**Chapter 373: Interlude – The Heir of Sienar**
**Raith Sienar's POV**
Raith Sienar stood alone in the vast observation gallery of the primary shipyard orbiting Lianna, hands clasped behind his back as he watched the skeletal frames of new vessels taking shape in the vacuum. The old Republic, stretching all the way back to the Mandalorian Wars, had used the term "Star Destroyer" many times. It was never just a ship class — it was a statement of power, a declaration that the Republic (or whatever government wore its mantle) still ruled the stars.
His family's company had deep roots in that legacy. Republic Sienar Systems, the predecessor to Sienar Fleet Systems, had been founded during the days of the Galactic Republic by the Sienar family nearly three thousand years ago. They had built warships for the Republic, for the Sith, for anyone who could pay. The infamous Interdictor-class cruiser, six hundred meters long with its distinctive split hull — dorsal and ventral structures — had been one of their early masterpieces. Propelled by three main thrusters and four auxiliary units, commanded from a sternward tower, it carried five medium turbolaser batteries, six light point-defense cannons, three tractor beam batteries, and four gravity well projectors. The legendary *Leviathan*, a Sith warship of the same class, had been even more heavily armed.
And then there were the vessels forged at the Star Forge — those monstrous Sith warships that had rivaled even the greatest Star Destroyers of the modern Republic era.
Now, history was repeating itself in new and dangerous ways.
Dagon Marek had come to him with another audacious request: convert the current six *Invincible*-class Heavy Cruisers into a new class he had named the **Allegiance-class Battlecruisers**.
Raith studied the glowing holographic schematics floating before him. The Allegiance was a true dagger-shaped warship, 2,200 meters long, with a raised command structure and conning tower. Two deflector shield generator domes sat atop the command tower, flanking a central communications array. The hull was a sleek, menacing gray. Its main battery consisted of six heavy turbolasers and two heavy ion cannons arranged in four dual mounts flanking the tower. Like other Star Destroyer designs, the wedge shape allowed devastating forward firepower.
Dagon had taken full advantage of that geometry. Numerous smaller and medium guns were mounted across the hull for point-defense and anti-capital ship work. Sublight propulsion relied on three primary KDY Destroyer-I ion engines, with four Cygnus Spaceworks Gemon-4 ion engines for emergency thrust — capable of accelerating the massive vessel with thousands of g-forces. The prominent quad heavy turbolaser and heavy ion cannon turrets had been replaced with batteries of eight-barreled turbolasers or ions in unarmored barbette mountings.
**Allegiance-class Battlecruiser – Key Specifications:**
- **Length:** 2,200 meters
- **MGLT:** 60
- **Max Atmospheric Speed:** 975 km/h
- **Hyperdrive:** Class 2 (primary), Class 8 (backup)
- **Power Plant:** Solar ionization reactor (now fully tested and ready thanks to Dagon's designs)
- **Shielding:** Dual deflector shield generator domes
- **Armament:**
- 30 XX-10 heavy turbolaser batteries
- 20 heavy ion cannon emplacements
- 18 octuple turbolaser barbettes (9 port, 9 starboard)
- 6 dual concussion missile turrets
- 12 quad heavy turbolasers (2 shots every 5 seconds, 17.4 km range)
- 21 quad light turbolasers (2 shots every 2.5 seconds, 7.4 km range)
- 10 heavy tractor beam projectors
The ship maintained surprisingly effective anti-fighter weaponry, making the traditional starfighter swarm tactic far less effective. The best counter was to use durable capital ships or battlecruisers to absorb fire while smaller craft delivered sustained barrages.
Raith had already begun the conversion on all six *Invincible*-class hulls. With the new solar ionization reactors fully tested and stable, the power output was exceptional. The cost had been high, but Dagon had provided another gift: a new line of compact, highly reliable supertanker fuel depots designed to collect and refine gas from nebulae. These stations were smaller, more efficient, and far cheaper to operate than any previous model — priced at 170 million credits each to build, with ongoing manufacturing costs around 20 million. Both the Republic and numerous independent systems were buying them out as fast as they could be produced.
Profits were rising sharply for Sienar.
Yet now Raith had been summoned back to Lianna by the board of Sienar Fleet Systems and the main branch of Santhe/Sienar Technologies. A formal family meeting had been called.
When he entered the executive chamber, several members of his family were already present: his cousin Karim Sienar, his sister Nika Santhe-Sienar, and his mother, the formidable Lady Santhe.
"Raith," his mother began without preamble, her voice cool and measured. "While your ventures with the Jedi known as Dagon Marek have provided considerable profit, certain costs have been rising. We have gathered once again to vote on the motion for trade and joint deals with Corellia and Kuat, including receiving direct funding from the Republic for arming its forces."
Raith's expression remained calm. "No, Mother. My designs and the deals with Dagon remain private, within our own circles."
"Raith, be reasonable," his sister Nika interjected. "Apart from the 12th Sector, which requires TIE fighters that are rather pricey, you are also producing these new Skelters, training simulators, training programs for soldiers and pilots, funding Outer Rim farming colonies… and now these new battlecruisers. We are limited in shipyard capacity, and the deals with Lantilles are stretching us thin."
"My family," Raith replied evenly, "soon we will have the appropriate resources for all our projects."
"Captured dreadnoughts and pirate vessels are useful," his cousin Karim added, "but we need more than that."
"Don't worry," Raith said with the faintest smile. "Dagon said he has something."
As he looked again at the holographic remodel of the *Allegiance*-class, Raith felt a rare surge of excitement. Dagon's knowledge and partnership were reshaping the entire shipbuilding industry. If things continued this way, Sienar — through the new joint venture Sienar-Jaemus Fleet Systems and Sienar-Jaemus Army Systems — would soon control a dominant share of the market for advanced capital ships, heavy weaponry (including the new XX-10 series and prototype ultra-heavy turbolasers), and next-generation armor.
The *Baleen*-class heavy freighters were already proving their worth as well. At roughly 400 meters long, these bulk freighters were clumsy in atmosphere but perfect for moving enormous quantities of cargo across the galaxy. Their forward compartment could open in transit for salvage operations, even swallowing entire starships. Kuat and Corellia had long dominated bulk cargo transport; now Sienar had joined their ranks with superior efficiency.
Raith allowed himself a small, private smile as he studied the Allegiance schematics once more.
*Soon,* he thought, *Dagon will allow me to control the entire market on ships.*
The future of Sienar — and perhaps the future of the galaxy's military industry — was no longer in the hands of the old families alone.
It now belonged, at least in part, to a Jedi who refused to play by anyone's rules but his own.