The Zeta-5 shipyards were carved into an asteroid belt orbiting an unremarkable red dwarf star. Under Coalition control, they had produced battleship-class vessels for the conquest of Kross' worlds. Now those same docks served Shadow Wing's growing navy.
Jason toured the weapon forges and assembly lines alongside Councilor Revak, the gruff Quasyr engineer who kept the entire operation running smoothly. He was one of the few who had been loyal since Darius' early campaigns.
"Impressive work as always, Revak," Jason said, inspecting a newly completed destroyer-class warship. "Your crews work miracles on the resources we capture."
Revak crossed his thick arms. "They're dedicated, I'll grant them that. We all remember the horrors of the Coalition occupation." His expression darkened. "My own hatch-mate died in their labor camps."
Jason placed a hand on Revak's sturdy shoulder. "Her loss fuels our cause, old friend. Stay strong for the battles ahead."
Leaving Revak to his vital duties, Jason next toured the fighter corps training facility. He watched through a viewport as the deadly craft swooped and spun in mock dogfights. One pilot stood out, cutting daring angles at seemingly impossible speeds.
When the exercise ended, Jason descended to the flight deck and approached the skilled pilot as he exited his craft. The man snapped to attention. Up close, Jason was struck by the pilot's unique appearance - muscular blue skin, a facial structure almost serpentine.
"You fly with rare aptitude," Jason remarked. "What is your name, pilot?"
"Sszarix, my lord," he replied, head respectfully bowed.
"Take pride in your skill, Sszarix. The empire will soon have great need of warriors like you."
The pilot seemed taken aback by the overlord's praise. He risked meeting Jason's gaze. "My talents are yours to command. But I fly not for empire - only the freedom of my oppressed kin."
Jason nodded thoughtfully. "Then we share a purpose. The Coalition brands all who defy them enemies. When their grip over your homeworld loosens, you may return to liberate your people."
Szarix's eyes lit up at the proposition. Other skilled Naga pilots approached and slammed fists to chests in salute. Jason had gained their loyalty not through threats, but recognizing their desires aligned with his aims. These elite starfighters would soon visit righteous fury upon the Coalition fleets.
Leaving the training facility, Jason considered how far they had come in just a few galactic months. The Shadow Wing fleet now numbered in the hundreds, and networks of loyalists waited for the word to strike across Coalition space.
Timing would be crucial. He would announce the next phase soon, but certain steps remained. The R&D teams were developing Planetcracker warheads to shatter the fortified worlds that formed the backbone of the Coalition's control. And Jason needed options to neutralize the Star Forge.
That mammoth mobile shipyard produced the bulk of the Coalition's new warships. While their main fleets were on patrol, it drifted protected in a nebula cloud. But its defenses still presented a formidable challenge. Without a solution, any uprising would be swiftly crushed.
Jason was pulled from his thoughts by an incoming transmission from Vara Talus marked highest priority. He opened the channel in his private chamber. Vara's face appeared on the terminal screen.
"My lord, I have urgent news. My agents intercepted a data packet concerning a secret Coalition project designated 'Fortress of Solitude'. I am relaying the intelligence to you now."
As she spoke, stolen schematics and reports appeared on the screen. Jason's eyes widened as he quickly scanned through them. The Coalition had diverted major resources to constructing a virtually impenetrable base built into the heart of a dwarf star. Its plasma defenses and endless energy supply would make it nigh unconquerable if completed.
Worse still, the project memo referenced using the Fortress as a new detainment center for captured enemies of the state. The Coalition was looking ahead to a day when Jason was no longer an elusive threat, but a prisoner in their inescapable prison. He could not let that come to pass.
"Thank you, Vara. This knowledge may have saved our cause. Continue seeking their vulnerable points."
After terminating the transmission, Jason opened a channel to the entire Council. "Our timetable must be accelerated. Make final preparations to deploy the Planetcracker warheads. We strike in one cycle."
There could be no more waiting. The element of surprise was their best weapon before the Coalition fleet returned. Once the core worlds fell, the rest would follow. Special infiltrator teams were already positioned to sabotage the Star Forge when the uprising began.
But Jason's thoughts kept returning to the ominous Fortress of Solitude taking shape out there. He suddenly felt the future hanging on choices made in the days ahead. Were he to fail and fall captive, none could predict what horrors the Coalition had planned within that sun prison.
No, he could not allow paralyzing doubts to take root. Action was required now, swift and definitive. The risks were great, but the path ahead clear. Everything they had built prepared them for this moment. Failure was not an option.
The Council dispersed to oversee final launch preparations. Soon the full might of Shadow Wing's navy would be unleashed after months of quietly gathering strength.
Jason remained alone in the planning chamber, centered in silent meditation as the fateful hour approached. Outside, the asteroid bases bustled with activity. But within these closed walls, he found solace.
The shadows crept slowly across the chamber as cosmic forces far greater than any fleet or empire loomed ahead. When at last the appointed time arrived, Jason opened his eyes, his face an unreadable mask.
Rising from his seat, he strode resolutely to the door and entered the corridor beyond, ready to unleash long-withheld fury upon the Coalition worlds. The board was set for a confrontation that would shape the galaxy's future. And Jason Wake did not intend to lose.