Therefore, the strike will be carried out in several directions—those that provide him with trophies and agents.
This part of the plan is worked out.
As is the second phase.
All that remains is to wait for Tyber Zann's reaction.
He is already ready.
He craves revenge—not on me personally, but at least on my legacy.
He will come.
Soon.
All I have to do is wait.
And ponder how deeply Palpatine has penetrated the galaxy's criminal underworld.
And how exactly his fleet was destroyed in the events known to me.
Oh, how I miss intelligence information from the Deep Core...
Well, the long silence of the intelligence network gives a reasonable basis to believe that it is probably worth proceeding from the assumption that it will never arrive.
Therefore, we can only rely on our own combat-ready forces.
And our own understanding of military science.
Whether it is correct or not—we will judge by Tyber Zann's planned attack on the Dominion.
I looked at the monitors.
On each of them were open holographic photographs of Tyber Zann's personal quarters aboard his last flagship, heavily damaged in battle by the Empire.
And then destroyed.
The investigators did an excellent job of documenting the situation by examining the wreckage of the ship.
Much can be learned from observing the interior.
But not everything.
Too many gaps.
And we will have to fill them solely through empirical means.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan