So, Alexi Garyn's plan was clear. He staged an attack through the Savarin sector, clearly implying that he intended to attack the Arkanis sector and strike at Jabba the Hutt, whose subordinates were supposed to help Luna in this conflict. But in reality, using the spy's information, he turned around, bypassed the Savarin sector where his fleet was expected, and then rushed toward Ryloth. It was from Ryloth that the Twi'leks' secret route began — the Death Wind Corridor, which led to the planet Roon, where Gaven Hornly had holed up. Although everyone claimed Gaven was on his dreadnought, near Rishi. But apparently that was disinformation, at least judging by Laura's reaction. And her reaction was genuine. It seems all the commanders know where their commander-in-chief is...
Useful information. The planet Roon was located in the center of a region called the Mantle of the Sith. It was full of hyperspace anomalies, making it very difficult to reach the planet Roon. Almost impossible for inexperienced navigators. And two routes led to it — the Death Wind Corridor, used by Twi'lek smugglers. Who were protected by Dengo Hutt — by his full name, Dengo Desilijic Tiure, a distant relative of Jabba. But, as I understood it, not everything is smooth in the Desilijic kajidic. At the very least, Dengo doesn't share Jabba's desire to get involved in the conflict on Gaven Hornly's side. Or does he want, from the Hutts' perspective, to bleed PMC Luna dry? His motivation is unknown to me.
He could either be a traitor, or acting "unofficially, as it were," so the Hutts could bleed PMC Luna dry and then absorb the organization entirely. But motives are the last thing Laura would want to know about. She genuinely wanted to move the fleet to Ryloth, meet the enemy on the approach, and not let them get to Roon. I, however, understood perfectly well that against Alexi's full group, we wouldn't hold out at Ryloth, and we'd have to fly to Roon and organize a defense there... Although, we probably wouldn't make it in time. Yes, Garyn decided to bypass the Savarin sector — he'd disappeared from our sight. But he has a head start. Which we don't.
So, at best, we could intercept him before Ryloth, which — given the size of Laura's squadron, consisting of the same dreadnought and about a dozen Gozanti-class cruisers with a bunch of assorted small craft — would be suicide. Alexi's squadron, according to Shadow intelligence, numbered about fifteen dreadnoughts and many more smaller ships. Apparently Gaven had seriously pissed off the Black Sun. According to Laura herself, their fleet barely matched the fleet sent with Alexi Garyn. Still, Gaven was clearly counting on his deal with Jabba. That the fat slug would help him in the confrontation. And also on the defense of the space station at Roon. In the first few hours, Laura contacted him and his commanders over a secure channel and relayed the information, so they had already started pulling forces toward Roon.
The only question left was — would Alexi know that we had figured out his plan? If the mark Mighella placed on Gunos signaled to her that it had triggered, then she definitely knows that we got to the Mandalorian and interrogated him. The mark triggered when he let slip certain information. Which is exactly what happened.
"Well then," I summarized, sitting in Laura's cabin, which she had kindly invited me into. Sipping a drink, I calmly watched the Chiss woman pace back and forth. "So we won't make it to Ryloth and the entrance to the hyperlane. Which means we'll have a chance to hit them from the rear. Hmm... Your boss clearly isn't even going to try to catch Alexi at Ryloth. You barely match their group in strength. Counting on the Hutts and mercenaries? Interesting." I swirled the wine glass in front of my eyes, then began to savor it slowly. "I wonder if your calculations will pay off."
"A Hutt take you, along with all the aristocra! How can you be so calm?" Laura asked angrily.
"With all the aristocra? I don't know what family you belonged to, or your parents, but the phrase is amusing. I'll remember it." I saluted the woman.
"And I get it. You're so calm because my PMC's deaths don't affect you, right?"
"Hmm?" She had some really good wine here.
"Would you take your stinking feet off my table!" she said, much too loudly.
"Why are you so upset?" I said sadly, finishing my glass, sitting up straight, and starting to pour myself a refill. "You said it yourself: 'make yourself at home.' I was even surprised at your hospitality toward a Jedi, from someone raised as a foundling among Mandalorians. But I took your invitation literally. Is that so bad? It showed your graciousness. I've always thought graciousness only makes a woman more attractive... No one wants to see a woman whose face is twisted in an ugly grimace of rage, screaming 'burn them all!' every now and then. Ugh, a terrible sight. And you should smile more often, Laura. Nature gave women beautiful faces so they would smile more often."
"But not when my friends are threatened by that goddamn Alexi Garyn of the Black Sun, called that organization's 'Executioner'!"
"Yes, the situation might not be simple..."
"Might not be?!"
"But... Yelling won't help. Don't you understand? We've done everything we could for now, Laura. Right now, there's nothing else we can offer." besides, I've already sent word about everything to Tal. I'm sure the information is already in the Jedi Order. "And you'd be better off spending your time thinking about what to do next."
"That's what I'm doing..."
"No, you're not," I said calmly, draining the second glass. "You're rushing back and forth like a mad gizka that just caught a whiff of a rancor nearby. Sit down, calm down, and think. No matter how shitty the situation is, useless flailing won't help you. Better spend your calories on thinking. You can scream somewhere else, under different circumstances."
"Fine," she measured me with a furious glare from her red eyes. "Fine." Sitting down on a chair by her desk, which had a computer connected to it, she turned to me. "What else can we do?"
"Enjoy some excellent, emerald Alderaanian wine." The emerald liquid touched my lips again. "I remember a friend of mine from there treated me to it." Bail Antilles had opened his father's collection in front of me. "A wonderful drink. I recommend it."
"Are you serious? You raided my cabinet, pulled out the Alderaanian Emerald from there... MY ALDERAANIAN EMERALD, and you're offering it to me?!"
"'Make yourself at home,' that's what you said to me, right?" I smirked. "If you came to my home, I'd offer you 'Tustran Wind,' the best liqueur from the Sumitra sector. Incidentally, the sector where I'm from borders the one where you grew up."
"You... infuriate..."
"Less nerves, fewer wrinkles by the time you're forty. Wrinkles don't scare me — I'm Sephi, I should live at least four hundred years. So? I'm offering you wine."
I floated the bottle and a free glass over to her.
"Ah," she sighed, catching the bottle and pouring herself some of the emerald liquid. "Damn the day I first met you, Light."
"I liked you too back then, Laura," I smiled at her. "Okay, now seriously." I poured myself more wine. "Hmm... We won't make it to Ryloth in time to slow down Alexi Garyn's advance. Dengo Hutt, who handles the Twi'lek slave and ryll trade for the Hutts, will definitely let Alexi through. Most likely they'll put up a show fight so as not to compromise Dengo too much in front of Jabba, unless, of course, this is all part of a cunning plan by Jabba himself..."
"Fucking slugs," Laura hissed.
"Hey-hey, there are some worthy sentients among them. Blotus Hutt, for instance—a fine representative of the Hutt race."
"Who?"
"How can you be proud warriors and not study history?" I asked Laura. "A warrior who doesn't know history is nothing more than a common mercenary thug."
"You know, in a firefight with pirates—knowledge about some Hutt—won't help much."
"Yes, in a firefight a blaster will help you more, and a lightsaber will help me. But knowledge about great politicians, their deeds, can help with a management task. Only a fool would reject knowledge of the history of accomplishments and how those accomplishments were achieved. Unfortunately, the Galaxy is full of ignorant idiots who vastly underestimate the knowledge of previous generations," I said sadly. "And because of that, in all spheres of society, we keep stepping on the same rake. Though you'd think: look around—so many generations before you have shown where your path could lead. And what's the result? Clueless ignoramuses repeat all sorts of garbage with enviable regularity. Madness... Because madness is repeating the same action, over and over, expecting a different result."
"Alright, alright," she gave in, "don't lecture anymore. I get it."
"Hmm. Then who is Canderous Ordo?"
"What does he have to do with anything?" Laura asked.
"This girl wants to kill you," Revan said. "If she could kill by intent, you'd already be dead for the three hundred and seventieth time."
"Well, you see, we were talking about history..."
"Not about him."
"So you don't even want to talk about Mandalore, the legendary leader of your people?"
"Listen, Light! Enough. Stop mocking me!"
"But you react so beautifully," I grinned.
"Grrr," she almost started growling.
"Fine, let's get back to current events. We won't detain Garyn—he'll pass through the corridor to the planet Roon. We'll follow and intervene in the middle of the battle, striking him from behind. That's the whole plan. Strikes from behind are wonderful because even inept commanders can beat the greatest with them, if they think just a little," I pulled a holoterminal toward me and brought up an approximate diagram of the coming battle using a tactical planning program I'd uploaded to Laura's computer. You could get it in a pirated version or a licensed one if you'd graduated from the Space Fleet Academy. "Hmm... So, inputting the parameters. The planet's defense consists of the 'Fire Star' station... Where did you even get that thing? Even if they're not considered new anymore. I know for a fact that Golan Arms started designing a new orbital station a couple of years ago. But that's beside the point. Besides the 'Fire Star,' your organization will initially commit ten Dreadnaughts and twenty-three Gozanti-class cruisers, plus there are Judicial Forces and Corellian corvettes of the CR70 project. As for small craft, you have Z-95s—where would you be without them? Do you have any bombers?" I asked Laura. "I see. Apparently you didn't see much functionality in that class of small craft, which is because bomber attacks are mostly aimed at destroying ships. And since you're pirates, your goal is to disable a ship. Nobody wants to accidentally destroy a target they plan to board. So you'll accept the battle... By the way, the enemy has fewer Gozanti-class ships but more Dreadnaughts. Between fifteen and twenty. So they'll try to force a line battle from the start, if they're not complete idiots. First of all—if I were them, I'd try to take out the defensive station. If they have bomber small craft—that's the first thing they'll do."
"Just like you did at Pakuuni," Laura said.
"Correct. An orbital station of the 'Fire Star' class has one hundred and forty-eight laser cannons and sixty torpedo launchers," I brought up the station's specs. "Look—your station's effective firing range is seventy-five units. And the specs of Dreadnaughts, even for someone like 'Black Sun,' aren't too different, at least as far as weapons go. More or less—their effective range is sixty to eighty units. Of course, they'll get much closer. Your advantage is that you're defending. They have to attack. If your Supreme Commander isn't an idiot, and you keep insisting he's practically some kind of prophet of a god on the Outer Rim, then he won't move his forces in this battle until the very end. He'll split the ten Dreadnaughts into two groups, placing five ships to the right and left of the 'Fire Star' station, making the station the central defense node. I'd also make the line concave, meaning as the battle progresses and Alexi's forces advance, I'd push the flank ships slightly forward to increase the number of Dreadnaught guns firing at enemy ships, gradually enveloping their vessels as they approach the nodal station."
The holoterminal gradually displayed my words.
"That's if Garyn decides to attack the station with all his forces..."
"He will, regardless. The point is, as I said, you're on defense. He's attacking. He has to destroy you. He'll have to break your fleet one way or another and start assaulting the planet. And in a pure line battle, away from the planet, he would defeat you even with a simple exchange. Sure, he has fewer Gozantis and other ship classes, but he has an undeniable advantage in line forces, which in a classic battle gives him better odds. But he'll have to engage in a defensive battle with a central defense node in the form of the station. That means he'll be in a rather inconvenient position from the start. What to do in that case? Designate the central node around which the defense is built. That variable negates the advantage in ship numbers and allows for a decent formation that, I'm sure, can be used to defeat him. Alexi isn't an idiot and will notice this situation right away. And then he'll try to do exactly what I described. He'll attack the central node at maximum possible speed. Because of the abundance of guns on the station itself, plus your small craft, their bombers won't be able to take out the station right away... They would be able to if you weren't expecting the attack. But as it is, they'll be intercepted. And the battle will become protracted... But even if Gaven Hornly catches my thoughts, arranges the ships in the order I showed here, placing the Gozantis and other light ships in the upper and lower hemispheres—the advantage still isn't on your side. Yes, you have more Gozantis, Judicial Forces—I have no idea where you got Judicial Forces—and CR70s. But these are all light forces that can be taken out by small craft. The 'Black Sun' bombers, since they can't break through to the station, will attack these ships. As a result, their advantage will show. Little by little, they'll gnaw through your defenses, and the fleet will be broken. Especially, I'm sure, if Gaven just spreads the ships around the station without any logic. Like: they're shooting anyway, why do we need a formation? That would be a fatal mistake that would instantly lead to defeat."
"How do you know all this?" Laura asked. "Formations, tactics? You speak so confidently..."
"Because I graduated from Anaxis courses, didn't I tell you?" I asked the woman. "I hold the rank of captain of a combat starship. By diploma, I can command anywhere from one to three Dreadnaughts. Although, I took additional courses in tactical and strategic planning of battles and campaigns."
"So that's why you commanded at the Battle of Pakuuni. You, not Graves, planned the operation."
"As far as the battle goes—yes, that's true. I commanded it, practically from start to finish. Your appearance there... Why did you even think Graves did it? He, for one second, was a traitor himself. I couldn't trust him with the planning. Of course, it was in his interest to destroy Jarko Itari, but I didn't know his motives then, so I sidelined him from command and planned the attack myself. Let's continue... Since even in a classic defensive battle you face defeat, we have to help your forces. So... We'll come out behind Alexi, passing through the Death Wind Corridor into the Mantle of the Sith. A strike from behind—he might expect it, considering the mess we made of his cell. And he has two options. Either he'll set up a rear guard, weakening his attack, or he'll focus on destroying your fleet. Our forces aren't significant, Laura, and he might know that, so if I were him, I'd tie up Gaven's group in battle and set up a rear guard. I'd deal with the rats that we are. According to calculations, we'll be about forty minutes behind him. And after dealing with the rear-strikers, I'd attack Gaven's fleet in full force."
"But how will Alexi actually act?" the Chiss woman asked me.
"Who knows," I shrugged. "Analysis of his personality: slightly arrogant, yet pragmatic and rational. Alexi's calculation could be based either on a desire to finish the job quickly, in which case he'll concentrate all his forces on those defending Roon, or to avoid unnecessary problems, in which case he'll leave a rear guard and tie us up in battle. It'll be a two-front battle, but the odds will be even for both sides. Initially, PMC Luna against 'Black Sun' has no chance, because Alexi has superior forces, both in small craft and in line ships, which can loosely be called Dreadnaughts. Your advantage in light ships isn't significant. However, our rear strike makes us equal opponents. Gonus couldn't deal with you; it seems they didn't even suspect that you and your squadron would appear near Radnor. But that will help PMC even the odds. During intense battle, when your squadron is locked in combat, it's hard to maneuver, sometimes even with a single starship. That's why at the Battle of Pakuuni, I ordered your forces to do what we did. And it paid off. Jarko's forces didn't know what to do with a Dreadnaught in the lower hemisphere, plus your small craft and other ships. It surprised them—surprising the enemy is almost defeating them. Alexi can only assume we'll attack from behind, that's one. Two—we still don't know how he'll act in case of our attack. Will he try to take out the fleet at Roon, or turn part of his ships to intercept your squadron. In battle, use the following formation—push the light forces forward. Have the small craft try to break through to the rear of Garyn's Dreadnaughts and under no circumstances engage in the battle between Garyn's and Hornly's small craft. Your small craft's objective is to strike the rear. Even if Garyn turns his ships to face us, your small craft will be able to break through to the enemy's Dreadnaughts. Next, the light forces—your Gozantis, Judicial Forces, and CR70s"she had roughly eight such ships—"let them cover your flagship from enemy small craft, part of which can turn and try to hit us. He might especially try to use bombers for this, which could cause problems. Your CR70's relatively light turbolasers, as well as the guns of the Judicial Forces and Gozantis, will provide cover from Garyn's small craft, which still have to fly all the way to the Dreadnaught. Don't forget, they have much farther to fly than ours."
"And you'll take command of my forces?" Laura asked curiously. "Why did you tell me all this? Tell me the tactics, how to act? Will you be commanding?"
"No," I shook my head. Laura looked at me in surprise. "We have equal chances of victory. Even if he doesn't set up a rear guard, he can order his ships to maneuver, as I already said. Of course, I could be on the captain's bridge and direct your squadron's actions tactically. But it's better to use my other abilities—infiltration and elimination. I'll use my ship, the 'Star Couriers.' With stygium coating, a 'Star Courier' class ship costs around sixty million credits. Do you know what makes stygium unique?"
"Stygium? It makes ships practically invisible. Visually, or on sensors—your ship disappears! But where did you get it?"
"Well, when I was a child, a saboteur working for an enemy of the Jedi tried to kidnap me. With his help, that enemy wanted to get me and train me. To put it simply, Laura, my talent in the Force is far above average. And for the gifted—the higher the talent, the easier the training. A weak gifted person, like Gaven or Alexi, can achieve a lot through perseverance. But when perseverance is layered on top of someone with enormous talent..."
"So you're a unique even among your own..."
"Unique?" I laughed. "Well, you could say that. Using the stygium coating, I'll infiltrate Garyn's ship and cut his throat there," or refrain from killing him. I could try to force Garyn, in exchange for his life, to work for me. As one of the influential members of 'Black Sun,' he could get access to information about the Sith. What then? Force Garyn to withdraw from Roon. In that case, the leadership of 'Black Sun' might even make peace with Gaven Hornly. They wouldn't keep fighting... Especially if Garyn retreats. Plus, there are still the Hutts, who will immediately try to absorb PMC Luna. The PMC isn't famous for nothing. It's a military company. Having warriors on your side is good profit. Plus, Gaven still owns some 'Black Sun' production facilities in certain parts of the Galaxy, which he captured shortly before the conflict. That means the Hutts, by absorbing the PMC, would be strengthened. Either way, Gaven is a bargaining chip. For me, for the Hutts, for 'Black Sun'—though for the latter, it depends on circumstances."
A signal came in on the datapad from PMC Luna's systems. The virus the Jedi slicers had supplied me with was perfect for sabotage. Of course, antivirus software evolves alongside viruses. But for now, the virus was working. With it, I could even take out Gaven without setting foot on the planet. Just overload the reactor at his base. Or on his ship. Having a shared network for the entire formation isn't a bad idea, but it has its drawbacks. Well... Interesting events await me, events that could bring nice bonuses. I just need to stay alert during the events themselves and carry out everything necessary. Laura was carefully studying the tactical planner on which I'd laid out all possible scenarios. I slipped into a light meditation and relaxed.
"You know," Laura interrupted me, "I'm going with you."
"Hmm?" I looked at her in surprise. "I can handle it best on my own. Well, not alone—HK-47 is coming with me. You don't have to come, Laura. To be honest, you'll only get in my way, be underfoot."
"Do you really think I'm that much weaker than you?" Laura asked. "Has your power made you arrogant?"
"It's not arrogance, it's a fact. To keep up with my pace, you'd have to try very hard. That's one. Two—'Black Sun' fighters aren't pushovers and can... No, they'll give a lone Mandalorian a decent fight, one that could even put you in your grave. I'm confident in my own abilities. HK-47, despite being a relic from Revan's time, has received several new nodes in his body from me and is an excellent assassin droid that can still pose a threat to many sentients even now. But you, without a support squad, will only fall behind me and just get in the way." Besides, I didn't want Laura to leave the ship because of the virus. If I was going to deal with Luna, I'd deal with all of them at once. If she's with me, she'll definitely survive; if she's on her own ship, I could make her ship fly into a black hole, or a star, or just explode. A quick death, not too painful. "Plus, I've shared an effective tactic with you. And I'm confident you can follow it. But whether your people can follow the plan—I'm not sure. And that's important if we want to give Garyn a hard time. Do you understand me?"
"I understand," Laura said. "But we're not commander and subordinate, Light—we're allies, equals. And I'll do whatever I want. Thanks for the plan, I don't doubt my assistant. And whether you like it or not, I'm going with you to Alexi Garyn's flagship!" And she can be annoying. On the other hand... Maybe let her come. If something happens, I can kill her there.
"Fine," I said coldly, looking the Chiss woman in the eyes, which made her turn her face away. "But don't be dead weight. I didn't hire on as your bodyguard. Or your babysitter."