Rothana
4 ABY
As had been expected and hoped for, the day had been quite good.
He had gone through various reports throughout the day, signing what needed to be signed, with nothing urgent coming up. His meeting with Rothana Heavy Engineering, with a representative from KDY itself, went well enough. There were some worries and grumblings from the RHE representative about a lack of recent notable contracts as of late, which was understandable. These days, much of what was being produced here was of vehicles, weaponry, and ships developed by others, including their parent company.
Long were the days that Rothana developed and churned out Acclamators, AT-TEs, and LAAT Gunships. And although a few newer developments kept things afloat such as the MAAT Gunship, Randell could still tell that the RHE CEO was eager to hear of any good news.
Unfortunately, it wasn't his choice on whether any larger contracts could be sent RHE's way. He resolved to send out some feelers, perhaps to any officials or sectors that may be interested in parts for older equipment that RHE originally produced, or maybe even for a few new Acclamators. Those still saw some level of use after all.
Besides that though, the rest of the day was calm and good for him, with him managing to wrap things up at the Office and return to his home, getting to see his Wife and youngest son. After sending out a holo-call to their oldest son, currently a naval captain in service of the Empire, they got ready for dinner.
He wished that they could do the same with his daughter, but she was still reported MIA... quite possibly dead, maybe alive. He of course hoped for the later. Even if it turned out she was a prisoner or a defector... he loved her all the same, and just wanted her to be safe and alright.
Just as they finished dinner, his holo-receiver started letting out a shrill beeping that caused him to freeze.
He had set it on a "Do Not Disturb" Mode to block any low-priority or necessity transmissions and requests, which meant that if something was getting through it was severe enough.
Sending a quick appologetic look to his wife and son, he brought it out. Turning it on revealed one of his aides, looking a mixture of panicked and grim. Not good.
"Sir! I apologize for the interuption, but a transmission across the entire Holonet has been sent out that you need to see." He says, and without giving him a chance to respond the message is played through.
Randell, with his family in the background, watches and listens as the transmission plays out, his mind freezing as the Rebel Princess herself speaks.
Eventually the transmission ends, and the aide appears once again.
"All Imperial Controls have been overwritten, and this message played on a loop before control was reestablished just a minute ago."
"But not soon enough, I imagine anyone with a holo-receiver got this message?" He asks, getting a nod from the aide.
"Prepare for my arrival at the Capital. Set alert conditions to Besh-3, Sector-wide. Recall all leave and instate the curfew recommended for Besh-3." He says, ignoring the salute from the aide as he turns off the receiver, already getting up as he looks to the others.
"I'm sorry, but I must leave. Best get your things ready Damin, non-military traffic will likely be limited over the next few days, so its best you get to the Shipyards before you end up having to spend hours going through customs and inspections." He says, his son nodding and rushing off as his Wife approaches him.
"Randell, if the Emperor is dead, does this mean...?" She trails off, with him knowing what she was referring to. After all, he wasn't the only one that had his doubts about some of what the Empire had committed.
"I don't know dear, but possibly.It may very well be time to make some difficult choices." He says, his mind racing.
With the amount of formal and suspected rebel activity and controlled or supporting systems in the South of the Galaxy, Rothana and the southeastern part of the Galaxy's connection to the Empire may very well be severed soon, or left terribly weakened.
And when that happens, he'll be ready.
