The Empire of the Hand - A Star Wars Legends Quest

Daemon Hunter · Jun 19, 2021

GM Note: Yep, a second quest while the first one is still ongoing. But I had this idea some time back and it wouldn't leave me, so here we go.

The galaxy burns in the fires of war. Standing in an impeccably designed room, with reports all around you, only one other man stands within it. Voss, one of the few people you respect, stares at reports alongside you. The Emperor has died, one of the few possibilities you hadn't accounted for. He should have ordered you to join him alongside his forces at the Battle of Endor, while you may not have been able to prevent the truly miraculous victories achieved by the Rebellion, you're confident that you would have done far more damage to the ragtag rebel fleet.

But in the chaos, there is an opportunity that must be seized. Even if your own commitments mean such a possibility will be more difficult than you had hoped. The Ssi-Ruu invade the galaxy, while you must also deal with the former Grand Admiral Zaarin. The Empire itself continues to splinter as the deep rivalries between Moffs will soon transition to outright war.

The only groups that you truly believe have a chance of taking the galaxy can be counted on one hand. Admiral Zsinj, while he may lack the capability for more subtle action, is a formidable admiral. And not someone you would prefer to meet on the battlefield with the numbers you currently wield. The Pentastar Alignment under Ardus Kaine may be somewhat isolationist, but it is for good reason. Kaine is competent and patient, and he has developed a rather stable dictatorship in a mere few years.

Then there is the Rebellion, a force that may be ragtag and disparate, but displays deep unity along with an ideological cause. Zealots in essence. Their artwork is proud and crisp, contrasting colors mixing to form a definitive statement, they are here to stay. Even when the Empire was at its height, prior to Yavin, they were a thorn in your side. Now, with their victories and accomplishments, their morale and fervor will be unending. But they come with weaknesses as well. Their very goal hamstrings them for a simple reason.

You don't believe Democracy works. The Republic died thanks to it, and Democracies are slow and unwieldy, taking months to make a decision in a galaxy this large. No, to secure to the galaxy, a dictatorship is needed, and perhaps you can be that leader.

But even your own skills may not be enough for the task at hand. You hold a mere 30 thousand planets, a tiny fraction of the systems within the galaxy. And you have but a single world capable of producing frigates and cruisers. Star destroyers and above are beyond your reach for the immediate future.

The economy itself is in shambles as a galactic recession hits. Where once your income stream was stable, it has now cratered to unacceptable levels. Piracy looms as a threat for the future in these dire times, as your fleet of a mere 300 vessels, only 20 of which are Imperial Star Destroyers, will be overstretched. But there is one ship that you can rely on, a single Executor that you command. Now all that remains is to decide what must be done. And to see if the galaxy can handle the plans of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Long Term Goals for Thrawn (Pick One)
[] The galaxy was stable under the Empire. But while the Emperor had some good ideas many of his actions were flawed. With you at the head, a new age of stability will be brought to the galaxy, and should he return, then you will be the power behind the throne, or perhaps the power alongside him. (Path of the Emperor) *This path involves creating a new Empire and when Palpatine returns, working alongside him.*
[] The galaxy is unstable, but you do not have the time to create the ideal government with you at the top. The galaxy needs forces capable of standing on their own against the threats to come, and you will make it so. Even if you are not one of them. (Path of the Bastion) *This path involves accepting that attempting to take control of the galaxy may not be possible, and so another power will need to become a superpower, or perhaps even multiple powers.*
[] The galaxy is unstable, and in that instability, none know what may happen. And so, your goals shall be flexible, based on circumstance and your own personal desires. (Path of the Reactionary) *This path means that Thrawn's future is uncertain and reactionary. While it cedes the initiative, it allows for a more flexible future to work towards.*
[] The Empire has failed, and in this new galaxy, a new power must rise. The mistakes of the old Empire must be learned from, but so should its successes. The Emperor was its failure, and you will ensure that what succeeds it will be seen different from its founding. A benevolent dictatorship, the ideal form of government. And should the Emperor return, he will find a galaxy that does not want him. (Path of the Dictator) *This path involves creating a new empire, but unlike the Path of the Empire, it explicitly rejects Palpatine and the Tarkin Doctrine.*
[] Write-in

But even you can't do this alone. You are not so arrogant to assume that just your military skill will allow for your success. At your command, the call for the greatest military commanders, the best diplomats, the best economist, the best spymaster, and even the call for a Force user went out. If you wish to accomplish your goals, then you must work with the best the galaxy has to offer.

GM Note: The next post will be on advisor options as I have fluffed out quite a few.

Daemon Hunter · Jun 19, 2021

The Empire of the Hand

Planet Count: 31000
Keystone Shipyards: 0
Major Shipyards: 0
Minor Shipyards: 1

Empire GDP: 32,074 billion credits (per 4 months)
Treasury: -4525 billion credits (debt, 0.33% interest)
Revenue: 3749 billion credits (per 4 months)
Expenditures: 3029 billion credits (per 4 months)
Net Income: 2033 billion credits (per 4 months)

Military Upkeep: 1804 (800 for 24 turns due to reforms)
Social Programs: 667
Education: 333
Intelligence Services: 220
Other: 233
Debt: 15

Military Assets

Capital Ships	Construction Cost	Officers	Crew	Annual Maintenance (Millions of Credits)	Number	Net Maintenance (Millions)
IS2	450	9200	27850	4.5	25	112.5
Victory	150	1942	5881	1.5	15	22.5
Immobilizer	156	427	2807	1.56	3	4.68
Strike Class	51	300	1972	0.51	70	35.7
Carrack Class	10	157	1007	0.1	300	30
Golan Platform	50	9200	27850	0.5	16	8
Executor	900	18000	54000	9	1	9
Lancer	15	133	850	0.15	10	1.5

Starfighter	Cost (1000s)	Maintenance	Number	Net Maintenance (Millions)
Tie Fighter	60	0.6	5000000	3000
Tie Bomber	150	1.5	600000	900
Tie Avenger	400	4	0	0
Tie Defender	300	3	0	0
Tie Interceptor	120	1.2	600000	720
Tie Heavy	90	0.9	1000000	900
Tie Punisher	253	2.53	50000	126.5
Shuttles	250	2.5	1000000	2500
Tie Reaper	150	1.5	50000	75
Tie Phantom	365	3.65	2000	7.3

320,000 Army Regiments (3500 men each)
20,000 Stormtrooper Regiments (3500 men each)

Assets of Note

Major Governmental Reform
Military Reforms in Progress (-44% strength)
Standardized Logistics Chain
High-Level Lobbying in Other Empires
Chiss Refugees
Reformed Financial Sector and Banking Guild Connections
Restructured Intelligence Agency
Anti-Corruption Agency
Private Research Grants
Hardened Palace
Pinnacle of Intelligence Agencies with T4 Spy Networks in Major Powers
Force Museum
Force Order Fortress
Thrawn - Pinnacle of military skill
Pellaeon - A skilled admiral
Voss - An experienced and loyal admiral
Philip - Intelligence agent

Daemon Hunter · Jun 19, 2021

Thrawn's self-portrait, hung in the foyer of the palace.

Position: Emperor

Traits:
Pinnacle of Military Command - Multiply combat values by 10
Genius Incarnate - Assumed to always gain as much information as they can from the situation at hand. Can create setups for battles far beyond what is normal.
The Artist - Increase command multiplier by 5 against the Empire, 2 against factions derived from it. Increase multiplier by 10 against the Chiss Ascendency (additive). Divide bonus for enemy force users by a factor of 2.

Admiral Baidan, posing for an image that was published by several news agencies.

Position: Grand Admiral

Traits:
The Ambitious Innovator - Actions she influences have higher rewards but take longer to have an effect.
Skilled Commander - Multiple combat values by 2.
Entirely Unorthodox - For the first time she's in command against a foe that doesn't know about her, multiple combat value by 10. Reduces by 3 per encounter for that admiral.

An image of Athaen during a discussion with Rebel Alliance representatives.

Position: Head diplomat

Traits:
Politically Inclined - Increase effectiveness of actions taken that involve high-level politics
Seemingly Impartial - Increase effectiveness when trying to avoid taking sides during debates between parties
Patient - Increased effectiveness of actions taken that are useful in the long term

An image of Oldolor, taken during one of his breaks.

Position: Head of the Treasury

Traits:
Experienced Banker - Reduces interest rates of loans and bonds. Increases effectiveness of banking systems.
Money Above All - Increased effectiveness for actions that increase empire wealth. Decreased effectiveness for those that don't.
Used to Wealth - Increased effectiveness of actions on developed worlds. Decreased effectiveness for poorly developed worlds.

An image of Cen Kam taking during her bounty hunting days. And one of the last available today.

Position: Spymaster

Traits:
Impeccably Meticulous - Massively increased espionage and counterespionage bonuses. Has many, many layers of security and redundancy.
Experienced Field Operative - Increased personal combat to ???. Far harder to assassinate.
A Crippled Master of Disguise - Nearly impossible to cold-read her. Can disguise herself as anything. Activates metal detectors.

An image of Yewe taken during a ceremony as part of a photoshoot.

Position: Head Researcher

Traits:
Utterly Consistent - Treats rolls below a 25 as 25. Treat rolls above 90 as 90.
Wide Range of Standardized Knowledge - Increased results for nonexotic research. Decreased results for exotic research.
Genius - Increased results for actions she affects

A long-distance image of Kanuas, one of the few ever taken due to his infamous dislike of recording equipment.

Position: Head of a Force Order

Traits:
Impossibly Broad Knowledge of the Force - ???
???
???

An image of Eshu during one of her contracts

Position: Head bodyguard

Traits:
Masterful Assassin - Increased chance to assassinate targets. Increased bonus for defending against assassins.
Honorable - Will never break deals and promises made. Will not backstab those she's in charge of protecting.
Ties to the Shadows - Understands assassins and bounty hunters well. Reduced cost to hire.

An image of Admiral Voss taken while on duty.

Position: Admiral

Traits:
Experienced Admiral - Multiple combat values by 3
Friend to Brilliance - Ensures loyalty of military subordinates to Thrawn
Steeped in the Empire - When facing those with Empire backgrounds, increase combat multiplier by two (additive).

Image of Admiral Pellaeon taken while on duty.

Position: Admiral

Traits:
Masterful Commander - Multiple combat values by 7
Steeped in the Empire - When facing those with Empire backgrounds, increase combat multiplier by two (additive).
Brilliant - Increase effectiveness of offenses he is involved in

An image of Agent Sole taken during a mission gone wrong.

Position: Agent

Traits:
Young, but Bold - Reduced chance of success on everything. Increased understanding of unorthodox methods and ideas.
K.I.S.S. - Increase success chance of missions. Treat rolls above 80 as 80.
Loyalty Above All - Will not betray his superiors unless they act against the Empire of the Hand

Daemon Hunter · Jun 19, 2021

For combat, each ship or unit has three particular combat ratings. Their capital combat, starfighter combat, and skirmishing combat. Their capital combat covers when fleets are engaged directly in combat and also represents the health of various combatants. Starfighter combat represents starfighters as you can probably tell, and one very important thing to note is that non-starfighters when engaged in this apply a bonus as well representing point defense weapons. However, if one side loses their starfighters, or has a massive deficit of them, then their starfighter combat gets divided by 5. The last is skirmishing and represents long distance combat along with hit and runs, the Rebels made great use of it, and the Imperial Fleet is weak to it overall.

Ship	Capitol Combat	Starfighter Combat	Skirmishing
IS2	60	30	10
Victory	30	20	10
Immobilizer	20	20	20
Strike Class	15	20	25
Carrack Class	4	15	30
Golan Platform	60	30	0
Executor	180	30	5
Tie Bomber	01.	0	0
Lancer	2	30	30
Tie Fighter	0.1 (health only)	0.2	0.2
Tie Avenger	0.3	0.5	0.5

As you can see, your fleet is very focused on capitol ship combat, and struggles with starfighter combat and skirmishing. With the Tie Fighter in particular being insanely fragile.

Now, how do you know which ships will be lost in a battle and by how much? Well, for that you have no idea, you can shift the casualties somewhat, but by and large it's a decision made by the enemy commander. For the mechanism to determine the losses, I roll a d100, and based on dividing one side's combat score by the others, I get a multiplier to use for losses.

There are situational modifiers, the most prominent of which is the commander. Pellaeon multiplies all combat scores by 7, and Thrawn vs the Empire multiplies it by 20. Other examples are gambits by different groups, like using asteroids for shields and other things. Also included are informants, battle plan knowledge, surprise, flanking, etc.

The actual type of combat that's being engaged in varies considerably, but typically transitions occur with both sides getting a say. Generally this means the better commander gets to decide, but that is not always the case. It's a rather soft system for this though, so don't read to much into it. Think of it like attempting gambits so to speak.

Now for an example:

So Thrawn and Pellaeon are playing a wargame against each other, Thrawn has 5 IS2s and nothing else. Pellaeon has 5 IS2s and 2000 Tie Fighters.

Thrawn's Combat: 300*20/7 = 847 Capitol, 150*20/7 = 429 (/5 no starfighters) = 214 Starfighter, 50*20/7 = 143 Skirmish
Pellaeon's Combat: 320 Capitol, 550 Starfighter, 450 Skirmish

Now Thrawn has a major disadvantage due to lacking any starfighters, so he'll be jumping directly into Pellaeon's formation which he expects, this leads to a capitol combat stage:

Roll: 50 (79 damage to Pellaeon, 4 to Thrawn)

This results in Pellaeon losing 1 IS2, and another being at a 2/3s of its health. While Thrawn just takes minor damage to one. For the next round, Pellaeon is going to try and pull back and try to harass Thrawn's forces with his Ties.

Roll: 76 (140 damage to Pellaeon, 1 to Thrawn)

And Pellaeon loses 2 more IS2s along with his last two being at around 2/3s of their health each. However, Thrawn is forced to deal with Pellaeon's Tie swarm now out of necessity as he doesn't have a way to deal with them:

Roll: 14 (1 damage to Pellaeon, 55 to Thrawn)

And Thrawn loses one of his IS2s, while Pellaeon loses 10 Tie fighters in exchange. But now Thrawn is still able to hit the IS2s of Pellaeon, due to the modifiers, realistically Pellaeon would surrender now.

Daemon Hunter · Jun 21, 2021

[X] The Empire has failed, and in this new galaxy, a new power must rise. The mistakes of the old Empire must be learned from, but so should its successes. The Emperor was its failure, and you will ensure that what succeeds it will be seen different from its founding. A benevolent dictatorship, the ideal form of government. And should the Emperor return, he will find a galaxy that does not want him. (Path of the Dictator) *This path involves creating a new empire, but unlike the Path of the Empire, it explicitly rejects Palpatine and the Tarkin Doctrine.*

"No Voss, the Empire will not be lost here." The Empire was built around Emperor Palpatine, its culture revolved around him. He was painted as a figure that was the Empire, he was its heart and soul, and with his death, those that were still alive would cling to his ideals. But there was a problem. The Emperor built his government around him, with people loyal to just him. With him gone, fragmentation was the only possibility. "But the Empire is too disunited to win."

"Then what do you propose?" Voss' words are seemingly a simple question, but it is merely a mask for his worry. He is immensely important to the Empire, and the Empire was important to him. Beneath his question, he wishes to know how stability can be returned.

"We create a new Empire. For all of the Emperor's genius, his use of the dark side blinded him. He could only see in shades of hate, anger, and fear. He didn't understand the concept of the velvet glove." A true dictator wasn't simply a demagogue. No, a true dictator wielded not just fear, but kindness.

"You propose that we reject the Emperor's vision?" Voss tries not to be judgemental, but even with his greater flexibility, he is still an Imperial Moff. One of the many that idealized Palpatine.

"No Voss, I propose we reshape it." Holding out a hand, you clench it into a fist, a metaphor for what is to come, and the symbol of your new Empire. "The Tarkin doctrine birthed the Empire's demise, and I am not so arrogant to believe that I can make the same mistakes as Palpatine did. We must follow a new path, one adjacent to the Empire, but not truly the same."

Voss takes a moment to think on your words. You can tell that he isn't fully convinced, but he trusts you all the same. With a nod based more on his inherent respect for you than the path you have laid out, he announces what you have been looking forward to, "the interviewees should have been prepared for you by now Grand Admiral."

"Excellent." A genuine smile crosses your face, "I do hope they impress me."

Simulated battles with Voss always make for a relaxing time, at least for you. While he may have surprised you once or twice early on in these wargames, now that you know him as well as you do, the outcome is inevitable. Nonetheless, it is the best way to get a measure of him. "If there's one trait that you exemplify Voss, it's that you're loyal."

"You used to have 'brilliant' in there as well." Voss' smirk as he manages to destroy one of your interdictors is swiftly turned into a frown as he discovers that it was filled with most of your fleet's ground ordinance. Unleashing a truly devastating explosion that momentarily causes the simulation to lag.

"I still do Voss, but the other choices I have for a military advisor are both equally brilliant." Voss doesn't respond, trying to rally his fleet for a retreat as you begin picking off his capital ships now that his screen has been lost. "If you do get the post, however, I expect a deviation from Imperial doctrine. Even if I expect it will take a few years for that."

Rey Zritru is an atypical admiral. A female Nemodian and the daughter of an old Trade Federation official, she has built a career as a minor commander in the Outer Rim with excellent use of Clone Wars era droids. The simulation with her presents this well, with her electing for a fleet of mostly obsolete droid piloted craft. Out of a desire to get a better understanding of her skills, you elect for a similarly obsolete fleet based on the Republic's early vessels.

"You propose that I replace the army with droids? Would that not lead to an untenable defensive system?" You start off the wargame with a bit of flair, the goal for this battle is to break through a blockade and hold the supply lines open for some time, but the complex series you begin with involves securing minor outposts on seemingly irrelevant parts of the system.

"With the size of your domain Grand Admiral, a defensive war would spell disaster. If your worlds are being invaded, we have already lost." A sensible explanation, and one that partially assuages your concerns. "As for our own invasions, by selectively deploying superior numbers and orbital support, we can maintain a similar level of effectiveness for a lower cost." While the interview continues, you note that she has deployed several probing attacks at your forces. One of the better decisions to make, you nonetheless carefully reposition your forces and annihilate them in short order. An act that seems to greatly surprise her as she swiftly begins to reposition her own assets.

"Cost does seem to be your main concern." Rubbing your chin, you frown at the battle map revealed by your sensors. She's adapted to your skill level disturbingly quickly. Turtling up around the world in question will allow you to secure a victory, but it will delay you considerably. "You've adapted to these circumstances well."

"Wars are built around attrition. If you can outproduce your enemy, you have a distinct advantage." Your frown deepens at the tactics Admiral Zritru uses to counter your own probing attacks. It certainly plays to the strengths of her fleet, namely its numbers. But the sheer response to your probes is always far more than you would expect. She does have a rather good measure of your own skills and has already committed to making this a pyrrhic victory for you. "As for this war game, if it wasn't for its use as a testing device, I would have officially surrendered by now."

"And what would your terms be?" Your own forces begin to slowly pick apart her defensive formation. It's slower than you would like, but with the strategy she is using, it's inevitable that your victory is inevitable.

"Safe passage for the fleet to withdraw broadcasted on an open channel. If that was refused, I would attempt a breakout of the flagship." You raise an eyebrow as she maneuvers some of her few remaining Vulture bombers to screen her flagship as it manages to blow a small hole in your screening forces.

"An interesting strategy. If you were facing a Republic fleet, that might even have worked." Of course, while you may not be able to react with other vessels, the quality gap between Vulture droids and clones means that the Z95 squadron that removes the starfighters guarding her flagship leads to a rather expected ending. "I do find it interesting that you chose to prioritize your own life over the objective."

"In the end Grand Admiral, what matters most isn't a single battle, but the entire war. And losing experienced admirals in futile efforts against superior foes reflects badly on me." And there it is, the motivation you were seeking. That sense of personal responsibility.

"I assure you Admiral Zritru, should I decide to hire you, that I do value my subordinates."

In stark contrast to the previous admiral, Farryn Baidan is far more extroverted. While it may be a cultural trend with the Echani, she seems to be excited to even be here. "So … what's your real name?"

"Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Feel free to simply call me Grand Admiral Thrawn, however. I know many people struggle with Chiss names." Despite yourself, a hint of genuine amusement leaks through, the wargame scenario she decided upon was certainly inspired. An ancient battle between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire would certainly make for a unique experience.

In a stark disregard for propriety, she flips around in her seat, taking up what seems to be a yoga pose as she begins attempting what seems to be a textbook Chiss maneuver, but with many odd variants within it. "Can I just call you Thrawn? All these titles are just so stuffy."

You frown deeply, while it does display a disregard for protocol that you find uneasy, it may be best to play along. "You may, Admiral Baidan."

Her head snaps up, and while you dearly wish you could call her expression a frown, it is far too akin to a pout. "Farryn. If I call you Thrawn, you have to call me Farryn!" Don't sigh, you tell yourself. Instead electing to try and focus on discerning what she's doing. It's based around a Chiss maneuver, but you can see Mandalorian influence in some areas, as well as what you think is a Rebellion technique.

"I refuse." This you won't budge on, a level of separation must be maintained for some time at the very least. "While you may find these titles 'stuffy', I find them to be an integral part of one's identity. To refuse to use your title would be a disservice."

She looks at you confused, "Then why are you fine with me calling you Thrawn?" Mentally, you remind yourself of the mission goals of this engagement. Secure a key asset and have them withdraw safely. Normally, you would create a series of distractions, with a team on standby for extraction. But you want to see what she is attempting before you do.

"I chose to humor you. If we did work together in the future, I expect that you would insist on such informalities." The maneuver she was conducting flattens out, leaving a section of her flank exposed to two of your Battleships. This was either an immense mistake or some sort of trap. Then, as you begin to take advantage of it, her fleet breaks apart in one of the most complicated maneuvers you have ever seen. You see two ships avoid a collision by the barest of margins as you witness formations and movements from a hundred different galactic cultures that you recognize, and many, many more that you don't. It's inspired, and the sheer chaos distracts you enough that you begin to lose forces at an unsustainable rate.

"Yes! It worked!" Farryn cartwheels forward off her seat, practically affixing her face to the displays. "Oh, that took so long to get working. I've spent months working through that formation, and it finally worked!"

"Not quite." At your words, her smile turns brittle, as she slowly looks up towards you. "You forgot about the objective." Your fleet begins to withdraw, as a lone shuttle departs with an escort of starfighters.

"You sneaky little … " Her fleet advances, once more taking up a myriad of strategies stolen from militaries throughout history, intermixed in a gorgeous display that leaves you impressed. The effort to make this work is incredible, but despite it all, Farryn simply isn't at your level of skill. When the simulation ends in your victory, the Echani seems to be more impressed than anything, even if the topic of her maneuver seems to dominate her mind. "Did it at least surprise you? Come on, it can't have been useless. I spent too long on it for it to be useless."

Hesitantly, you speak. Normally, you'd keep such a dissection of her tactics for later, but a part of you is curious about how she came up with such a complex maneuver. "It successfully took me by surprise, and I was placed at a momentary disadvantage as a result." Replaying the simulation's recording, you frown as far more inefficiencies become apart with the maneuver. "If you attempted it a second time, however, your fleet would have been entirely lost. What I would suggest is … " Segwaying into a complex discussion of the various military maneuvers she attempted, you find yourself intrigued by both the potential her ideas hold, as well as the sheer breadth of knowledge she has of galactic cultures.

If it wasn't for there being another 18 interviews, you would have spent hours discussing the finer points of Chiss culture with her. But sadly, there is only so much time left in the day, and so you would have to think if you could continue this discussion in the future.

"And as a result of our lackluster navy, and current tensions within the galaxy, the logical step is to ensure diplomatic isolation from the rest of the galaxy." Thanrit Mel's strategy is certainly cautious, it involves hiding the vast majority of the Empire of the Hand's strength.

"Considering I wish for you to be in charge of my diplomatic corps, I find it surprising that you proposed such a conservative take. Isolationism tends to lead to economic declines." Your words are carefully chosen, intending to draw out the full level of details from the human in front of you.

"Consider this Grand Admiral. The major powers would easily crush our forces. Regardless of your abilities, you have less than a hundred ships of note. If they discover us, a single war would leave us ruined." Fear is what drives him, fear that superior numbers cannot be overcome. An interesting perspective, but one you find may not be entirely inaccurate.

"Hmm, your analysis is not an uncommon one." You've taken a measure of his policies, now is the time to learn more about him as an individual. "Tell me of your upbringing if you would. Few humans are raised by Arkanians, their personalities tend to be … problematic for such things."

Mel's glare is swiftly replaced by a blank expression. At least he understands proper decorum. "The Arkanians are a flawed species, one which I would prefer to avoid discussing." There's certainly a wealth of information should you press further, but if you did, you doubt he would accept any job offers from you. For now, you have as much information as you need.

Athaen Sen'neam's proposal is rather interesting. The Bothan proposes a rather large focus on maintaining neutrality in the upcoming galactic conflict whenever possible. "If we can make the Empire of the Hand a convenient neutral party, we would be able to take control of minor powers while the larger galactic powers fight among themselves."

Her proposal may not properly integrate with your own goals, but it still holds merit. In the short term, you may very well be forced to deal with slow growth while preparing for a key moment to gain territory. Nonetheless, it would be good to gain a greater understanding of her thoughts on prior interviewees. "I see, and so you would consider Thanrit Mel's proposal to be a waste of resources?"

She snorts, showing clear disdain for it. "If you think you can hide from the galaxy, then you're either in denial or a fool. The best thing you can do is try and avoid getting too deeply involved." A defensive mindset then, similar in principle to Mel, but rather different in execution.

Vesha Dey's entrance to the interview began with an aggressive speech, intended to drive home her own philosophy. "Diplomacy is just another extension of war, it's meant to give you power and wealth. I propose that we add this as our personal weapon. Look at the Rebel Alliance, they're strength certainly didn't come from their capital ships, no, it came because people liked them."

"A part of war involves how much the nation approves after all." You certainly agree with her ideas, expansion would certainly be easier if you didn't have to plan for a possible visit from Luke Skywalker. "I presume you also intend to ferment rebellion within the core."

"Of course." She smirks as she continues speaking, "if the Empire continues to crumble, as we both know it will, pushing into that disunited sphere of warlords would allow for more expansion possibilities than anything else."

An ambitious plan, but one that you find more and more intriguing by the second. "Ambitious, indeed." You bring a hand up, cupping your chin as you think deeply. "You certainly seek personal power and wealth as well."

"That's why I applied. Your success is my success after all. The more powerful this empire grows, the more powerful I will grow as well." Enlightened self-interest then, one of the more entertaining principles to follow you have found, and one that does appeal to you.

"I presume you would demand an ever-increasing salary as well?" The one concern you have is the possibility that she attempts a coup. While it would be a short-sighted decision, you have seen power often leading to people seeking more power.

"It's only natural that I should be rewarded for my efforts." She nods her head, looking intrigued that you were the one to bring up the idea and not here. "If I can deliver what I promise, surely I would deserve a much greater salary."

In terms of the economic advisors, the retired Moff Viktor Fyodorivich would make for an interesting choice. A staunch proponent of continuing the policies of the Empire, he has suggested that an increase in military spending by 20% would be ideal. Additionally, he has made no secret as to his lack of plans on improving the economy or uplifting worlds, instead encouraging a rapid, immediate expansion while he works on developing additional naval bases and maintenance facilities. Should you decide upon an immediate war, Viktor's proposals will be a necessity.

Oldolor Vipik, on the other hand, is a more normal steward. A Muun with a wealth of knowledge on economics, he hopes to maintain military spending at its actual value but grow the economy enough that it becomes 30% of government spending. It's certainly ambitious, and while you do prefer a better military, you're not so foolish to cripple the economy in a futile effort to build more ships. Vipik's proposals center around a widespread infrastructure development plan on thousands of worlds. While he hasn't outright said as much, he does seem to favor an increase in privatization. He'd certainly help ensure a greater level of wealth flow through the companies within the Empire of the Hand.

Oteskumi Secura was the last option for a steward, and one of the most problematic. A Twi'lek, with clear ties to the Rebel Alliance, his application was most likely a statement. Of his qualifications, there's little doubt. He comes with connections among the slums of hundreds of worlds, and it's hard to find anyone with anywhere near his experience in regards to poverty. As such, it's rather understandable that his proposals center around lifting people out of poverty, and primarily around the development of low-class worlds. The largest issue you have with him is his clear ideological disagreement. He would certainly refuse to do anything that might increase poverty within your empire unless there was a very good reason. Not to mention that your ultimate goal may very well conflict with his desires, of which you have yet to truly ferret from him.

The choices for spymaster certainly are a varying group. First is Philip Sole, who is just 25. Forced to step into the shoes of his predecessor, he has proven to have some excellent ideas. His proposals stem around a simple spy network that trends towards caution and professionalism. In terms of his experience, that is his most problematic aspect. He is young, and so comes with the difficulties of what would likely be a rough transition. His age, however, does mean that he has few external loyalties which would allow for him to be molded into whatever you so desire.

Meeting with Zakku the Hutt felt as if it was reinforcing every racial stereotype that you had ever heard about them. The very first thing that came from his mouth was that he was well connected with the criminal underworld and that with the resources of a nation, no matter how small, he would be able to dominate a large portion of it. While this would be useful, and Zakku's explanation that he already has a galactic network would lead to some advantages, one of the major drawbacks is Zakku the Hutt's utter lack of loyalty. Any such partnership would end with one side betraying the other. The only question is, which one would do so at the better time?

Cen Kam, a Clawdite, presented herself as a featureless humanoid, which originally made for an extremely disorientating conversation until at your request she spent several minutes transitioning into a depiction of an utterly average human woman. A former bounty hunter, she was careful to maintain an extreme degree of professionalism, with dossiers available for anything relevant that you asked for. Her stated desires for a spy network would be primarily defensive in nature, with more aggressive espionage attempts as a secondary part of her job. She has given a rather comprehensive initial proposal for an improved organization, with some of the information that she had resulting in several minor reforms within your own organization to prevent such leaks. Her reforms would allow for a much-improved intelligence service, although, in comparison to other possibilities, they would be expensive.

The interview with Lyiana Immanuel was not what Thrawn expected. A schrewd businesswoman with ties to Sienar, Lyiana's main proposals center around turning the Empire of the Hand's research programs into what would essentially be a secondary assistant to the offices that concerned the economy. She defended her idea by claiming that research isn't something your empire can afford. With the galaxy changing by the second, you needed to take immediate action, and the time it would take to research new technology was time that could instead be used to increase the number of resources you have access to. The end of her pitch concerned the possibility of using her connections within Sienar to order custom elite models for your empire, a very tempting proposition.

You almost hired Yewe Nairtuu on the spot when she made her pitch. A female Kaminoan, she has offered access to a database of Kaminoan technology that she purchased for a hefty sum. As for her own skills, she has a proven record that has lasted a decade, with a degree of consistency that impresses even you. Typically investing in companies that she is confident in their research, she has managed to constantly meet budgets and timelines on every occasion. This would allow for the military to plan out future revisions far easier, as that level of consistency would certainly simplify future predictions. However, her own biases would mean that novel or exotic technologies would be forgotten.

Calmat Kash, a Mon Calamari comes with problems. He's infamous for heavily investing in cutting-edge research, and so his consistency is near non-existent. However, he has managed to pioneer several impressive advancements in technology. He does, however, come with an interesting opportunity if you were so inclined. Calmat places a low value on sentient life and would accept more unethical decisions if you were so inclined. He does also have some connections with the Mon Calamari shipyards, although the amount they have become intertwined with the Rebel Alliance would prevent any real opportunities for your empire.

The interviews with Force users were more complicated. Namely, because they took place with a squadron of commandos in the room. While an unarmed individual is still a threat, a force user is far more dangerous. Xuyul Kanuas is the first of three that you will interview.

At the age of 42, he's younger than one might expect from a former Jedi, but his looks betray a far deeper philosophy. A mixture of Jedi and Sith, he claims to have learned from a holocron of Darth Nox out of desperation during the Galactic Empire's reign. "I want to join you, not because I trust you, or even like you. I want to join because you offer security for me."

His face twitches towards the guards around you, then to your own eyes as if sensing your own consideration on if Kanuas could successfully kill you if he chose to. "An understandable desire. After spending so long with hunters on your back, I would be disappointed if you didn't distrust me."

"Glad we understand each other." The Miralukan tilts his head in an obvious show of curiosity at your acceptance of his explanation. "I was concerned about the possibility that you were as fanatical as the Emperor, long may he rot." His voice turns into a deep growl at the mention of the Emperor. There is certainly some easily understood hate there.

"One of the many flaws the Emperor held was his tendency to hate the light side of the force." Waxing philosophy may not be what Kanuas expected you to do, but you always happy to provide others with knowledge. "Extremes breed foolishness, and the willful destruction of any order dedicated to the light side was a waste. An order with both light and dark side traditions would certainly make for a versatile one."

"And that's why I made it to this stage of the interviews." You nod, the sheer breadth of knowledge Kanuas held in both Jedi and Sith techniques was an anomaly and one that you were interested in exploiting. "Any order I make will involve both parts of the force, and I will ensure that the disunity between the light and dark is minimized."

"If you do get the position, see that you do." The rest of the interview is far more focused on the specifics of what he can offer, namely the use of his proposed massive order as agents for your empire. Assassins, special agents in the army and navy, diplomats, and other propositions were given by Kanuas, and you find yourself pleased by the variety that his order may offer.

The second interview was with a former pirate captain that had trained in Blazing Chains techniques and once wielded a considerable armada among the Unknown Regions until an unknown enemy left him shaken. Afterward, he immediately applied for the position, providing a single name, 'Jack.' A remarkably transparent alias, his true name was found to be Garnett Aranas, although you avoided any petty power games over the use of his name.

"What I want is simple, I want to make this empire a fuckin powerhouse. I want it to be a fortress, I want it to be a damn nightmare for any invaders. I want it to usher in a new era of war, and I damn expect it from you." Jack's pitch is impassioned if tailored to a far more informal audience than yourself. The immense focus on war, however, is intriguing to you.

"The Blazing Chains were a rather successful force order, and I do seek to use your talents to build an order dedicated to war." For Jack, openness seems to be what he responds to best, and so you alter your approach accordingly.

"Once, I had a fleet that'd match yours." Unlikely, but he is rather unfamiliar with your own talents, so you forgive his ignorance. "I know how war works, whoever else you're hiring, they don't know shit. They're individuals, they're used to that scale of war. Me? I had an armada. I know what you need in an army, even if it was more ad hoc than yours."

It is an interesting poi and one that you happen to agree with. Kaunas was used to operating on his own, so there may be gaps in his training as a result. "I presume your students would learn Blazing Chains techniques, but what else?"

"Matukai, I've developed that over the years … for reasons, I'll avoid discussing. I've dabbled in other parts of the light side, but that'd be a basic overview for students." Deciding not to press as to his omission, you take a moment to consider the rather obvious disregard for the dark side.

He was far more limited than Kanuas in terms of breadth, and you had little doubt that the former Jedi was also the better fighter. But Jack did have more experience with using the force as part of an army, which may allow for better agents in the art of war. There was one thing you had to ask, however. "I believe that there is just one matter for me to ask then." You take a moment to allow Jack to stare into your eyes, as he realizes what it is you wish to ask. "How did you lose your fleet?"

"I think your people call them the Far Outsiders." His voice is twinged with both fear and horror, as he takes a deep calming breath. "The galaxy isn't ready for them, and we need to make it so."

The last force user for you to interview is one Nuun Nokkra, a Nightsister with a deep dislike of Sith and Jedi. She eyes your guards, humming to herself in a carefree manner. "Your security is worse than I expected."

You find yourself on guard instantly, as you discretely press a button within your clothes, alerting a battalion to the possibility of enemy action. "I would urge you to explain further, if not, I may take that as a threat."

"Oh, no, no." Waving you off with little concern to her own well-being, she seems amused as she points to your guards. "I just had to point out that if I truly wished to kill you, I could. Even if I'd die doing so."

"And how would I go about fixing that?" You discreetly order another two squads of Stormtroopers to join you. Perhaps it's paranoia, but you'd rather not test your own life if you could avoid it. "I presume hiring you would do it?"

"Oh no, if anything, it'd make it worse. Hiring me prevents others from doing something similar." She leans forward, carefully ensuring that your attention is on her when she speaks. "If you give me access to your intelligence services, they'll be better than you can ever dream of. But if I was so inclined, I could use that access to kill you."

"You're extremely open about the possibility of my assassination if I displeased you." The Nightsisters were certainly a vengeful group based on their attempted assassination of Count Dooku decades ago, and so, there is just one explanation for the posturing. "What do you demand in exchange for your service?"

"I enjoy working with intelligent sentients for once." She stands up, an action that causes several Stormtroopers to subtly shift to a more aggressive posture. "I want Dathomir for the Nightsisters, give me that, and I promise you my eternal loyalty."

"If it aligns with my goals, then I will." A noncommittal answer is the best you can do for a multitude of reasons. To get to Dathomir, you'll need to take the entirety of the core, or failing that, the Pentastar Alignment and Zsinj Empire. Neither of which would be easy tasks. "Meanwhile, tell me more about your proposed agents."

The rest of the interview is spent diving deep into the benefits and drawbacks of her proposed order. Consisting of elite agents, each of which would be masters of stealth, her ideal training regime consists of a high wash-out rate out of necessity. Additionally, while her order is developing, she plans to use herself as a high-ranking agent to perform tasks that few besides her could manage. Furthermore, she surprisingly had several covert files on a number of empires including the Galactic Empire, Pentastar Alignment, Zsinj Empire, and the Rebel Alliance. The dossiers would certainly be useful to your future plans, although if you did hir her and didn't take Dathomir for the Nightsisters, you know she would try and kill you.

With the sheer number of interviews beginning to wear you down, you're glad that there are just three left. A personal assistant would be wonderful to have, and the first interview is with a female Nautolan that you hired years ago. Eshu Tenrar was a member of an assassin's guild that the Empire hired, and during one of her hunts, she was framed for taking a Rebel Alliance contract by a rather ingenious Rebel cell. When you revealed that deception, it seems that it had a deep impact on her, not that you gave any particular thought towards it. As such, she has sworn loyalty towards you and promises to create an extremely secure bodyguard force for your own protection. Additionally, her ties with assassin guilds may prove useful.

After a long week of interviews, your meeting with Ovvee Lancama was a breath of fresh air. The Rodian was well prepared, providing files the moment you asked for information. During the interview, he acted more like a butler, proving indispensable in the level of relaxation that he provided. When the interview finally ended, he suggested a number of vacation spots or guilty pleasures that you enjoy, many of which were high-class art galleries. An impeccable professional individual, and one that promises exemplary services, you have little doubt that Ovvee would make your work far more enjoyable. He even comes with a lengthy history with glowing reviews, with even an Imperial Moff recommending him, despite his nature as a Rodian.

Your interview with Charles Hillinger was the exact opposite. A man who thinks he's a genius when in actuality he's simply well-connected thanks to his family's wealth, those very connections are the only reasons you've deigned to allow him an interview. Despite this, you were careful to remain polite throughout, it was trying thanks to the sheer incompetence when compared to everyone else you interviewed. Despite this, you can see why Voss thought he deserved this interview. His connections and wealth make him valuable to manipulate, and already you've obtained a number of minor concessions in exchange for having him conduct a secondary interview with Imperial intelligence.

GM Note: And here we have the advisors that Thrawn will work with. Do note that each advisor will affect other categories, not just their own. For them, pick one from each group. There will be a 2 hour moratorium.

Military Advisor
[] Voss Parck - Loyal, but traditional. He's an excellent leader but won't do anything revolutionary.
[] Rey Zritru - Aware of her own shortcomings and motivated by her own standing, she proposes a much larger use of droids within the army and navy to cut costs.
[] Farryn Baidan - An extremely knowledgeable Echani in regards to military history, she wants a complete redesign of the Empire of the Hands military. Expensive, and lengthy, any such project will take a decade and leave your military in a weakened state. But eventually, it will be utterly terrifying to face.

Diplomacy Advisor
[] Thanrit Mel - Proposing entering a period of isolationism, he has a deep dislike of Arkanians.
[] Athaen Sen'neam - Proposing to act as a third party, she wishes for the Empire of the Hand to avoid major wars and focus on the slow accumulation of territory and power.
[] Vesha Dey - A woman with immense ambition, she wishes to use diplomacy as a weapon for the Empire of the Hand.

Stewardship Advisor
[] Viktor Fyodorivich - A retired Moff that seeks to increase military spending and build up for massive wars in the immediate future. He lacks any focus on the economy.
[] Oldolor Vipik - A Muun that wishes to grow the Empire of the Hand's economy drastically, he seeks to maintain military spending and increase the capital that flows through companies and begin a massive infrastructure program.
[] Oteskumi Secura - A rebel sympathizer, the Twi'lek is deeply concerned with fighting poverty. He will raise the standard of living for the poorest, but he is deeply zealous over the rights of sentient beings and would be difficult to work with.

Intrigue Advisor
[] Philip Sole - An inexperienced but loyal spymaster, he has some novel ideas and prefers to remain cautious.
[] Zakku the Hutt - A criminal with ties to the underworld, he could provide you control of a large portion of the galaxy's crime, even if you would need to betray him before he betrays you.
[] Cen Kam - A female Clawdite of immense professionalism, her ideas are expensive but valuable. Bringing with her high standards of professionality, she will ensure only information you wish to reveal will ever leave your grasp.

Learning Advisor
[] Lyaian Immanuel - A businesswoman with ties to Sienar, she proposes to shut down several research institutions and focus entirely on developing its economy and structures. She does offer to have Sienar sell you custom models.
[] Yewe Nairtuu - A Kaminoan with knowledge of cloning, she has a level of consistency that impresses even you. But the things you can do with clones would be incredible.
[] Calmat Kasch - A revolutionary that can spend years without a find, Calmat is willing to bend ethics if you ordered. He does have some ties to the Mon Calamari which may be of minor help.

Force Order Leader
[] Xuyul Kanuas - A wielder of both the light and dark side, there isn't a force technique in the galaxy that he doesn't know. His order would be immense in size and scope, and out of them all, he is undoubtedly the most experienced of the three. He comes with a Holocron of Darth Nox, as well as a Holocron of a Jedi Master that was lost to history.
[] Jack - A Blazing Chains wielder with experience in using the force as part of an army, he does understand how to integrate them with command structures. Additionally, his encounter with the Far Outsiders does present an opportunity to gain insight into their methodology. His order would be focused entirely on warfare and would use the light side.
[] Nuun Nokkra - A Nightsister that wishes to take Dathomir for her own kind, she comes with a dossier on every major empire of note. As for her proposed order, it would be small and secretive, relying on highly skilled agents that would take time to train up. She will kill you if you do not take Dathomir one day, however.

Personal Assistant
[] Eshu Tenrar - A former member of an assassin guild, she is extremely loyal to Thrawn, and would create an excellent force of bodyguards.
[] Ovvee Lancama - A wonderful assistant, he comes highly recommended and would work to assist Thrawn in day-to-day matters.
[] Charles Hillinger - A fool with immense wealth and connections, his purpose is to be fleeced.

Daemon Hunter · Jun 25, 2021

[X] Plan: Risk and Balance, with Clones
-[X] Farryn Baidan - An extremely knowledgeable Echani in regards to military history, she wants a complete redesign of the Empire of the Hands military. Expensive, and lengthy, any such project will take a decade and leave your military in a weakened state. But eventually, it will be utterly terrifying to face.
-[X] Athaen Sen'neam - Proposing to act as a third party, she wishes for the Empire of the Hand to avoid major wars and focus on the slow accumulation of territory and power.
-[X] Oldolor Vipik - A Muun that wishes to grow the Empire of the Hand's economy drastically, he seeks to maintain military spending and increase the capital that flows through companies and begin a massive infrastructure program.
-[X] Cen Kam - A female Clawdite of immense professionalism, her ideas are expensive but valuable. Bringing with her high standards of professionality, she will ensure only information you wish to reveal will ever leave your grasp.
-[X] Yewe Nairtuu - A Kaminoan with knowledge of cloning, she has a level of consistency that impresses even you. But the things you can do with clones would be incredible.
-[X] Xuyul Kanuas - A wielder of both the light and dark side, there isn't a force technique in the galaxy that he doesn't know. His order would be immense in size and scope, and out of them all, he is undoubtedly the most experienced of the three. He comes with a Holocron of Darth Nox, as well as a Holocron of a Jedi Master that was lost to history.
-[X] Eshu Tenrar - A former member of an assassin guild, she is extremely loyal to Thrawn, and would create an excellent force of bodyguards.

GM Note: 4-hour mortarium on voting. Turns are 6 months each.

As the immediate ramifications of the Battle of Endor make themselves known, you watch a galactic empire crumble within days. Splinter groups have begun forming and based on the current leader of the empire, you expect the splintering to get worse with time. These days, the Rebel Alliance has that initiative, but their very nature makes them slow to act. Not to mention their own commitment to perceived ideals making them easily distracted.

You yourself cannot act as soon as you would wish. You have years of reforms to complete, many of which are far more costly than preferred, enough that Vipik has suggested preemptively contacting banking guilds around the galaxy. It's time to get to work and make your mark on history.

GM Note: Alright, and the first turn is up. For your actions, I'm doing them differently than normal CK2 quests. For them, you'll notice that there are no chances of success. This is because what I'm going for is that actions are more diverse in outcome than simply pass-fail. The first dice determines the success of the primary goal of the action. So for Farryn's Complete Military Overhaul, that'd involve how well does the initial integration go, and does that cause any further issues. The second dice covers secondary goals of the action, for the military overhaul, those secondary goals would be things like retaining institutional experience along with ensuring smoother transitions. The last dice covers side effects and branches that stem from the action. So this can range from finding a problem that already exists as a result, exacerbating it, or finding a new use for a part of the action. In terms of degrees of success and failure, those vary considerably as a result of this, but I'll still have a note attached on if it's a relative success or failure. You will see bare failures and bare successes, as well as success with complications and failure with benefits. Omakes provide a bonus to these rolls of +10 to all three per omake.

Military: Not one to waste time, Far - Admiral Baidan has thrown the agency into chaos. Voss' rather pointed glare at what you had unleashed upon the organization was well deserved, but the improvements she makes possible swayed you to hire her. Despite her eccentricities. You wonder which one of you will break first. You suspect that you'll be the one that ends up calling her Farryn instead of her learning to call you by your title. (Choose 2)

Farryn's Complete Military Overhaul - You hired Admiral Baidan for this reason. To rebuild the military from the ground up. Not a single stone will be left unturned. If there is a technology or tactic out there, it will be investigated and integrated. The sheer amount of work is immense and with the indoctrination within the Imperial Army, you have little doubt that you'll be facing significant resistance due to inertia. But it must be done. Cost: 800 while in progress. Time: 3 turns (25 Turns till Completion). Reward: -50% military strength. Increases by 4% per turn.

Farryn's Officer Retraining Crash Course - There is little use in creating an entirely new fleet if the officers themselves remain as they are. This will involve a massive retraining of existing officers and crew members, with new academies being temporarily constructed to enable the intake of trainees. You have little doubt that many will grumble at a return to the academy, but how else can they learn the finer points of war learned by literally thousands of civilizations. Cost: 800. Time: 2 turns. (20 Turns till Completion). Reward: -25% military strength. Increases by 2.5% per turn.

Farryn Stealing Zritru's Ideas - In a blatant display of stealing Rey Zritru's ideas, Admiral Baidan has proposed a variant of her proposal concerning droids. Instead of replacing the army, she would instead integrate droids at every level she can. B1 droids as manual laborers, modified Vulture droids to carry cargo, and Droidekas as mobile turrets. The cost, however, is utterly ruinous, as you would have to build entire industries devoted to droid production. Vipik thankfully has proposed several additions that would allow for some uplifts to occur alongside them, earning more economic growth than you might expect. Cost: 4000. Time: 1 turn. (10 Turns till Completion). Reward: -10% military strength. +5% military strength per turn.

Rebuild Command and Supply Centers - With the sudden lack of central power within the galaxy, the hierarchy of your forces is in chaos. In order to conduct major offensives without suffering due to poor communication, the command and supply centers must be rebuilt and redesigned for the current state of affairs. If you can avoid major wars, then you could get away with delaying this, but if a major war occurs, you would suffer without these supply lines. Cost: 250. Time: 1 turn. Reward: No penalties during major wars due to poor supply and communication.

Systemic Fortification Construction Stage 1 - Your navy is … anemic. With a mere 300 vessels and 100 times that many planets, any war would see your worlds being taken in short order. Ships are far too expensive, and so your only option is defensive installations. Voss did make this as his brainchild, and thanks to your advice, this first stage will cover worlds of importance as well as those positions near potential hostile forces. Cost: 400. Upkeep: 4. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Fortifications on key worlds and those in danger capable of repelling minor fleets on their own.

Expand the Fleet - Until reforms begin and progress for some time, expanding the fleet is a foolish idea. Cost: Variable. Upkeep: Variable. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Expand Fleet subvote. (Cannot be taken until reforms progress)

Expand the Army- Until reforms begin and progress for some time, expanding the army is a foolish idea. Cost: Variable. Upkeep: Variable. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Expand Army subvote. (Cannot be taken until reforms progress)

Ensure Border Security - With your proximity to both the Unknown Regions and to the Core, you have little doubt that adventurous parties will begin raiding nearby areas. While your own forces may be adequate, with the upcoming reforms, they will struggle to maintain their patrols. An increase in resources would allow for much more thorough anti-piracy measures but would last only as long as funding was provided, along with military vessels. Cost: 130. Takes a portion of your fleet and tasks them to anti-piracy duties full-time. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Much greater bonus to combatting piracy.

Begin Aggressive Negotiations - Athaen was displeased at the suggestion of aggressively expanding into minor powers before she even had a chance to build your reputation. At the same time, there are several hundred planets ripe for conquest if you so choose. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: +1000 planets.

Start a War - Some would consider war to be suicide at your current strength. But you see another way. Be it the Pentastar Alignment or the Empire itself, you can see a tightrope to dominance. But any war at this point in time will be a risk, and that is something you do not like making. Not to mention the sheer damage it would do to Athaen's plans. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Go to war subvote.

Begin Raiding Nearby Worlds - A war would be a step too far at this point in time, instead, raiding is a much safer choice. It will weaken your enemies, and allow you to fund your rather extensive projects. However, Athaen's plans will be set back significantly, even if she has hesitantly said she might have an idea on how to manage it. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Begin raiding subvote.

Explore the Unknown - This is a risky proposition, to say the least. The Unknown Regions are filled with nightmares that have plagued the Chiss for an eternity. But they are also an untapped resource waiting for an empire with enough strength to begin harvesting those resources. Perhaps you can manage it. Cost: 26. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Explore 2000 systems in the Unknown Regions.

Send Forces Against the Ssi-Ruu - Extragalactic threats are certainly a problem. As one of the many who live within the galaxy, it is in your best interests to ensure those threats are dealt with. One such race is the Ssi-Ruu, a dangerously xenophobic species that must be dealt with. While your former home empire of the Chiss Ascendancy looks like it will deal with them, it may be best to make sure. Cost: 260. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Send forces against the Ssi-Ruu subvote.

Create an NBC Stockpile - While the galaxy tends to abhor these kinds of weapons, it is better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them. In any case, a strategic stockpile of these weapons will certainly come in handy for any existential threats to your empire. Cost: 60. Upkeep: 20. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Create an NBC stockpile for future use.

Tie Replacement - Replacing your Tie fighters with superior Tie Defenders and Tie Avengers would be one way to improve upon your navy without needing to construct additional capital ships. However, this may prove redundant considering Admiral Baidan's reforms. But it is a good way to increase your military strength quickly. Cost: 800. Upkeep: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Replace Tie fighters and bombers with Tie Avengers and Defenders.

Allow Foreign Observers - Voss and Pallaeon nearly called you insane for even suggesting this as a possibility. While this would create security holes within your forces, Cen Kam is confident that she can ensure that such leaks are minimized to non-Classified data. The major problem would be that it would prevent any real offensive actions from being taken, and would ensure that other empires know about your modernization program and weakness. Cost: 130. Income: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Minor diplomatic gains with the Pentastar Alignment and Empire. Moderate gains with the Rebel Alliance.

Military Sponsorship Program - Vipik's suggestion is a useful one, allowing for a formalization of corruption in a manner that makes it no longer corruption. By having payments in exchange for favorable patrol routes, your forces would naturally make your important worlds secure at the cost of those that provide little. However, with all that there is to do, is it truly worth it at this point in time? Cost: None. Income: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Create a sponsorship program where wealthier donations lead to increased patrol density. Increases security on important worlds while neglecting poorer ones.

Military Intelligence Restructuring - Your military intelligence department while adequate could be improved upon. Taking ideas from Cen Kam, Admiral Baidan has suggested that the Clawdite work on rebuilding this branch in addition to her own work on your intelligence agencies. An increase in information gathered during wars is certain to be helpful, and the increased security would allow you to hide information from your enemies with greater ease. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased information on enemies during wars. Less information on your battle plans leaked.

Historical Review and Monitoring of Officers for Merit-Based Promotions - When it comes to internal promotions, meritocracy is the ideal, but with your forces deriving from the Empire, it isn't truly realistic. Dr. Nairtuu suggested that creating a department within your military to ensure meritocratic policies flourish would help remove the effect prejudice had within your forces. While it certainly is expensive, over the course of the years, you would see a rise in your military capabilities. Cost: 400. Upkeep: 400. Time: 1 turn (10 Turns till Completion). Reward: +0.5% military strength per turn.

Lay the Foundation for Force Wielders within the Army and Navy - One of former Jedi Kanuas' suggestions, you see little use for this until the order is founded. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Usage of Force Wielders within the Army and Navy subvote. (Cannot be taken until the order is established).

Diplomacy: Athaen has settled into her role, and has strongly suggested that she begin hiring lobbyists within other states. Beyond that, you're faced with a plethora of options in regards to what to do. This will take careful consideration. (Choose 2)

Hire Lobbyists in other Empires - Athaen's suggestion, and one you happen to agree with, by hiring lobbyists in other empires, you can help influence their thoughts on your empire. While more effective in the New Republic than your immediate neighbors, there is a second part to lobbying, that being finding the right men to pay. Among you, Voss, and Pallaeon, you have no shortage of knowledge to wield. Cost: 100. Upkeep: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Moderate relationship improvement for all major empires.

Cultivate a Particular Reputation - One of the many ways to build an empire is to control what it portrays. Adjusting propaganda broadcasts, changing priorities for diplomats, and retasking military forces would allow you to decrease the prominence of your empire within the galaxy while still wielding soft power. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Empire of the Hand viewed as less of a threat.

Renormalize Diplomatic Relations - With the galaxy as it is, contacting empires is difficult, especially when many do not view others as legitimate. Renormalizing relations would allow you to get ahead of the many issues that would otherwise plague you. It wouldn't do to act in ignorance after all. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Renormalizing relations subvote.

Get in Touch with the Underworld - Eshu Tenrar and Cen Kam both have ties to the underworld. Through them, and by contacting the Hutts, you can establish relations with the underworld, and gain some excellent advantages. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Underworld contacts subvote.

Contact Banking Guilds and Clans - With the expenses involved in rapid redevelopment, it only makes sense to contact banks for loans as Vipik suggested. By extending offers to external banks, it would allow for lower interest rates, and the possibility of simply refusing to pay should the situation develop poorly. Perhaps some will even go bankrupt before your payments are due. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Lower interest rates on debt by one stage (5% -> 2% -> 0.5%).

Begin Taking in Chiss Refugees - While you were banished from your home empire, there is a steady stream of your kind that wanders out of the Ascendancy. Why let them go to your potential enemies when they would be much happier working for a fellow Chiss? Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain a steady stream of Chiss refugees.

Insert Espionage Agents into the Diplomatic Corps - A low priority suggestion from Cen Kam, but adding agents into the diplomatic corp would help ensure that lower-level intelligence leaks less. While it certainly wouldn't prevent it all, it would manage to reduce the quantity by a significant margin. Cost: 100. Upkeep: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Reduced information on broad actions taken by your empire available to others.

Stewardship: The economy is in shambles with the Emperor's death, and your economic base was already problematic, to begin with. Vipik, thankfully, has ideas. While many of them will not have an impact for years to come due to the nature of infrastructure, you have few plans of invading others over the course of the next few years. Or at least, none that you have shared. (Choose 2)

Education Investment - By heavily investing in education, you know that the economy will improve. But Vipik suggests a project that is massive in scope. Setting up a new department within the government dedicated to schooling, it would endeavor to ensure consistent high-quality education for years to come. But that quality comes at a large monetary cost to your already strained coffers. Cost: 1000. Upkeep: 1000. Time: 3 turns (40 Turns to Completion). Reward: Increase income by ~140 per turn for 40 turns.

Anti-Corruption Initiatives - Vipik is no stranger to greed and embezzlement, but while he says some corruption is necessary for a government, the level within your empire is far from acceptable. By introducing a set of sweeping reforms, you will make your empire far more meritocratic even if many high-ranking officials will have issues. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~220 income increase.

Adjusting for Palpatine's Death - With the economy in chaos, action must be taken. Changing the tax system along with many minor adjustments would allow you to successfully navigate the chaos that his death is caused while the economy recovers. However, the stimulus the economy needs will most certainly be costly, almost to the point of making you wonder if it is necessary. Cost: 600. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~220 income increase.

Targeted Uplifts - Your empire isn't the most developed. And uplifting worlds is an incredibly expensive process that takes decades for an investment to be recouped. But Vipik would be remiss not to offer this as a possibility. Even without the minor economic growth, the 5% increase in shuttle production capacity and maintenance facilities would allow for increased strategic flexibility. Cost: 2500. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increase maintenance and shuttle shipyards by 5%. +25 income.

Banking and Finance Reform - One of the Empire's many faults was its nationalization of the Intergalactic Banking Clan. Under new governmental direction, it has become a far more... political entity compared to the prior few centuries, accelerating a trend that began in the decades prior to the Naboo Crisis... That is to say, it is far more corrupt and less efficient than it has once been. With the banks privatized once more (under certain guidelines of course) they will now once more be subject to market forces, and, at least Vipik seems to believe, will reduce our interest rates and encourage the growth of the Empire of the Hand's economy. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Reduce interest rates on debt by one stage (5% -> 2% -> 0.5%)

Government Subsidies For Small Businesses - The backbone of any modern economy is, unlike what some may believe, not its major corporations. They simply form the majority of revenue. It is the everyday, simple business owner who keeps the greater financial situation stable and allows for real growth over time... if the conditions permit them to do so. The Treasurer proposes a subsidy on these ventures, with the intended goal being a greater rate of employment among the adult population and thus greater long-term gains. Cost: 2000. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~300 income increase.

Begin External Colonization: The Unknown Regions are fraught with danger, containing a myriad of threats to greater galactic civilization. As a former officer of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, you know this better than the vast majority of sentient beings, but where there is a risk, there is also opportunity. The Unknown Regions are home to many exotic technologies and rare resources, which might be put to your benefit if you wished. Send colonies out beyond known space and you will be handsomely rewarded... if they survive. And you should ensure they do. Cost: 2000. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Colonize 1000 worlds to the level of Tie production.

Bureau of Internal Revenue - Collecting taxes is a topic of great difficulty for governments. By creating a linked branch between intelligence services and the treasury, you could ensure that taxes collected each year are accurate. Cen Kam is willing to work overtime assisting with the creation of the BIR, and the increased revenue would be welcome. Cost: 400. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~225 income increase. Tax revenue is now harder.

Public Cloning Facilities - An inspired idea, if one prone to some ethical grumbling by some individual. By creating clones to serve as menial laborers, you could drive down labor costs and increase company profits, leading to an economic boom. While some may have issues with the exploitation of organic labor, and low-skilled workers will find themselves out of a job, the value of wealth for your burgeoning empire cannot be understated. Cost: 800. Upkeep: 8. Time: 2 turns (20 Turns to Completion). Reward: Increase income by ~70 per turn for 20 turns. Increases poverty.

Intrigue: Cen Kam has taken to a stereotypical human female appearance while maintaining immense professionalism that you have found to be quite enjoyable. While she has found a number of issues already thanks to her work ethic, there is a part of you that is concerned as to the number of hours she works. (Choose 2)

Use Your Command Codes - While your command codes are certainly out of date, you know how bureaucracy functions. If you act swiftly, then you can take full advantage of your credentials. However, their very nature works against you. If you do, your actions will be known. And do you wish the Empire's anger to turn towards you? Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain information, wealth, and contacts in unknown amounts. ???

Restructure Intelligence Agencies - As of now, the majority of your spy network (what little there is) operates using a fairly standard Imperial Intelligence protocol, just like every other Imperial Warlord in the galaxy. As a result, it is vulnerable to infiltration from former colleagues who will know how the organization operates. This must be stopped as soon as possible. Cen Kam will make changes to the structure and protocols of your network to confuse anyone who would use the old ways as a means of bypassing your security. Cost: 300. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Negate enemy bonuses for similar spy agencies.

Begin Recruiting Aliens - The lack of aliens within your intelligence services is an utter tragedy. While the Empire was xenophobic, this is just wasteful and must be fixed. Intelligence agents need to be able to infiltrate. And a Twi'lek on Ryloth is far less noticeable than a human. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain alien infiltrators. Remove malus for operating on alien planets.

Countersecurity Sweeps - By conducting a large and thorough sweep, you can attempt to remove any hidden spies, defectors, and bugs within your government. You're certain to find many, but you're also certain to miss at least some. Nonetheless, it may be a worthy cause. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased counterespionage bonus for the turn.

Setting Up Galactic Intelligence Systems - With the Galactic Empire being splintered, the previously existing ISB has likewise fallen into disarray, and many agents have abandoned their posts entirely or are working for one of your rivals. Thus, you must form a new network of information, and that begins, as expected, with the basics. Informants, gossips, and the military scuttlebutt are the best place to start. This is expected to provide you with the broad strokes of future policies regarding external organizations. It is hardly grand but still infinitely better than nothing. From there, more professional intelligence gathering may be attempted with the right incentives for our new contacts. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 20. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Low-level intelligence ring created.

Anti-Corruption Agency - While the BIR proposal is a step in the right direction, Cen Kam has an additional proposal to root out corruption. A branch with the most loyal and fanatical of intelligence agents, its task is to root out corruption within your departments. This is something you would rather take sooner than later. Cost: 100. Upkeep: 5. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~150 income increase. Reduced corruption.

Increased Agency Standards - Cen Kam is incredibly meticulous, and she expects this standard from her operatives and underlings. You happen to enjoy competent subordinates, so you certainly see her point. By introducing a thorough assessment process and retraining, your intelligence service's skills would improve. However, they would need to have a larger training budget as a result. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased bonus to espionage rolls.

Learning: The cloning knowledge that Dr. Nairtuu will be incredibly useful. But you must take advantage of it as soon as possible. As for her other projects, they are rather dull to read but come with an immense amount of information that you slog through nonetheless. In summary, you expect a return on your investment that while minor, will occur regardless of circumstance. (Choose 2)

Incremental Army Improvements - As a Kaminoan who worked on the Clone Army decades ago, Yewe Nairtuu has experience in how to train an elite fighting force as well as how to grow one. With time she believes she can implement a series of minor changes to our instructional doctrine, thus creating more effective soldiers. One of the benefits is that she requires a comparatively small amount of funding to succeed in this regard. However, it will only be noticeable after multiple years of effort. Cost: 50. Time: 1 turn. Reward: +1% military strength.

Incremental Navy Improvements - Your Chief Researcher has recently come to you with a series of training protocols used by the Grand Army of the Republic for its naval crews. Her preliminary comparison of modern Imperial and old Republic courses indicates that over time, different sections of the various curriculums have become more and less effective. If given the time, Yewe believes she can achieve a synthesis of the two which will produce finer crewmembers over time, but so as to ensure that no skills are lost, she plans to do so very gradually and under very close monitoring. As a result, there will be little difference until the project has been underway for multiple years, but it can be assured that the programs will not worsen. Cost: 50. Time: 1 turn. Reward: +1% military strength.

Incremental Economic Improvements - Although not her field of expertise, Yewe Nairtuu has, over the past two decades, taken an academic interest in the Galactic Empire's financial institutions and the history of the interstellar economy. With a small grant, she believes she can find ways to improve the effectiveness of your fiscal policies. In time, she believes that she can make the Empire of the Hand's economy the most robust in the galaxy... in time. Cost: 50. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Slight GDP rise. +??? to income.

Clone Wars Era Clone Template - It is Nairtuu's belief that the Grand Army of the Republic was the most well-trained and disciplined organic fighting force in galactic history. Although perhaps an exaggeration, it is no secret that the Clone Troopers far outpaced the skill of traditional military forces, in part due to the quality of their template, the deadly Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. If given enough time, it is believed that Fett's DNA can be recovered and used to create another elite corps of soldiers, this time in your own service. Cost: 100. Time: 3 turns. Reward: Gain the ability to reproduce Clone Troopers.

Cloning Research - Although officially highly illegal according to Imperial law and intensely regulated under Republic law, cloning technology has been progressing in the less... stringent parts of the galaxy for many years. Among the most well-known cloning locations are Lur, Khomm, Arkania, and Kamino. The benefits of such a technology are numerous, largely in medical practice for the replacement of limbs and organs, but also can be used for other purposes. With proper funding, you will put your scientists to work on unlocking its secrets and perhaps even make new innovations in the field. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain further insights into cloning.

Attempt to Remake or Rediscover Death Star Technology - The Deaths Star was a station that could have been incredible if used properly. As it was, it was one of the Empire's greatest mistakes, but the miracle of technology that it was cannot be understated. There are aspects of it that you can learn from, and perhaps, you may one day be able to wield them on the battlefield. Cost: 400. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Look into Death Star technology, see what parts you can implement.

Attempt To Remake Mon Calamari Vessels - For a species that has not had a history of military-grade starship design, the Mon Calamari have produced a truly wondrous series of spacefaring vessels, known most for their powerful redundant deflector shield systems. With the right motivation, it should be possible to develop a similarly effective model of starship for the Empire of the Hand. Cost: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Progress towards using Mon Calamari designs for your fleet.

Private Research Grants - One of the problems with the galactic economy is the lack of innovation. While there is good reason for it, there are methods within your government that would slightly help matters. Unfortunately, true discoveries are nigh on impossible, but an increased variety in services and goods are rather likely. The increase in the economy would be quite promising. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~70 income increase.

Research Countersecurity Improvements - One of the many vulnerabilities in security are electronics. Astromechs are a plague on well-built systems, and while there are methods to avoid this issue, many of them are kept closely guarded secrets. Funding research into the field would be a worthwhile use of funds. Cost: 400. Upkeep: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased bonus to countersecurity.

Chronicle Force Techniques and Sects - A suggestion by Kanuas, and one he wants to be done immediately, a thorough chronicle of the force's use in the galaxy would be useful for both military purposes and for the founding of a force order. While he may view this as necessary, you feel as if it is far less important than he might think, and could certainly wait if you so chose. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain a comprehensive summary of the force's use in the galaxy.

Look into [write-in] - While you have a plethora of projects, at times you wish for a more hands-on approach. By directing the research arm of the government towards particular projects, you can investigate areas that you might have left fallow. Cost: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Varies

Lore: While you may understand the rest of your advisors, Kaunas himself, is an incredibly closed-off individual. Cen Kam has expressed concerns over this level of secrecy, but you must acknowledge that openness from a former Jedi would be unexpected. Nonetheless, he's currently demanding that he found a fortress for his order, one that would declare the existence of the order and provide its identity. A part of you wonders if he simply wishes to remake the Jedi Temple in his own way, but another wonders if he's creating a fortress to prevent you from simply attacking his soon-to-be disciples. (Choose 2)

Integrate Jedi And Sith Techniques - As a possessor of one Sith and one Jedi Holocron each, Kanuas has a great deal of experience in the practices of both organizations. This will allow him to most readily include a wide variety of abilities. However, the tensions between the light side and dark side users will be a problem. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Trainees begin learning actual force techniques.

Mundane Training: Although Kanuas wishes for his order to focus primarily on uncovering the secrets of the Force, its members must still be instructed in the less... mystical skills that they will likely need to make use of. Blaster training, field medicine, starship piloting, mechanical engineering, and survivalism are but a few examples of such courses. While it may be wise to wait until their force training is settled, having them focus on the less mystical aspects primarily would be useful. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Trainees get better at non-Force skills.

Fortress For The Order - Just as the Jedi and the Sith have had their own temples and enclaves throughout the ages, Kanuas desires that the same be constructed for his own order. In this time of conflict, defensibility will be a more significant factor in its design than usual, but it will still possess all of the facilities required to further the students' education. However, you suspect that his desire for a fortress stems from another factor that he has yet to share. Despite this, his insistence on the importance of this action must be taken into account. Cost: 200. Time: 2 turns. Reward: Fortress for the order. Order name subvote.

Ensure A Secular Identity Within The Organization - Xuyul Kanuas intends to produce an order of Force users who will have access to all of its powers rather than being entirely dedicated to one part of the force. However, the interaction between adherents of the "Light" and the "Dark" in the past has had a tendency to erupt into violent schisms, and as a result, much effort will be required to ensure his new students at least tolerate one another. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Reduce tensions between students in the order.

There's a Deeper Mystery Here - One of the questions that you've come to ask is why is it that Kanuas can use both the dark and light sides of the force with seemingly no issue? There's extensive literature on why such a thing should be impossible. And while this will certainly anger Kanuas, an investigation must occur. However, if Kanuas' trust was first gained, then such an investigation would be more likely to succeed. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ???

Personal: You must admit that there are a myriad of issues to concern yourself with. Nuso Esva is currently engaged by a fraction of your fleet, and while you have successfully tracked Zaarin to To-phalion Base, you have yet to take action against him. With two separate battlefields to pursue, you find yourself having to rely on your subordinates. You do hope that they succeed. (Choose 2).

Take Command - While Admiral Baidan may be the leader of your military forces, you are simply a superior commander. Take control of your military for a short period of time, and take action against your enemies personally. While your threats do remain small, and you remain confident that your forces can likely slowly deal with them. A personal touch would ensure that they are dealt with, and if your military reforms begin, such an operation would be far more difficult than normal. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Thrawn takes personal command of the Empire of the Hand's forces.

Spend Time With - Your circle of advisors, although clearly very skilled, are also not very known to you personally. You have their files of course, but those do not necessarily grant insights into their true personalities. Take some time to get to know one of your close contacts outside of pure business. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Spend time with subvote.

Personal Attention - You have found that one of the tasks you have resolved to undertake is in need of a more direct touch. You will take a personal interest in this activity to ensure it succeeds... or in the more pessimistic view, does not fail too horribly. Cost: None. TIme: 1 turn. Reward: Applies Thrawn's bonuses to a particular action in addition to your advisors'.

Create An Art Gallery - While you certainly do not advertise your appreciation for the creative fields, it is no secret that you enjoy the study of art. While your personal collection is indeed of impeccable quality, it is also somewhat small for your tastes. With only a comparatively small budget you can open a proper art gallery and museum, not only for your benefit but for all who might take an interest in more cultured pursuits. Cost: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Create a basic art gallery.

Create A Custom Bodyguard Unit - Eshu is a fantastic bodyguard. Patient, alert, highly trained, and seemingly never requiring sleep, at least for as long as anyone can see her. However she is still but one person, and in her view, this is not sufficient to protect you. With your permission, she may hire and train additional bodyguards who will both be capable of complementing her skills and functioning autonomously if she were indisposed. Cost: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Elite bodyguard force for Thrawn obtained.

Complete Security Overhaul - It is times like these where it is very clear that Eshu Tenrar was once an assassin of impeccable quality. According to her, within only a week of exploration, she has found two avenues to allow your demise within your personal home, and if a contract killer worth their salt was given the task of killing you there would be months for them to find more. If given the resources, she could redesign the palace into a veritable nightmare for any would-be hitman to overcome... You just hope that the aesthetics remain pleasing. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Palace completely swept and security holes closed.

Bodyguards For Other Advisors And Agents - "No man is an island" is a saying common across the galaxy. It is so common in fact that no linguist or historian has yet been able to trace back its origin. Regardless, it certainly holds true, and it would behoove you not to heed those words. While you are well-protected courtesy of your bodyguard and some of your compatriots are indeed capable of defending themselves, it would be irresponsible not to ensure that such vital personnel are kept safe. Eshu has proposed that she get into contact with trustworthy individuals who can fulfill a similar role for your advisors and VIPs as she does for you. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Advisors and admirals given skilled bodyguard forces.

Daemon Hunter · Jun 28, 2021

The past six months clearly show that you live in interesting times. While one of your foes has been dealt with, another still remains. And the death of the first has resulted in a rather elegant dead man's operation that involved a bounty that had no less than three elite bounty hunters attempt to end your own life. While your new bodyguard is sporting new scars as a result, you have far less to worry about thanks to the improvements in palace security, even if your own bodyguard force has been delayed as a result of Eshu's injuries.

Meanwhile Zaarin has proven to be more dangerous, having captured To-phalian station before being blockaded by Voss. While your forces do have superior strength, even with the modifications still partially completed, they are unable to advance on the station itself without grievous loss of ships. Voss has estimated that while he thinks he could take the station, he would lose at least 9 in 10 of his ships doing so.

Admiral Pallaeon, however, has outdone himself. Despite working with subpar vessels due to the continuing reforms, despite facing an enemy whose tactical acumen can make you concerned, despite starfighter inferiority, Admiral Pallaeon not only won, he did so in exceptional manner.

When you granted him the use of your empire's single Executor, you didn't expect him to use it as bait. Faking an overextension due to poor fleet coordination, the pouncing on the Ties with anti-starfighter frigates and Ties of his own was already an exemplary showing that you would approve of.

Then he kept performing at such a level.

Now that he had starfighter superiority, he ruthlessly exploited his advantages as Nuso Evsa began to retreat. Losing a star destroy equivalent, the warlord did initially appear as he was about to escape, before Pallaeon revealed his trump card as two Immobilizer cruisers appeared in the system, preventing Nuso Evsa from doing what he desired.

This time, using the Executor as a shield, Palleaeon was able to send several unopposed Tie Bomber waves that destroyed Evsa's flagship, with him on board. Shortly after their leader perished, the rest of his fleet surrendered, leaving you with an assortment of alien vessels.

*Nuso Evsa deceased. Minor damage to Executor (repaired), minor Tie losses (replaced).*
*Gain 2 Alien Victory equivalents, 8 Strike equivalents, 28 Carrack equivalents.*
*Pallaeon upgrades command bonus from x4 to x7.*

Unfortunately for you, Nuso Evsa proved to be a troublesome foe even in death. With your empire being the one responsible for his death, his policy for his own death triggered. A massive bounty was set on your head, financed by several warships that had been captured by your forces or destroyed.

But even bounty hunters have their own standards of bureaucracy, and your own security was accidentally given an incredibly thorough stress test. While you are still alive and uninjured, you must admit that a major reason was Eshu's own performance.

Military: Not one to waste time, Far - Admiral Baidan has thrown the agency into chaos. Voss' rather pointed glare at what you had unleashed upon the organization was well deserved, but the improvements she makes possible swayed you to hire her. Despite her eccentricities. You wonder which one of you will break first. You suspect that you'll be the one that ends up calling her Farryn instead of her learning to call you by your title. (Choose 2)

Ensure Border Security - With your proximity to both the Unknown Regions and to the Core, you have little doubt that adventurous parties will begin raiding nearby areas. While your own forces may be adequate, with the upcoming reforms, they will struggle to maintain their patrols. An increase in resources would allow for much more thorough anti-piracy measures but would last only as long as funding was provided, along with military vessels. Cost: 130. Takes a portion of your fleet and tasks them to anti-piracy duties full-time. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Much greater bonus to combatting piracy.

(40, 41, 62). Success with minor benefits.

One of the hallmarks of a successful empire is a lack of piracy. While you are proud to have kept interstellar crime at low levels without the need for personal intervention, the simple reality is that during this time you have never had to deal with a civilization collapsing.

As such, shortly after Admiral Baidan was hired, you ordered her to take action and intensify commerce patrol missions. Over the course of several months, she did just that while adding in false transports filled with Tie Fighters. The few pirates that did enter your space quickly discovered a military that while in the midst of a major overhaul, was far from toothless. Casualty rates amongst your Ties were heavier than normal, but within acceptable limits as they attempted to get used to the wide variety of alterations that had been made in tactics, formations, and individual components and controls within their starfighters.

During the course of these patrols, you were able to capture several fairly poorly made ships. While their quality is such that they would never be allowed to be used by your military outside of exceptional circumstances, they did carry a variety of goods primarily from the core. A few did contain wealth from the Pentastar Alignment, but over the course of weeks, that proportion declined. Nonetheless, Athaen has suggested the idea of extending anti-pirate patrols to nearby worlds, which would help exert some soft influence while also contributing to an image of desiring peace and stability.

*Pirates dealt with. +40 billion credits of loot. New military action to extend anti-pirate patrols to nearby star systems.*

Farryn's Complete Military Overhaul - You hired Admiral Baidan for this reason. To rebuild the military from the ground up. Not a single stone will be left unturned. If there is a technology or tactic out there, it will be investigated and integrated. The sheer amount of work is immense and with the indoctrination within the Imperial Army, you have little doubt that you'll be facing significant resistance due to inertia. But it must be done. Cost: 800 while in progress. Time: 3 turns (25 Turns till Completion). Reward: -50% military strength. Increases by 4% per turn.

(19, 35, 81). Bare Success with minor complications and minor benefits. 1/3 turns locked.

Admiral Baidan's military overhaul has begun to be implemented. Currently nearly all your vessels are in some state of disrepair, with many of them lacking secondary weapons. Additionally, the transition to new variants of Ties and new control systems for your ships have led to many officers and crew members decrying what they view as pandering to nonhumans.

Unfortunately while your military is less humanocentristic than your neighbors, a large majority of them are Empire, which has led to significant pushback to your Enchani admiral's reforms. Complicating the matter was a new uniform that incorporated several safety features including a life support system that would last for 5 minutes in an emergency. There was significant outcry to what the military viewed as replacing their cultural identity, necessitating a recall of the uniform and its replacement with one that looked nearly identical to the current style.

This has revealed one of the inefficiencies in your military industrial complex, namely a lack of true diversity thanks to the monopoly that the Empire built on weapons factories. A proposal to diversify them has been proposed which should reduce the maintenance of your fleet and army by a notable amount. Additionally, there has been talk of designing a new Stormtrooper variant to better fit your circumstances while offering greater protection despite the increased cost such an action would bring. While the proposition is still developing, you can expect suggested designs to be hitting Dr. Nairtuu's desk in another six months.

*Significant pushback from the military, although it is manageable for now. -50 billion credits due to equipment recalls and logistical inefficiencies. New action to diversify military factories.*

Diplomacy: Athaen has settled into her role, and has strongly suggested that she begin hiring lobbyists within other states. Beyond that, you're faced with a plethora of options in regards to what to do. This will take careful consideration. (Choose 2)

Hire Lobbyists in other Empires - Athaen's suggestion, and one you happen to agree with, by hiring lobbyists in other empires, you can help influence their thoughts on your empire. While more effective in the New Republic than your immediate neighbors, there is a second part to lobbying, that being finding the right men to pay. Among you, Voss, and Pallaeon, you have no shortage of knowledge to wield. Cost: 100. Upkeep: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Moderate relationship improvement for all major empires.

(87, 47, 75) Great success with minor benefits.

Athaen has been rather pleased with your priorities for the year, explaining that thus far you are well positioned to take advantage of the death of Nuso Evsa as well as taking a strong stand on piracy. The lobbyists she has hired in other galactic powers have had a considerable effect in making you seem uninterested in the current power struggles in the galaxy, instead preferring to try and ensure stability within your space.

While Kaine does seem to have suspicions, the other powers have turned their attention away from you, instead focusing on the other powers. Additionally, there has been a mild uptick of positive inclination within the Rebel Alliance in regards to the Empire of the Hand, although this was rather quickly reversed thanks to several of your past missions against their organization coming to light. Nonetheless, the democratic nature of the Rebel Alliance, or New Republic as they are now known, has made them uniquely vulnerable to propaganda from your empire.

Athaen has proposed targeting the New Republic in particular due to this weakness, however, she seems to be more inline with deepening the lobbying in progress to lower levels of government. Already a proposal to expand to targeting individual sectors has been proposed, and while you lack the funds to target individual planets, Athaen does believe targeting key worlds would be possible, if expensive.

*Political lobbying in all galactic powers present. New Republic found to be uniquely vulnerable. Other empires view Thrawn as concerned primarily with stability in his areas. New action to increase PR actions in the New Republic unlocked. New action to deepen lobbying to lower levels of government unlocked.*

Begin Taking in Chiss Refugees - While you were banished from your home empire, there is a steady stream of your kind that wanders out of the Ascendancy. Why let them go to your potential enemies when they would be much happier working for a fellow Chiss? Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain a steady stream of Chiss refugees.

(28, 89, 38). Success with minor complications.

You now have a steady stream of Chiss refugees joining your empire. While the numbers are enough for your purposes, you do wish that there were more. Unfortunately, it would seem that the Chiss Ascendancy noticed your actions.

Thankfully for you, they seem to be using your recruitment as a way to ensure that Chiss with problematic political stances in line with yours do not change the cultural stability of their empire. And as a result have put a system in place for this. However, by the same token you expect that attempts to increase the level of immigration from the Chiss Ascendancy would result in a far more hostile response. Athaen has reported that they have made suggestions that doing so would lead to a military task force ensuring that no "traitors" to the Ascendancy tried to hide within your space. Unfortunate, but acceptable.

The Chiss that you have taken in have brought a wealth of information to your empire's R&D complex. There's a number of possible uses for them, including several admirals and generals that have joined your military force. Dr. Nairtuu has already proposed several engineering ideas that would involve hybridizing Chiss and Empire military technologies in conservative fashion.

*Small stream of Chiss immigration to your empire. Further increases possible, but unwise to attempt. Farryn's Officer Retraining Crash Course penalty reduced to 20%. New action to hybridize Chiss and Empire ship design.*

Stewardship: The economy is in shambles with the Emperor's death, and your economic base was already problematic, to begin with. Vipik, thankfully, has ideas. While many of them will not have an impact for years to come due to the nature of infrastructure, you have few plans of invading others over the course of the next few years. Or at least, none that you have shared. (Choose 2)

Anti-Corruption Initiatives - Vipik is no stranger to greed and embezzlement, but while he says some corruption is necessary for a government, the level within your empire is far from acceptable. By introducing a set of sweeping reforms, you will make your empire far more meritocratic even if many high-ranking officials will have issues. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~220 income increase.

(16, 6, 21). Critical failure.

"Vipik, I find myself in the unpleasant situation of requiring an explanation." You keep your voice calm, ensuring a depiction of politeness as you speak.

The Muun before you is nervous, glancing at the datapad that contains their notes. "I … apologize for my actions, I was not expecting such a foolish response."

"There was a firefight, and no less than three greatly influential officials are dead. Do explain how this came to be." A hint of menace enters your tone. While you have read all the reports,- and much of the blame resides squarely on Chares Hilinger's idiotic decisions, Vipik himself has yet to absolve himself of blame.

"Well sir, the initiatives were a success at first, and despite several convictions, we stuck to large fines as opposed to imprisonment to avoid unrest." A mistake in hindsight, although one you can understand from a logical standpoint. "Then we came to the Hilinger family, and while most of them were cooperative, Charles Hilinger attempted to … use a year's worth of drugs in a day." One of the unsurprising aspects of the incident, you would have been surprised if Charles hadn't been addicted to some high end version of Spice. "After which, when these drugs were being confiscated, he hired several low quality mercenary bands to secure them."

"And then you escalated." Your statement is utterly devoid of emotion, spoken as if stating the weather. "5 dead stormtroopers, 30 dead mercenaries, Charles Hilinger perished, along with two of his family members who happened to be visiting."

"That is correct sir." Vipik swallows as you stare at him, waiting until the Muun brakes and volunteers information on the consequences. "Several … wealthy individuals are concerned that we are attempting a purge, and have hidden stockpiles of their wealth, leaving us in the same situation we were at."

"I assume that the economy is in turmoil?" In such events, it almost always is, although perhaps with Palpatine's recent death, it might have been hidden in the galactic recession.

"Not yet sir, but I would strongly suggest we implement the economic stimulus as soon as possible."

*Technically successful, but fears of a purge have led to rich individuals intensifying tax fraud. Firefight within the Hilinger estate leads to the death of Charles Hilinger. Strongly advised Palpatine's Death Adjustments be taken next turn.*

Banking and Finance Reform - One of the Empire's many faults was its nationalization of the Intergalactic Banking Clan. Under new governmental direction, it has become a far more... political entity compared to the prior few centuries, accelerating a trend that began in the decades prior to the Naboo Crisis... That is to say, it is far more corrupt and less efficient than it has once been. With the banks privatized once more (under certain guidelines of course) they will now once more be subject to market forces, and, at least Vipik seems to believe, will reduce our interest rates and encourage the growth of the Empire of the Hand's economy. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Reduce interest rates on debt by one stage (5% -> 2% -> 0.5%)

(75, 19, 4). Success.

Seemingly shaken by the results of his other task, Vipik took to banking reform with a much more cautious approach. While the lack of a central bank does have consequences due to the lending rates, the interest as of now is manageable with the creation of several regional banks. It's an uninspired method, but one deeply rooted in galactic history. There are talks about merging the regional banks into a single central bank, but Vipik is against this, arguing that such a bank would drive private ones out of business. You have your doubts on this, and suspect he might be biased, but for now the situation is acceptable.

Additionally, there seems to be a slight increase in economic recovery due to the increased lending amount within your empire. While it isn't enough to truly make an impact on your GDP, you expect to see a very slight decrease in poverty as a result.

*Interest rates on government debt reduced to 2%. Very slight decrease in poverty.*

Intrigue: Cen Kam has taken to a stereotypical human female appearance while maintaining immense professionalism that you have found to be quite enjoyable. While she has found a number of issues already thanks to her work ethic, there is a part of you that is concerned as to the number of hours she works. (Choose 2)

Restructure Intelligence Agencies - As of now, the majority of your spy network (what little there is) operates using a fairly standard Imperial Intelligence protocol, just like every other Imperial Warlord in the galaxy. As a result, it is vulnerable to infiltration from former colleagues who will know how the organization operates. This must be stopped as soon as possible. Cen Kam will make changes to the structure and protocols of your network to confuse anyone who would use the old ways as a means of bypassing your security. Cost: 300. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Negate enemy bonuses for similar spy agencies.

(48, 29, 55). Success.

The planned restructuring of your agencies has been completed within the allotted time frame and on budget. Cen Kam has been careful to keep you updated on the progress of the restructuring, and you do have a deep understanding of your own organization thanks to her reports.

The new agency has a focus on tiers of security, with different levels of information having increasing security levels on them. Additionally, there has been a transition from centralized reporting and data storage to a more decentralized system which has helped ensure that any security breaches will have less of an impact than normal.

However, this restructuring did lead to one new agent disappearing, which resulted in Cen Kam assigning Philip Sole to an investigation on what occurred. Based on his findings, it seems that a part of your security was breached, and information on your economic policies was leaked. While it certainly could have been worse, Cen Kam has recommended a countersecurity sweep to ensure that no other enemy agents currently reside within your organization. She has admitted that the restructuring has likely flushed them out, but also considers the possibility that some remain to be a non-negligible risk.

Additionally, Agent Sole has managed to track down the direction which the double agent fled, and while he lacks hard evidence, you, him, and Cen Kam agree that the likely culprit was the Pentastar Alignment. You must admit that you underestimated Grand Moff Kaine, it seems that his intelligence services are more competent than initially suspected, even if he has yet to truly penetrate your internal security since the restructuring.

*Agency restructured. Pentastar Alignment agent flushed out.*

Anti-Corruption Agency - While the BIR proposal is a step in the right direction, Cen Kam has an additional proposal to root out corruption. A branch with the most loyal and fanatical of intelligence agents, its task is to root out corruption within your departments. This is something you would rather take sooner than later. Cost: 100. Upkeep: 5. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~150 income increase. Reduced corruption.

(60, 15, 63). Success with minor complications.

The anti-corruption agency is both a success and problem. Perhaps that's being uncharitable, but the corruption within your empire is not just embedded deeply, but rather a product of the empire's economic policies. The amount of centralization encourages bribery and lining pockets, making it a feature rather than a sign of corrupt officials. For these reasons, the fear of a purge was already present, and the firefight in the Hilinger manor only exacerbated issues.

While Cen Kam has created an anti-corruption agency, due to the events surrounding your anti-corruption initiatives, she has been forced to have the agency act in secret. Rather than arresting culprits openly, the new agency liaises with your intelligence services to ensure the disappearances and arrests are quiet, and that settlements are done under the table. And while this does work, it is clear that a much more in depth solution is needed.

Your government needs restructuring, and drift from the policies of the Empire. The Empire of the Hand simply isn't largely enough to do what Palpatine did, and you believe that even on a galactic scale it would be flawed. What you need is a shift from the policies of old to ones that work better.

*Income increased. Pseudo secret police in effect. New action to restructure government. Strongly recommended it be taken due to present inefficiencies.*

Learning: The cloning knowledge that Dr. Nairtuu will be incredibly useful. But you must take advantage of it as soon as possible. As for her other projects, they are rather dull to read but come with an immense amount of information that you slog through nonetheless. In summary, you expect a return on your investment that while minor, will occur regardless of circumstance. (Choose 2)

Cloning Research - Although officially highly illegal according to Imperial law and intensely regulated under Republic law, cloning technology has been progressing in the less... stringent parts of the galaxy for many years. Among the most well-known cloning locations are Lur, Khomm, Arkania, and Kamino. The benefits of such a technology are numerous, largely in medical practice for the replacement of limbs and organs, but also can be used for other purposes. With proper funding, you will put your scientists to work on unlocking its secrets and perhaps even make new innovations in the field. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain further insights into cloning.

(79, 9, 66). Great Success.

Dr. Nairtuu has done what you asked. Using her experience with cloning as well as building on well founded scientific fields, she has managed to achieve variations of the standard cloning template capable of aging at a rate anywhere between 0.8 and 4 times as fast as normal aging. Additionally, she has suggested looking into the Ysalamiri, as they have the potential to allow for unheard of aging rates allowing you to gain immediate access to soldiers within mere months of time.

Moreover, she has managed to reduce cloning costs by approximately 10%, further improvements will require more practical experience, but Dr. Nairtuu is confident in being able to achieve a 25% cost reduction if given time. All that remains is to begin production of clones for the economy or wait until you have redeveloped the original clone template with the improvements that have been discovered.

*Gain ability to age clones between 0.8 and 4 times the normal rate. Reduce cloning costs by 10%. Unlock action to research Ysalamiri in cloning. Once clones begin production, unlock an action to reduce cost further.*

Private Research Grants - One of the problems with the galactic economy is the lack of innovation. While there is good reason for it, there are methods within your government that would slightly help matters. Unfortunately, true discoveries are nigh on impossible, but an increased variety in services and goods are rather likely. The increase in the economy would be quite promising. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~70 income increase.

(66, 61, 71) Great success.

The introduction of private research complexes has been a great success. While Dr. Nairtuu's original goals were relatively conservative, Cen Kam intervened when it became clear that there was a surplus of sites under construction. Using them as political bribes, she managed to somewhat calm tensions among the richest within your empire.

While you would have hoped for other uses for the complexes, namely in the field of civilian development, you can understand her actions. And after a brief meeting in which she explained her reasoning, you simply complimented her initiative and sent her out. As things are, you no longer have to worry about wealthy individuals fleeing your space or beginning some sort of rebellion, although you expect that you should tread carefully to allow them to cool off further.

Nonetheless, it's good that you don't have to give your personal attention to the empire's problems. And the quality of your subordinates thus far has been acceptable.

*Economy improves slightly. Tensions among wealthy families in the Empire of the Hand reduced.*

Lore: While you may understand the rest of your advisors, Kaunas himself, is an incredibly closed-off individual. Cen Kam has expressed concerns over this level of secrecy, but you must acknowledge that openness from a former Jedi would be unexpected. Nonetheless, he's currently demanding that he found a fortress for his order, one that would declare the existence of the order and provide its identity. A part of you wonders if he simply wishes to remake the Jedi Temple in his own way, but another wonders if he's creating a fortress to prevent you from simply attacking his soon-to-be disciples. (Choose 2)

Mundane Training: Although Kanuas wishes for his order to focus primarily on uncovering the secrets of the Force, its members must still be instructed in the less... mystical skills that they will likely need to make use of. Blaster training, field medicine, starship piloting, mechanical engineering, and survivalism are but a few examples of such courses. While it may be wise to wait until their force training is settled, having them focus on the less mystical aspects primarily would be useful. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Trainees get better at non-Force skills.

(??, ??, ??) Failure?

Kaunas' proposal for a training plan on non mystical skills is utterly flawed. Based on an apprenticeship system, it would involve far too many personalized teachers to be viable. It's poorly written with a number of flaws that make you question his teaching skills. Additionally, while Kanuas is skilled at hiding his personal thoughts in person, he's far less capable of doing so in writing.

Based on the language used, it's clear that he was rather cross with your decision to delay the construction of the fortress for the order. You do have some concerns that he intentionally sabotaged what you ordered him to do, although there is little proof that he has done so, and is merely conjecture at this point in time. Nonetheless, there are several problems that need to be fixed.

*Proposed training plan is utterly useless. Thrawn suspects Kanuas is not happy with the order to delay the fortress.*

Ensure A Secular Identity Within The Organization - Xuyul Kanuas intends to produce an order of Force users who will have access to all of its powers rather than being entirely dedicated to one part of the force. However, the interaction between adherents of the "Light" and the "Dark" in the past has had a tendency to erupt into violent schisms, and as a result, much effort will be required to ensure his new students at least tolerate one another. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Reduce tensions between students in the order.

(??, ??, ??) Success with complications?

You have several concerns on the proposed plan to minimize tensions between the light side and dark side users. Kaunas' proposal includes official methods for duels to the death as well as less violent duels to resolve tensions. Your concerns were brushed off by the enigmatic force user, who simply responded with a report that this was done on the advice of Darth Nox, in that official methods to kill other individuals would prevent unrestrained violence.

Kanuas further elaborated that truly avoiding violence was simply impossible, and that your best hope was to regulate it. While your knowledge of the force is lacking, you find yourself increasingly concerned by the behavior of your Force advisor. Perhaps an investigation is in order.

*System for controlled violence put in place for future force users. Thrawn's suspicion rises. New action to investigate Kanuas unlocked.*

Personal: You must admit that there are a myriad of issues to concern yourself with. Nuso Esva is currently engaged by a fraction of your fleet, and while you have successfully tracked Zaarin to To-phalion Base, you have yet to take action against him. With two separate battlefields to pursue, you find yourself having to rely on your subordinates. You do hope that they succeed. (Choose 2).

Create A Custom Bodyguard Unit - Eshu is a fantastic bodyguard. Patient, alert, highly trained, and seemingly never requiring sleep, at least for as long as anyone can see her. However she is still but one person, and in her view, this is not sufficient to protect you. With your permission, she may hire and train additional bodyguards who will both be capable of complementing her skills and functioning autonomously if she were indisposed. Cost: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Elite bodyguard force for Thrawn obtained.

(6, 86, 85) Failure with significant benefits.

Eshu's search for a group of bodyguards for yourself were abruptly put on hold thanks to no less than three credible threats to your life. While the first bounty hunter was found by a patrol around the palace, the fact that he was well positioned for your exit from the palace was a notable concern. Unfortunately, they did manage to make their escape, albeit taking no less than three blaster shots in their escape, and Cen Kam strongly suspects they died shortly after eluding your forces. The second was dealt with after attempting to force their way into the palace, with three stormtroopers dying in the process.

It was the third that nearly succeeded. As you were working on managing several agencies, Eshu suddenly tackled you out of your seat, shortly before a flashbang detonated and what seemed to be a man in Mandalorian armor with grey paint burst through the door, their blaster expertly sweeping the room before peppering your desk with blaster shots to suppress both you and Eshu. Thinking quickly, you managed to blindly snap fire a shot that went wide, catching the Mandalorian's attention long enough for Eshu to peek out and return fire.

A shot glanced off his armor, before they used a concussion projector, throwing her out of cover enough for them to fire a poorly aimed snap shot as your emergence from behind the desk with a blaster forced them to take cover. Despite this, Eshu did still take a blaster wound to the shoulder, forcing her to switch to her backup pistol. After a moment of trading blaster fire, the shots from the Mandalorian quieted down, and 60 seconds later, a squad of stormtroopers was in the room with you, with a medic attending to Eshu's wounds.

The Mandalorian in question was never found, and while an extensive investigation has taken place, and a part of their infiltration method was discerned, there is little more information on them besides what you could put together. Nonetheless, the investigation took up some of your personal attention for the past few months.

The bounty in question goes by the name Solus, clad in grey for grief, they're specialty is in assassinations, and they're famous for mostly killing just their targets. Unfortunately, their record is marred by several firefights when their stealth skills failed them. Beyond that, you suspect that you could track them if you were willing to devote resources to the task. But you're also inclined to decline pursuit. After all, the bounty on your head is no longer there, so the chance they would attack you again is nonexistent.

Unfortunately, Eshu's injury did force her to remain in a bacta tank for several weeks, as the blaster had scarred her lungs. You are rather impressed at how she was nonetheless able to operate at what seemed to be partial efficiency, and your own opinion on her skills has increased as a result.

*One of the three assassins wounded Eshu, preventing her from conducting this action. The experience, however, was able to further secure your palace. 1 assassin confirmed dead, 1 suspected dead, 1 escaped without any suspected injury.*

Complete Security Overhaul - It is times like these where it is very clear that Eshu Tenrar was once an assassin of impeccable quality. According to her, within only a week of exploration, she has found two avenues to allow your demise within your personal home, and if a contract killer worth their salt was given the task of killing you there would be months for them to find more. If given the resources, she could redesign the palace into a veritable nightmare for any would-be hitman to overcome... You just hope that the aesthetics remain pleasing. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Palace completely swept and security holes closed.

(42, 77, 46). Success boosted into Critical Success.

With the stress test that your palace was given, it's little wonder that the palace has been substantially strengthened in terms of security. You have even secured several Droidekas to act as hardpoints in case of siege.

Not a single portion of the palace has gone unexamined by your own eye, and on a number of occasions, you found yourself treating it as an exercise of your own. If you had full knowledge of your palace, how would you kill yourself?

It made for an entertaining puzzle, and it helped alleviate your concerns that another assassination attempt might be more successful. Every time you came up with a possibility, new additions were added. Now, nothing short of a full scale invasion would allow for enemy agents to assassinate you. Except for perhaps an agent on the level of Bobba Fett or Luke Skywalker, and even then they would certainly die in their attempt to escape.

*Palace utterly secured thanks to practical experience gained. No need to worry about assassinations within it.*

Daemon Hunter · Jun 30, 2021

Internal News

Terrorist Attacks Fail to Undermine the Empire - Despite no less than three assassinations attempts on Emperor Thrawn, the wonderful ruler of ours has brought peace and stability at a time of great unrest. While other empires struggle within the chaos, Emperor Thrawn marches forward to the future, uncaring of such petty grievances such as pirates. Even the tragic deaths of the Hilinger family in a drug bust has failed to move the economy, which will surely remain strong in future years.

Internal Economic Memos - With all due respect Emperor Thrawn, the reporters out there are terrified of incurring your wrath. This quarter is going to be horrible for financial results for companies out there, I would dare say that if we do not take immediate action we will experience an empire-wide depression that we may not recover from. I urge you to take my advice and pass several economic stimuli to forestall the problem. - Oldolor Vipik

Traitor Zaarin Trapped - The former Grand Admiral Zaarin, a traitor of the highest order, and perpetual thorn in the side of Emperor Thrawn has run out of room to run. Our very own Admiral Voss has trapped him at To-phalian Station, where he awaits reinforcements to deliver an entirely one-sided defeat to the traitor. With the reforms to the military, the forces Grand Admiral Zaarin brings will be crushed.

Voss' Letter - I need reinforcements now. Pallaeon's victory let me pretend that our military is nearly three times as strong as it is, but if Zaarin tries to break out, this fleet is going to die. If possible, I highly recommend you take command. With your presence, Zaarin doesn't stand a chance at surviving.

The Unknown Regions

Victory in the Unknown Regions - Despite the predictions of numerous self-proclaimed experts, the warlord known as Nuso Evsa was slain in a heroic showing by Admiral Pallaeon. With the victory, many detractors of the military reforms have been revealed to be the fools that they are. There have been several victory marches in the streets with billions celebrating the death of a warlord that gated the Unknown Regions. Millions have taken on plans to take advantage of the warlord's death, with several small enterprises hoping to grow wealthy over the next few years.

Disaster at Lwhekk - Despite being pushed back to their homeworld by the Chiss Ascendancy, the vile aliens have barely managed to push the Chiss off their homeworld. Despite taking grievous losses, so that the arrival of a New Republic fleet nearly killed what was left, the fact that the Ssi-Ruu still retained enough of a military force to remain a threat is concerning. In response, the Chiss Ascendency has mobilized a large fleet and army and has begun hiring mercenaries for the upcoming conflict.

The Pentastar Alignment

The New Republic Decries Perceived Overreach - Taking his cues from our very own Emperor Thrawn, Grand Moff Kaine has taken action to police his region of space, bringing stability to thousands of systems. Despite this, the New Republic has declared his good intentions to be mere power grabs. This editorial journal, The Hand's Mouthpiece, decries this blatant insult to the good Grand Moff Kaine, who has repeatedly demonstrated leadership skills second only to our own Emperor Thrawn.

Pentastar Business Boom, Seek New Avenues of Wealth - With a massed investment into business and education, the economy of the Pentastar Alignment has surged nearly 20% in two financial quarters. With so much wealth flowing through millions of businesses, Kaine has sought avenues for economic expansion. With his fleet focused on protecting those unable to defend themselves, he has turned his eyes to the greater galaxy, and with other factions rejecting his offers, he has turned to the Empire of the Hand. Offering a series of generous trade deals, all he asks is for continued peace in our time, along with a meeting with Emperor Thrawn. A truly generous man.

[CLASSIFIED] - My apologies Emperor Thrawn, but I suspect there are Pentastar operatives we have yet to find. Based on the psychological profile I have of him there are two possibilities, the first is that he has an agent within our armed forces. While this is the less likely scenario, I must urge caution if you aim to strike at Kaine in the future. The more likely scenario is that the agent which Agent Sole tracked discovered the possibility of an economic crash, and he seeks to make you think more positively of him. Or, if the psychological profile is wrong, he seeks to exploit this empire. - Sender Classified.

The Galactic Empire

Disintegration - With Palpatine's death, chaos reigns. Interim emperor Sate Pestage has taken the throne in his place, and the Empire has begun to fall apart. No less than three factions have broken off, the Pentastar Alignment, Greater Maldrood, and the Zsinj Empire. With the New Republic about to take offensive actions, many doubt if the Empire will survive the coming years.

Piracy Explodes - Economic woes and surplus military gear have led to a disastrous situation, where thousands of ships and fleets have turned to piracy to maintain lavish lifestyles. Savaging the core and unaligned systems, they have proven to be an endemic problem with no solution in sight. Planets cry out for assistance, but the Galactic Empire seems to ignore their cries. Surely our Emperor Thrawn would be able to manage better. Just look at the Empire of the Hand and its lack of pirates.

The Zsinj Empire

New Technologies in Use - Operating a new version of the Tie, Zsinj has shown that even with the miracles of technology that are present, there is still more that can be made. Smaller, more maneuverable, and better armed, it demonstrates that a new age of warfare is upon us. But while he has a mere single new ship, the Empire of the Hand shall field a full suite of them soon.

Zsinj Readjusts Priorities - After a series of disagreements with the Pentastar Alignment, Zsinj has turned his attention upon Greater Maldrood. While the leaders used to be coworkers, they have demonstrated several incompatible desires that have led to mild disagreements.

The New Republic

The New Republic Founded - Formerly known as the Rebel Alliance, the New Republic has been formed out of the provisional government. Using an outdated and inefficient form of government, they have the audacity to declare a return to the era before Palpatine. Truly short-sighted and foolish, many wonder how long it will be until they collapse.

Rumors of Extragalactic War - Tales of aliens from beyond the galaxy at war with each other have spread. Information is scarce at this time, but surely this is simply delusions. They do not live near the Unknown Regions and have little clue what horrors are truly out there. However, the presence of Luke Skywalker, General Organa, and Han Solo have given us pause that this is truly a fake claim.

The New Republic Seduces Trillions with False Promises - With diplomatic outreach and false promises, the New Republic has seen millions of worlds turn towards it. Giving this much power to individual planets is surely going to lead to rebellion as it did with the CIS. How long will it be until this empire collapses upon itself? Experts proclaim that it will be the first of the major powers to fall.

Daemon Hunter · Jul 2, 2021

The first half year of your rule has passed, and you must admit that the galaxy appears to be less stable than you had initially hoped. Zaarin remains at large, and the Ssi-Ruu appear to be a more dangerous threat than you had initially anticipated. Your economy is nearing collapse, and you have deep suspicions as to Kaine's reasons for requesting a meeting.

But by the same token, your victories and opportunities are equally as profound. Nuso Evsa has died, and you stand to learn from his own technologies. While Zaarin lives, you are confident that you can make his new fighters yours. While the Ssi-Ruu live, the Chiss Ascendancy seeks mercenaries to supplement their fleet. While your economy nears collapse, there is a complete governmental restructuring possible to shift from the Emperor's own policies.

There is much work to do, and you would say that it is too much at times. Things must change, and thankfully, you understand how to make it so. For you are Thrawn, the new Emperor, and you will reshape this galaxy as you see fit.

Absent-mindedly, you glance at your bodyguard, noting that she displays no signs of her injuries. You don't react in any discernible way to her well-being, but you admit that it's good that her injuries weren't permanent. She's too valuable to simply be lost.

Current Military Strength: -46%

Military: Admiral Baidan has been extremely excited by the reforms underway. The Enchani is a perpetual ball of energy, going from report to report, barely even noticing your presence when you arrive. At this point in time, she seeks to continue her reforms, although she acknowledges that further disruption to the command structure may be unwise with the battles against Zaarin that will take place. That is, unless you personally take command. While Pellaeon is maneuvering his forces to join Voss, the two of them may not be enough on their own. (1 Locked. Choose 1)

Extend Anti-Piracy Patrols - With the success of your border security measures, and the large amounts of pirates in the galaxy, you have an opportunity to bring stability to the area around you, while also strengthening your reputation for desiring stability. While an inherently less efficient method than aggressive posturing, it is also less likely to result in outcry from other major powers in the galaxy. Cost: 260. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Extends anti-pirate patrols. Boost reputation. Possibly gain territory and systems.

[LOCKED ]Farryn's Complete Military Overhaul - You hired Admiral Baidan for this reason. To rebuild the military from the ground up. Not a single stone will be left unturned. If there is a technology or tactic out there, it will be investigated and integrated. The sheer amount of work is immense and with the indoctrination within the Imperial Army, you have little doubt that you'll be facing significant resistance due to inertia. But it must be done. Cost: 800 while in progress. Time: 1/3 turns (1/25 Turns till Completion). Reward: -50% military strength. Increases by 4% per turn.

Farryn's Officer Retraining Crash Course - There is little use in creating an entirely new fleet if the officers themselves remain as they are. This will involve a massive retraining of existing officers and crew members, with new academies being temporarily constructed to enable the intake of trainees. You have little doubt that many will grumble at a return to the academy, but how else can they learn the finer points of war learned by literally thousands of civilizations. Cost: 800. Time: 2 turns. (20 Turns till Completion). Reward: -20% military strength. Increases by 2.5% per turn.

Farryn Stealing Zritru's Ideas - In a blatant display of stealing Rey Zritru's ideas, Admiral Baidan has proposed a variant of her proposal concerning droids. Instead of replacing the army, she would instead integrate droids at every level she can. B1 droids as manual laborers, modified Vulture droids to carry cargo, and Droidekas as mobile turrets. The cost, however, is utterly ruinous, as you would have to build entire industries devoted to droid production. Vipik thankfully has proposed several additions that would allow for some uplifts to occur alongside them, earning more economic growth than you might expect. Cost: 4000. Time: 1 turn. (10 Turns till Completion). Reward: -10% military strength. +5% military strength per turn.

Rebuild Command and Supply Centers - With the sudden lack of central power within the galaxy, the hierarchy of your forces is in chaos. In order to conduct major offensives without suffering due to poor communication, the command and supply centers must be rebuilt and redesigned for the current state of affairs. If you can avoid major wars, then you could get away with delaying this, but if a major war occurs, you would suffer without these supply lines. Cost: 250. Time: 1 turn. Reward: No penalties during major wars due to poor supply and communication.

Systemic Fortification Construction Stage 1 - Your navy is … anemic. With a mere 300 vessels and 100 times that many planets, any war would see your worlds being taken in short order. Ships are far too expensive, and so your only option is defensive installations. Voss did make this as his brainchild, and thanks to your advice, this first stage will cover worlds of importance as well as those positions near potential hostile forces. Cost: 400. Upkeep: 4. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Fortifications on key worlds and those in danger capable of repelling minor fleets on their own.

Expand the Fleet - Until reforms begin and progress for some time, expanding the fleet is a foolish idea. Cost: Variable. Upkeep: Variable. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Expand Fleet subvote. (Cannot be taken until reforms progress)

Expand the Army- Until reforms begin and progress for some time, expanding the army is a foolish idea. Cost: Variable. Upkeep: Variable. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Expand Army subvote. (Cannot be taken until reforms progress)

Ensure Border Security - With your proximity to both the Unknown Regions and to the Core, you have little doubt that adventurous parties will begin raiding nearby areas. While your own forces may be adequate, with the upcoming reforms, they will struggle to maintain their patrols. An increase in resources would allow for much more thorough anti-piracy measures but would last only as long as funding was provided, along with military vessels. Cost: 130. Takes a portion of your fleet and tasks them to anti-piracy duties full-time. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Much greater bonus to combating piracy.

Begin Aggressive Negotiations - Athaen was displeased at the suggestion of aggressively expanding into minor powers before she even had a chance to build your reputation. At the same time, there are several hundred planets ripe for conquest if you so choose. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: +1000 planets.

Start a War - Some would consider war to be suicide at your current strength. But you see another way. Be it the Pentastar Alignment or the Empire itself, you can see a tightrope to dominance. But any war at this point in time will be a risk, and that is something you do not like making. Not to mention the sheer damage it would do to Athaen's plans. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Go to war subvote.

Begin Raiding Nearby Worlds - A war would be a step too far at this point in time, instead, raiding is a much safer choice. It will weaken your enemies, and allow you to fund your rather extensive projects. However, Athaen's plans will be set back significantly, even if she has hesitantly said she might have an idea on how to manage it. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Begin raiding subvote.

Explore the Unknown - This is a risky proposition, to say the least. The Unknown Regions are filled with nightmares that have plagued the Chiss for an eternity. But they are also an untapped resource waiting for an empire with enough strength to begin harvesting those resources. Perhaps you can manage it. Cost: 26. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Explore 2000 systems in the Unknown Regions.

Send Forces Against the Ssi-Ruu - Extragalactic threats are certainly a problem. As one of the many who live within the galaxy, it is in your best interests to ensure those threats are dealt with. One such race is the Ssi-Ruu, a dangerously xenophobic species that must be dealt with. With the Chiss Ascendancy hiring mercenaries, you have an opportunity to assist.. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Send forces against the Ssi-Ruu subvote. Various amounts of wealth.

Create an NBC Stockpile - While the galaxy tends to abhor these kinds of weapons, it is better to have them and not need them, than need them and not have them. In any case, a strategic stockpile of these weapons will certainly come in handy for any existential threats to your empire. Cost: 60. Upkeep: 20. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Create an NBC stockpile for future use.

Tie Replacement - Replacing your Tie fighters with superior Tie Defenders and Tie Avengers would be one way to improve upon your navy without needing to construct additional capital ships. However, this may prove redundant considering Admiral Baidan's reforms. But it is a good way to increase your military strength quickly. Cost: 800. Upkeep: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Replace Tie fighters and bombers with Tie Avengers and Defenders.

Allow Foreign Observers - Voss and Pellaeon nearly called you insane for even suggesting this as a possibility. While this would create security holes within your forces, Cen Kam is confident that she can ensure that such leaks are minimized to non-Classified data. The major problem would be that it would prevent any real offensive actions from being taken, and would ensure that other empires know about your modernization program and weakness. Cost: 130. Income: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Minor diplomatic gains with the Pentastar Alignment and Empire. Moderate gains with the Rebel Alliance.

Military Sponsorship Program - Vipik's suggestion is a useful one, allowing for a formalization of corruption in a manner that makes it no longer corruption. By having payments in exchange for favorable patrol routes, your forces would naturally make your important worlds secure at the cost of those that provide little. However, with all that there is to do, is it truly worth it at this point in time? Cost: None. Income: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Create a sponsorship program where wealthier donations lead to increased patrol density. Increases security on important worlds while neglecting poorer ones.

Military Intelligence Restructuring - Your military intelligence department while adequate could be improved upon. Taking ideas from Cen Kam, Admiral Baidan has suggested that the Clawdite work on rebuilding this branch in addition to her own work on your intelligence agencies. An increase in information gathered during wars is certain to be helpful, and the increased security would allow you to hide information from your enemies with greater ease. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased information on enemies during wars. Less information on your battle plans leaked.

Historical Review and Monitoring of Officers for Merit-Based Promotions - When it comes to internal promotions, meritocracy is the ideal, but with your forces deriving from the Empire, it isn't truly realistic. Dr. Nairtuu suggested that creating a department within your military to ensure meritocratic policies flourish would help remove the effect prejudice had within your forces. While it certainly is expensive, over the course of the years, you would see a rise in your military capabilities. Cost: 400. Upkeep: 400. Time: 1 turn (10 Turns till Completion). Reward: +0.5% military strength per turn.

Lay the Foundation for Force Wielders within the Army and Navy - One of former Jedi Kanuas' suggestions, you see little use for this until the order is founded. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Usage of Force Wielders within the Army and Navy subvote. (Cannot be taken until the order is established).

Diplomacy: Athaen is rather pleased with current events and seeks to capitalize on the events of the last six months. According to her, you have already been depicted as a tyrant seeking stability by a number of independent news media, and by taking advantage of it to run a propaganda campaign, you can further influence the galaxy as a whole to your viewpoint. She strongly encourages that you take advantage of this while you can. (Choose 2).

Deepening Lobbyists - With the success of your lobbyists, deepening their hold is a logical next step. By targeting politicians on sector scales, where the bureaucracy is both less and more prone to corruption, you can spread your own message to a wider base. However, each individual politician takes more effort to effect, leading to an increased cost. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Moderate relationship improvement in other empires.

Targeting New Republic Senators - The New Republic is uniquely vulnerable to lobbying. Combined with propaganda and hiring propaganda agencies on democratic worlds, you could act to sway the opinion towards the Empire of the Hand as a whole. While this would inherently target just a single empire, you do expect the New Republic to become the foremost power in the galaxy within a matter of years. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Major relationship improvement in the New Republic.

Cultivate a Particular Reputation - One of the many ways to build an empire is to control what it portrays. Adjusting propaganda broadcasts, changing priorities for diplomats, and retasking military forces would allow you to decrease the prominence of your empire within the galaxy while still wielding soft power. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Empire of the Hand viewed as less of a threat.

Renormalize Diplomatic Relations - With the galaxy as it is, contacting empires is difficult, especially when many do not view others as legitimate. Renormalizing relations would allow you to get ahead of the many issues that would otherwise plague you. It wouldn't do to act in ignorance after all. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Renormalizing relations subvote.

Get in Touch with the Underworld - Eshu Tenrar and Cen Kam both have ties to the underworld. Through them, and by contacting the Hutts, you can establish relations with the underworld, and gain some excellent advantages. And with the recent assassination attempts on your life, perhaps securing some additional safety is for the better. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Underworld contacts subvote.

Contact Banking Guilds and Clans - With the expenses involved in rapid redevelopment, it only makes sense to contact banks for loans as Vipik suggested. By extending offers to external banks, it would allow for lower interest rates, and the possibility of simply refusing to pay should the situation develop poorly. Perhaps some will even go bankrupt before your payments are due. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Lower interest rates on debt by one stage (5% -> 2% -> 0.5%).

Insert Espionage Agents into the Diplomatic Corps - A low priority suggestion from Cen Kam, but adding agents into the diplomatic corp would help ensure that lower-level intelligence leaks less. While it certainly wouldn't prevent it all, it would manage to reduce the quantity by a significant margin. Cost: 100. Upkeep: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Reduced information on broad actions taken by your empire available to others.

Stewardship: Your economy stands on the verge of collapse according to Vipik, and he has been extremely insistent that you must adjust for Palpatine's death immediately or face dire consequences. Your governmental budget is also far outside of what he would hope for, but you have accepted it as a fact of life. One must spend money to make money after all. The only question is, what shall you do over these following financial quarters? (Choose 2)

Diversify Centers of Production - The military reforms underway have shown that your military-industrial complex is essentially a single monolithic entity. While this may help standardize equipment, it has led to several inefficiencies in production that have helped increase costs. By building a large number of factories, along with establishing several new companies, the cost of military equipment and maintenance will fall accordingly. Cost: 1000. Time: 2 turns. Reward: Reduce military ship and equipment costs by 10%. Reduce maintenance by 10%. ~150 upkeep reduction.

Complete Governmental Reform - Recently, it has come to your attention that the problems faced by the Empire were far deeper than you had initially considered. What is needed is a thorough restructuring of your government, and you expect the sooner you do this, the better. With the number of options available to you, this will take time to decide upon, let alone implement. Cost: Variable. Upkeep: Variable. Time: Variable. Reward: Reform government subvote (taking this action does not lock it in)

Education Investment - By heavily investing in education, you know that the economy will improve. But Vipik suggests a project that is massive in scope. Setting up a new department within the government dedicated to schooling, it would endeavor to ensure consistent high-quality education for years to come. But that quality comes at a large monetary cost to your already strained coffers. Cost: 1000. Upkeep: 1000. Time: 3 turns (40 Turns to Completion). Reward: Increase income by ~140 per turn for 40 turns.

Adjusting for Palpatine's Death - With the economy in chaos, action must be taken. Changing the tax system along with many minor adjustments would allow you to successfully navigate the chaos that his death caused while the economy recovers. However, the stimulus the economy needs will most certainly be costly, almost to the point of making you wonder if it is necessary. Cost: 600. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~220 income increase.

Targeted Uplifts - Your empire isn't the most developed. And uplifting worlds is an incredibly expensive process that takes decades for an investment to be recouped. But Vipik would be remiss not to offer this as a possibility. Even without the minor economic growth, the 5% increase in shuttle production capacity and maintenance facilities would allow for increased strategic flexibility. Cost: 2500. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increase maintenance and shuttle shipyards by 5%. +25 income.

Government Subsidies For Small Businesses - The backbone of any modern economy is, unlike what some may believe, not its major corporations. They simply form the majority of revenue. It is the everyday, simple business owner who keeps the greater financial situation stable and allows for real growth over time... if the conditions permit them to do so. The Treasurer proposes a subsidy on these ventures, with the intended goal being a greater rate of employment among the adult population and thus greater long-term gains. Cost: 2000. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~300 income increase.

Begin External Colonization - The Unknown Regions are fraught with danger, containing a myriad of threats to greater galactic civilization. As a former officer of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, you know this better than the vast majority of sentient beings, but where there is a risk, there is also opportunity. The Unknown Regions are home to many exotic technologies and rare resources, which might be put to your benefit if you wished. Send colonies out beyond known space and you will be handsomely rewarded... if they survive. And you should ensure they do. Cost: 1600. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Colonize 1000 worlds to the level of Tie production.

Bureau of Internal Revenue - Collecting taxes is a topic of great difficulty for governments. By creating a linked branch between intelligence services and the treasury, you could ensure that taxes collected each year are accurate. Cen Kam is willing to work overtime assisting with the creation of the BIR, and the increased revenue would be welcome. Cost: 400. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~225 income increase. Tax fraud is now harder.

Public Cloning Facilities - An inspired idea, if one prone to some ethical grumbling by some individual. By creating clones to serve as menial laborers, you could drive down labor costs and increase company profits, leading to an economic boom. While some may have issues with the exploitation of organic labor, and low-skilled workers will find themselves out of a job, the value of wealth for your burgeoning empire cannot be understated. Cost: 800. Upkeep: 8. Time: 2 turns (20 Turns to Completion). Reward: Increase income by ~70 per turn for 20 turns. Increases poverty.

Intrigue: Cen Kam has settled into her role and is looking into various empires in order to better train her agents. She encourages you to further develop the agency by improving standards. Beyond that, she has suggested a countersecurity sweep be done out of caution, especially if you meet with Kaine. (Choose 2)

Look into Kanuas - Your spymaster has put together a proposal to look into your force user's background. While this would have problems, namely in the necessity to investigate events that took place a decade prior, it may need to be done. Either way, you wish to know more about the light and dark side user. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn? Reward: ???

Use Your Command Codes - While your command codes are certainly out of date, you know how bureaucracy functions. While they will be less useful than they would have been six months ago, you could still gain something if you act now. However, your actions will be noticed, and the Empire may take offense. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain information, wealth, and contacts in unknown amounts. ???

Begin Recruiting Aliens - The lack of aliens within your intelligence services is an utter tragedy. While the Empire was xenophobic, this is just wasteful and must be fixed. Intelligence agents need to be able to infiltrate. And a Twi'lek on Ryloth is far less noticeable than a human. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain alien infiltrators. Remove malus for operating on alien planets.

Countersecurity Sweeps - By conducting a large and thorough sweep, you can attempt to remove any hidden spies, defectors, and bugs within your government. You're certain to find many, but you're also certain to miss at least some. Nonetheless, it may be a worthy cause. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased counterespionage bonus for the turn.

Setting Up Galactic Intelligence Systems - With the Galactic Empire being splintered, the previously existing ISB has likewise fallen into disarray, and many agents have abandoned their posts entirely or are working for one of your rivals. Thus, you must form a new network of information, and that begins, as expected, with the basics. Informants, gossips, and the military scuttlebutt are the best place to start. This is expected to provide you with the broad strokes of future policies regarding external organizations. It is hardly grand but still infinitely better than nothing. From there, more professional intelligence gathering may be attempted with the right incentives for our new contacts. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 20. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Low-level intelligence ring created.

Increased Agency Standards - Cen Kam is incredibly meticulous, and she expects this standard from her operatives and underlings. You happen to enjoy competent subordinates, so you certainly see her point. By introducing a thorough assessment process and retraining, your intelligence service's skills would improve. However, they would need to have a larger training budget as a result. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased bonus to espionage rolls.

Learning: Dr. Nairtuu's research into cloning, while useful, remains somewhat limited. Nonetheless, there are a plethora of projects available to you, and some may have to be delayed as a result. You have cloning tech to research, along with two new proposed options for researching improvements to your fleet. At this point in time, you seem to have no shortage of upgrades to choose from. (Choose 2)

Hybridize Empire and Chiss Designs - With the stream of Chiss refugees, among them come those with technological knowledge on Chiss design philosophies. If combined with Empire technologies, you could see a new generation of ships that would compound with the current military reforms. However, for the immediate future, only fighters and lighter vessels would be viable to construct, with heavier vessels having to wait until the reforms complete. Cost: 50. TIme: 1 turn. Reward: Hybridized Designs.

Research Nuso Evsa's Fleet - With the capture of numerous alien vessels comes a rather simple oppurtunity. Reverse engineering the technology within. Unfortunately, these ships lack any true technological breakthroughs, but there are still components that you can take and learn from. While this will be mainly a series of minor gains, that does mean it is within Dr. Nairtuu's personal specialty. Cost: 50. TIme: 1 turn. Reward: Slight increase in military strength.

Research the use of Ysalamiri for Cloning - While you can make clones that age at four times the normal rate, that would necessitate a 5-year latency for training. For elite units that would be acceptable, but for the normal units, that simply cannot remain. You must have a more resilient and quicker process if you are to truly weaponize cloning. Thankfully, there exists a method. The Ysalamiri. Cost: 50. TIme: 1 turn. Reward: Drastically accelerated cloning.

Incremental Army Improvements - As a Kaminoan who worked on the Clone Army decades ago, Yewe Nairtuu has experience in how to train an elite fighting force as well as how to grow one. With time she believes she can implement a series of minor changes to our instructional doctrine, thus creating more effective soldiers. One of the benefits is that she requires a comparatively small amount of funding to succeed in this regard. However, it will only be noticeable after multiple years of effort. Cost: 50. Time: 1 turn. Reward: +1% military strength.

Incremental Navy Improvements - Your Chief Researcher has recently come to you with a series of training protocols used by the Grand Army of the Republic for its naval crews. Her preliminary comparison of modern Imperial and old Republic courses indicates that over time, different sections of the various curriculums have become more and less effective. If given the time, Yewe believes she can achieve a synthesis of the two which will produce finer crewmembers over time, but so as to ensure that no skills are lost, she plans to do so very gradually and under very close monitoring. As a result, there will be little difference until the project has been underway for multiple years, but it can be assured that the programs will not worsen. Cost: 50. Time: 1 turn. Reward: +1% military strength.

Incremental Economic Improvements - Although not her field of expertise, Yewe Nairtuu has, over the past two decades, taken an academic interest in the Galactic Empire's financial institutions and the history of the interstellar economy. With a small grant, she believes she can find ways to improve the effectiveness of your fiscal policies. In time, she believes that she can make the Empire of the Hand's economy the most robust in the galaxy... in time. Cost: 50. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Slight GDP rise. +??? to income.

Clone Wars Era Clone Template - It is Nairtuu's belief that the Grand Army of the Republic was the most well-trained and disciplined organic fighting force in galactic history. Although perhaps an exaggeration, it is no secret that the Clone Troopers far outpaced the skill of traditional military forces, in part due to the quality of their template, the deadly Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett. If given enough time, it is believed that Fett's DNA can be recovered and used to create another elite corps of soldiers, this time in your own service. Cost: 100. Time: 3 turns. Reward: Gain the ability to reproduce Clone Troopers.

Attempt to Remake or Rediscover Death Star Technology - The Deaths Star was a station that could have been incredible if used properly. As it was, it was one of the Empire's greatest mistakes, but the miracle of technology that it was cannot be understated. There are aspects of it that you can learn from, and perhaps, you may one day be able to wield them on the battlefield. Cost: 400. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Look into Death Star technology, see what parts you can implement.

Attempt To Remake Mon Calamari Vessels - For a species that has not had a history of military-grade starship design, the Mon Calamari have produced a truly wondrous series of spacefaring vessels, known most for their powerful redundant deflector shield systems. With the right motivation, it should be possible to develop a similarly effective model of starship for the Empire of the Hand. Cost: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Progress towards using Mon Calamari designs for your fleet.

Research Countersecurity Improvements - One of the many vulnerabilities in security are electronics. Astromechs are a plague on well-built systems, and while there are methods to avoid this issue, many of them are kept closely guarded secrets. Funding research into the field would be a worthwhile use of funds. Cost: 400. Upkeep: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased bonus to countersecurity.

Chronicle Force Techniques and Sects - A suggestion by Kanuas, and one he wants to be done immediately, a thorough chronicle of the force's use in the galaxy would be useful for both military purposes and for the founding of a force order. While he may view this as necessary, you feel as if it is far less important than he might think, and could certainly wait if you so chose. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain a comprehensive summary of the force's use in the galaxy.

Look into [write-in] - While you have a plethora of projects, at times you wish for a more hands-on approach. By directing the research arm of the government towards particular projects, you can investigate areas that you might have left fallow. Cost: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Varies

Lore: Kanuas continues to insist upon a fortress for the order, and you are tempted to grant him his desire. However, there is some suspicion that perhaps your advisor may not truly have your best interests at heart. This was something you had already expected, as with his past, you would have been surprised if he had simply let go of his distrust of the Empire. You do have a theory that he spent much of the previous year setting up an escape route. But for now, you have orders to give him. (Choose 2)

Integrate Jedi And Sith Techniques - As a possessor of one Sith and one Jedi Holocron each, Kanuas has a great deal of experience in the practices of both organizations. This will allow him to most readily include a wide variety of abilities. However, the tensions between the light side and dark side users will be a problem. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Trainees begin learning actual force techniques.

Fortress For The Order - Just as the Jedi and the Sith have had their own temples and enclaves throughout the ages, Kanuas desires that the same be constructed for his own order. In this time of conflict, defensibility will be a more significant factor in its design than usual, but it will still possess all of the facilities required to further the students' education. However, you suspect that his desire for a fortress stems from another factor that he has yet to share. Despite this, his insistence on the importance of this action must be taken into account. Cost: 200. Time: 2 turns. Reward: Fortress for the order. Order name subvote.

There's a Deeper Mystery Here - One of the questions that you've come to ask is why is it that Kanuas can use both the dark and light sides of the force with seemingly no issue? There's extensive literature on why such a thing should be impossible. And while this will certainly anger Kanuas, an investigation must occur. However, if Kanuas' trust was first gained, then such an investigation would be more likely to succeed. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ???

Personal: Perhaps you have taken a more active stance than you should have. Your involvement with galactic affairs gives you little time nowadays. And with the current state of affairs, you find your time monopolized. Kaine is unlikely to take rejection well, and so his meeting is an important aspect to consider. Not to mention that it will not be a single meeting, but rather several over the course of months. Then there is Zaarin, someone that remains at large, and someone that Voss suggests you take care of. Perhaps you should, but you also suspect that Pellaeon may be enough if you are willing to take an admittedly significant risk. (Choose 2)

A Meeting With Kaine - Kaine has done well for himself in the immediate aftermath of the Emperor's death. A wealthy empire, distant from the New Republic, one that has had time to fix its economy and military forces as well as create a semi-competent intelligence arm. Neither of you two like the other enough for a social visit, and so there is a much deeper connection that Kaine wishes to discuss. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: A meeting with Kaine.

Take Command - While Admiral Baidan may be the leader of your military forces, you are simply a superior commander. Take control of your military for a short period of time, and take action against your enemies personally. While your threats do remain small, and you remain confident that your forces can likely slowly deal with them. A personal touch would ensure that they are dealt with, and if your military reforms begin, such an operation would be far more difficult than normal. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Thrawn takes personal command of the Empire of the Hand's forces.

Spend Time With - Your circle of advisors, although clearly very skilled, are also not very known to you personally. You have their files of course, but those do not necessarily grant insights into their true personalities. Take some time to get to know one of your close contacts outside of pure business. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Spend time with subvote.

Personal Attention - You have found that one of the tasks you have resolved to undertake is in need of a more direct touch. You will take a personal interest in this activity to ensure it succeeds... or in the more pessimistic view, does not fail too horribly. Cost: None. TIme: 1 turn. Reward: Applies Thrawn's bonuses to a particular action in addition to your advisors'.

Create An Art Gallery - While you certainly do not advertise your appreciation for the creative fields, it is no secret that you enjoy the study of art. While your personal collection is indeed of impeccable quality, it is also somewhat small for your tastes. With only a comparatively small budget you can open a proper art gallery and museum, not only for your benefit but for all who might take an interest in more cultured pursuits. Cost: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Create a basic art gallery.

Create A Custom Bodyguard Unit - Eshu is a fantastic bodyguard. Patient, alert, highly trained, and seemingly never requiring sleep, at least for as long as anyone can see her. However she is still but one person, and in her view, this is not sufficient to protect you. With your permission, she may hire and train additional bodyguards who will both be capable of complementing her skills and functioning autonomously if she were indisposed. Cost: 10. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Elite bodyguard force for Thrawn obtained.

Bodyguards For Other Advisors And Agents - "No man is an island" is a saying common across the galaxy. It is so common in fact that no linguist or historian has yet been able to trace back its origin. Regardless, it certainly holds true, and it would behoove you not to heed those words. While you are well-protected courtesy of your bodyguard and some of your compatriots are indeed capable of defending themselves, it would be irresponsible not to ensure that such vital personnel are kept safe. Eshu has proposed that she get into contact with trustworthy individuals who can fulfill a similar role for your advisors and VIPs as she does for you. Cost: 100. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Advisors and admirals given skilled bodyguard forces.

GM Note: 4 hour moratorium.

Daemon Hunter · Jul 6, 2021

There comes a moment in many events where you feel victory's light upon you. This half-year has brought that feeling upon you, but it is often when one is closest to victory that one falters. No, to truly ensure that this galaxy becomes yours, there is much you can still do.

While your intelligence arm grows in reach and skill by the day, and your military supply line grows simplified, and while your force order stands ready to be born, there are other parts of your plans that must adapt. Your economy narrowly avoided a depression over the last few months thanks to Athaen's efforts, and a portion of your military has delayed your military reforms due to their own reservations.

You stand at the precipice of glory and victory, and you shall ensure that you seize the opportunity while you can. And with Kaine's arrival in a few short days, you will be one step closer to your ideal goal.

Military: Admiral Baidan has been extremely excited by the reforms underway. The Enchani is a perpetual ball of energy, going from report to report, barely even noticing your presence when you arrive. At this point in time, she seeks to continue her reforms, although she acknowledges that further disruption to the command structure may be unwise with the battles against Zaarin that will take place. That is, unless you personally take command. While Pellaeon is maneuvering his forces to join Voss, the two of them may not be enough on their own. (1 Locked. Choose 1)

Rebuild Command and Supply Centers - With the sudden lack of central power within the galaxy, the hierarchy of your forces is in chaos. In order to conduct major offensives without suffering due to poor communication, the command and supply centers must be rebuilt and redesigned for the current state of affairs. If you can avoid major wars, then you could get away with delaying this, but if a major war occurs, you would suffer without these supply lines. Cost: 250. Time: 1 turn. Reward: No penalties during major wars due to poor supply and communication.

(88, 96, 65) Critical Success with Major Benefits.

Baidan's work on rebuilding your command and supply centers has exceeded your expectations. Rather than merely shifting these centers to a more localized system, she took the opportunity to massively expand the scope of her assignment. While most admirals would have been satisfied with following orders, she took her assignment not as a mere rebuilding of these centers, but as an entirely new industry being created.

The maintenance of military supply lines is a thorough and complex process that involves dozens of industries and hundreds of companies. Dozens of companies supply the raw materials, several more refine them, many more create the weapons, and even more distribute them. Admiral Baidan's innovation stems from the individual parts within the many weapons and vehicles used by your army.

Increased standardization is something that militaries dream of, but are never able to do due to the costs associated with a ground-up rebuilding of their armies and navies. But your empire is already in the middle of such a complete rebuilding, and so you have an opportunity that few others have. As a result, your military-industrial complex has a new layer.

First, the raw materials are mined across thousands of planets before being refined into processed metals and alloys. Those materials are then used to create standardized parts used in your military's weapons. While this was done to an extent already, now it is a core component of the military. Only once these standardized parts are made are they assembled into the finished weapons and armor before being sold. While it is impossible to have fully standardized parts, the ones you have managed to make have already reduced your military's upkeep costs substantially.

*-25% military upkeep. Lowered effectiveness of sabotaging your military factories. Removes penalties due to supply and communication issues.*

[LOCKED ]Farryn's Complete Military Overhaul - You hired Admiral Baidan for this reason. To rebuild the military from the ground up. Not a single stone will be left unturned. If there is a technology or tactic out there, it will be investigated and integrated. The sheer amount of work is immense and with the indoctrination within the Imperial Army, you have little doubt that you'll be facing significant resistance due to inertia. But it must be done. Cost: 800 while in progress. Time: 1/3 turns (1/25 Turns till Completion). Reward: -50% military strength. Increases by 4% per turn.

(3, 81, 17) Failure with Major Benefits.

The soon-to-be former Admiral stands before you, as you patiently hide your true thoughts as he speaks. "This proposal is an abomination Emperor Thrawn, I respect Grand Admiral Baidan's skills, but she seeks to destroy our hard-earned image."

"Explain it to me, Admiral Essbook. What about this diminishes your image?" You know the answer of course, but it's the nuances in his answers and voice that allow you to truly understand his true feelings and thoughts.

"When one gazes upon an Imperial Star Destroyer, they instantly know what it is. The bridge, standing up above, resolute and impervious, strikes fear in the hearts of our enemies. This is a symbol the Empire built over the years, and now she seeks to replace it with another."

It's a symbol, but more importantly, it's a part of the culture of the Empire. A remnant of the Tarkin doctrine, you stand up, turning from the Admiral and instead looking behind you, to a depiction of your empire's symbol, one that shows a hand grasping opportunity. Tarkin sought to crush it, you, however, are more suited to turning enemies into assets. "I will take your advice into consideration Admiral Essbook." Turning towards him, a sardonic smile graces your face, "unlike most, I understand the value in culture."

He leaves, certain that you view the Empire's culture as he does. He views the Empire's posturing as something to be aped and drawn from, something that defines his career and his philosophy. To him, the shift in bridge design from threatening to practical was something that took away from his very being. It is foolish, and it keeps him stuck in the past, and you have no need for such incompetents in your navy.

By the next day, he is no longer a part of your navy, along with several thousand officers that are similarly stuck in the past.

*Action makes no progress this turn. +2% military strength due to improved bridge design and more flexible officers.*

Diplomacy: Athaen is rather pleased with current events and seeks to capitalize on the events of the last six months. According to her, you have already been depicted as a tyrant seeking stability by a number of independent news media, and by taking advantage of it to run a propaganda campaign, you can further influence the galaxy as a whole to your viewpoint. She strongly encourages that you take advantage of this while you can. (Choose 2).

Renormalize Diplomatic Relations - With the galaxy as it is, contacting empires is difficult, especially when many do not view others as legitimate. Renormalizing relations would allow you to get ahead of the many issues that would otherwise plague you. It wouldn't do to act in ignorance after all. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Renormalizing relations subvote.

(57, 35, 48)

Renormalizing diplomatic relations was a lengthy process, but one with minimal risk. Tracking the various disagreements and wars was simple, but also hid intricate nuances. The conflict between Zsinj and Maldrood for instance did not lead to such tense relations as did the New Republic's relationship with the Zsinj Empire. If one took this at face value, then one would inevitably fail to realize the interconnected nature of the galaxy and would miss the more subtle details.

Then there were the more problematic groups of the galaxy. Namely the Hutts. No one sane liked them, and you understood why. They were a disgusting race, one whose culture was built on instability. They profited from it like parasites. But you couldn't deny that they did so well. And even if you found them off-putting, you couldn't deny the potential opening relations with them would bring.

But if you truly wanted a more problematic contact, there were the slavers of the galaxy such as the Zygerrian Slave Empire. Through them, you could occasionally gain highly skilled labor, but such relations came with similar problems to the Hutts, but greater in scope. This was something to consider.

*Options for renormalizing relations posted shortly*

Contact Banking Guilds and Clans - With the expenses involved in rapid redevelopment, it only makes sense to contact banks for loans as Vipik suggested. By extending offers to external banks, it would allow for lower interest rates, and the possibility of simply refusing to pay should the situation develop poorly. Perhaps some will even go bankrupt before your payments are due. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Lower interest rates on debt by one stage (5% -> 2% -> 0.5%).

(100, 27, 5) Critical Success.

You avoided asking Athaen for an in-person report on what occurred. As the weeks progressed, she was initially excited about what negotiations were leading towards, and mentioned the possibility of several banks extending far more favorable deals than you ever expected. Then your economy crashed, as Vipik mismanaged the stimulus package intended to prevent this very thing. And those negotiations pivoted to a series of stimulus packages from external bankers, which barely prevented disaster.

To say that Athaen was livid would be an understatement. While she was remarkably calm in her report, and extensively factual about it, you noticed one line in particular that demonstrated her irritation, "In summary, long term gains have had to be sacrificed to ensure short term stability." Over the last year, you have learned more about Athaen, and what you have discovered aligns with your intentions.

She is an individual dedicated to long-term gains. One that understands that empires can rise and fall in mere years and that those empires are forgotten with time. No, the empires that everyone knows about, are the ones that lasted centuries. Those are the empires that truly matter, and those are the ones she seeks to build.

This explains her regular visits with Grand Admiral Baidan. The reforms to the military that are being undertaken bring your empire long-term gains at the expense of short-term investments. And thanks to how this meshes with her own philosophy, the friendship between the Bothan and Echani was born.

*Interest rates reduced to 0.5%. Crit success prevents depression. Knowledge of Athaen's last trait gained. Knowledge of Athaen and Farryn's friendship gained.*

Stewardship: Your economy stands on the verge of collapse according to Vipik, and he has been extremely insistent that you must adjust for Palpatine's death immediately or face dire consequences. Your governmental budget is also far outside of what he would hope for, but you have accepted it as a fact of life. One must spend money to make money after all. The only question is, what shall you do over these following financial quarters? (Choose 2)

Complete Governmental Reform - Recently, it has come to your attention that the problems faced by the Empire were far deeper than you had initially considered. What is needed is a thorough restructuring of your government, and you expect the sooner you do this, the better. With the number of options available to you, this will take time to decide upon, let alone implement. Cost: Variable. Upkeep: Variable. Time: Variable. Reward: Reform government subvote (taking this action does not lock it in)

(??,??,??)

Your government is bloated in areas where it should be lean, and lean in areas where it should be large. Palpatine's goals do not align with a truly productive empire, even if they do align with an empire in which he is the only ruler. In truth, you wonder if he expected to live forever, or if he might still be alive. If there was some way to come back after death, it would explain quite a few of his decisions.

The government reform mainly concerns how much you should decentralize the various branches as well as how much government intervention is required in the economy. For the former, a more centralized government would give you ultimate control and ensure that you are the only power that exists, but it would be less able to adapt to circumstances. Decentralizing it would make it more flexible, but it would also cede control and be less efficient due to coordination issues. As for the level of intervention in the economy, that comes with a large number of various trade-offs that must be considered in detail.

*Government reform subvote to be posted*

Adjusting for Palpatine's Death - With the economy in chaos, action must be taken. Changing the tax system along with many minor adjustments would allow you to successfully navigate the chaos that his death is caused while the economy recovers. However, the stimulus the economy needs will most certainly be costly, almost to the point of making you wonder if it is necessary. Cost: 600. Time: 1 turn. Reward: ~220 income increase

(2, 24, 37) Failure with complications.

You set your office carefully for this meeting. Eshu standing behind you with her weapons holstered, several reports placed meticulously on your desk, and Vipik arriving at an extremely specific time as you were reading a particular report on the state of your financial sector. It takes you several seconds to finish it, time in which Vipik stands nervously, unsure if he should remain standing or take a seat. It's a power play, and one you normally avoid. But Vipik has had the unfortunate luck to displease you.

You place the report onto your desk, before turning your head slightly so that the corner of your eye catches the Muun's attention. "Please, be seated."

He does so, and silence reigns in the room. Vipik breaks first as he tries to explain himself. "Emperor Thrawn, I have nothing to offer but my apologies."

It's a good sign at the very least. Vipik's behavior continues to show that he feels responsible for the near-disaster and that he expects to be punished accordingly. If you were Palpatine, you have little doubt that the Muun would wish for his own death. As it is, while Vipik has struggled thus far, you are not the type to waste assets due to poor luck. "See to it that this doesn't happen again." But you are also not the type to allow incompetence to remain in power. "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but thrice is enemy action." You lean forward, Vipik swallowing nervously. "If this pattern continues, you will find yourself needing a new job."

You can see the question cross through Vipik's mind. 'Does that mean my life isn't in danger?' But you can also see that he knows better than to draw attention to it. Good, if he did, then you would have little use for him. Subordinates that can see past what is said are the bare minimum of competence you expect. "That's … rather generous of you." Ah, flattery it seems. Not the worst choice he could have gone with, but one that certainly isn't the best.

You hold up a hand, stopping his train of thought once more. "Vipik, I have no need for flattery. You would be better served with a truly honest depiction of events. I am not as unstable as the rulers of the past."

Vipik then proceeded to paint a picture of an economy more problematic than he had initially expected. With the drastic increase in military spending came a hiring spree from a variety of companies. This in turn, when combined with the economic difficulties faced by companies, meant that there was a labor shortage. Unwilling to raise wages, a number of these companies found themselves starved out, not due to poor revenue, but rather due to being unable to recruit enough workers. With the Empire historically lacking any such care for the unemployed, this statistic was missed when planning the stimulus, leading to an economic crash.

Thanks to the addition of large amounts of capital from both Athaen's deals as well as Vipik authorizing additional stimuli, the market did stabilize and recover, but the underlying problems have yet to be resolved. The Muun has suggested funding a grant for increased automation in the workforce, which would require yet another expensive program to be introduced. In summary, extremely frustrating, but not unrecoverable.

*Economy crashes before recovering thanks to critical success in diplomacy. -400 billion credits due to reduced tax income and additional stimuli. New action to increase automation unlocked. Economic depression remains imminent.*

Intrigue: Cen Kam has settled into her role and is looking into various empires in order to better train her agents. She encourages you to further develop the agency by improving standards. Beyond that, she has suggested a countersecurity sweep be done out of caution, especially if you meet with Kaine. (Choose 2)

Setting Up Galactic Intelligence Systems - With the Galactic Empire being splintered, the previously existing ISB has likewise fallen into disarray, and many agents have abandoned their posts entirely or are working for one of your rivals. Thus, you must form a new network of information, and that begins, as expected, with the basics. Informants, gossips, and the military scuttlebutt are the best place to start. This is expected to provide you with the broad strokes of future policies regarding external organizations. It is hardly grand but still infinitely better than nothing. From there, more professional intelligence gathering may be attempted with the right incentives for our new contacts. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 20. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Low-level intelligence ring created.

(89, 98, 99) Ludicrous critical success.

You've checked this report three times by now, wondering if it is the most outrageous attempt at exaggerating one's success you have ever seen. Every time, the information in front of you refuses to change. At your side, Eshu speaks up, a rare break in her almost endless silence. "Cen wouldn't fabricate this."

"No, she wouldn't." Cen Kam's reputation from her days as a bounty hunter painted a picture of a meticulous woman, and these reports had all the hallmarks of her normal work. There was simply too much detail within it to leave it a fabrication.

But… this changed all of your plans, and you felt a manic smile grip you.

For a moment, you thought of changing your empire's symbol to a hand grasping the galaxy before dismissing it. That sort of prideful statement would only harm your future actions. Especially now that you had the greatest spy network in the galaxy.

A layman would expect an intelligence agency to be composed of hundreds of agents hidden within another nation. A more intelligent individual would know otherwise. Your intelligence agencies in particular rely on two important facts about sophonts. Greed and laziness.

Everyone is greedy, this you know intimately well with your studies into art and culture. The vast majority have depictions of wealth as something to strive for, and the average sophont believes in a similar manner. For a slight bit of money, they'll be willing to look aside for minor inconveniences.

But this is only the secondary aspect of psychology that your intelligence agency exploits, no, the true exploit comes from laziness. People fall into routines, and in those routines, they seek to optimize effort. Passwords chosen for convenience rather than security, missing slight changes to an astromech droid, not noticing the janitor being different from the one from yesterday. This is what your spy agency is, many low-level agents with passwords from a level far above them, as well as a wide variety of direct access to networks within all levels of government.

The New Republic is compromised by your agents, the Zsinj Empire is compromised, the Pentastar Alignment is compromised, Greater Maldrood is compromised, and the Empire is beyond compromised as you reread a particular line for the fifth time, and you genuinely laugh.

'The Empire has announced in an internal memo that Philip Sole, formerly associated with the Empire of the Hand, is the new director of intelligence.'

*All major powers have Tier 4 intelligence rings within them. The Empire has a T5 intelligence ring. (Intelligence ring tiers depict information access: T1 is low-level info, T2 is low confidential, T3 is low classified, T4 is all classified besides top-secret, T5 is everything). New actions to deepen espionage rings to T5 in major powers. Command Codes action modified. Launch coup in the Empire action available. Prepare for coup action available. Loot the Jedi Temple action available. Expanding the spy network to minor powers action available. Expanding the spy network to the underworld unlocked. Expanding the spy network to the Chiss Ascendancy unlocked.*

Increased Agency Standards - Cen Kam is incredibly meticulous, and she expects this standard from her operatives and underlings. You happen to enjoy competent subordinates, so you certainly see her point. By introducing a thorough assessment process and retraining, your intelligence service's skills would improve. However, they would need to have a larger training budget as a result. Cost: 200. Upkeep: 200. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Increased bonus to espionage rolls.

(56, 97, 98) Critical success boosted into ludicrous critical success

When your spymaster requested the funds for an agency-wide training program you did not expect her to overhaul the entire organization. With her connections in the underworld, she was able to gain access to some of the finest espionage talents in the galaxy who would typically have become agents for the Hutts and had them take over underperforming networks. Within half a year, there was no member of your agency who could not pass for a million and one other people in every level of society.

But that was simply one part of the training. Drilling in the principles of slicing was another, as was the necessity of always having an escape route. If an agent within your intelligence services had a weak spot, it was ruthlessly drilled out of them. By the end of 4 ABY, you found yourself with an intelligence arm with no equal, one that you were truly pleased with. And it would only improve from here.

*New agents equal to other empire's top agents. Scales up from there. Counterintelligence organization quadruples the time for enemies to take action against you. +1 intrigue action due to quality.*

Learning: Dr. Nairtuu's research into cloning, while useful, remains somewhat limited. Nonetheless, there are a plethora of projects available to you, and some may have to be delayed as a result. You have cloning tech to research, along with two new proposed options for researching improvements to your fleet. At this point in time, you seem to have no shortage of upgrades to choose from. (Choose 2)

Research the use of Ysalamiri for Cloning - While you can make clones that age at four times the normal rate, that would necessitate a 5-year latency for training. For elite units that would be acceptable, but for the normal units, that simply cannot remain. You must have a more resilient and quicker process if you are to truly weaponize cloning. Thankfully, there exists a method. The Ysalamiri. Cost: 50. TIme: 1 turn. Reward: Drastically accelerated cloning.

(28, 55, 60) Success.

From the report you received, Dr. Nairtuu has had surprising success in creating functioning clones thanks to the presence of the Ysalamiri. Rather than years, an adult vat-born human could be produced in a matter of days and weeks. However, although this process does not suffer from the psychological instability present in previous attempts, more resources will be required to find a training regime that will be able to keep up with the growth rate of these new clones.

Several suggestions for future projects related to clones have been proposed, with Vipik practically chomping at the bit for the cheap labor they provide. Meanwhile, Dr. Nartuu has proposed looking into flash memory technologies in order to accelerate the training process. While she has given some thought to dealing with the rapid aging problem, she has yet to truly come up with a solution.

*Can make clones with up to x500 acceleration. Public Cloning Facilities modified. New action to research flash memory unlocked.*

Chronicle Force Techniques and Sects - A suggestion by Kanuas, and one he wants to be done immediately, a thorough chronicle of the force's use in the galaxy would be useful for both military purposes and for the founding of a force order. While he may view this as necessary, you feel as if it is far less important than he might think, and could certainly wait if you so chose. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Gain a comprehensive summary of the force's use in the galaxy.

(87, 23, 99) Critical Success.

It is to your disappointment that you did not previously have such access to the histories and artifacts of those ancient, Force-worshiping religions scattered across the galaxy. Their arts and philosophies are intriguing yet... difficult to parse. Perhaps this is due to lacking the innate "Force sensitivity" of their members. Regardless, you are now the owner of what is likely the largest collection of relics and knowledge from Force Sects across time and space with the exception of Coruscant, and this has granted you a greater understanding of how to defeat them.

You also expect that this new museum will help Kanuas train his students, who he has stated he is ready to begin recruiting and training thanks to his recent discoveries. Based on some of your own calculations, you expect that this will lead to a decrease in training time of approximately 25%. You do hope he makes good use of this boon.

*Large museum for the force built. Force order training times decreased by ~25%. Thrawn's trait "The Artist" modified*

Lore: Kanuas continues to insist upon a fortress for the order, and you are tempted to grant him his desire. However, there is some suspicion that perhaps your advisor may not truly have your best interests at heart. This was something you had already expected, as with his past, you would have been surprised if he had simply let go of his distrust of the Empire. You do have a theory that he spent much of the previous year setting up an escape route. But for now, you have orders to give him. (Choose 2)

Fortress For The Order - Just as the Jedi and the Sith have had their own temples and enclaves throughout the ages, Kanuas desires that the same be constructed for his own order. In this time of conflict, defensibility will be a more significant factor in its design than usual, but it will still possess all of the facilities required to further the students' education. However, you suspect that his desire for a fortress stems from another factor that he has yet to share. Despite this, his insistence on the importance of this action must be taken into account. Cost: 200. Time: 2 turns. Reward: Fortress for the order. Order name subvote.

(??, ??, ??)

Xuyul Kanuas remains a mystery to you, his past is shrouded and you have not ordered an investigation into him due to the difficulty it would run into. However, the quality of his blueprints remains a surprise to you. Even a cursory glance at the designs for Kanuas' fortress shows an unexpectedly high standard of defensibility without compromising functionality. With his temporary disappearance, you wondered who was supervising construction until you found that Darth Nox was doing so, his holocron watching over the project day after day.

The temple itself will consist of several complexes, each with its own wall surrounding them. Beyond that, there is one outer wall with many automated weapons. In the area between the complexes and outer wall are hundreds if not thousands of traps, each designed to maim and kill. It's a nightmare that you would hesitate to invade and makes you deeply respect Darth Nox's own skills.

*Very defensible temple under construction. Designed by Darth Nox with construction being supervised by him.*

Integrate Jedi And Sith Techniques - As a possessor of one Sith and one Jedi Holocron each, Kanuas has a great deal of experience in the practices of both organizations. This will allow him to most readily include a wide variety of abilities. However, the tensions between the light side and dark side users will be a problem. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Trainees begin learning actual force techniques.

(??, ??, ??)

Holocrons from your understanding are data storage devices containing a personality copy of their creator as well as their memories. These Gatekeepers serve as guides for Jedi and trials for Sith who would attempt to open them and are prized for their knowledge almost to the same degree as their living counterparts would be. Thus, it was quite a surprise that Kanuas was able to recover a dozen of them, each one effectively equal to a Sith Lord or a Jedi Master in the knowledge they could offer. From your advisor's comments, the six blue cubicle Holocrons were of the Jedi while the six crimson pyramidal Holocrons were of the Sith

Where he got these from, he refused to say. From the similarities in design, the Sith Holocrons came from a similar time period to Darth Nox, but the Jedi holocrons were far more unique, coming from different eras in history. You are starting to suspect that his relationship with Darth Nox is far deeper than you initially thought, and whether that is good or bad remains to be seen.

*6 Sith holocrons from Nox's era recovered. 6 holocrons of Jedi through history recovered. Trainers for the order found.*

Personal: Perhaps you have taken a more active stance than you should have. Your involvement with galactic affairs gives you little time nowadays. And with the current state of affairs, you find your time monopolized. Kaine is unlikely to take rejection well, and so his meeting is an important aspect to consider. Not to mention that it will not be a single meeting, but rather several over the course of months. Then there is Zaarin, someone that remains at large, and someone that Voss suggests you take care of. Perhaps you should, but you also suspect that Pellaeon may be enough if you are willing to take an admittedly significant risk. (Choose 2)

A Meeting With Kaine - Kaine has done well for himself in the immediate aftermath of the Emperor's death. A wealthy empire, distant from the New Republic, one that has had time to fix its economy and military forces as well as create a semi-competent intelligence arm. Neither of you two like the other enough for a social visit, and so there is a much deeper connection that Kaine wishes to discuss. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: A meeting with Kaine.

(??, ??, ??)

Kaine's goals have been revealed to you thanks to Cen Kam, and you find yourself in the unique position of respecting the man. Unlike many of the galaxy's powers, he seeks to reduce the number of potential foes he may face. And you are the first step in the process. You are a trial for him, a subject in an experiment.

If it wasn't such an advantageous experiment for you, you would be insulted, but Kaine's goals are clever. He seeks to make himself too valuable to go to war with. And he hopes to do this through trade.

His empire is far larger than yours, and so this is the perfect situation for him. To his empire, the funds are notable, but not a significant part of his income. To yours? It would be a windfall of massive proportion. You suspect a full 10% surge to your economy assuming it doesn't collapse into a recession. If it did … you would have many problems. Namely with the Pentastar Alignment buying up low-value capital.

Meanwhile, Kaine has a more personal gift as well. Truthfully, you see little point in the gesture, but you suppose that you understand why he would consider it valuable to you. That being the Mandalorian named Solus that nearly killed you a few months ago. You quite frankly don't care for them either way, they were simply doing a job after all.

For the actual meeting, you're faced with a choice, do you simply act as if you have no idea what his plans are, using what details he reveals to gain an advantageous deal, or do you blatantly show the knowledge your intelligence arm has gained?

[] Hide your knowledge of his plans
[] Use the knowledge of his plans

Take Command - While Admiral Baidan may be the leader of your military forces, you are simply a superior commander. Take control of your military for a short period of time, and take action against your enemies personally. While your threats do remain small, and you remain confident that your forces can likely slowly deal with them. A personal touch would ensure that they are dealt with, and if your military reforms begin, such an operation would be far more difficult than normal. Cost: None. Time: 1 turn. Reward: Thrawn takes personal command of the Empire of the Hand's forces.

(No rolls)

It has been a few months since your last command excursion, and you expect this to be dealt with swiftly. Zaarin had an opportunity to win if he had pushed against Voss, but his fear and lack of information on your own empire left him ill-prepared for the force you bring to bear.

*End of Zaarin subvote to be posted*

GM Note: 4 hour moratorium.

User	Total
Daemon Hunter	18
TirelessTraveler	2

The Empire of the Hand - A Star Wars Legends Quest

The Empire of the Hand - A Star Wars Legends Quest (DEAD)

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