For Max, this so-called high-end private black-market auction was a textbook case of starting strong and fading fast.
It was late. The auction was nearing its end, yet nothing else had appeared that could compare with the ancient lightsaber. That dragged Max's expectations for the "secret finale lot" down with it.
Right then, the introduction for Public Lot No. 66 began: a sister ship of the Halcyon, a modified MPO-1400 Purrgil-class star cruiser. The holographic projection instantly pulled everyone's eyes over, including the four Mandalorians.
"This ship is gorgeous," Christopher Ryen said, wearing the exact same dazed look he got when he saw a good gun, a good cannon, or a good rocket. "Sky, are we buying it?"
Max stared just as hard. "It won't be cheap. Our finances are still tight."
"Didn't Lord Fieg say tonight's spending is all on him?"
"No." Max waved it off. "Not this. We just established the partnership—splurging immediately would reduce our partner's trust."
"Once we open up Tibanna gas distribution and get cash flowing back in," he added, "we'll order one with our own money from the Corellian Engineering Corporation."
"1,680,000 once… 1,680,000 twice… 1,680,000—sold!"
Lot No. 66 sold for 1.68 million Republic credits. The hologram shut off, and Christopher Ryen—still half mesmerized—finally snapped out of it.
"Sky… do we really need to spend one or two million on a star cruiser?"
"No," Max said. "But we very much need to spend three to five million on a light cruiser."
The MPO-1400 Purrgil-class was the pride-and-joy design of legendary engineer Shug Drabor from the Republic's peak era: 300 meters long, running an engine suite of thirteen sublight ion engines, a Class 2 hyperdrive, and a Class 10 backup hyperdrive. A mature, reliable hull platform.
Its manufacturer, the Corellian Engineering Corporation, was famously strong in modular design. They excelled at slapping weapon modules onto freighters and turning them into armed freighters, gunships, corvettes, and even cruisers. Corellians had always been bold to the point of reckless: under the Galactic Republic, they sold armed freighters to smugglers and pirates; under the Empire, they sold armed freighters to the Rebellion.
This was still the Republic era, so CEC didn't have the guts to openly sell warships—but selling "armed freighters" that were warships in everything but name? That, they absolutely had the nerve for.
Before the galaxy fully came apart, buying a heavily armed, reinforced MPO-1400 to serve as a capital ship was a practical choice for Max's faction.
They'd also need a low-cost utility hull to pair with the capital ship—a high/low mix—for escort, patrol, and other grunt work. A heavily armed Gozanti-class transport, or a Consular-class Republic cruiser? Max still wasn't sure.
Then, suddenly, pink, suggestive lighting bloomed across the room, snapping him out of his planning.
The night's main event—the secret finale lot—was about to appear.
The curtain rose.
A young woman stepped onto the stage, draped in a thin veil of gauze. She looked over, her hazy gaze brimming with endless temptation…
"Careful!"
"That woman's wrong!"
Max and Christopher Ryen both barked low warnings at the same time, and Eldon Awood and Bazel Elda jolted awake from the trance almost instantly.
Huh. So Christopher really might be Force-sensitive too—he sensed the Dark Side's invasive pressure. That was an unexpected bonus.
Max was delighted and about to speak when Christopher beat him to it.
"How could I ever be moved by a woman?"
Max quietly shifted two steps to the side.
"Women only slow my draw. The moment she looked at me, my blood rushed—something's off. That woman's definitely got a problem."
"Focus," Max said, voice low. His hand closed around the kyber crystal in his pocket. "She really does have a problem. I can feel the Dark Side in her gaze."
"Copy," Christopher, Eldon, and Bazel murmured.
"In the dark ages of the past, she would be a ferocious vengeful spirit. In today's halcyon age, she is a soul-devouring succubus. Yesterday, she was a witch of Dathomir. Tomorrow, she will be the fairy on your bed…"
What a "halcyon age." Max felt physically sick listening to it. He didn't want to stay another second.
"We're leaving." Max stood and headed for the exit. "Pick up our lot and return to the Fieg Consortium."
"Yes." The other three followed immediately.
…
"So this is a lightsaber?"
Lord Fieg was visibly itching to take it from Max and swing it around. But the moment the horror stories about Malachor surfaced in his mind, he restrained himself.
"Yeah," Max said. "Supposedly an ancient Jedi's weapon. If we can repair it, it'll be a top-tier breaching tool."
He mimed it against the wall.
"With this, CQB inside buildings or ships isn't limited by doors and corridors. Fast wall-breaching. Everywhere becomes a door. Everywhere becomes a route."
"Tsk." Lord Fieg sighed, shaking his head. "Using a treasured blade like a pry bar… that's barbaric."
It was obvious the lord had once dreamed of being a Jedi or a sword-wielding hero himself.
"Manager Cloud," Lord Fieg asked, "what's your plan from here?"
"Once the supplies are ready, we head back to Cloud City. We'll assist Administrator Billy Williams and try to finish repairs and reconstruction before the end of the year. After that, we split the work—he focuses on producing more Tibanna gas, and I focus on selling it to bring in more credits."
"What do you think of Billy Williams?"
"He…" Max paused. "He's enthusiastic. A solid guy. We'll work well together."
"Do you need any further help?"
"No." Max shook his head. "The Force is with us. Just wait and count your credits."
"The Force is with us," Lord Fieg said, smiling. "Here's to getting very, very rich."
…
Galactic Standard Year 3, Month 11, Day 1, 08:00.
A small fleet lifted off from Coronet City: one Kom'rk-class Mark 1 fighter/transport, two Baleen-class heavy freighters, and ten Gozanti-class transports. Once they cleared Corellia's gravity well, they would jump into the Corellian Trade Spine hyperspace lane.
The fleet carried construction materials, deflector shield generators, and turbolasers for Cloud City's reconstruction. It also carried mining gear and gas refining equipment for expanding Tibanna output.
Fifteen days later, the fleet would drop out of hyperspace near Bespin.
"Halcyon… will there ever be a true one?"
Max looked up.
Outside the viewport, the stars glittered.
...........................
PS: In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Force witches of Dathomir were witch clans on Dathomir, generally aligned more toward the light side.
Witches who fell to the dark side would be exiled by their clans; those exiles later formed the Nightsisters.
In current canon, the only Dathomiri witches that have appeared so far are the Nightsisters. It's still unclear whether canon includes any Dathomir witch organizations beyond the Nightsisters.