Chp-17: Plotting and Brokies
The final flotilla choices had been made. While a Vindicator was a great option(and cheaper) it ended up being the kind of choice that could bring attention.
The bad kind of attention.
Vindicator-Class Heavy Cruisers are anti-capital ship supports. They flank ISD's and have more than enough firepower to chew through enemy capital ships in small groups.
A Gladiator, on the other hand, is more lightly armed and built more for expeditions and scouting. Considering the jungle hell planet I have in the system, it's a decent choice that might raise some eyebrows but ultimately I doubted it would cause that big a ruckus. Even if it was the more heavily armored and upgraded Gladiator-II. Not that much better, but more armor, hangar space, and ion cannons is always welcome.
As for the total fleet, it went something like this.
Gladiator-II-Class Star Destroyer(50 Mil, already bought)4 Tartan-Class Patrol Cruisers(16.8 Mil)2 Arquitens-Class Light Cruisers(8 Mil)2 Quasar Fire-Class Cruiser-Carriers(3.5 Mil)10 Imperial Gozanti-Class Cruisers(2 Mil)
For a total of 30,300,000 credits, it was under the allotted budget for sure. However, it also fits the populace constraint. While the TIE pilots were a dime a dozen and shelled out to whoever had the credits to buy the TIE's, the ships had to be crewed by local forces. The combined crew of this fleet, not counting boarding troops, was 2,355.
The biggest expense was the Gladiator, not just because of its price but because I had to get the Sector Moff to approve its purchase, as it is considered a Star Destroyer and is therefore a little larger than I'd like. So, I had to send an extra 16mil down the drain as 'incentive' to allow the purchase to go through. What a waste. It also created a larger paper trail that I could only hope didn't bite me in the ass one day.
Mugwuffin gives me a look. "Shut up! I'm an adult. I can lie to myself all I want!" She huffs, as if saying "Sure" sarcastically, and goes back to sleep. Smug alien cat. Shouda left you in that cage.
In terms of naval personnel, that was a lot for a system like this, especially considering that most of them were tied up in the defense fleet. While some people were poached for the new anti-pirate fleet, most of the personnel were right out of the militia academy.
That meant it was time for training. A lot of training. Thankfully, the pirates were wonderful enough to give us plenty of target practice.
I watched the reports stream in about the new crews taking on pirate forces throughout the system. No losses, plenty of experience.
Of course, when Commodore Veers called, I could tell how happy she was to be in command of a Star Destroyer, even if it was a Gladiator and not something like a Victory or Imperial. Then again, I doubt she would be truly fulfilled until she sat in the captain's chair of a Star Dreadnought or something like that.
I am surrounded by giddy psychos. I'd pray for God to help me, but if he exists then he for sure put me here. Rat bastard.
While the new fleet most certainly helped lower the pirate presence in Minda, I had been getting reports of nearby systems being practically flooded by pirates.
Which was why I was drafting a series of messages to these nearby systems governors. I normally wouldn't have cared at all for them, but we faced a common enemy and I'd rather not do this all by myself. So long as the burden isn't totally mine, I'll be fine.
With that said, the messages were sent to my two neighboring systems. Those being Clok and Edin.
Clok was the closest, and used to be just like Minda. Small population agricultural community. The biggest thing was this Old Republic Era refueling station in orbit of the only planet in the system.
Since I had started improving Minda, Clok had been one of the main thoroughfares that our trade fleet and various merchants made use of. Because of this, Clok had seen some improvements. The station had been modernized and somewhat expanded to service more and larger ships. The extra income from this allowed Clok to start more industries planet side. While their population was still only around 150k, they were doing well for themselves.
Edin was different. That system was kind of the worst, and the biggest suspect location of the Pirate King. Edin was a fairly sized system with four planets and a half-dozen moons between them, along with a small asteroid belt. Only one planet was habitable, but it was a hive of piracy. The Empire had little control save for a few cities, with the rest being independent farmers and criminal holdouts. There was also an old asteroid base that was now a pirate holdout by the name of Belt Haven, massive thrusters that had been attached to the thing allowed it to move around the system and escape detection, not that anyone ever bothered to root them out.
Whoever controlled that station most certainly had a deal going with Edin's governor, and was probably where the Pirate King was hiding or recruiting from. Regardless, I couldn't send the new flotilla in to go turn them to paste. That would get the governor up in arms, and then other governors might get scared that I'm encroaching, and then the Sector Moff is going to have to get involved and no one wants that.
Hell, the only reason I was sending a message to Edin was to be able to say that I did so if things ever went bad. Proof of the message having been sent was great to have on my side in case of any complaints. It's not like the messages even hinted that I had a flotilla, and instead were requests to meet for a discussion on anti-piracy policies and measures.
The thing I was most interested in were the reports that Commander Grant was sending me. She had been for the past few weeks training up a small squad for the purposes of infiltration. These people weren't just locals, but some had been mercenaries at some points in their lives. They understood the rough and tumble nature of criminal life, and could more easily hide away amongst the pirate scum.
And it was time to send them out. A light freighter had been bought from the scrapyard after some merchant wanted to get it out of the way. It was slightly refitted for more pirate related activities, but the rust was made to stay there. They would use it as cover for them to infiltrate the Belt Haven as some down on their luck mercenaries, looking for work. Hopefully, they would be able to discreetly look for the Pirate King and find out what's going on. If possible, an infiltration of the Pirate Kings home base is warranted.
Hopefully the training they received would help them through this.
It's around this time that I receive a call from Commander Grant, as I pull her up on my PDA I hold back my wince at seeing the blood she has yet to remove from her face.
"Before we begin, Commander, please remember to wear a face mask and other protective gear when interrogating prisoners. If that blood got in your mouth or eyes it could cause serious problems."
She looks surprised at my statement, but quickly follows up. "Understood sir. I'm familiar with how different arteries work in a number of species so I had predict blood splatter fairly well, but I was not aware of this pirate's irregular veins due to being cybernetically enhanced. I will endeavor to be safer and more hygienic in my future interrogations."
"Thank you, Commander. Now, what is it that you called me for?"
Her eyes lit up a little. "Well, after interrogating a number of prisoners, we have gathered data on this so-called "Pirate King". It is not a single individual but instead a couple. The husband and wife due go by the names of Grax and Shurie, the two apparently rarely make an appearance. The bigger news is that they are not stationed at Belt Haven. They make use of an old refitted LucreHulk as their base of operations."
I humm, petting Mugwuffin as I contemplate this. "It's perfect. Large cargo hold, droid workforce, and it's mobile. Beefy enough to hold out until the hyperdrives are charged."
"I was thinking the same, sir. I don't believe that we have the forces to destroy such a ship, even with the new flotilla that just arrived."
"You are correct. And it's unlikely that Admiral Wasti will do anything until he feels he will gain the most credit for it. Do we know where the ship is?"
"No sir" she responded with a wince, "They hide in dark space, and only the captains of a few carriers know the coordinates. They pick up the other pirates and fly them out there for meetings and splitting the rewards"
Sighing, I press down on the intercom button. "Darna, can you have a cup of hot cocoa made for me? Oh, and see if we can't get a small machine and the supplies to make it in my office."
"Of course, sir. Anything else?"
"No, thank you Darna, you're the best."
Turning back to the Commander, I give my orders. "Have the infiltrators attempt to gain access to one of these pirate crews, or at least seem to make a name for themselves. We can feed them cargo and make it look like they have been successfully raiding, that's bound to catch the attention of the recruiters. Just…don't make it too obvious. We want them to be faces in the crowd who can slip away unnoticed, not champions of the pirate cause."
"Understood sir. I'll contact the Commodore and get the plan underway. I'll make sure they're equipped and trained properly, sir. But…before I go, sir, I wished to ask how the other part of the plan is going. If it's not to forward of me, sir."
I let out a light chuckle. "Don't worry, Commander. I trust you, and you are one of my closest advisors. You shouldn't fear asking me questions if you think it's important. Also, the plan is going well."
She seemed to perk up at that. Basic trust goes a long way in the Empire, apparently. "Thank you sir, I'll complete my mission."
"Of course, Commander. I trust you will do your best. Good day"
She saluted, and the call went off just as Darna walked in with my hot cocoa.
Sweet ambrosia. My only anchor in this world.
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Kay Loyu
Fath Sector, Wistril System, Wistril City
Kay was bored. All the decent bounties in Wistril had dried up. Which was unusual, to say the least. Wistril was a den of smugglers and criminals, there should be plenty of juicy contracts, but nope.
There were plenty of bounties abound, make no mistake. Problem was, Kay ran a cadre of bounty hunters. It was her, her brother Kai, and her sister Kel. The three of them needed bigger bounties to provide for the three of them.
And so they sat there, in a small bar hidden under a bridge, sipping on drinks at a corner table and talking about their next move.
"There are no bounties within three systems of here. What the kriff is going on?" said Kai in an irritated voice. His black hair hung low when he wasn't wearing his helmet, and his gaunt cheeks made him look almost malnourished, no matter how much he ate.
"Relax, Kai, I'm sure it'll work out. After all, we're Mandolorian bounty hunters! Someone is always going to want our skillset" She responded.
"Or our beskar" voiced Kel. The oldest of the three, and the leader of their little gang, Kel was tall. Like, 6'6 tall. Without the armor. With it, she was easily 6'10. Her terrifying presence was accompanied by her muscular body and high cheekbones. Her hair was different from Kay and Kai's. They both sported black hair, but due to a rare genetic defect, Kel had been born with bone white hair. It contrasted her dark skin in a striking manner, making her all the more imposing.
"We need more stable work" continued Kel. "The kind that doesn't toss us out when all's said and done, nor the type that turns on us for the metal on our backs."
Kai scoffs. "You won't find a place like that on this side of the galaxy. The Imps want it all to themselves, the Rebels can't pay decent wages and are always yapping about the 'doing the right thing'and everyone else wants to sell the beskar back to the Imps. The only one of use that manages to do this job well is Fett, and he wasn't even raised Mandalorian!"
"Calm yourself," said Kel
Before she could continue, Kay jumped in. "Yeah, calm down, cause I got us something!"
The two of them looked at her like she was crazy. Despite that, she marched on.
"Yeah, so, with all the pirates moving, I decided to see where they're moving to. And I found out that in the Myto Sector there is a Pirate King of sorts gathering and raiding everywhere over there. Apparently the Sector Fleet isn't doing anything, so the governors are desperate. That means that they would want to pay us more than kill us, right?"
Kel seemed to consider it, before nodding. "You are correct. While it is not permanent employment, the governors of that region would likely be desperate for assistance with the threat. Chances are they will not betray us, as we hold a higher chance of ending the threat. Good job, Kay.
Kay preened. She was usually just the best shot of the group, but it was nice to be the planner for once.
As they finished their drinks, they put on their helmets and made their way back to the ship.
Payday, here comes the Loyu family. Say your goodbyes.
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Hi there folks. Plot is finally moving, and I get to introduce some Mandos for the first time, huh? While I originally planned for Mandos to play a bigger part in a separate story that will be made after this one is finished, since I want to actually finish this story rather than leave it an unfinished mess like most fanfic authors, I decided to add them in since it makes sense for plot reasons.
Also, freighter_factory is where I got that ship design, and holy shit do they make some incredible stuff. Looks and feels like a real ship that could exist in-universe.
As always, feedback and comments are appreciated.
Thanks for reading!