Nine years, five months and thirty days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or the forty-fourth year, five months and thirty days after the Great Resynchronization.
"The repairs have been completed in full, Grand Admiral. Supplies and fuel are loaded, and the crew, contingent, and air wing have been fully replenished," reported the hologram of Captain Pellaeon, his image projected from the device embedded in my desk since the flagship's repairs on Tangrene. A few days of emergency work to fix the damage, and the starship was ready for service once again—unlike most of the other Star Destroyers brought in for repairs. "The Chimaera is prepared to carry out combat operations!"
"Are our guests aboard my flagship?" I inquired.
"Yes, sir!" Gilad confirmed. "Lieutenant Colonel Astarion and his top three officers, Chief Engineer Reyes, along with a hundred engineers and two hundred technicians, are on board. Major Tierce's hand-picked stormtroopers are also present, sir."
"Set course for Weyland," I commanded, still skimming through the latest Delta Source reports. As usual, much of it was gossip and hearsay, but there were some intriguing pieces that warranted closer attention. I'd review them later. "Inform Major Himron that I expect him in my office in thirty minutes. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir!" The hologram saluted and vanished. Seconds later, a faint tremor of the deck beneath me signaled that the Star Destroyer had jumped to light speed.
Leaning back in my chair, I turned my gaze to my new adjutant standing at attention before me. Lieutenant Jade was no longer suited for the role—she would soon begin independent operations, and her position as my adjutant would merely serve as a cover.
"The new uniform suits you, Major Tierce," I remarked, evaluating the sight of Grodin in his crisp naval attire. He stood at the entrance to my quarters, holding in his hands the vibrant red uniform of the Imperial Guard, which he had worn during his previous posting as stormtrooper TR-889.
The closed helmet with its horizontal visor, the scarlet cloak, the black bodysuit underneath, the cuirass made of reinforced materials, and the power pike—all were familiar symbols known throughout the galaxy.
** An Imperial Guardsman in battle dress **
"Thank you, sir," Major Tierce replied. In the past, it would have been unthinkable for a guard to speak so casually to his master. But times change. "Though, the color still doesn't feel right."
"Minor details," I said. "That can be addressed later. What's more interesting is that even after you left the service, you kept your combat uniform."
"Without it, I wouldn't have any proof of who I am," Tierce explained. "The armor of the Imperial Guard is impossible to counterfeit."
"We won't need that proof," I replied. "The workshops on Wayland, inside Mount Tantiss, can produce both stormtrooper and Guard armor."
"And there are stockpiles full of it," the major added.
"You seem well informed about the plans for the Mountain," I observed.
"I had time to study while you were there," my new adjutant noted. "There's enough equipment in those warehouses to outfit ten legions of stormtroopers and five hundred guardsmen."
"That will suffice," I said. "You've performed admirably these past few days, Major. Now, I want to know why you've arranged the transfer of several dozen stormtroopers from all over my fleet into your unit."
"They previously served in the 501st Legion, sir," Tierce responded.
"Vader's Fist?" I asked, surprised.
"The ones who survived the last five years and were close enough to reach, yes," he said. "After Vader killed the Emperor, the 501st Legion fell into disgrace with the Empire's leadership. Survivors from the second Death Star provided enough evidence to conclude that Skywalker couldn't have killed Palpatine in Vader's presence—not alone. Either Vader did it himself or helped his son. Their relationship was exposed, but those who knew the truth either died or chose silence. The Empire's leaders understood that such revelations would cause internal fractures. The 501st was nearly destroyed when the Executor crashed into the battle station, but the remaining soldiers were reassigned to other units, stripped of their insignia, and the legion was disbanded in secrecy. Most of them are dead now, especially the Jango Fett clones. But I found some survivors and arranged their transfer into my unit."
I narrowed my eyes. "Reviving the 501st would be a significant ideological move for us."
"And so would the appearance of the Imperial Guard at your side," Tierce added, though I could sense a hint of displeasure in his tone.
"I recall you were against this idea, Major," I said. "But right now, your personal feelings are irrelevant. You'll serve as the genetic donor for a new type of stormtrooper commander, and your men will be the templates for stormtrooper soldiers. While your clones lead units, you will remain my adjutant and officer for special assignments."
"So, you intend to create your own Imperial Guard from my genetic material?" he asked, his voice laced with unease.
"I will use it as I see fit, Major." The Guardsman needed to be reminded of his place. He already knew that his genetic profile made him a prime candidate for cloning, and with the cloning labs in Mount Tantiss now operational, he didn't need to know just how altered his clones would be. Nor did many others currently en route to Wayland aboard the Chimaera. "Now, report on the fleet's status."
"Captain Dorja of the Relentless reports that technicians have restored another eighty dreadnoughts from the Katana Fleet to operational status," Tierce said, shifting smoothly into his report. "He and Captain Aban of the Bellicose are prepared to escort these ships to Tangrene. Captain Harbid's Death's Head and Captain Brandei's Judicator have already arrived with their Star Galleons and have begun repairs on another forty vessels."
"Cancel that," I ordered. "They are to wait for Captain Astorias's Stormhawk and Captain Wortin's Inexorable to arrive and continue repairs."
The additional Star Destroyers would complete the escort required to transport the remaining dreadnoughts from the Katana Fleet to their new repair locations. Once gathered, 170 Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers would be supported by six Imperial-I class Star Destroyers, alongside CR90 corvettes, Strike-class medium cruisers, and Tartan patrol ships requisitioned from the Morshdine Sector Defense Fleet. These, along with three dozen Star Galleons, would be sent to the shipyards on Tangrene, Rendili, and Bestine IV for refitting. Despite these systems pledging their allegiance to me, their loyalty was bought with credits, and I harbored no illusions about its long-term reliability.
The rumors spreading throughout the Empire about my acquisition of the Katana Fleet had already attracted attention, not only from loyal Imperial factions but from others as well. Soon, the news would break beyond our borders, and we needed to move all the ships from their resting place before they became the target of opportunists or rebels.
I can't bring myself to fully trust those who became interested in me just because I flashed money in front of their faces. Especially the large sums required for repairs and modernization. On top of that, I had to spend a significant amount to purchase the MLA from Krennel—essentially paying him the price of an entire Star Destroyer. Out of half a billion credits, after these expenses, I'm left with just under seventeen million. This includes the proceeds from selling off trophies from the base on Ord Pardron. Moff Ferrus sold everything I brought back after my first campaign, netting himself an additional hundred million credits, on top of the half-billion he already had.
Not to mention the goods that Talon Karrde left on Myrkr, which Mara Jade had marked as "severance pay." Next on the list for sale are the "Snubs"—pirate fighters and other spoils from the ambush at Rugosa. However, even the estimated one hundred and seventy million credits from that sale are not the massive figures they once were. Like the metal reserves from the raid on Nklonn, these funds will gradually be spent on maintaining the fleet—on technicians, fuel, tibanna gas, uniforms, and other necessities.
Meanwhile, on Tangrene, volunteer formations are underway, preparing recruits for my regular army, which now numbers just over twenty thousand soldiers. Nearly all the stormtroopers, a little over a hundred in total, are stationed aboard the ships of the Katana Fleet and will remain there until the vessels are fully operational. Each Star Destroyer requires a legion of nearly ten thousand troopers, not counting the other fleet ships. Given this need, cloning stormtroopers is essential—not to mention the technicians required to maintain the fleet. At least we have enough armor to equip another hundred thousand stormtroopers, which would constitute a full army. However, we also need small arms, thermal detonators, baradium, nergon-14, tibanna, and more, both for the stormtroopers and the regular army. All of which means expenses will continue to rise.
I do have some ideas about solving the army's supply issues. If my plans succeed, we may not need to clone more stormtroopers once the 501st Legion is reestablished. If they fail... well, it will be unfortunate but not disastrous.
For now, the fleet is the priority—without it, there's no point considering operations beyond this sector. Right now, my campaign is focused on space battles; ground operations are merely a "necessary evil." But eventually, I will have to turn my attention to these aspects as well.
First, though, we must rebuild our financial reserves.
Money is flowing out like water. Yet, I'm not too concerned—this is the first time, since the Ubiqtorate abandoned the Morshdine sector, that our base's warehouses, arsenals, and storage facilities are filled to capacity. Despite the objections of the Imperial Ruling Council, I ordered a massive removal of spare parts for Imperial Star Destroyers and other fleet vessels from Bilbringi. However, I doubt I can repeat such a "sortie" again.
The parts we did manage to acquire are high quality, straight from the manufacturer. And now, every ship in the Imperial fleet will be equipped with standard second-class hyperdrives.
The Katana Fleet itself holds a wealth of intriguing and useful equipment for my forces. From Mark-2 droidekas and experimental AT-RT walkers to automation systems for various onboard operations. These, along with nearly two hundred Class-IV hyperdrives designed for ships around six hundred meters in length, will come into my possession once the ships are upgraded. This is a valuable resource that could boost the budget if sold on the black or open market, or prove useful for future operations. It's unfortunate that the Rendili Shipyards have no interest in acquiring this "ancient technology." Fortunately, I know where to put it to good use, and I will, as soon as we have the necessary funds.
Baron D'Asta visited a few days ago to congratulate me on my victory. He gifted me several CR90 corvettes, bringing the total number under my command to thirty. He also provided three thousand pilots from his sector, along with a generous supply of spare parts and damaged TIE-series MLAs. He confided that he had given me everything he had left in his warehouses, though he refused to provide further funding due to pressing matters in his own sector. At least he helped in material ways.
The Mon Calamari, however, confirmed my suspicions by declining the offer of a star cruiser. He isn't interested in trophies from the Hast shipyards—what he wants is direct revenge for the losses to his political influence. This has made it clear to me that Baron D'Asta, like the other Splinters, is simply using me to do their dirty work. I will remember that.
Still, money is needed now, which is one reason why the Chimaera is heading to Wayland. It's time to raid Palpatine's treasury and extract whatever valuables and artifacts can be sold.
"Has the Overlord arrived at Linuri to relieve the Nemesis?" I asked.
"Yes, Grand Admiral," Major Tierce confirmed. Unlike Pellaeon, my new adjutant never needed to check notes—he kept everything in his memory. After just three days of service, he hasn't made a single mistake, a testament to his professional training. It makes me wonder if it's worth visiting the planet Yinchorri, where the Imperial Guard base is located, to recruit more of Tierce's comrades—if any remain. However, I suspect that Grodin is the only one clever enough to have stopped serving a dead man. There could still be valuable data or something useful at the base, so it might be worth a search. Palpatine's files at Mount Tantiss are missing this information, another result of his agents' data erasure.
At least the infamous "Caamas Document" remains intact. However, using it now would undoubtedly destroy the New Republic. I'll save that weapon for later, part of a backup plan I haven't even shared with Mara Jade yet.
"Have the shipyards reported when the Nemesis will be ready to depart for repairs?" I asked.
"She'll need three days to arrive from Linuri to Tangrene, a day for repairs and resupply, and then she'll be at your full disposal," Tierce reported with confidence.
So, in four days, the ship will be fully operational. We'll need two days to reach Wayland, part of the journey on uncharted routes, which will consume more time.
"Contact Captain Schneider," I ordered. "After repairs, he is to report to Wayland for further instructions."
"It will be done, sir," Grodin said promptly.
"There's a task for you as well, Major," I said, watching him closely as he awaited my next order. "Contact Brintooin and arrange a meeting."
"Of course, sir," the major replied with a cautious smile. "But I feel obligated to inform you that Colonel Johans hasn't maintained contact with any of the Imperial Remnants for a long time. It's highly likely he will ignore your message as well, just as Carida did."
"Then we'll remove Colonel Johans and his Hell's Hammers from our list of potential allies," I said calmly. "Along with Carida. That will be all."
"As you command, sir," Tierce replied without hesitation. "May I carry out your orders immediately?"
"Permission granted," I said.
After the door closed behind the former Imperial Guard, I turned my attention to the Delta Source report. According to it, just a day ago, some rather intriguing discussions took place in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. Starting with Admiral Ackbar's report on the events in the Rugosa system, there was also speculation about whether the inhabitants of the planet Blintooine in the Seswenna sector, near Eriadu, might be behind the New Republic's recent setbacks.
Blintooine, an Imperial planet, and the entire system still operate under Imperial law, controlled by Imperial Colonel Zel Johans, commander of the 112th Repulsorlift Armor Regiment, the "Hell's Hammers." This legendary armored unit has fortified its position so well that the New Republic hasn't even considered launching a full-scale assault. They have no desire to sacrifice millions of troops against a force that has been professional soldiers since the Clone Wars. The local population has such a deep-rooted military culture that it's rare to find a civilian who isn't as proficient with weapons and vehicles as a career soldier.
In the long term, I will need them, and they know their role better than anyone—ground warfare specialists, capable of utterly annihilating the enemy.
For now, it makes sense to bide my time.