Stop: This is not a thread to pick fights with each other.
The Empire of the Hand - A Star Wars Legends Quest
A Meeting With Kaine
- Location
- Elsewhere
[X] Hide your knowledge of his plans
Kaine's arrival is a grand affair. A military procession escorts his guards and him, while the streets towards your palace are lined with civilians celebrating the upcoming deal. It's entirely a show, one meant to give Kaine what he desires, respect and an acknowledgement of his strength.
Allowing his armed guard into your palace serves a similar purpose, it's meant to make him feel in control, to flatter him further. Your pride may sting at this moment, but you're no fool. One of your empire's assets as well as weakness is its size. You are overlooked at this point in time, and you strive to play the part of such an empire, regardless of how much power you truly wield.
When he arrives within your decorative office for these events, you're standing, with a single bodyguard to his squad. Another layer to the meeting, enforcing the status of your respective empires. You catch his eyes as he glances towards Eshu, then to you, appraising and analyzing. It's similar to your own, and you find yourself hoping that this will be far more interesting than you initially expected.
He speaks first, his voice calm and steady. "Thrawn, I hope these talks end with a mutually beneficial arrangement."
You smile, "of that I have no doubt Ardus." And he begins his games as well, understandable after all, if he had called you Emperor Thrawn, you would have several questions to ask. "Take a seat if you would."
You stand aside, sitting behind your desk as you speak, Ardus takes a moment, wondering what game is being played now. Then he sits himself, deciding that your actions just now served no purpose other than to distract him. "My proposal for the two of us." He holds out his hand, and the bodyguard behind him hands him a file. He reaches out, giving it to you before you begin to read it.
A few additions are new to you, along with several minor tweaks to the wording. Both of your diplomatic and economic divisions of government had been working on this treaty for quite some time. You read through it all, soaking in key insights as you piece together a puzzle that your intelligence agency had already solved through other methods. But that was the conundrum of intelligence, if you used it, then others would know that you know.
Ardus Kaine, a masterful politician, one that seeks power and is terrified of losing it. A man that played an entirely different character to gain it, in the culture of the Empire, that told you much of what his goals were. He wishes for a long term stable power base.
Your mind drifts as you simultaneously read through the legalese of the proposal as well as decipher Ardus himself. This is far too passive if he wanted to start an invasion, nor would it allow for a coup. His agent was invested in your economic policies, so perhaps this is a way of undermining you economically? No, it's too generous for that, and you know he knows you would notice if he tried. Informal non aggression?
Hmm, it fits the treaty, but the details escape you. A tad unfortunate that you would have to openly use your intelligence agents to exploit them, but you're satisfied with the level of detail you were able to extrapolate purely from what Ardus let you know. "I'm surprised that you were concerned about an attack from me. You outnumber me 100 to 1."
His reaction is enlightening. He doesn't stand shocked or surprised, instead he scowls. He expected you to discern this, it would seem. "I know you Thrawn, and I don't want you as an enemy." He leaves an implied, 'and you don't want me as yours' hanging in the air as he waits to hear your counteroffer.
"Allow me to increase the tariff to 20% and we have a deal." It's a minor change on paper, but it allows you to gain more income while also making the Pentastar Alignment be a key part of your wealth while also reducting the chance they can subvert your economy.
You see Ardus consider the proposal, debating if revealing his capture of Solus would sweeten the deal. In the end, he slowly nods, accepting the deal.
*+8% economy from massive trade imports. ~700 income increase due to tariffs and increased tax revenue.*
Queens of Battle (+10 Used)
Warmach1ne32
Machine of War and Quests
- Location
- Indonesia
@Daemon Hunter Here is the first omake of this quest featuring the excitable Farryn and the capable Yewe as they develop an adaptable and modern standard issue Blaster line for the EotH. The title is a reference to the Infantry being called the Queens of Battle along with both Yewe and Farryn being the people who win battles, by developing better weapons in the lab and actually winning battles in the field respectively.
Now the subject matter for this quarter is developing a new standard issue blaster for the Empire of the Hand's troopers and a replacement for the E-11. While the E-11 is an great blaster, it does have its short comings in open battle and isn't going to work with your plan to standardize the entire Empire of the Hand's military thus the plan to create new blasters.
You oversee development of the new standard issue blaster and gave the engineers several criteria for the new blaster to accomplish. It needs to be as light or lighter than the Republic DC-15S Carbine, have standardized parts, have two times the muzzle velocity of the E-11, an adjustable stock, and have a quick and easy system to stick attachments to the blaster.
The result is the M1 Assault Blaster, a sleek blaster made with a polymer casing 840mm long and weighing 4.4 kilograms. It is longer and heavier than the E-11 and is more comparable to the DC-15S used in the Clone Wars however its insulating polymer construction makes is much noticeably lighter than a similar blaster of that size. The Tibanna gas cartridge is stored in the stock which can hold 500 shots before needing to refill and the battery pack is attached in front of the trigger and able to hold a charge of up to 100 shots. It also contains a Power Setting for stun, semi-auto, burst-fire and full-auto.
However there are 2 main features that makes this blaster unique, the first is the new Hyper Rail Barrel that allows the M1 to launch bolts at 70 meters per second, twice the muzzle velocity of the E-11 resulting in a more precise and powerful blaster that can hit targets at longer ranges and against moving targets as the troopers don't have to lead their shots as far while also having an effective range of 200 meters, two times farther than the effective range of the E-11. The drawback is that it consumes 1.5x the energy to power the Blaster Module and the Hyper Rail to launch it thus requiring the larger power cell to maintain the same amount of shots of the E-11.
Finally a new feature that you are especially proud of, since you designed it yourself, is the new Farryn Rail system. This will allow the blaster to be easily customizable by making customizable attachments easy to attach from electroscopes, to glowrods, or an angled grip for a comfortable and stable weapon. So long as the attachment have a Farryn Rail, it can be attached to the M1 Blaster. Having the E-11's cooling rail system underneath the Farryn Rail also helps in cooling the weapon.
Of course any Admiral would be satisfied with what the M1 can accomplish, however you are not like most Admirals. You want to push the M1 even farther, how could it be done you may ask? well the idea came about while developing the Farryn rail system and the various different attachments that could be attached and replaced in the field, like a wide open sight for storming buildings in urban areas and then replacing the sight with a high powered optic for engaging enemies outside the building. Then I wondered if it was possible to go even further to transform the M1 from a DC-15S Carbine to a DC-15A Blaster rifle.
Thus you decided to pay Yewe a visit to see if something like what you envision is even possible and to see if it is possible to further optimize the design while your design team work on a carbine for urban and close quarters battles inside naval vessels. Your arrival at the Research Facility goes without a hitch and you quickly get escorted into one of the facility's conference rooms. You make sure there aren't any listening devices anywhere in the room and after that you set up your presentation for Yewe to look over. All those presentation projects the Academy dumped on its cadets finally paid off it seems. After 15 minutes of waiting Yewe arrived in the conference room with a pad in her hand.
You quickly rose from your seat and shook her hand "Yewe, thanks for agreeing to meet with me, I know that you have a fairly tight schedule."
"Yes, I am very sorry for the wait, we were in the middle of running an experiment when you arrived."
"Its fine, gave me time to sweep the room for any listening devices and set up the presentation. Now lets get down to business, the reason for this visit is to ask if you can optimize the design of the new M1 Blaster and to see if it is possible to switch out the carbine barrel with a sniper barrel on the field." You activate the holoprojector to display a model of the new M1 and disassemble it into its various components.
"The idea of turning a carbine into a long ranged rifle is certain a new one. What brought this about?" You and Yewe spent the several hours discussing the various points of the M1 and the both of you somehow managed to design a quick release system to change the barrel and upper receiver with a Sniper variant named the M1-LR.
It has all of the features the M1-AB, but improved capabilities specialized for long range. To convert an M1-AB into the M1-LR, the marksman have to activate the quick release mechanism and remove the upper body and barrel from the lower body and stock and replace it with the LR segment from the marksman's pack. It is estimated that a Marksman can convert the blaster in 30-40 second and can go much faster with practice or having someone else help. It is estimated that the M1-LR can reliably hit a humanoid target of up to 400 meters away with its longer barrel and high powered electroscope. The best part is that M1-AB and M1-LR have 75% of their part be interchangeable reducing the strain on logistics to supply specialized parts and even then, the Marksman can make do with an M1-AB if an M1-LR is unavailable.
Once the both of you are satisfied that there is nothing that can be improved upon until better technology is developed the both of you decide to finish the meeting. Farryn will have the Engineering department built several prototypes of testing and submit the test data for Yewe to analyze in greater detail at a later date. And so you left the research facility with satisfaction as you helped shaped what is most likely a new era of warfare.
The next piece of equipment to reform is for the Imperial Army and Stormtroopers is close quarters blaster for urban and boarding actions. However you feel that the E-11 can do the job just fine and you can wait a couple years before having to replace it, those years would be better spent reforming other aspects of the military first, most notably the navy. You feel that you'll need all the time you have to reform the navy in the event of delays due to idiotic old timers wanting to die to rebels than staying alive.
AN: Special Thanks to Generation Tech youtube channel for a lot of the Star War's military info I need for this omake, especially the reference to someone from Wired who calculated the velocity of a blaster to be 36 meters per second (from "10 Reasons why Firearms are BETTER than Blasters"). The M1 is based on the US's M27 IAR and M1-LR is based on the the Sabre Assault from Future Weapons but I couldn't find a picture so I had to settle for the H&K G28 which is the DMR version of the M27 and is from from the same manufacturer. I had to google search the effective ranges of the E-11 and half the effective ranges of the M27 and the G28 to simulate blaster tech having horrible range compared to slugthrowers. The speed of a blaster was 36 meters per second which is slower than a Delorean or a fast ball, its probably the reason Jedi had an easier time deflecting it. Having a faster blasters would at least make it harder for the Jedi to keep up. Let me know what you think of this omake and if you spot any mistakes in the lore.
Queens of Battle
There are very few things Farryn Baidan enjoys more than solving problems, and restructuring the entire military arm of the Empire into the most efficient and dangerous fighting force in the galaxy will be the biggest puzzle of her life. There are so many things to consider, from basic equipment and vehicles to the training and uniform. After hours of debate and brainstorming with Thrawn, we have a clear picture on what the Army and Navy is going to be structured and equipped with. While you were upset at having to redo the uniforms, Thrawn did manage to kick out those naval officers that thought having a bridge that can be blasted by enemy vessels or bombed by X-Wings is a great idea.
Now the subject matter for this quarter is developing a new standard issue blaster for the Empire of the Hand's troopers and a replacement for the E-11. While the E-11 is an great blaster, it does have its short comings in open battle and isn't going to work with your plan to standardize the entire Empire of the Hand's military thus the plan to create new blasters.
You oversee development of the new standard issue blaster and gave the engineers several criteria for the new blaster to accomplish. It needs to be as light or lighter than the Republic DC-15S Carbine, have standardized parts, have two times the muzzle velocity of the E-11, an adjustable stock, and have a quick and easy system to stick attachments to the blaster.
The result is the M1 Assault Blaster, a sleek blaster made with a polymer casing 840mm long and weighing 4.4 kilograms. It is longer and heavier than the E-11 and is more comparable to the DC-15S used in the Clone Wars however its insulating polymer construction makes is much noticeably lighter than a similar blaster of that size. The Tibanna gas cartridge is stored in the stock which can hold 500 shots before needing to refill and the battery pack is attached in front of the trigger and able to hold a charge of up to 100 shots. It also contains a Power Setting for stun, semi-auto, burst-fire and full-auto.
However there are 2 main features that makes this blaster unique, the first is the new Hyper Rail Barrel that allows the M1 to launch bolts at 70 meters per second, twice the muzzle velocity of the E-11 resulting in a more precise and powerful blaster that can hit targets at longer ranges and against moving targets as the troopers don't have to lead their shots as far while also having an effective range of 200 meters, two times farther than the effective range of the E-11. The drawback is that it consumes 1.5x the energy to power the Blaster Module and the Hyper Rail to launch it thus requiring the larger power cell to maintain the same amount of shots of the E-11.
Finally a new feature that you are especially proud of, since you designed it yourself, is the new Farryn Rail system. This will allow the blaster to be easily customizable by making customizable attachments easy to attach from electroscopes, to glowrods, or an angled grip for a comfortable and stable weapon. So long as the attachment have a Farryn Rail, it can be attached to the M1 Blaster. Having the E-11's cooling rail system underneath the Farryn Rail also helps in cooling the weapon.
Of course any Admiral would be satisfied with what the M1 can accomplish, however you are not like most Admirals. You want to push the M1 even farther, how could it be done you may ask? well the idea came about while developing the Farryn rail system and the various different attachments that could be attached and replaced in the field, like a wide open sight for storming buildings in urban areas and then replacing the sight with a high powered optic for engaging enemies outside the building. Then I wondered if it was possible to go even further to transform the M1 from a DC-15S Carbine to a DC-15A Blaster rifle.
Thus you decided to pay Yewe a visit to see if something like what you envision is even possible and to see if it is possible to further optimize the design while your design team work on a carbine for urban and close quarters battles inside naval vessels. Your arrival at the Research Facility goes without a hitch and you quickly get escorted into one of the facility's conference rooms. You make sure there aren't any listening devices anywhere in the room and after that you set up your presentation for Yewe to look over. All those presentation projects the Academy dumped on its cadets finally paid off it seems. After 15 minutes of waiting Yewe arrived in the conference room with a pad in her hand.
You quickly rose from your seat and shook her hand "Yewe, thanks for agreeing to meet with me, I know that you have a fairly tight schedule."
"Yes, I am very sorry for the wait, we were in the middle of running an experiment when you arrived."
"Its fine, gave me time to sweep the room for any listening devices and set up the presentation. Now lets get down to business, the reason for this visit is to ask if you can optimize the design of the new M1 Blaster and to see if it is possible to switch out the carbine barrel with a sniper barrel on the field." You activate the holoprojector to display a model of the new M1 and disassemble it into its various components.
"The idea of turning a carbine into a long ranged rifle is certain a new one. What brought this about?" You and Yewe spent the several hours discussing the various points of the M1 and the both of you somehow managed to design a quick release system to change the barrel and upper receiver with a Sniper variant named the M1-LR.
It has all of the features the M1-AB, but improved capabilities specialized for long range. To convert an M1-AB into the M1-LR, the marksman have to activate the quick release mechanism and remove the upper body and barrel from the lower body and stock and replace it with the LR segment from the marksman's pack. It is estimated that a Marksman can convert the blaster in 30-40 second and can go much faster with practice or having someone else help. It is estimated that the M1-LR can reliably hit a humanoid target of up to 400 meters away with its longer barrel and high powered electroscope. The best part is that M1-AB and M1-LR have 75% of their part be interchangeable reducing the strain on logistics to supply specialized parts and even then, the Marksman can make do with an M1-AB if an M1-LR is unavailable.
Once the both of you are satisfied that there is nothing that can be improved upon until better technology is developed the both of you decide to finish the meeting. Farryn will have the Engineering department built several prototypes of testing and submit the test data for Yewe to analyze in greater detail at a later date. And so you left the research facility with satisfaction as you helped shaped what is most likely a new era of warfare.
The next piece of equipment to reform is for the Imperial Army and Stormtroopers is close quarters blaster for urban and boarding actions. However you feel that the E-11 can do the job just fine and you can wait a couple years before having to replace it, those years would be better spent reforming other aspects of the military first, most notably the navy. You feel that you'll need all the time you have to reform the navy in the event of delays due to idiotic old timers wanting to die to rebels than staying alive.
AN: Special Thanks to Generation Tech youtube channel for a lot of the Star War's military info I need for this omake, especially the reference to someone from Wired who calculated the velocity of a blaster to be 36 meters per second (from "10 Reasons why Firearms are BETTER than Blasters"). The M1 is based on the US's M27 IAR and M1-LR is based on the the Sabre Assault from Future Weapons but I couldn't find a picture so I had to settle for the H&K G28 which is the DMR version of the M27 and is from from the same manufacturer. I had to google search the effective ranges of the E-11 and half the effective ranges of the M27 and the G28 to simulate blaster tech having horrible range compared to slugthrowers. The speed of a blaster was 36 meters per second which is slower than a Delorean or a fast ball, its probably the reason Jedi had an easier time deflecting it. Having a faster blasters would at least make it harder for the Jedi to keep up. Let me know what you think of this omake and if you spot any mistakes in the lore.
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Renormalizing Relations
- Location
- Elsewhere
When reopening relations with foreign powers, there were two questions to consider. The extent of parties to contact, and how much you would try to avoid offending the various groups. When it comes to the groups in the galaxy, you can classify them into three categories that you are concerned with. The major galactic powers, the Hutts, and the slaver bands.
You have your differences with the first, but by and large, you can respect and work with them. The Hutts are slimy and irritating to deal with, bringing nothing but instability and disorder. That being said, you must admit that they have proven to be a long-lasting power and one that has considerable influence in the underworld. Some may have issues with you opening up relations with them, but even the Republic held talks, and any impact it may have would be beyond minor.
The truly problematic question is if you should contact the slaver bands. They can offer you considerable benefits in the form of high-skill slaves along with mass labor if you so chose, although uneducated slaves are really only economical on the backwaters of the galaxy, which you admittedly do have. However, they do also offer an interesting benefit according to Cen Kam.
It seems Athaen did offer a suggestion in regards to creating a spy network. Due to security measures, your diplomatic advisor wasn't told about your truly exceptional network, but nonetheless, you can see the advantages of having an intrigue net that extends into the slaver bands. Cen Kam, additionally, has suggested using them to your own benefit. If you infiltrated them to a major extent, you would in effect be able to subvert them while using them as deniable assets.
[] Contact the major galactic powers only - No diplomatic issues, prevents negotiations with the Hutts or slaver bands
[] Contact the major powers and Hutts only - Very minor diplomatic issues with the New Republic. Prevents negotiations with slaver bands
[] Contact major powers, Hutts, and slavers - Minor diplomatic issues with everyone. Opens up new actions to subvert slaver bands.
Then there is how you would conduct diplomatic outreach along with playing the various factions against each other. Athaen herself strongly recommends remaining as if you were a neutral party, as your actions thus far are easy to spin as such. Favoring one party or another does have some advantages, but Athaen is against favoritism, arguing that it's better to remain flexible when it comes to negotiating with others in the galaxy.
[] Be true neutral - No diplomatic changes
[] Slightly favor Galactic Empire factions - Minor relationship boost with Empire factions. Minor relationship drop with the New Republic.
[] Slightly favor New Republic - Minor relationship boost with the New Republic. Minor relationship drop with Empire factions.
GM Note: 4-hour moratorium.
You have your differences with the first, but by and large, you can respect and work with them. The Hutts are slimy and irritating to deal with, bringing nothing but instability and disorder. That being said, you must admit that they have proven to be a long-lasting power and one that has considerable influence in the underworld. Some may have issues with you opening up relations with them, but even the Republic held talks, and any impact it may have would be beyond minor.
The truly problematic question is if you should contact the slaver bands. They can offer you considerable benefits in the form of high-skill slaves along with mass labor if you so chose, although uneducated slaves are really only economical on the backwaters of the galaxy, which you admittedly do have. However, they do also offer an interesting benefit according to Cen Kam.
It seems Athaen did offer a suggestion in regards to creating a spy network. Due to security measures, your diplomatic advisor wasn't told about your truly exceptional network, but nonetheless, you can see the advantages of having an intrigue net that extends into the slaver bands. Cen Kam, additionally, has suggested using them to your own benefit. If you infiltrated them to a major extent, you would in effect be able to subvert them while using them as deniable assets.
[] Contact the major galactic powers only - No diplomatic issues, prevents negotiations with the Hutts or slaver bands
[] Contact the major powers and Hutts only - Very minor diplomatic issues with the New Republic. Prevents negotiations with slaver bands
[] Contact major powers, Hutts, and slavers - Minor diplomatic issues with everyone. Opens up new actions to subvert slaver bands.
Then there is how you would conduct diplomatic outreach along with playing the various factions against each other. Athaen herself strongly recommends remaining as if you were a neutral party, as your actions thus far are easy to spin as such. Favoring one party or another does have some advantages, but Athaen is against favoritism, arguing that it's better to remain flexible when it comes to negotiating with others in the galaxy.
[] Be true neutral - No diplomatic changes
[] Slightly favor Galactic Empire factions - Minor relationship boost with Empire factions. Minor relationship drop with the New Republic.
[] Slightly favor New Republic - Minor relationship boost with the New Republic. Minor relationship drop with Empire factions.
GM Note: 4-hour moratorium.
Threat Analysis: Imperial Core and Splinter Factions, Other Threats (+10 Used)
Threat Analysis: Imperial Core and Splinter Factions, Other Threats
Classified: Secret/Eyes Only
From: Empire of the Hand Intelligence Chief Cen Kam
To: Emperor Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Re. Factions and Priorities
Emperor Thrawn,
With the near-total penetration of the main Imperial splinter factions, my agents have uncovered a number of operations, programs, and contingencies that may cause potential issues for us in the near- to mid-future. While the full breakdowns are attached to this document, I have taken the liberty of summarizing the major threats from the most direct and immediate to the most distant and theoretical.
With the death of the Emperor and Lord Vader, and the subsequent lack of a direct successor after the loss of the heir apparent, the Empire fractured into a number of splinter groups, warlords, and fiefdoms. The largest and most powerful are the Imperial remnants under Ysanne Isard, the former Director of Imperial Intelligence and self-appointed successor to Sate Pestage after his murder at the hands of Delak Krennel. (Krennel, it should be noted, has since established the Ciutric Hegemony, controlling a major shipyard and a small but potent fleet of Imperial ships of the line.) She controls Imperial Center and most of the Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim. Isard is currently embroiled in conflict with the self-proclaimed New Republic (NR), and has recently suffered massive defeats at Brentaal IV, which gave the NR access to Chandrila, and Kashyyyk, which saw the deaths of your former colleague Grand Admiral Peccati Syn and Moff Hindane Darcc over the worlds, the elimination of the main source of Wookiee slave labor, and the destruction of a major Trandoshan slaver guild.
Philip Sole, the new Head of Imperial Intelligence, has forwarded information on several projects that Isard is using to bolster her position and weaken her enemies. The two that are most pertinent to our interests at this time are Project Lusankya and her recent acquisition of General Evir Derricote (you may remember him as the mastermind behind the Battle of Derra IV). Project Lusankya is Isard's plan for the capture, brainwashing, and use of NR prisoners of war as sleeper agents, to be used for targeted assassinations, sabotage, and infiltration. It is headquartered aboard the Lusankya, a Super Star Destroyer that the late Emperor had constructed upon the surface of Coruscant itself as a potential emergency escape vehicle. It is the heart of Isard's power, and our analysts suggest that she would not hesitate to utilize it for its original purpose, regardless of the millions of fatalities it would cause upon Imperial Center.
I take note of Evir Derricote for one reason: his acknowledged genius in regards to biological warfare and the weapons thereof. There is a memorandum from the late Emperor commissioning him to create species-specific bioweapons, and replies from the General noting success on at least a score of highly-volatile plagues, viruses, and other diseases, the results of which were stored at one of the Emperor Palpatine's supply caches. Unfortunately, we have yet to uncover the location of the Emperor's Storehouse; with your permission, we can make it a priority for our intelligence branch. To use or to destroy is up to you; but if I may insert a personal note, I would rather have those weapons in our hands and not at the disposal of the likes of, say, Teradoc or Harrsk.
One last note I will make is that Kuat is in the process of building a new Super Star Destroyer, Razor's Kiss. It is in the preliminary stages of construction, and if all goes according to schedule will be finished within three to four years.
Our closest neighbor, one whom you have recently met, is Ardus Kaine. He leads the Pentastar Alignment, a coalition of Imperial military and political leaders along with several megacorporations. While his immediate priorities seem to be consolidation and economic growth, there have been some curious expenditures made by some of his subordinates. High Inquisitor Jerec has been given command of the Vengeance, a Star Dreadnought, and a budget numbering in the billions to - I am being absolutely serious here - search for the Valley of the Jedi, a burial ground that was the site of the last battle of the New Sith Wars over a thousand years ago. Precisely why Grand Moff Kaine thought it an appropriate usage of military hardware and credits eludes me, but for him to place such an importance upon it, we may perhaps wish to learn for ourselves just what it is that he wants to badly.
Of note regarding Jerec is that he has acquired the services of six Dark Jedi (names and dossiers attached), one of whom is the daughter of Lord Cronal, better known as Agent Blackhole and yet another self-proclaimed warlord who has taken up piracy. He has adopted the Inner Rim world of Mindor as his base of operations, and has managed to acquire the services of several of the Emperor's Imperial Guardsmen as his bodyguards. Kanuas may wish to subvert them; he will almost certainly want to know what Jerec is trying to discover. Learning that may help achieve some good-will with him.
Next we have Zsinj, former Grand Moff of Quelii Oversector and current 'Warlord of the Mid-Rim' (his own words, not mine). His flagship is the Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist (formerly known as the Brawl), and he has set himself against Isard, the Greater Maldrood, and the New Republic alike. He is a cautious commander who avoids direct conflict where he can manage it; when he does engage, it is with overwhelming force and an attempt to compensate for any contingencies his opponents may have in place. He has taken a byte from the record of Tyber Zann; instead of conquering territory and incorporating it outright into his empire, much of his effort is dedicated to the expansion of a business and criminal empire into his opponent's territory, weakening them whilst simultaneously enriching himself at their expense. It also grants him insight into their economies and industrial priorities, which he has used to precisely target enemy shipping and industry.
As one might expect, Zsinj's own projects tend towards deception and obfuscation, with the intent of dividing his opponents. He has assumed control of Project Chubar, a scientific program with the goal of enhancing the intelligence of sentient or non-sapient species to a standard equal to or exceeding that of human norms. I presume that two of Jerec's Dark Jedi, Gorc and Pic, are products of Project Chubar, as I am otherwise hard-pressed to imagine how a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard and a Gamorrean would have the intelligence and capacity to learn how to wield the Force and fight with lightsabers. The location of the program's base of operations is unknown at this time, as we have insufficient penetration of Zsinj's intelligence apparatus.
Of interest is that Zsinj controls the world of Dathomir, and has constructed a capital shipyard over the world. He has also established a Class A blockade of the world in question, with no ships permitted to land or leave. The local garrison is supplied via airdrop, but is otherwise left to its own devices. It is unclear as to what Zsinj is seeking to contain on the world, although I suspect our old acquaintance Nuun Nokkra would be able to give us insight regarding Zsinj's priorities on Dathomir.
Of the remaining Imperial splinter factions, the most prominent would be the Eriadu Authority (controlled by Sander Delvardus), the Greater Maldrood (Treuten and Kosh Teradoc, brothers who share control over the region), and Zero Command, the first of the breakaway factions and ruled by Blitzer Harrsk. Of the three, Zero Command is the closest to our own borders, and controls a significant fraction of the Deep Core. Their threat is negligible at this time, overshadowed as they are by the other factions mentioned, but they will need to be brought to heel in time. As it stands, we might be able to utilize them to distract the NR; the Eriadu Authority and Greater Maldrood are in particular very well-positioned to flank the NR.
Last, but not least, we have the New Republic. Flush from their victories at Endor, Bakura, Brentaal IV, and Kashyyyk, they are acquiring star systems by the day. They were distracted for a significant portion of the year by successive extra-galactic invasions by the Nagai and the Tof, respectively, which diverted a significant amount of manpower and material that would have otherwise been brought to bear against Imperial elements.
Two final addendums: the Imperial shipyard Black Fifteen, in the Koornacht Cluster, has gone silent. It is unknown what happened to the shipyard, or the equipment or personnel that were stationed there. While it is of low priority, seeing as how it is under Isard's command, a reconnaissance mission there would not be amiss.
Second, during the Nagai-Tof War, one of the Emperor's Hands was quite active, and actually managed to defeat Luke Skywalker in a duel. Considering that his previous known duel was with Lord Vader, and he emerged the victor, that is quite the accomplishment. The Hand is known as Lumiya, and discovering where she went to ground might be a worthwhile task, if also rather low-priority.
I remain your faithful servant,
Cen Kam.
Classified: Secret/Eyes Only
From: Empire of the Hand Intelligence Chief Cen Kam
To: Emperor Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Re. Factions and Priorities
Emperor Thrawn,
With the near-total penetration of the main Imperial splinter factions, my agents have uncovered a number of operations, programs, and contingencies that may cause potential issues for us in the near- to mid-future. While the full breakdowns are attached to this document, I have taken the liberty of summarizing the major threats from the most direct and immediate to the most distant and theoretical.
With the death of the Emperor and Lord Vader, and the subsequent lack of a direct successor after the loss of the heir apparent, the Empire fractured into a number of splinter groups, warlords, and fiefdoms. The largest and most powerful are the Imperial remnants under Ysanne Isard, the former Director of Imperial Intelligence and self-appointed successor to Sate Pestage after his murder at the hands of Delak Krennel. (Krennel, it should be noted, has since established the Ciutric Hegemony, controlling a major shipyard and a small but potent fleet of Imperial ships of the line.) She controls Imperial Center and most of the Core, Colonies, and Inner Rim. Isard is currently embroiled in conflict with the self-proclaimed New Republic (NR), and has recently suffered massive defeats at Brentaal IV, which gave the NR access to Chandrila, and Kashyyyk, which saw the deaths of your former colleague Grand Admiral Peccati Syn and Moff Hindane Darcc over the worlds, the elimination of the main source of Wookiee slave labor, and the destruction of a major Trandoshan slaver guild.
Philip Sole, the new Head of Imperial Intelligence, has forwarded information on several projects that Isard is using to bolster her position and weaken her enemies. The two that are most pertinent to our interests at this time are Project Lusankya and her recent acquisition of General Evir Derricote (you may remember him as the mastermind behind the Battle of Derra IV). Project Lusankya is Isard's plan for the capture, brainwashing, and use of NR prisoners of war as sleeper agents, to be used for targeted assassinations, sabotage, and infiltration. It is headquartered aboard the Lusankya, a Super Star Destroyer that the late Emperor had constructed upon the surface of Coruscant itself as a potential emergency escape vehicle. It is the heart of Isard's power, and our analysts suggest that she would not hesitate to utilize it for its original purpose, regardless of the millions of fatalities it would cause upon Imperial Center.
I take note of Evir Derricote for one reason: his acknowledged genius in regards to biological warfare and the weapons thereof. There is a memorandum from the late Emperor commissioning him to create species-specific bioweapons, and replies from the General noting success on at least a score of highly-volatile plagues, viruses, and other diseases, the results of which were stored at one of the Emperor Palpatine's supply caches. Unfortunately, we have yet to uncover the location of the Emperor's Storehouse; with your permission, we can make it a priority for our intelligence branch. To use or to destroy is up to you; but if I may insert a personal note, I would rather have those weapons in our hands and not at the disposal of the likes of, say, Teradoc or Harrsk.
One last note I will make is that Kuat is in the process of building a new Super Star Destroyer, Razor's Kiss. It is in the preliminary stages of construction, and if all goes according to schedule will be finished within three to four years.
Our closest neighbor, one whom you have recently met, is Ardus Kaine. He leads the Pentastar Alignment, a coalition of Imperial military and political leaders along with several megacorporations. While his immediate priorities seem to be consolidation and economic growth, there have been some curious expenditures made by some of his subordinates. High Inquisitor Jerec has been given command of the Vengeance, a Star Dreadnought, and a budget numbering in the billions to - I am being absolutely serious here - search for the Valley of the Jedi, a burial ground that was the site of the last battle of the New Sith Wars over a thousand years ago. Precisely why Grand Moff Kaine thought it an appropriate usage of military hardware and credits eludes me, but for him to place such an importance upon it, we may perhaps wish to learn for ourselves just what it is that he wants to badly.
Of note regarding Jerec is that he has acquired the services of six Dark Jedi (names and dossiers attached), one of whom is the daughter of Lord Cronal, better known as Agent Blackhole and yet another self-proclaimed warlord who has taken up piracy. He has adopted the Inner Rim world of Mindor as his base of operations, and has managed to acquire the services of several of the Emperor's Imperial Guardsmen as his bodyguards. Kanuas may wish to subvert them; he will almost certainly want to know what Jerec is trying to discover. Learning that may help achieve some good-will with him.
Next we have Zsinj, former Grand Moff of Quelii Oversector and current 'Warlord of the Mid-Rim' (his own words, not mine). His flagship is the Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist (formerly known as the Brawl), and he has set himself against Isard, the Greater Maldrood, and the New Republic alike. He is a cautious commander who avoids direct conflict where he can manage it; when he does engage, it is with overwhelming force and an attempt to compensate for any contingencies his opponents may have in place. He has taken a byte from the record of Tyber Zann; instead of conquering territory and incorporating it outright into his empire, much of his effort is dedicated to the expansion of a business and criminal empire into his opponent's territory, weakening them whilst simultaneously enriching himself at their expense. It also grants him insight into their economies and industrial priorities, which he has used to precisely target enemy shipping and industry.
As one might expect, Zsinj's own projects tend towards deception and obfuscation, with the intent of dividing his opponents. He has assumed control of Project Chubar, a scientific program with the goal of enhancing the intelligence of sentient or non-sapient species to a standard equal to or exceeding that of human norms. I presume that two of Jerec's Dark Jedi, Gorc and Pic, are products of Project Chubar, as I am otherwise hard-pressed to imagine how a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard and a Gamorrean would have the intelligence and capacity to learn how to wield the Force and fight with lightsabers. The location of the program's base of operations is unknown at this time, as we have insufficient penetration of Zsinj's intelligence apparatus.
Of interest is that Zsinj controls the world of Dathomir, and has constructed a capital shipyard over the world. He has also established a Class A blockade of the world in question, with no ships permitted to land or leave. The local garrison is supplied via airdrop, but is otherwise left to its own devices. It is unclear as to what Zsinj is seeking to contain on the world, although I suspect our old acquaintance Nuun Nokkra would be able to give us insight regarding Zsinj's priorities on Dathomir.
Of the remaining Imperial splinter factions, the most prominent would be the Eriadu Authority (controlled by Sander Delvardus), the Greater Maldrood (Treuten and Kosh Teradoc, brothers who share control over the region), and Zero Command, the first of the breakaway factions and ruled by Blitzer Harrsk. Of the three, Zero Command is the closest to our own borders, and controls a significant fraction of the Deep Core. Their threat is negligible at this time, overshadowed as they are by the other factions mentioned, but they will need to be brought to heel in time. As it stands, we might be able to utilize them to distract the NR; the Eriadu Authority and Greater Maldrood are in particular very well-positioned to flank the NR.
Last, but not least, we have the New Republic. Flush from their victories at Endor, Bakura, Brentaal IV, and Kashyyyk, they are acquiring star systems by the day. They were distracted for a significant portion of the year by successive extra-galactic invasions by the Nagai and the Tof, respectively, which diverted a significant amount of manpower and material that would have otherwise been brought to bear against Imperial elements.
Two final addendums: the Imperial shipyard Black Fifteen, in the Koornacht Cluster, has gone silent. It is unknown what happened to the shipyard, or the equipment or personnel that were stationed there. While it is of low priority, seeing as how it is under Isard's command, a reconnaissance mission there would not be amiss.
Second, during the Nagai-Tof War, one of the Emperor's Hands was quite active, and actually managed to defeat Luke Skywalker in a duel. Considering that his previous known duel was with Lord Vader, and he emerged the victor, that is quite the accomplishment. The Hand is known as Lumiya, and discovering where she went to ground might be a worthwhile task, if also rather low-priority.
I remain your faithful servant,
Cen Kam.
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Recognitions of service (+10 Used)
- Location
- Australia
Omake: Recognitions of service
Gilad Pellaeon did his best not to fidget as he placed the 12 bars on his breast. While the uniform remained the same, those bars of six blue, and six red made his fingers shake as he finished clasping it to the cloth.
When the Grand Admiral had promoted him to the Admiralty, the old war dog had thought he'd been dreaming. Worse had happened when he was instructed to leave his beloved Chimera behind (Thrawn having taken a liking to the ship for its blued chassis), only to find an executor class SSD given to his command. 'Still', he thought as he pulled his cap into place. 'this is you chance, prove your worthy of this, Gilad, or Emperor damn it, next you know you'll be working for the Teradoc's.'
----------------------
1 week earlier...
----------------------
Standing to attention, alongside the lieutenant's of his fellow ships, Gilad stood before the blue skinned man in a white Admiral uniform, as he gazed down from his throne.
Their report was short and simple, but even now he was astounded to how they had reached this corner of the galaxy. With the Death Star destroyed and the rebellion fleet carving through Star Destroyers like Alderaanian butter he'd commanded whatever survived of the Imperial fleet to make a random emergency jump, following the Chimera. While most had ignored him, or ran off on their own, near 10 ships followed him into retreat. While it was rare for such jumps to stretch more than a few parsecs from the inital jump point. Instead it had led them to land hundreds of sectors northward directly within realm of the Unknown Regions colonisation effort, though the actual entrance was not that regal, with the ramshakle fleet nearly slamming into the world of Nirauan, before the worlds gravity finally forced their hyperdrives to shut down.
Of course after the immediate shock of finding themselves in the unknown regions, and under the command of a 'human descendant' had worn off rather slowly as the crews were commanded to relay to the blue skinned 'chiss' of the events at Endor. Many of the higher officers were still recovering from the loss of the Executor, and more likely than not the death of the Emperor and what that would entail with Lord Vader presumed dead along with him.
Their report finished, the Grand Admiral indicated for them to leave; though not before a cool command called for him to remain. With him still in the room the Grand Admiral called for a recon ship to infiltrate some local warlord's territory that had cut off the colonies from the greater Empire, so that communication could be reestablished. "Rise Captain, you have done well in your report thus far, please take some refreshment while I plot our new course forward." He waved to a young ensign who stood forward with a platter an decanter.
Gilad had paused for a moment, before the dryness of his throat had him reach for an already filled glass of water, the freezing cold liquid doing well to ease his nerves.
Meanwhile the Grand Admiral sat still in his throne, his glowing eyes shut, hands out before him in contemplation.
"Remind me again Captain, how many ships do you wield?"
He coughed. "9 in fighting condition Grand Admiral, another one was highly damaged during the battle, while the Tector and Nebulon's we had with us appears to have run afoul of hyperspace hazards."
The chiss's eyes flickered for a moment but remained locked onto him. "A... Pity, they could have helped compensate for many, many things..." The red glare intensified. "Captain, I appear to presently have a rampant problem with an enemy of mine, you could say are equally balanced in our current conflict..." His eyes flickered to his left where sat a holographic display of a battle recording. "You however are a unknown quandary. Tell me captain how are you at war games..."
---
edit -
Hello, thought I'd make an omake. While I love the idea of Pellaeon being with Thrawn this early on, it is a little wierd how he'd reach him at this point without something driving him Thrawns way. and also how better to explain how Pellaeon won so easily against Esza, who had become used to fighting Thrawn (forcing them into a war of attrition).
Pellaeon's early arrival, also helping Thrawn prepare himself before the rest of the galaxy for the effects of Palps 'death'. Though that could just be me fanficing. The 10 ships Pellaeon brought being half of Thrawns (if im using current numbers) fleet of Imp II's. if this ever gets thought of as canonical.
Anyways I hope you enjoyed.
Gilad Pellaeon did his best not to fidget as he placed the 12 bars on his breast. While the uniform remained the same, those bars of six blue, and six red made his fingers shake as he finished clasping it to the cloth.
When the Grand Admiral had promoted him to the Admiralty, the old war dog had thought he'd been dreaming. Worse had happened when he was instructed to leave his beloved Chimera behind (Thrawn having taken a liking to the ship for its blued chassis), only to find an executor class SSD given to his command. 'Still', he thought as he pulled his cap into place. 'this is you chance, prove your worthy of this, Gilad, or Emperor damn it, next you know you'll be working for the Teradoc's.'
----------------------
1 week earlier...
----------------------
Standing to attention, alongside the lieutenant's of his fellow ships, Gilad stood before the blue skinned man in a white Admiral uniform, as he gazed down from his throne.
Their report was short and simple, but even now he was astounded to how they had reached this corner of the galaxy. With the Death Star destroyed and the rebellion fleet carving through Star Destroyers like Alderaanian butter he'd commanded whatever survived of the Imperial fleet to make a random emergency jump, following the Chimera. While most had ignored him, or ran off on their own, near 10 ships followed him into retreat. While it was rare for such jumps to stretch more than a few parsecs from the inital jump point. Instead it had led them to land hundreds of sectors northward directly within realm of the Unknown Regions colonisation effort, though the actual entrance was not that regal, with the ramshakle fleet nearly slamming into the world of Nirauan, before the worlds gravity finally forced their hyperdrives to shut down.
Of course after the immediate shock of finding themselves in the unknown regions, and under the command of a 'human descendant' had worn off rather slowly as the crews were commanded to relay to the blue skinned 'chiss' of the events at Endor. Many of the higher officers were still recovering from the loss of the Executor, and more likely than not the death of the Emperor and what that would entail with Lord Vader presumed dead along with him.
Their report finished, the Grand Admiral indicated for them to leave; though not before a cool command called for him to remain. With him still in the room the Grand Admiral called for a recon ship to infiltrate some local warlord's territory that had cut off the colonies from the greater Empire, so that communication could be reestablished. "Rise Captain, you have done well in your report thus far, please take some refreshment while I plot our new course forward." He waved to a young ensign who stood forward with a platter an decanter.
Gilad had paused for a moment, before the dryness of his throat had him reach for an already filled glass of water, the freezing cold liquid doing well to ease his nerves.
Meanwhile the Grand Admiral sat still in his throne, his glowing eyes shut, hands out before him in contemplation.
"Remind me again Captain, how many ships do you wield?"
He coughed. "9 in fighting condition Grand Admiral, another one was highly damaged during the battle, while the Tector and Nebulon's we had with us appears to have run afoul of hyperspace hazards."
The chiss's eyes flickered for a moment but remained locked onto him. "A... Pity, they could have helped compensate for many, many things..." The red glare intensified. "Captain, I appear to presently have a rampant problem with an enemy of mine, you could say are equally balanced in our current conflict..." His eyes flickered to his left where sat a holographic display of a battle recording. "You however are a unknown quandary. Tell me captain how are you at war games..."
---
edit -
Hello, thought I'd make an omake. While I love the idea of Pellaeon being with Thrawn this early on, it is a little wierd how he'd reach him at this point without something driving him Thrawns way. and also how better to explain how Pellaeon won so easily against Esza, who had become used to fighting Thrawn (forcing them into a war of attrition).
Pellaeon's early arrival, also helping Thrawn prepare himself before the rest of the galaxy for the effects of Palps 'death'. Though that could just be me fanficing. The 10 ships Pellaeon brought being half of Thrawns (if im using current numbers) fleet of Imp II's. if this ever gets thought of as canonical.
Anyways I hope you enjoyed.
Last edited:
Threat Analysis: New Republic Persons of Interest (+10 Used)
Threat Analysis: New Republic Persons of Interest
Classified: Secret/Eyes Only
From: Empire of the Hand Intelligence Chief Cen Kam
To: Emperor Mitth'raw'nuruodo
Re. NR/PoI
Emperor Thrawn,
With our infiltration of the New Republic, it is now within our ability to prepare dossiers on notable figures within the movement untainted by propaganda or misconception. Given their success at Endor and the subsequent expansion of efforts by them to incorporate previously Imperial and unaligned systems into their government, understanding our enemy that we might best know how to counter them would seem to be in our best interests. While I have attached full biographies, personality analysis, and objective breakdowns to this abstract, below you will find summaries of fourteen figures of note within the New Republic government and military, the removal of any one of which would severely hamper their efforts, if not crush them outright.
The leader of the New Republic (NR), as you well know, is Mon Mothma. Formerly the Senator from Chandrila, she was noted as one of the earliest political opponents to the reign of Emperor Palpatine, as well as one of the first leaders of the Rebel Alliance to Restore the Republic. The Alliance was established two years prior to the Battle of Yavin with the Corellian Treaty, a document created by Senator Garm Bel Iblis that brought the three largest rebel groups together under one head. The other original signatory was Bail Organa, who perished with the destruction of Alderaan.
On an aside note, Garm Bel Iblis split away from the Rebellion less than a year after Yavin, and has led his own private war against the Empire using a small fleet of pre-Clone War Rendili Dreadnoughts, with his most notable success being the complete destruction of the Ubiqtorate base on Tangrene. He has laid low since then, stationed at a base whose location we have yet to uncover and focused mostly on raiding Imperial supply lines to keep his own forces solvent.
Mon Mothma is known as a micromanager, taking direct interest in the most minor of military assaults and diplomatic missions. Her closest allies and supporters are Princess Leia Organa, late of Alderaan, Admiral Gial Ackbar, and Counselor Sian Tevv, who was instrumental in arranging the conquest of Sullust after Endor and bringing Sorosuub Corporation in to support the nascent New Republic. Her death would throw the NR into chaos; in particular, her main rival in the NR leadership, Borsk Fey'lya, would almost certainly take the opportunity to try and seize power for himself.
Borsk Fey'lya, it should be mentioned, is a major leader of the Bothan clans; it was agents under his command who brought the plans to the second Death Star to the awareness of the Rebellion, and directly contributed to the subsequent battle. He is something of a gadfly in the NR leadership, and applies Bothan standards of political intrigue to his fellow sentients. It had made him a less-than-popular figure with his colleagues, who never turn their backs to him lest he stick a metaphorical knife into them. While he would never knowingly work for us, his chronic backstabbing tendencies make him easy to manipulate.
The leader of the NR military is Admiral Gial Ackbar. He was originally a major political leader on Dac, also known as Mon Calamari, before being disgraced and made a slave of the late Grand Moff Tarkin. He was rescued during a Rebel assault upon the Grand Moff, and used the information he had gained as Tarkin's slave to the extreme detriment of the Empire. He is a brilliant and innovative commander and engineer, who was integral to developing the B-Wing heavy bomber with Verpine technicians from Slayn and Korpil. His leadership at Endor directly led to the evisceration of Death Squadron, Lord Vader's personal task force, and saw to the destruction of the Second Death Star as well. While unimpeachable in his personal conduct and difficult to discredit through underhanded means, his status means that his death would deal a massive morale blow to the NR, to say nothing of the disorder that would be caused by the subsequent power vacuum.
Ackbar's victory at Endor would not have been possible, however, without the aid of General Crix Madine, who planned the assault that saw the destruction of the shield generator on the forest moon. Formerly an Imperial commander who created the Storm Commandos, he defected after his unit unleashed the Candorian plague on Dentaal. His defection was a lengthy process, and along the way he contributed to the destruction of the Dark Trooper project led by Rom Mohc and the bombing of the Capital Tower on Corellia. Afterwards, he led strikes on Gerrard V, the Jade Moon, Kessel, and Fest. Suffice to say the man has an illustrious history, and has caused immense damage to the Empire. The creation of the Katarn Commandos alone, whom he established based on the training and standards of the Storm Commandos, would be unforgivable. He is currently the Field Commander for NR forces, and guides most of their ground operations and troops. (The Katarn Commandos are led by Judder Page.)
Two other military leaders of note, both of whom hold positions of trust in their government, are Carlist Rieekan and Hiram Drayson. Rieekan is a member of the New Republic High Command and the former commander of Echo Base on Hoth, and surveys most of their strategic decisions. Hiram Drayson is something of a mystery; having officially joined the NR following the conquest of Chandrila, his official position is the commander of the New Republic Second Fleet, but he spends a great deal of time with the Provisional Council. Combine that with how the Second Fleet is currently in drydock following a defeat at Hast earlier this year, and it leaves one wondering just what it is that consumes so much of his time. I suspect he is involved with the Senate Planetary Intelligence Network (SPIN), but none of our operatives have sufficient clearance to confirm our suspicions.
This is largely due to the efforts of Airen Cracken, who is the official head of New Republic intelligence operations. He is a genuinely talented intelligence operative who has gone out of his way to foster good relations with the criminal underworld, using them as deniable assets to monitor Imperial traffic and communications and as privateers to raid Imperial shipping. His base of operations is the MC80 Independence, out of which he operates a massive data analysis center. Following in the worst tradition of Mon Mothma, he tends to micromanage his operatives/operations, up to and including vetting as many of his recruits as he can. Given his remarkable time management skills, he has actually managed to pull it off to a large degree, which complicates efforts to further penetrate the NR structures. He is not adverse to taking the field, having served as a turret gunner aboard the Millennium Falcon during the Battle of Endor.
This leads us nicely to an aspect of the NR that makes them almost unique among the opponents we face. A group of five individuals who have been at the forefront of the majority of the setbacks the Empire has faced ever since the destruction of the first Death Star. They are Generals Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia Organa, and the Wookiee Chewbacca. If there has been a notable battle, offensive, diplomatic mission, etc in the past five years, some combination of these five have been involved in almost all of them. It's frankly uncanny how active they have been in fighting the Empire.
(On a side note, you came very close to encountering them during the Battle of Poln Major, where you and Lord Vader dealt Nuso Esva one of his first major defeats. The Hand of Judgment encountered Skywalker, Organa, Solo, and Chewbacca; their report detailing their meeting and battle against the traitorous elements on Poln Major are attached to this document.)
The most famous of the five is Luke Skywalker, a self-proclaimed Jedi Knight who is currently serving as a general in the NR military. He, along with Han Solo and Chewbacca, were last seen leading combined aerial and ground units against the Imperial prison on Kessel in an effort to liberate captive rebels. He is, among other achievements, the pilot who destroyed the first Death Star, the creator of Rogue Squadron, the slayer of Moff Seerdon...I could go on, but you get the idea. It is widely assumed that he slew both the Emperor and Lord Vader in combat aboard the second Death Star, although the true facts behind that encounter are understandably difficult to come by. At the very least, Skywalker has shared nothing beyond confirming that both perished. He was instrumental in defeating the Ssi-Ruuvi at Bakura, the Nagai and Tof during their incursion, and was present at the Battle of Kashyyyk. By all reports, he seeks to reestablish the Jedi Order, although currently his military responsibilities come first.
Han Solo is a deserter from the Imperial Navy (dishonorably discharged in the same incident that gained him the friendship of Chewbacca), a former smuggler for Jabba the Hutt, a recipient of Corellian Bloodstripes, and the leader of the task force that destroyed the shield generator on Endor. A truly gifted mechanic and pilot, he was instrumental in giving Skywalker the covering fire he needed to destroy the Death Star. He was also at Bakura and Kashyyyk, and in fact, along with Chewbacca, was the main leader, instigator, and mastermind for destroying the Imperial garrison on the planet and the Avatar Orbital Platform. As mentioned above, he and Chewbacca are currently on Kessel.
Where Solo goes, Chewbacca is sure to be nearby. A prominent figure on Kashyyyk (his father Attichitcuk is one of their senior chieftains), he owes Solo a life debt after the Corellian saved him from being killed for insubordination while on an Imperial construction project. He is an even better mechanic than Solo, a master navigator and pilot, and a folk hero among Wookiees for his achievements in all of those fields.
Leia Organa was the last Senator of Alderaan, and after Mon Mothma perhaps the person with the most political influence in the New Republic. Along with Skywalker and Solo, she has been on the forefront of most major setbacks the Empire has received, and is allegedly responsible for the utter destruction of Black Sun when Prince Xizor's palace was bombed on Coruscant (with the caveat that Lord Vader is ultimately responsible for the death of the late crime lord when the Executor destroyed his skyhook over Coruscant.) Her death or capture, along with those of the other four, should be considered a major priority for the Empire of the Hand, as her gifts as a diplomat and tactician cannot be overstated.
Last but not least is Lando Calrissian. The former Baron Administrator of Cloud City on Bespin, he lost his position when Lord Vader conquered the planet shortly after the Battle of Hoth. It seems this was the impetus needed to bring him into the Rebellion, and he partook in a number of operations. Based on his experience at the Battle of Tanaab against the Norulac Freebooters, he was promoted to General following the rescue of Solo from Jabba the Hutt and led the starfighters at the Battle of Endor. He piloted the Millennium Falcon at this time, and took responsibility for firing the shots that led to the final destruction of the battle station. Following that, he led a task force to retake Bespin from the Empire. He was also present at Kashyyyk, and is currently working as a dual intelligence/diplomatic operative for SPIN.
Two other individuals of note before I conclude this report; both are included as the only other survivors of the Battle of Yavin. The first is Keyan Farlander, who piloted a Y-Wing during the battle. Our operatives within the NR have uncovered that he is Force-Sensitive, but has only a minimum of training with General Skywalker. He is an accomplished fighter pilot who has flown dozens of missions against the Empire; with that being said, it could be argued that his Force sensitivity makes him a prime candidate for recruitment for our own nascent Force Order. His lack of recognition and advancement in comparison with the other Yavin survivors may be a weak point that we can exploit in that process.
The second is Wedge Antilles, who flew an X-Wing at Yavin and, along with Calrissian, was the other person to destroy the second Death Star. (Incidentally, this makes him the only person in the galaxy to have survived both Death Star runs). He is currently a Commander in the NR Starfighter Command and the leader of Rogue Squadron. His kill tally is such that our operative in the fleet sincerely believes that Antilles is one of the best fighter pilots in the galaxy, let alone the Rebellion. The NR has alternated between using him in battle and as a propaganda tool. Successfully subverting him has been deemed to be almost impossible; his death, preferably in a manner as public as possible, would be devastating to NR morale and would have the side benefit of eliminating Rogue Squadron, which has proven to be a most irritating and persistent threat, from the board.
All of these individuals are a threat to the Empire, and hostile to us; their subversion or elimination will be critical to the final defeat of the NR.
I remain your obedient servant,
Cen Kam.
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Prelude to Zaarin's Demise
- Location
- Elsewhere
You must admit that you overestimated Zaarin here. Roughly speaking, the two of you do have parity in the strength of the two armadas. But while it may seem arrogant, you're far better than Zaarin when it comes to command. You know it, he knows it, and you can see his growing concern as his fleet maneuvers into a defense posture around To-phalian Base. A shame it was lost, but you have ideas on what to do next.
Zaarin: 2130 Capital, 3350 Starfighter, 4620 Skirmish
Thrawn: 6147 Capital, 10044 Starfighter, 14958 Skirmish
You already have your battle plan drawn up, despite his force of Tie Phantoms, you simply have enough starfighters and light vessels to counter them. By skirmishing and engaging in repeated starfighter duels within your ship's point defense envelopes, you can destroy his screen followed by his forces piecemeal.
Of course, there's far more you can do as well, victory isn't in question, but you find that actually capturing Zaarin might give you more of an advantage in terms of diplomacy than anything else. You can imagine he'd be rather useful to your intelligence services as Cen Kam claims that with the sheer amount of access you have, even his outdated command codes would be very useful. Not to mention his technical knowledge of the Tie Phantom.
[] Show no mercy, finish this quickly and without any risk. Massively favors your fleet.
[] Perhaps Zaarin could be useful, send a team to capture him, and ensure he survives until then. Majorly favors your fleet.
[] Perhaps you can expand your fleet with several additions, capture every ship you can in addition to Zaarin. Moderately favors your fleet.
There is also one thing you could do to improve the chances of taking Zaarin alive. While Eshu is quite the bodyguard, she was also an assassin, and you have no doubt she would be an exemplary leader of any such team to capture Zaarin. Of course, there is a small chance of her being in danger, but based on her past showings, the chance of her death is very slim.
[] Send Eshu to Capture Zaarin
[] Keep her by your side
GM Note: 4 hour mortarorium.
| Ships | Number |
| IS2 | 5 |
| Victory | 5 |
| Immobilizer | 1 |
| Strike Class | 20 |
| Carrack Class | 100 |
| Golan Platform | 6 |
| Phantom | 2000 |
| Ships | Number |
| IS2 | 8 |
| Victory | 5 |
| Immobilizer | 1 |
| Strike Class | 20 |
| Carrack Class | 100 |
| Executor | 1 |
| Tie Bomber | 750 |
| Lancer | 5 |
| Tie Fighter | 1750 |
You already have your battle plan drawn up, despite his force of Tie Phantoms, you simply have enough starfighters and light vessels to counter them. By skirmishing and engaging in repeated starfighter duels within your ship's point defense envelopes, you can destroy his screen followed by his forces piecemeal.
Of course, there's far more you can do as well, victory isn't in question, but you find that actually capturing Zaarin might give you more of an advantage in terms of diplomacy than anything else. You can imagine he'd be rather useful to your intelligence services as Cen Kam claims that with the sheer amount of access you have, even his outdated command codes would be very useful. Not to mention his technical knowledge of the Tie Phantom.
[] Show no mercy, finish this quickly and without any risk. Massively favors your fleet.
[] Perhaps Zaarin could be useful, send a team to capture him, and ensure he survives until then. Majorly favors your fleet.
[] Perhaps you can expand your fleet with several additions, capture every ship you can in addition to Zaarin. Moderately favors your fleet.
There is also one thing you could do to improve the chances of taking Zaarin alive. While Eshu is quite the bodyguard, she was also an assassin, and you have no doubt she would be an exemplary leader of any such team to capture Zaarin. Of course, there is a small chance of her being in danger, but based on her past showings, the chance of her death is very slim.
[] Send Eshu to Capture Zaarin
[] Keep her by your side
GM Note: 4 hour mortarorium.
To Know, and to be Known (+10 Used)
To Know, and to be Known
A fist flew towards his face; Thrawn slightly leaned backwards to avoid it, avoiding it by less than a hairsbreadth.
"I want to fight you. Not in a strategy game; in the sparring room."
Thrawn's glowing eyes narrowed as he took in the slender form of his leading military commander. "And why would that be, Admiral Farryn?"
"I'm Echani. We believe that the best way to know a person is through battle, via combat. I want to better know the man whom I've sworn to serve."
He countered with a shoulder check to the chest, using his greater mass to push her back and gain some breathing room. Shavit, but Farryn was fast! Thrawn utilized a trick he'd learned back in the Ascendency's mandatory hand-to-hand training to counter her blow and turn her strength back against herself.
"It's like what you do with art, is it not? As you enjoy saying, 'understand a species' art, understand the species.' We Echani believe something similar with fighting. The only way to truly know a person is on the battlefield."
"So I do." It made a certain amount of sense, and he saw no harm in indulging her on this. Besides, Thrawn didn't want to get too rusty in his ability to protect himself.
A knee came up towards his groin; Thrawn angled a thigh to absorb the brunt, and went for a leg sweep. Farryn, in a display of agility he had come to expect, leapt over it and cartwheeled to the side, nearly taking his arm with it.
"You will, of course, be appropriately dressed for the bout," Thrawn warned her. "I'm aware of Echani practices when it comes to ritual combat, but I have certain expectations when it comes to decorum and propriety amongst and between my officers and myself."
"That comes close to defeating the purpose of the exercise," she pouted. She recovered with a brilliant smile, "but hey, it's close enough for my goals! So I'm fine with that restriction."
She retaliated with a textbook Mandalorian choke-slam; Thrawn countered with a grappling technique he'd picked up from the Royal Imperial Academy, and batted her hand off to the side.
"Nice move!" she complimented him. "Officer school, yeah?"
"Along with my old lessons from the Ascendency," Thrawn replied as he stepped to one side and aimed a side-kick for her abdomen. She grabbed it and tried to throw Thrawn off-balance, but the Grand Admiral surprised her with a jump and a spin that brought his other heel into her chest and knocked both of them to the floor. He recovered first and trapped her arm in a hold that threatened to dislocate her elbow.
"Surrender."
"Gladly," Farryn said with an exhausted laugh. The two rolled to their feet and caught their breath, having spent the past fifteen minutes attempting to beat the snot out of each other.
They had each given as good as they got; Farryn was favoring her side where Thrawn's knee had caught her in the floating ribs, while Thrawn was sporting a nasty scrape on his left shin and his right shoulder was turning black with a bruise where he had intercepted a blow meant for just below his armpit.
"What have you learned?" Thrawn asked.
"Give me a second," Farryn replied as she unscrewed the cap from a bottle of water. Draining it dry, she set it back down on the floor.
"Well, for starters you really know your stuff."
He raised a brow. "And now we have a firm grasp of the obvious." Despite the words, the slight smile belied the judgment.
"Oh, hush, you." From the side where she monitored the bout, Eshu's eyes widened at Farryn's insouciance. "Usually the higher-ups let their personal combat skills slide in favor of their more intellectual ones; I'm glad to see that you are an exception to that rule."
Thrawn coughed into one hand. "Yes, well, not every Imperial, ex or otherwise, followed in the example of Zsinj or Harrsk."
"Much appreciated," Farryn said. "And not just for the visual treat." At the sidelines, Eshu made a mild choking noise. "It provides a good example to the troops when their leaders hold themselves to the same standards as the rank-and-file. Speaking of which, I recognized some of your style - it's the same strike-heavy techniques as they teach at Carida and the other military academies, with some grappling and holds mixed in for flavor. But the overall style is one I'm not familiar with, all of the joint locks and counter-attacks. That's from your homeworld, right? The Chiss?"
Thrawn raised a brow, impressed in spite of himself. "That would be correct. Their strategic philosophy forbids pre-emptive strikes, and that attitude carries over towards their martial arts as well. There's a heavy emphasis on using an opponent's momentum against themselves and goading them into overreaching, leaving themselves vulnerable to a counter-attack."
"Yep, that's what I saw," Farryn nodded. "I paid for it a few times too," she said as she gingerly rubbed her side. "So what about you?"
Red eyes narrowed. "You fight like you strategize; a hybrid style drawing on many different cultures and approaches. A few were new to me, but I recognized Mandalorian, Echani firedancing, Storm Commando CQC, Velanarian boxing, and what I think was Teräs Käsi."
Farryn nodded. "Yep, only started that last one a year ago, but I find it fascinating. An entire martial art designed to both counter and augment Force users! Did you know it shows how to use basic grappling techniques to break Force holds? And-"
"Peace, Admiral." Thrawn could recognize when she was about to go on a tangent, and held up a hand to forestall the oncoming rush of words before she could really get started. "No, I did not know that. It's useful information. Now, I trust you found what you were looking for?"
Farryn thought for a moment. "Yes, I believe I did." She gave him another of her blinding smiles. "And I must say, it will be an honor to serve you, sir."
"The honor is mine, Admiral."
Was working on Farryn's report omake, and it struck me that Farryn, as an Echani, would be dying for the chance to spar her boss due to her cultural background. The Echani treat fighting like Thrawn does art; as a window into the mind of the creator. I based Thrawn's style on Judo and military CQC, while Farryn's is closer to Tang Soo Do.
Also, not gonna lie, but writing this kinda made me want to ship Thrawn and Farryn.don't@me.
Also, not gonna lie, but writing this kinda made me want to ship Thrawn and Farryn.
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Victory and Expanding the Fleet
- Location
- Elsewhere
[X] Perhaps you can expand your fleet with several additions, capture every ship you can in addition to Zaarin. Moderately favors your fleet.
[X] Send Eshu to Capture Zaarin
[X] Send Eshu to Capture Zaarin
Well, far be it for you to be too cautious. As much as you would prefer a guaranteed victory, the host of ships available to you here is too valuable for your short and long-term goals to end as debris. Now it might be arrogance, but with some creative ideas, you think you might be able to end this without losing a single ship on either side.
Your eyes trail across the battlefield, Zaarin himself almost secondary to the history and culture of the Galactic Empire which he was once a part of. You visualize a dozen symbols and artwork, a few you remember that Zaarin himself appreciated. Your mental image of him changes as you study the formation arrayed against you, and your hand brushes forth, touching the lead IS2. "Zaarin isn't a fool, but he knows I'm not either." He'll try and be clever, choosing a tactic that would fool another admiral, but not you. "He's on the lead ship." The words leave your mouth in a whisper, and you don't even glance at Eshu as you send her away. "Eshu, I wish to have Zaarin sample my hospitality, do make sure to retrieve him for me."
Surprisingly, you don't hear her leave immediately as you expected. You turn your head towards her, and you see her stand there fidgeting. "May I choose the Stormtroopers assigned to me?"
Your brow furrows in confusion, she rarely is away from you, so how did she find the time to create her own personal squad? No, she doesn't have the training, more likely is that she found a squad that fits into her worldview well. Who do you have that matches that description? Hmm, honorable stormtroopers are rare, but they do exist, and someone that an assassin would respect. There isn't anyone you know that comes to mind, but you have no doubt they exist. "Which unit?" While you trust your bodyguard, both of you know that you're the better commander here.
"The Hand of Judgement." Them, hmm, they do fit the mission profile, although, you may not be able to coerce Zaarin to send a surrender message with applied force with both Eshu and the Hand of Judgement there. Sometimes honorable underlings can have problematic moral codes. Still, you believe that Zaarin's cooperation isn't necessary should your plan come together.
"Very well, take them if you wish."
The interdictors are where your strategy lies, with one left behind, ready to hyperspace in at a moment's notice, and the other guarding against escape. Your fleet advances in a line, Ties and lighter vessels beginning a dance entirely alien to Empire doctrine. Taking hints from a dozen separate cultures, the formations and maneuvers are awkward and stilted, as if the pilots and officers are still unsure what to do. The heavier vessels advance as the Empire doctrine demands, their turbo and quad lasers firing into the distance. Very few of the shots will matter, but firing them costs you little.
The first pass occurs, two squadrons of Ties probing at the other, Tie Phantoms against your own Tie Fighters. Your forces pull back before two more squadrons dive in and retreat. Slashing attack after slashing attack follows on the frontlines as you whittle away at Zaarin's screening force. It's effective, but if this continues, your forces will enter a capital ship battle. And so, you give Zaarin that battle, but one that will ensure his defeat.
A burst of static is emitted on the comms, and one of your IS2s surges forward, seemingly losing patience. One of the more irritating issues among the forces of the Empire was the occasional captain that refused to follow the battle plans. Zaarin seems to think that this is one such captain, one that is done with your reforms, and one that is done with your slow but steady approach. The screens slacken, allowing the IS2 in question to charge forward before the trap closes, and the mighty star destroyer is surrounded by two thousand phantoms.
A second burst of static is emitted, and you watch the star destroyer list, as explosions wrack its shield generators. Fires burst and turbolasers die one by one as a hole in your blockade forms, with just a rapidly dying out of position IS2 in Zaarin's way. What a shame that it is just a trap of your own.
The IS2 loses one engine, then a second, leaving it with just barely enough thrust to move on its own power. Then comes the moment that you have waited for, as you speak clearly into your battlefield comms system. "All forces, commence stage 2."
You close your eyes, and the battlefield seems to expand. An interdictor enters hyperspace, beginning its 10-second journey from the edges of the system. A dozen transports enter hyperspace 10 seconds later, just as the interdictor arrives. The IS2, having begun plotting coordinates as soon as you gave the order, enters hyperspace precisely 10 seconds after the interdictor arrives, 5 seconds late, but well within acceptable parameters. Five heartbeats pass, and you open your eyes and you witness the interdictor activate its gravity generators, barely enveloping Zaarin's fleet. Ten seconds pass, and you see your transports arrive, and your stormtroopers begin boarding operations. You smile, and you sit down, steepling your fingers and awaiting reports of success.
The Golans are the first to fall, four of them ceasing to fire upon your forces within ten minutes. Two IS2s fall next, Stormtroopers seizing the bridge after brutal firefights. The last report is the most important however and comes twenty full minutes later.
A hologram of your bodyguard appears, with an unconscious former Grand Admiral next to her. "Well done Ms. Tenrar." You incline your head in respect and give her the next order. "Send an order to his fleet to cease firing, I don't think more lives need to be lost today."
You are of course correct, you doubt they would have tried to keep up the battle even if Zaarin was still alive. With his capture, any hope of victory was lost, and even the soldiers of the Empire aren't so fanatical. Perhaps the New Republic forces might be, but not your own. At least not in the near future.
With the battle over, your fleet expanded, and new Tie models to wield, you find yourself in a far better state than previously. And you know, that the near future holds even more opportunities for yourself to prosper and succeed.
The Battle: 67
Results: 1 IS2 for Thrawn at 1/60 HP. 4 Golans of Zaarin's captured. 2 IS2s of Zaarin's captured.
Capturing Zaarin (DC 2/5/30/50): 74 (Captured)
End Results: Zaarin captured, fleet surrenders. Victory for Thrawn. +5 IS2s, +5 Victories, +1 Immobilizer, +20 Strikes, +100 Carracks, +6 Golan Defence Platforms, +2000 Tie Phantoms
Results: 1 IS2 for Thrawn at 1/60 HP. 4 Golans of Zaarin's captured. 2 IS2s of Zaarin's captured.
Capturing Zaarin (DC 2/5/30/50): 74 (Captured)
End Results: Zaarin captured, fleet surrenders. Victory for Thrawn. +5 IS2s, +5 Victories, +1 Immobilizer, +20 Strikes, +100 Carracks, +6 Golan Defence Platforms, +2000 Tie Phantoms