Chp-10: New Reforms, Old Friends

Chp-10: New Reforms, Old Friends

Holy shit, I'm not dead. 

I was sitting in my office a week after the pirate attack, still having the occasional panic attacks. Pirates were a foregone conclusion out here, and their attacks were expected at one point or another, but I expected something smaller. 

Maybe a few modified cargo ships, not actual fucking warships. Thankfully, none of them had turbolasers, but with roughly thirty-six laser cannons the Cumulus class is nothing to scoff at for a ship of its size. 

It was the closest I had come to death in either life, and it scared me. The whole time I was in the bunker, I was contemplating running the fuck away. I had my escape plan all ready, I could've done it, but the odds were just enough in our favor for me to stay. Just barely.

The aftermath had been a significantly easier time for me. I had a memorial site built in one of the new public parks, a pillar of mismatched metal plates and melted plastoid armor, the only remnants of the starfighters and armor plates of those that had fallen, their names engraved into the metal with gold lettering. 

I gave a speech at the memorials reveal, about the sanctity of life, unity, and so on and so forth. It was a solemn affair, and the first time I had ever put effort into a speech that didn't involve saving my own skin in some way.

After all that though, came the fun part. Of the three corsairs, two were captured. The originally boarded one, and the one that had jury-rigged an ion torpedo missile tube. The latter had its shields broken and a stray shot detonated the remaining ion torpedoes, frying its systems. After that, its friend tried to run. 

Emphasis on tried.

It was annihilated by the Resolution'sassault, its engines destroyed by the proton torpedoes of an ARC-170 and leaving it unable to escape. The escape pods it launched were all retrieved, and many pirates were captured.

The two corsairs were currently sitting in the Imperial Yards in orbit, being slowly repaired and refitted. They would make good patrol ships, if nothing else. The light freighters that were captured held little use, and so I had them cleaned, repaired, and put them up for sale. 

There were always merchants coming through the system, so there might be someone willing to buy. If they aren't all gone by the end of the year, I can just have them scrapped for parts anyways.

As for the captured pirates? Well, there weren't that many, but it seems that Commander Grant had the presence of mind to not immediately rip the Twi'leks lekku off and hang his corpse with it. Instead, he was taken into a deep, dark room in the garrison, and no one in the garrison had a good night's sleep for three days. After that, the only things that came out of that room were Grant, and a foul smelling bag that was disposed of shortly after.

From what I can only assume to have been a horrible length of torture, information was dredged up. The marauders had been contracted to raid Minda for its resources and deliver them to their employers. While the average grunt was unaware of who had hired them, and was just there for the creds, the captains had been contacted by some people who were paying them for a job done for the will of their "Lady". There's only one "Lady" I know of that is also a crime lord of sorts.

Crimson Dawn. Fuck.

They had been a fairly powerful organization under Maul, but after his death they were believed to have been defeated for good. Thing is, that's not entirely true. Lady Qi'ra, former lover of Han Solo himself, had become the leader of the Dawn after Maul's death and was planning a resurgence. Her ultimate goal? The destruction of the Sith.

Normally I wouldn't have cared for some Sith hating crime lord. Sith are generally bad news for everyone. Sure, I had my problems with how the Jedi worked, but they weren't trying to kill everything all the time. The problem is that the Empire is run by Sith, and therefore I am a Sith lackey, and therefore an appropriate target for the Dawn. 

The pirates had been contracted to cause chaos, but also to secure more resources for the Dawn. And what better system to do that than a lightly defended backwater Imperial planet.

Luckily, I doubted that a retaliatory strike was going to happen. Not only is this a backwater, but it was currently 2BBY, meaning that Qi'ra had not been in control of the Dawn for long, with the planned resurgence happening around 3ABY, and their defeat not long after. This means that the Dawn is still in hiding, and this strike is one of many that are happening across the galaxy, all of them looking like standard pirate raids, all of them funneling resources to the Crimson Dawn.

Now, did I have hard proof that this was Crimson Dawn? No, I don't. But the timeline fits, so the chance is higher than average.

Regardless, I try to push it out of my mind. With the arrival of the Rationale, along with the three Imperial Nebulons to help reinforce the system, the chance of such an attack happening again is rare.

Instead, I focused on the future. Specifically, expansion. 

I was currently within my office, looking over the stacks of papers that had been delivered to me. They were my copies of the new reforms that were being put into place. The political system I had set up was being revamped, with minor and major councils in each region. The minor councils would be held in the sub-nexus cities to manage it and its area, with a minor council in the Nexus city proper to manage the city as a whole(each councilor of a Nexus city is chosen from its various districts). Major councils would be made up of representatives that were voted on by the minor councils and sent to the Nexus to represent their sub-nexus in the greater decision making process. Finally, each of these Major councils will send a representative to Accordia, where I speak with them once a week to announce new changes, gain a better understanding of the problems each region faces, etc…

Thankfully, politics weren't the only thing I was reforming. I had instituted various longer-term projects. None of them would be costing much right now, and in fact many were not going to be started for some time, as to ensure that the build up is slower.

These projects were varied, and included things such as:

A network of trains, both passenger and cargo, to simplify inter/intracontinental transport and keep the number of ships flying about to a minimum. An expansion to the Guild, turning into the Imperial Guild of Industry, Commerce and Protection, which now allows mercenaries to sign up, post their services so that miners, cargo haulers and the like can more easily hire them. It also comes with a rating system and review board, so mercenaries have an easier time cultivating a reputation and people can find reliable protection. It even comes with a selection of courses that can be attended for a small fee, offering insight into how mercenary work within the guild and the Mindan system functions.An "academy". Not a real Imperial Academy that trains StormTroopers and the like, but a militia academy that allowed people to volunteer to join the MPDF or MSDF(Mindan System Defense Fleet). It offered training, classes, with both retired clone officers and the occasional active duty officer teaching classes, giving seminars, and more. It was a way to increase the amount of active duty Navy/Army personnel, without actually having to requisition more personnel from the Navy proper.Cities were being expanded with new apartment complexes and the like, specifically to handle the more steady influx of colonists that were being ported in. The Acclamator, which had finally been named to the Beacon of Minda, finished it's retrofits and was now a pure passenger ship, with the sole purpose of picking up new colonists from various planets who wanted a new life. It could carry up to 30,000 passengers, but I had ordered the number restricted to only 5,000 per trip, the rest of the space used for cargo. While I need more people, if the population grows faster than I can manage I'll end up with substantial problems. Contracts with the major farming companies and unions across Ugea were signed, for the express purpose of helping develop more land for farming. Much of it was going to be farmed by some of the incoming colonists, who I was paying the companies/unions to train in farming. This would increase food supply, allowing population growth to increase.The R&D department was also increased by a decent margin, and focused mostly on software updates. Upgrades to the PDAs, better software for the ARCs and V-Wings, and most importantly, a proper fucking update to my terminal so I could organize things better. Never thought I would cry when seeing Microsoft Excel. 

There were more projects, but they were for the future. These were the projects that could be started now with a lower cost, and later help fund the bigger pieces, like the proposed manufacturing plants, new colonies, and more.

A beep on my data pad alerted me. I checked it, and sighed. I had to fly out to the refinery to give a congratulatory speech for the security forces there. Apparently they had locked down the hangar, closed the doors, and trapped the pirates in there while they had a repulsorlift laser cannon gun them down. Absolutely no casualties, quite impressive.

And so, I sent my affirmative signal and threw on my coat, heading towards the landing pad where my L-99 was waiting. At least I could fly in style.

Now, if only I could get a vacation.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darna Sabrir

Minda System, Ugea, Accordia, Rusty Refit Orbital Yard

Darna was exhausted. 

Ever since the Mindan Raid, the governor's office had been inundated with requests for meetings, speeches, memorials, interviews, and more. Not to mention the multitude of companies asking about increased security and such

Honestly, it was a testament to the governor's abilities that the people were comfortable enough to ask him for things this way. Any other system might see petitioners shot.

Thankfully, the new Nebulon-Bs along with the mercenary section of the Guild opening seemed to address most of the concerns, and a touching speech from the governor about the importance of living a good life to honor those who died in the defense of Minda was enough to assuage the remaining questions and complaints. Aside from the journalists. They were relentless.

The governor had approved her day off, and she was trying to enjoy it. She had decided to visit her friend Sidheth up in the orbital scrap yard.

So, as she stepped off the shuttle and into the common area of the station, she scanned her surroundings. The place was kept clean, with signs indicating the directions of things like admin, lodgings, food court, and more. 

As she did that, she heard a voice call out.

"Darna!"

She turned, and spotted her friend approaching her. Dark skinned and bushy haired, her human compatriot always seemed to have a spark of life in her eyes.

"Sid-"she paused, then "Talia! How are you!" Sidheth clearly noted her slip up, but shrugged it off.

As they hugged, Darna heard her whisper "Follow me. My room is secure"

And to her room they went, passing by a bevy of people throughout the station. The orbital station itself was equipped with 12 bays, each of them corresponding with a size designation, those being small, medium and large. Small bays could fit fighters, mediums were meant for light and medium freighters, while large bays dealt with bulk freighters and frigates. Three of the bays, one of each type, were reserved solely for Imperial use, with that section of the yard being staffed solely by Imperial personnel. 

Entering an elevator, they were taken further up the yard's rings. It was split into three rings. The bottom ring managed all the light and medium bays, and the middle ring was for the large bays, along with the area visitors had access to. The top ring was where station personnel lived, and was the smallest of the rings. 

Finally, they reached Sidheth's suite, located at the very top of the central tower that connected the rings together. As the owner and administrator of the building, she had the nicest accommodations on board. 

Despite that, her quarters were not all that lavish. Being a tad larger than Darna's quarters in the Capitol, the apartment was nicely decorated. A nice central area was fitted with a kitchen, large L shaped couch with a holo table in front, and a decently large viewscreen mounted on the wall. The floor was a stark grey metal floor, but there were tasteful orange and black rugs that made up for it. 

Branching off from the center room were three doors. One led in a hallway, which itself led to the master bedroom and a guest bedroom, along with the bathroom. The other door led to an office space, while the last led to a large walk-in closet.

Darna whistled. "You have yourself quite the nice room here, Sidheth. How did you get something this nice?"

Her friend flashed her a sheepish smile. "Honestly, things moved very quickly, and with the additional funding we were able to buy a prebuilt modular station. It came with this room for the lead administrator, and since I'm technically the owner…"

Darna smirked. "So you just happened to luck into the nicest suite in orbit?"

"It wasn't on purpose, I swear!"

"I thought you were more frugal? What would Vilil say if he saw you living the life?"

"Darnaaaaa…" she whined. "Please don't tell Vilil, he'll give me that look, and then I'll feel guilty!"

"Then start slumming it, sister."

They looked at each other, before bursting out into laughter. Darna hadn't missed much from her stint in the Rebellion, but she had missed her friend.

As they sat down on the couch, the conversation turned to work.

"...and he turns to me, looking dead tired, and said "there's more?!" as I handed him another stack of paperwork! Never seen the governor look so fed up!"

They had been talking about their respective lives for hours, when Darnas positino actually came into question.

"So, you seem to like your job."

Darna sighed. She saw this coming. "Yes, Sidheth, I do. And I'm not joining the rebellion again. I already risked my job referring you to the governor. On top of that, this is one of the few places where there isn't a reason to rebel! No oppressive regime, no human centrism, no beatings. Just… progress."

"I'm not denying that" said Sidheth, "Even Vilil agrees. Minda is stable, too stable for an effective rebellion. Any attacks here would just turn the populace against us. And with this scrap yard here, we're actually able to make a difference for the wider rebellion. We just want you to be a part of that difference."

Darna scoffed. "And what would you have me do? Spy on my boss, my coworkers, my friends? I've finally, after so long, found a place that accepts me, treats me well, trusts me. A place I can call home. I won't betray that trust."

Sidheths eyes seemed to glimmer with pain. "We trust you, Darna. The rebellion trusts you."

"Only long enough to put a blaster in my hand and tell me to shoot"

"You know there's more to it than that!"

She shook her head. "Just barely, Sidheth. Just barely. But here? In Minda? I don't have to fight for my life every day just to be treated with dignity and respect. I'm done, Sidheth. I've been done for years, and I refuse to get roped back in when my life is going well."

Sidheth winced, but didn't say anything for a while. Finally, she spoke up.

"I know things are good here, and I'm not really asking you to join back up. I'm not even asking you to spy! Not really. Vilil wanted me to get that, for sure, but I know you're not about that life anymore. All I ask is that if you hear something, something big, that won't get you in trouble, give us a heads up? Please? It's all I ask."

Darna sighed again. What was this, the third sigh? Fourth? Now way was that healthy. 

"Fine. If something comes up that is really important, and won't risk me, I'll pass a message along. But don't expect much. Like I said, I'm done."

Sidheth smiled, but it was a weak thing. "Thanks, Darna… I missed you. We all did."

Darna couldn't help but return the smile. "I missed you too, Sidheth."

The rest of the night was spent in a more comfortable silence, the two making sure to steer clear of the topic of rebellion.

Eventually, Darna left, and found herself back in her quarters in the capitol building. Situated right below the governor's penthouse, it was fairly spacious.

As she flopped into what had to be the nicest bed she had ever owned, sleep found her quickly. 

Her last thought?

"I won't let my new life be taken from me. Not again."

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi there folks. This was my first real attempt at writing a full conversation between two friends, banter included. It feels a little awkward, I think, but let me know.

Also, for those of you incels asking for a harem. While I get the urge, I don't plan for there to be any romance in this fic as of yet. While a romance can really add layers to a story, and truly enhance it, I'm nowhere near that level of skill. How can I write a convincing romance if I'm 19 and have never been on a date? Also, for harems, I don't think they work. While you could argue about polycules for days, harems specifically are top-down structures that are inherently narcissistic, and only value the person at the top. I invite you to watch Zhang Yimou's incredible 1991 film Raise the Red Lantern, which covers the harmful effects of such a relationship. And I think harems are cliche hentai bullshit.

On top of that, I recently went down a mini rabbit-hole looking for trains for the rail system. Even after I realized that I didn't really need to specify what train engines were used specifically, I had looked around and realized that there are pitifully few trains in Star Wars. At least named ones with specs and such. So any lore on Star Wars trains, and other niche vehicles and tech is widely appreciated. I dig around the wiki alot, cause I want to find the small stuff and try to use it more often than just grabbing whatever I can find from the movies and throwing it in. One of your guys' comments is what led me to choose the CR92a, so yeah.

Anyways, thanks for reading!