Ten years, two months, and ten days after the Battle of Yavin...
Or the forty-fifth year, second month, and tenth day after the Great Resynchronization.
(Eight months and thirty days since arrival).
"Commander," the watch officer addressed Antonius. "The 'Prison' reports that the jamming system has been activated. The gravity well generators are ready to launch at any time."
The commander of the 'Abyssal Fury' glanced at the ship's chronometer.
There were five minutes left.
"Activate the gravitic trawls," he ordered. "Enemy ships will arrive at Valahari any minute now. Deployment vectors – eleven, twelve, first, and second. Launch fighters and raise the alert level to 'yellow'."
Four generators – four vectors.
According to the buzz droids, the convoy would arrive precisely perpendicular to the eleventh vector. Consequently, they would find themselves directly in the center of the gravitational anomaly.
Valahari was one of the key planets in the D'Astan sector.
Territorially, along with the Efrani system, it belonged to the Valahari sub-sector.
But Valahari was of particular interest to the Loyalists.
The inhabitants of this planet had a solid reputation as some of the best fighter engineers in the galaxy.
In the past, during the Clone Wars, the system declared neutrality in the conflict, but it provided the Confederacy of Independent Systems with modernized Vulture-class droid fighters.
The D'Asta family had established production of D'Astan fighters on the planet, which were in service with the rebels.
The planet was ruled by the aristocratic Vayne family, under the authority of the matriarch of the same name.
They supported the rebel aristocracy, so it was not surprising that the General chose this planet as the target for his next operation, following the subjugation of Dola.
However, while the enemy had clearly lowered their guard with the latter, they decided not to repeat that mistake with Valahari.
They were redeploying their forces to the system, understanding that taking Dola would open the entire sub-sector to Loyalist attack.
Battles were now raging in the Efrani system, but they were nearing their logical conclusion.
Victory was practically in the Loyalists' hands – thanks to the Mandalorians.
The next stage would be Valahari.
It was quite strange that among the Loyalists served many pilots from Valahari, who had once been transferred to Grand Admiral Thrawn's command by Baron D'Asta.
Returning to their home sector, they continued to support the Baroness's claim to the sector's throne.
Despite the fact that many of them had already died, the remaining ones remained loyal to their duty and oath.
The 'Abyss' mission was outrageously simple – to destroy the reinforcements coming from Serenno to Valahari.
Officially, the Dominion was not interfering in the civil war in the neighboring sector, but in fact, this year the regular fleet was operating on the supply lines, destroying the enemy where they would not be detected and identified in time.
This was how the "Dominion's neutrality" was maintained.
Currently, all routes leading from the rebel systems to the Valahari sub-sector were blocked by ships of the Dominion's regular fleet.
The enemy was unable to send massive reinforcements all at once, releasing forces as they could, without exposing their flanks or excessively weakening their own fleet.
The ambushes set by the Dominion not only destroyed rebel forces but also allowed the Loyalists to concentrate their own forces in general battles for one planet or another.
And thus, it remained a secret who exactly was reducing the enemy forces on the supply lines, given that the rebel aristocrats had not yet been able to detect or prove the involvement of third-party forces.
The rebels simply did not have sufficient free forces to defeat even one of the Dominion's combat formations in ambush.
The General used them to intercept cargo and military ships moving along transit routes that connected the rebel rear systems with planets on the front lines.
At present, Antonius was in one of the uninhabited systems that didn't even have its own designation – only a long alphanumeric cipher.
This was not the most direct route from Serenno to Valahari, but it was one of the fastest.
To hold the planet and the fighter production, the enemy needed to increase their forces on Valahari.
And this, as is well known, involves supplying troops with ammunition, medicine, spare parts, and provisions.
Since the subjugation of Valahari by the Loyalists would mean the cessation of repairs and supplies of D'Astan fighters to the rebels, military transport had not stopped for a single day.
Until now.
Storming the planet head-on, when the enemy had moved several dozen battlecruisers and additional ground forces there, would be too costly in terms of losses and time.
The more spent on the siege of one world, the longer the enemy would strengthen the other worlds.
Instead, it was better to cut off the garrison's supply of everything necessary, including reinforcements.
The convoy was pulled out of hyperspace precisely perpendicular to the nose of the 'Abyssal Fury' and the 'Prison.'
It consisted of a dozen freighters, one Kaloth-class battlecruiser, and two Corellian corvettes.
The latter were closest to the 'Abyssal Fury' and immediately bombarded the Star Destroyer with fire from their weapons.
The deflectors of the mighty Star Destroyer easily absorbed the energy streams.
The battlecruiser, along with the corvettes, attacked the 'Prison,' while the freighters clustered behind its stern.
A minute later, the bulbous little ships began to continue their movement.
The enemy's tactic was simple – while the armed starships distracted the destroyers, the freighters would manage to escape.
The identifiers on the 'Fury' and 'Prison' had been wisely disabled, so no one even thought about negotiations.
The gunners of the 'Abyssal Fury' targeted the first corvette, the ship named 'Pride of Serenno.'
The heavy turbolasers breached the bow deflector shields in a couple of minutes and burned long black streaks on the armor. Small debris and bodies were sucked out through the holes along with the superheated air.
The artillery concentrated fire on the bridge and upper deck, destroying the communication antennas.
Another salvo, and the 'Pride of Serenno' transformed from a warship with a brave crew into a drifting dead hulk with a trail of melted metal fragments.
"Gunships – attack the convoy. Bombers – the battlecruiser. Fighters – cover our starships."
The 'Prison's' shields successfully resisted the battlecruiser's shots, but in response, the 'Kaloth' received several palpable volleys from all the heavy turbolasers of the 'Interdictor,' which shocked the cruiser.
This was amplified by the fact that the 'Abyssal Fury' was fending off the persistent second corvette with only its port side.
And the starboard artillery was dedicating all its power to the battlecruiser.
The 'Kaloth' came under crossfire and was forced to maneuver to avoid erupting in the very first seconds of the confrontation.
"Sir, gunships and bombers are reporting," the flight leader informed. "The transport ships have been identified and scanned. They are carrying infantry and ammunition."
Antonius looked with regret at the twelve beautiful ships, feeling almost physical pain from what was happening.
The ships were relatively new and could have been useful to both the Dominion and the Baroness.
But given their cargo, the ships were not supposed to reach their destination – Valahari.
One could, of course, shell them with ion cannons and wait for everyone on board to die of suffocation, but that would be a waste of precious time.
"Destroy them," Antonius ordered through gritted teeth.
"Affirmative, destroy them."
A dozen XG-1s descended upon the practically defenseless transports like a pack of hungry nexu spotting a weakened bantha.
The laser cannons mounted on the starships could not offer much resistance.
Missiles, leaving smoky trails behind them, shot out of the gunships' launch bays, reinforcing their intentions with fire from their onboard weapons.
The deflectors, if they existed, collapsed in a matter of seconds, the hulls couldn't withstand it, and the freighters turned into heaps of metal in mere moments.
The 'Scimitar' squadron, using their PLAEs, swarmed around the battlecruiser like gnats, whose shields were still holding, and with a mass launch of proton torpedoes, put a definitive end to the ship's existence.
A series of explosions melted the ship by almost half, then the 'Prison' and 'Abyssal Fury' sent a volley of turbolaser fire in pursuit.
The ship's remaining defenses couldn't hold.
The shields collapsed, the armor failed.
White and green energy tore holes in the enemy ship's hull.
But it was already too late.
The detonation that began in the stern scattered the ship into numerous pieces, too many to be reassembled by anyone.
"Corvette — capture it," ordered Antonias.
Even if it wasn't a transport, he would definitely acquire a "Corellian" in this battle.
The CR90 attempted to execute a medium-level maneuver, but received two direct volleys to its hull.
First, an ion blast, which covered the ship in a network of lightning.
Then, a precise, surgically calibrated sniper shot from a heavy turbolaser pierced the ship's reactor.
Now the crew faced a dilemma that would determine their future lives.
Either they would shut down the main power plant, or the molten core would vaporize the starship.
The most sensible course of action would be to capture the crew of the cruiser, but again — boarding would take too long.
And Stormaier, unfortunately, did not have a large number of droids and stormtroopers.
Time was also running out.
"Corvette has shut down its engines," reported the watch officer. "They're sending a distress signal."
"Activate the tractor beams," ordered Antonias. "Pull the starship into the main hangar."
Fortunately, his escort corvette, like the similar ship at "The Prison," had its own missions today.
Since the reactor was disabled, it couldn't be restarted with the existing damage — the built-in safety systems wouldn't allow it.
So there was no need to fear sabotage.
And regarding the cleanup...
"Secure the ship with magnetic grapples," ordered the commander of the star destroyer. "Inform the prisoners that they must lay down their arms and leave the ship through the transfer hatch, or we will blast through their deck connections, take them under tow, and wait for the hyperspace radiation to do the rest for us."
"Transmitted, sir! Received a reply!"
"And what did they say?"
"They agree to an unconditional surrender, sir."
Antonias allowed himself a quiet chuckle.
"Who would doubt it," he said. "Message to 'The Prison': cease operations with the gravity trawls. Collect anything of value and proceed to the rendezvous point."
"Sir, should we jettison the buzz droids?" the watch officer clarified.
Antonias looked at the young lieutenant.
Reinforcements from the Defense Forces.
Many things were new to them.
And some things required independent thought.
For example — remembering to read one's job description and departmental orders.
"Son," he said as kindly as possible. "That's not even up for discussion. We jettison 'Morrts' during any stop outside the Dominion. Remember that, or better yet, write it down and don't repeat yourself."
"Understood, sir," the lieutenant flushed and hurried to perform his duties.
***
Under normal circumstances, it's quite difficult to judge the facial expressions of a sentient, fur-covered creature.
With botans, it's different — their "facial expressions" are accompanied by changes in the structure of their fur.
And now, looking at how the fur on Fey'lia's face began to bristle after the journalist's question, one could confidently say that the head of the New Republic was irritated.
The reporter's question clearly caught him off guard, but his answer spoke of quick thinking, cunning, and deep knowledge in manipulating the attention of trusting listeners.
"You ask how the situation at the front will change after the Empire's troops broke through our blockade at Belnar and are moving towards Carida? As you know, we are waging a fierce war against the Empire, and any comments on the current state of our affairs would put the lives of our glorious soldiers and the plans of our Military Command in serious danger. I am sure that none of us wishes for our brave men and women to be endangered because I satisfied the curiosity of one inquisitive journalist. War, as we all know, is not without losses, without victories and defeats. The situation on all fronts is difficult. Yes, we have to retreat, leaving some worlds behind. In the current circumstances, when traitors and schemers from the Alliance have deliberately weakened us before the Empire's invasion, we should all rally around our valiant military and help the Armed Forces in any way we can. The best solution available is to provide assistance to our glorious military by joining their ranks. The enemy has enormous reserves. And even though they suffer monstrous losses, the Empire never cared about them, and therefore they will continue to fight to their last stormtrooper. But even then they will not stop. Until we grind all their star destroyers and all their armies, until we force them to defend themselves — we are at risk. But we are willing to take risks in the fight for democracy and the way of life that has replaced the totalitarianism of the Empire. I know you all hope for the best, and soon we will provide you with new information about military operations at the front..."
"Head of State!" came the address of another journalist. "How can you comment on the fact that the damaged Imperial starships, which the enemy left in orbit around Belnar after our forces withdrew, were struck by ten MC80a star cruisers with Republican identification data? Nine enemy escort carriers, a large number of dropships, and light forces were destroyed. A total of over fifty ships. And not a single loss on our side. This led to the enemy getting bogged down at Carida and having to pull up reserves to continue the offensive. Which commander should we thank for such a welcome respite on the front? Admiral Duplex?"
The fur on Fey'lia's face almost stood on end, but, to his credit, he managed the new information.
"As I have already said — I cannot comment on the operations of our military," he said. "There is a war. We are defending and attacking. The counterattack at Belnar is an example of the courage and calculation of our military. The enemy's losses are enormous, and this battle will go down in history books. I apologize, but I can no longer tell you anything without the risk of disclosing completely secret information that constitutes a state secret. Remember: we are fighting for a just cause, for the sake of the peoples of the entire galaxy. Therefore — we will win."
"How would you comment on the fact that five Alliance star cruisers, which left the base on Lantillis some time ago, struck the armed forces of the Mirra Taniam sector two days ago, completely annihilating all linear and light ships in service in that neutral state?"
Now Fey'lia's expression showed undisguised concern and firmness.
"As I have said many times before — those who call themselves the Alliance are the most radical part of what was once the New Republic. We are glad that they have left us, rather than poisoning our democracy with their hypocritical deeds from within. Their attack on a neutral state and the destruction of its military... I hope that there will be those in the galaxy who will punish this bandit gang for the arbitrariness they commit in the galaxy. I would like to emphasize again that we have refused any contact with these beings, we do not negotiate with them, and we strongly condemn their criminal activities. I urge the governments of those sectors that have joined the Alliance to leave it as soon as possible. Because their arbitrariness is just beginning, and soon the galactic terrorism of an entire state will be associated with all who have joined the Alliance..."
The spectral figure froze as Grand Admiral Thrawn paused the image.
"You anticipated it, sir," Groddin said quietly, "Fey'lia's actions with our second squadron of star cruisers, as soon as he heard of the victory, he attributed to himself."
Thrawn nodded slowly, agreeing, but without taking his eyes off the workstation monitors.
Two days earlier, thirty Mon Calamari star cruisers belonging to the Dominion, divided into four combat formations, had struck on the "democratic front."
Captain Kalian and his "Victories" intercepted and destroyed the Mon Calamari star cruisers sent by Garm Bel Iblis to Lianna, in support of General Han Solo.
During the battle, they obtained identification data from these ships and transmitted it to other units.
Commodore Brandei, using forged transponders, attacked part of the first squadron's forces against mercenaries and pirates from the "Black Sun" at Galidraan, after which he retreated, luring enemy reserve forces into a trap.
Having lured them into an ambush, Brandei, with the forces of the first squadron, destroyed all these ships, effectively depriving Mirra Taniam of military cover by the "Black Sun."
Simultaneously, as soon as the Imperials drove the Republican forces from Belgan and moved towards Carida to subdue it, the second squadron of Dominion star cruisers struck at the Empire's rear, forcing them to abandon their battles with the retreating Republicans and withdraw to Belgan to avoid being surrounded.
Now it was up to the Third Squadron.
Groddin silently watched the Supreme Commander, paying little attention to the fact that the interior of the Grand Admiral's apartment changed at the Chiss's whim.
This time, holographic statues and sculptures appeared.
Unlike most of the previous artworks displayed in this cabin, the current holograms had pleasant outlines familiar to the human eye.
In Groddin's memory, the Grand Admiral had been viewing these collections for the past month.
There was no doubt that they were created by human hands — Tierce even recognized some of them, having seen them before during his service to the Emperor.
A sound signal was heard from the vestibule — someone intended to visit the Grand Admiral.
Groddin pierced Rukh with his gaze as he entered first, gliding like a gray shadow through the dim light of the room.
Following him, the commander of the "Chimera" appeared in the apartment and froze, struck by the collection.
"Grand Admiral?" Tschel called out doubtfully, shivering as he saw the statue of a majestic soldier, clad from head to toe in archaic armor, peering into the gloom.
"Enter, Captain, don't be shy," replied the calm voice of the Supreme Commander.
Tierce set a course for the vaguely white spot of the admiral's uniform in the blue twilight. He hadn't taken a few steps before he recoiled to the side, almost crashing into Tierce, who stood in the shadows.
Muttering apologies, the young officer approached the illuminated part of the apartment — the Grand Admiral's desk, who looked at his subordinate with burning eyes.
"Do you have something for me?" the Chiss inquired.
"Yes, sir," Tschel handed Traun an infocip. "General Covell, Third, and Doctor Zyix K'zzt have sent their reports regarding former Captain Ounar. His memory has been scanned. The data has been processed. We have the coordinates of several classified ammunition depots."
"Ammunition depots," the admiral repeated thoughtfully. He took the chip, inserted it into the receiver slot, and silently studied the image for a minute. "Interesting," he muttered. "Truly interesting. Captain Ounar turned out to be a treasure trove of secret supply line information. And a double traitor."
Tschel glanced at the silent adjutant.
Tierce remained calm.
"General Covell reports that Captain Ounar is unaware that his memory has been read and is trying to assure everyone that he is extremely loyal to the Dominion and intends to serve you, Grand Admiral," Tschel stated. "But the data obtained from his memory shows that he was selling weapons from several depots to criminal elements, positioning himself as an anti-Imperial fighter."
"And do we know which depots have been emptied at this time?" Thrawn inquired. "And who specifically did he contact?"
"Uh... no, sir," Tschel faltered. "I didn't focus on that. If you wish, I'll check..."
"That's unnecessary," Thrawn said. "You have your own work, Captain. Competent authorities will investigate all the circumstances. However, we already have something," Thrawn flicked a few switches, and several holograms of sentient beings appeared in the center of the room. A Trandoshan, an Ithorian, and a human woman with tattoos on her face. "Pay attention to this trio, gentlemen. It was with these beings that Captain Ounar contacted to sell military property from the secret depots of Darth Vader's 'Death Squadron.' Do you recognize any of them?"
Groddin glanced at the holograms and looked back at Thrawn, meeting his gaze.
"No one, sir," Tschel admitted. "Although the woman resembles General Ventress, only the tattoos are different..."
"Her name is Silri," Thrawn said. "A Dathomirian witch who was recruited by the 'Zann Consortium' between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Endor. She was supposed to help Zann decipher an ancient data vault, a holocron. But, another being with whom former Captain Ounar dealt, stole this holocron from Tyber Zann and sold it to the Empire. Do you have anything to add, Major Tierce?"
"Yes, sir," Groddin replied. "The Trandoshan is a bounty hunter named Bossk. It was he who stole the holocron from Zann and sold it to the Emperor's representatives. Subsequently, the 'Zann Consortium' raided the Imperial Archives on Coruscant and stole the holocron. It is assumed that they also stole some Imperial access codes, which allowed them to infiltrate the construction of the 'Eclipse' super star destroyer at the 'Kuat Shipyards.' The third is the Ithorian Marg Sonat. According to our intelligence, he is recruiting mercenaries in the Tamarin and Rsvayk sectors."
Tschel cursed almost inaudibly.
"So, Ounar was selling Imperial weapons to the 'Zann Consortium'?!" he asked rhetorically. "So, this traitor could also be a clone!?"
"Quiet," Thrawn raised a finger, not taking his eyes off the three holograms in the center of the compartment.
Groddin remained silent, busy digesting the new information.
The young star destroyer commander's face showed that he was trying to do the same, but Tschel was clearly tired — since the "Chimera" arrived at its deployment location, he hadn't slept more than three hours a day.
Which was too little to think clearly.
Thrawn looked at the holograms for several minutes, then his fingers ran across the keyboard, and two more holograms appeared.
Tyber Zann and Urai Fenn.
The Grand Admiral mesmerized the holograms with his gaze, then decisively shifted the last two to one side, and the first three to the other.
"Magnificent," he said, stopping his manipulations with the holograms. "Now everything falls into place. What does it mean..." he rubbed his forehead intently. "Three," the admiral uttered the fruits of his mental efforts. "Zann used Bossk to find out the location of the Emperor's Archives. And then gained access to the data on the 'Eclipse.' And based on this information, he began conquering the Corporate Sector, using it as an industrial and economic base for his organization."
"Exactly, sir," Tschel seconded.
In Groddin's opinion, he did it solely out of professional zeal.
Understanding how the Grand Admiral arrived at these conclusions, stating them with certainty rather than as speculation, remained a mystery even to Tierce.
"In any case, sir, we know that Ounar is a traitor and was selling Imperial weapons to the 'Zann Consortium.' We need to check other depots, perhaps he didn't sell everything."
"Do we know?" Thrawn politely asked. "Really?"
"I believe so, sir," Tschel blurted out confidently. "He met with two of the four high-ranking members of the 'Consortium' known to us. Also, his file has notes that he sold the coordinates of at least a dozen depots with military equipment and ammunition to them. This fits the picture that, on Zann's orders, the 'vultures' were trying to obtain Imperial weapons and equipment during the disarmament of New Republic star destroyers."
Thrawn shook his head with regret.
"No," he stated unequivocally. "This is where the problem lies, which was not immediately apparent. We thought we were fighting the 'Zann Consortium,' and everything happening was Tyber Zann's plan."
Tschel stared helplessly at the hologram images:
"I don't understand."
Thrawn, leaning back comfortably in his chair, prepared to explain.
"It's all elementary, my dear Captain. We are dealing with two parallel operations. Building up forces, recruiting mercenaries, searching for resources and weapons. But at the same time, the 'Zann Consortium's' operations are masked by several levels of cover and front organizations. In the Tamarin sector, Marg Sonat and Bossk are openly recruiting criminals. We also know that the Kaminoans produced a considerable number of clones for the 'Zann Consortium' — and any of them could have been recruiting criminals. But it is an Ithorian who, for his own benefit, destroyed the criminal organization created to eliminate Moff Lobax Rezun. And when he failed — Bossk himself stepped in. Let's look further: we are striking at the 'Zann Consortium's' bases, destroying their cloning laboratories, capturing their ships and specialists, attacking convoys... Are you following my train of thought?"
"Yes, sir," Tschel nodded, clearly sweating from mental exertion. "But what is the conclusion?"
Groddin looked sympathetically at the young officer.
Once, Captain Pellaeon was in his place, and Gilad had to deal with no less, and sometimes even more, difficulty.
But he honorably endured his "internship" with the Grand Admiral.
"A moment of patience, Captain, and your thoughts will fall into place," Thrawn promised him. "You correctly noted — Captain Ounar is a traitor. He sold Imperial property to criminals. But you are overlooking the fact that only three 'buyers' were found in his memory. Moreover," Thrawn checked the data on the workstation screen, "in chronological order, the meetings occurred exclusively after the 'Zann Consortium's' attack on Kuat. According to the Dominion's information, Silri had already left Zann by then, and Bossk even earlier. But they contacted the traitor in reverse order. First Silri, then Bossk, and finally Marg Sonat. The sequence of contacts and individuals is quite logical."
"They didn't want to demonstrate a connection between each other?" Groddin saw that the young star destroyer commander was trying his best to ask intelligent questions.
"That's unlikely," Thrawn shook his head. "For something like that, it would have been enough to find an executor and establish all contacts with the traitor through him. The work of purchasing weapons would be transferred to a new subordinate as soon as he appeared in the organization and passed a loyalty check. Delegation of authority to free up the leadership's time. I hope that's clear, Captain?"
"Yes, sir," Tschel was clearly completely confused, but he understood that he was missing key points of what was happening. "We should strike at the pirate group in the Tamarin and Rsvayk sectors to weaken the 'Zann Consortium's' army and deprive it of its militants."
Groddin sighed softly.
Tschel was too young, and his life experience did not allow the officer to look beyond the usual criteria.
With this proposal, he had just confirmed that he did not understand what was actually happening.
Tierce did not presume to claim that he himself understood all the Grand Admiral's thought processes, but in this specific situation, the Guardsman had figured it out and realized that Captain Tschel's proposal, while effective, would not yield the stated effect.
"There's no need," Thrawn said with satisfaction. "Measures to weaken the group in the indicated sectors have already been ordered and will be executed shortly."
Tschel looked at his commander in surprise.
"Are you joking, sir?" the young officer's voice conveyed boundless astonishment.
It was understandable.
He clearly thought that Thrawn had just now come to the conclusion that it was necessary to weaken those bandits commanded by Bossk.
"I am as serious as ever, Captain," Thrawn replied calmly. "Think about it yourself." The Chiss smiled at Tschel. "The 'Zann Consortium's' reaction to our actions, or rather its absence, was precisely the hint that clarifies everything. In the near future, we will turn a hypothesis, supported by circumstantial evidence, into an irrefutable axiom."
The hologram of five sentient beings disappeared, and in its place appeared a three-dimensional projection of the galaxy.
Tschel looked at the display, feeling a slight clarity in his mind, but the Grand Admiral's logic was undeniable.
On the galactic map, a sector on the eastern outskirts of the galaxy blinked with a red light.
"Karthakk Sector?" asked the commander of the "Chimera."
Thrawn nodded his head:
"Karthakk Sector. Our auxiliary forces recently attacked Corporate Sector convoys with minerals and took several prisoners. Counterintelligence officers aboard the starships managed to get the surviving crew members of the escort to talk. They know little, but from the scattered data, a unified picture can be formed. Due to the failure of our operation in the Corporate Sector and Hutt Space," Groddin realized that Thrawn was referring to Agent Bravo-Two's operation to infiltrate first Eliya Stark's circle, and then penetrate the office of the "Horsch & Kessel" corporation branch, "we could not get information about how long these shipments have been going on. The prisoners enlightened us on this matter. The Corporate Sector has been supplying the 'Horsch & Kessel' corporation with minerals for the construction of 'Lucrehulks' for the past year. The active militarization of the Corporate Sector began almost immediately after the destruction of Warlord Zsinj. Based on this information, it can be said that Tyber Zann gained full control of CorpSec after Zsinj's death. And not after the destruction of the 'Iron Fist' at Dathomir, which was Zsinj's true death, but a feigned one, when the New Republic and the entire galaxy were convinced that the warlord was dead. Obviously, Tyber Zann did not know about Zsinj's trick of faking his death. But the speed of his operations is directly dependent on my actions."
And this information turned out to be new even for Groddin.
"What do you mean?" asked Tschel.
"Some time passed between Zsinj's 'feigned' death and my return from the Unknown Regions, during which Tyber Zann actively operated, using all his remaining resources. My return to the Empire forced him to increase the cover for his operations, which could mislead if discovered. He understood that if I found out that his organization was destroyed, that he himself was alive and actively involved in the disintegration of the Empire, then he would be the first target. Therefore, Zann chose a tactic of cautious coexistence, hiding behind front organizations, but continuing to build up his armed forces. And, I must give him credit, he has succeeded greatly in this endeavor. He uses all available resources and opportunities to minimize his work. Somewhere — he uses talented subordinates, somewhere — he manipulates facts, somewhere — he uses others' developments to achieve his goals and lead the pursuer down the wrong path. A rather intriguing opponent. And, I would say, he almost managed to fool me."
Tierce did not miss that Captain Tschel shuddered.
"Something is wrong here, Admiral," he doubted. "One criminal, even if he is Tyber Zann himself, cannot operate so skillfully in the galaxy as if he were some kind of orchestra conductor. Especially — to mislead you."
"If we talk about Zann's intellectual abilities, he is not the worst tactician," Thrawn stated. "As for the possibility of deceiving me... Every sentient being is prone to making mistakes. Including Tyber Zann. You see, gentlemen, our behind-the-scenes conductor sincerely believes in my death. Therefore, his actions are aimed directly at manipulating the Triumvirate — Grand Moff Ferrus, Vice Admiral Pellaeon, and our counterintelligence. In particular — Pellaeon, as the head of military forces. That is why Zann continues to ignore our attacks — he is fanning the hunter's instinct in his pursuer. Action without counteraction breeds a vicious practice and delusion about one's own impunity. The less he resists, the faster we should follow his trail and thus prove that we can handle him. The problem is that the trail of breadcrumbs is laid not where we need it."
Groddin exchanged glances with Tschel.
Now even he did not understand what the Supreme Commander meant.
"So, Zann is setting a trap for us?" Tschel suggested cautiously.
"No, he has already set it," Thrawn chuckled. "And we have fallen into it, gentlemen, by the way." The Grand Admiral glanced at his watch. "Zann wants us to solve his problems for him, thereby saving his strength, revealing ours, and suffering losses. After which he will descend upon the Dominion and put an end to it. The plan is indeed fascinating. If it was developed personally by Zann, then credit and praise to him — he surpasses the threshold of a good tactician and becomes a great one. To his misfortune, it is not in my plans to allow him to become a great tactician."
Tschel remained silent, as did Tierce, waiting for the Grand Admiral to continue his explanations.
"Tyber Zann had a lot of time to study me as his opponent," Thrawn did not let them down. "He studied each of my commanders and made a bet that paid off. He allowed himself to lose small things — a cloning laboratory on Smarck, a small fleet, convoys. By losing battles, he intends to win the war. It is for these purposes that the redeployment of forces in the D'Astan sector has begun. They have played their role and must now be destroyed by us. He created a point of tension at our borders to expend some of the Dominion's resources on security issues. Now his focus has shifted. He no longer needs to 'feed' us small targets, laying a yellow brick road straight to his main problem. What happened on Nar Shaddaa gave him the understanding that we took the bait. Now he continues the game, removing small targets from under our noses and leading us to the main one. Our successes in the D'Astan sector are, of course, also thanks to our auxiliary forces. But this is a staged victory. According to his plan, we should feel the taste of victory, the taste of the enemy's despair. To launch a full-scale campaign to clear our rear and attack with all combat-ready forces. He understands that time is running out. If the right step is not taken now, his opponent will gain power that will become a stumbling block for him. By fighting the main problem of his power, he will weaken, if he survives at all. Therefore, he simply needs to direct us where our actions will bring the greatest success for his plan. To lure us to the east of the galaxy, so that with minimal resistance he can enter Dominion territory and subdue it. To obtain a safe foothold and a production cluster capable of instantly increasing his own armed forces. The perfect ending to any plan," Thrawn noted. "Either we engage in a campaign in the east, in the Tamarin and Rsvayk sectors and other territories, and win, or we lose. In any case, we will need significant armed forces to win, which will weaken the metropolis. Using his agents, he will bring the Corporate Sector fleet into Dominion territory and gain an advantage over his enemy. A brilliant game, played note by note, and calculated for the straightforwardness of his opponent. Calculated for Pellaeon. Unfortunately for Zann, we have a third option, which he does not suspect."
Thrawn fell silent.
He settled comfortably in his chair, turned on the lights in the compartment, and the holographic images went out.
"We are resuming attacks on Corporate Sector convoys," Thrawn ordered Tschel. "Contact Captain Stormaier. In addition to 'Abyssal Fury,' he will need a 'Dragon'-class star destroyer. Preferably — from the second series. They have a higher main caliber rate of fire than the first series, and more balanced armament, power supply, and more experienced crews. Has the 'Sentinel' completed modernization under the 'Trio' project?"
The last question was addressed to the adjutant.
"Yes, sir," Groddin replied. "Acceptance tests have been completed, and the ship has been returned to the regular fleet."
"Then we have formed a raiding force," the Grand Admiral stated. "'Sentinel,' 'Abyssal Fury,' and one of the 'Dragons.' I think it would be best to take 'Dragon-Seven' for these purposes. It is currently part of Stormaier's unit. But we will replace 'The Prison' with the 'Sentinel.' The latter needs full testing in combat conditions. This will be enough to complete the mission. Redirect 'The Prison' to Captain Vivant's command in the Karthakk system. They will soon need an 'Interdictor' with a long-range communication suppression system."
"Understood, sir," Tschel nodded. "With your permission, I will issue the order to prepare the 'Chimera.'"
"We are staying put, Captain," the Grand Admiral stated. "The 'Chimera's' mission is not canceled. Its execution is simply postponed."
Tschel looked around distractedly, as if trying to find an explanation for the Grand Admiral's logic in the strictly functional filling of the apartment.
He found none.
"Yes, sir."
He turned to leave the Grand Admiral's cabin but stopped.
Spinning 180 degrees, he addressed Thrawn:
"Sir, shouldn't we cancel the Third Squadron's strike if you plan to use Tyber Zann's trap against him?" the young officer inquired.
Groddin remained outwardly calm, but inwardly sighed with disappointment.
Thrawn would need more time to train Tschel into a competent officer.
He still thinks in direct judgments, not knowing how to read between the lines well enough.
"The order remains in effect, Captain," the Grand Admiral said diplomatically. "The Third Squadron is acting under the same instructions. We have enough forces to fight on two fronts and suffer minimal losses. A few more months — and it will all be over."
"Yes... sir, exactly," Tschel could only manage to squeeze out.
He silently left the Grand Admiral's apartment, disappearing into the vestibule with a distracted gaze.
As soon as the door closed behind him, a muffled cry and the unrestrained cursing of a young officer were heard.
"Rukh has resumed his 'games'," Grodin stated.
Thrawn looked at the monitor again, after which his burning gaze turned to the adjutant.
"Military command is a journey, not a destination," he said quietly. "A commander always fights a challenge. Every assignment, every minute of his existence is a battle. First and foremost, with himself. Captain Tschel must understand that commanding a flagship star destroyer is not the end of his career. It is merely a new entry in his personal file. A new obstacle he must overcome. Satisfaction from fulfilling a plan undoubtedly must be present in each of us; however, it is criminal to allow oneself to fall into complacency, believing that victory in one battle is victory in an entire war. There will always be enemies who must be identified, located, engaged in battle—and repelled. The more significant they are, the fewer the chances of new skirmishes. To forget this is to hang a target on your back. In the past, Vice Admiral Pellaeon took from six months to a year to move from contemplation to action and deliver a counter-strike against Rukh. And his decision to fight back was rewarded. Considering Captain Tschel's youth, I expect results by the end of this half-year."
"Understood, sir," Tierce snapped. "What are your orders?"
"Contact the Shadow Guard," the Grand Admiral commanded. "I want them to check the coordinates and integrity of each of the bases on this list." With a slight click, an information chip popped out of its receiving slot. "The group does not have enough resources and warships to clear all the warehouses. The memory of former Captain Ounar must be re-verified. If there are any unplundered warehouses left—we need them and their contents. All of them."
"It will be done, sir," the adjutant promised. "What is the fate of the traitor himself?"
"His memory suggests he is useless as a commander," Thrawn said. "And the presence of genetic diseases and a predisposition to early dementia will make his clones unsuitable for service too quickly to derive any benefit from them. Deal with him the same way you dealt with the targets on Munto-Codru."
"A genetic sample and a mind-scan will be obtained, the original—destroyed," Grodin repeated the essence of the task. "May I give the order?"
"Proceed, Major. Time waits for no one."
***
The fourth planet of the Kiuimin system was located in the sector of the same name in the Outer Rim and was named Korkrus.
Usually, some meaning was invested in the names assigned to ships, satellites, and planets.
In the case of Coruscant, for example, its name originated from the word "sparkling."
And indeed, that planet was once like a precious stone in the cut of empty space.
Now it has been turned into an urbanized dump, which every armed maniac with an inflated sense of self-importance wants to possess.
In the case of Korkrus, it is unlikely that anyone could tell a story about why this dusty piece of rock received such a name.
There were several settlements on the planet, the largest of which was the city of Vlarnia.
The place where it was located was quite arid—like most of Korkrus's surface.
Once, gardens bloomed here, and fields swayed, irrigated by modern irrigation technologies, but over the years, the city turned into a huge brown-green sandbox.
The capital, in addition to having the only spaceport on the entire celestial body, was also responsible for producing one of the planet's only goods—a variety of lumin-el, which was popular with frequent visitors to the planet.
Planet Korkrus.
Jacob Naiv was near the spaceport, impatiently watching as technicians checked all systems on the fighters and the single corvette of the pirate group "Kiuimin Survivors."
Which he led.
Many pirate gangs lived on Korkrus.
In the past, they cooperated with Leonia Tavira's "Invid," but after the Imperials dealt with her and her team, there were those who wanted to stay on the planet, where the offenders of the elusive Tavira could easily land and "question" the pirates for their past deeds.
Therefore, the small groups left.
And the local inhabitants preferred to relocate to places farther away from the planet's capital.
Only three pirate groups remained, which controlled the city, the spaceport, and everything within the settlement.
"Survivors," the crew of the "Red Nova," "Riistar Raiders."
Slightly less than a thousand people, including technicians and hangers-on of all three gangs, who did not go on raids but actively participated in the life of the gangs, brightening their lives and time between raids.
Jacob was frankly nervous.
Eleven days had passed since Bossk, who had assembled an impressive, according to rumors, gang in the neighboring sector, approached him with an offer of alliance and a profitable deal.
Four days ago, envoys from Bossk were supposed to arrive on the planet, who were to deliver an important prisoner for all the "Kiuimin Survivors"—the last of the two officers with whom his group intended to settle scores.
The only surviving Imperial star destroyer commander who participated in the destruction of the original gang that Jacob belonged to.
But the envoys seemed to have flown into a black hole.
And Bossk did not respond.
At first, Naiv thought that the Trandoshan had simply "screwed" him over and decided not to keep his promise.
But then it turned out that the matter was much more serious.
The only communication terminal-relay on the city and the entire planet, which had probably seen the Pius Dea Crusades, was mechanically damaged.
Communication with other systems was disrupted.
However, this could have been easily resolved by using the communication terminals on the ships, or by flying to the meeting point with Bossk on them...
But it turned out that all the ships without exception were rendered combat-incapable, unfit for flight.
All pirates on the planet.
To say that one does not want to believe in such coincidences is to say nothing.
This was intentional sabotage.
And the pirates understood this perfectly.
Patrols moved through the city day and night.
All landing pads were taken under reinforced guard.
It was suspected that the cause of all the groups' failures were the locals from the nearest settlement, located a thousand kilometers away across the desert, who decided to try to intimidate the pirates by creating terror.
A collective response—fifty militants on speeders—headed straight for the settlement, intending to clarify all the circumstances of the attack.
They were supposed to return yesterday.
But they did not.
Nor did they report themselves by radio.
The group simply disappeared as if it had never existed.
Which is quite strange.
As if someone tried very hard to prevent the pirates from leaving this place by a specific date.
That's why the technicians worked around the clock—to repair the ships before the time came when it would be too late to wield a torque wrench.
Jacob saw one of his subordinates running towards him from the other end of the street, where the group's headquarters was located.
"Boss! Boss!" The breathless man was spewing exhaustion, saliva, and attempts to tell the commander something. "There, there..."
Jacob understood nothing, but the subordinate pointed his hand to the sky.
And it was not difficult to follow the direction.
Using the macrobinoculars, Naiv managed to discern the silhouettes of spacecraft in orbit.
Too characteristic to mistake their affiliation and place of manufacture.
Such ships are produced in only one place in the galaxy.
And they are in service with only two galactic states.
"Mon Calamari star cruisers?" Jacob exclaimed, announcing a combat alert among the "Survivors." "What do the New Republic or the Alliance need here?"
The answer came by itself.
And not from a subordinate.
A golden-red turbo laser rain poured from the sky, destroying all buildings and all living things, both in Vlarnia itself and in its vicinity, where the warehouses and fighter hangars of the pirate groups were located.
An hour after the orbital bombardment ended, squads of Wookiee paratroopers landed on the smoldering ruins, who took the miraculously surviving pirates with them.
And a few hours later, but already after the ships of the Third Division of Dominion star cruisers had left the Kiuimin system, a Lambda-class shuttle took off from the opposite hemisphere of the planet.
Sergius, having finished bringing the ship to the state befitting its new "legend" with the help of the Noghri death commandos, set off on his return journey, heading back to the "Vengeance."
Immediately after that, the ships of the Noghri, who remained on the planet after the evacuation of former Captain Ounar, also left the system, having previously made sure that nothing alive remained on the ruins of Vlarnia and no evidence of the cleanup that had occurred.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan