Reborn as Anakin

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***

It was a long and fast run. Yeah, I had everything ready to go.

It had been two weeks since the plan had been in motion, during which time I had already had time to look at Satine's guards and find the right time to attack. And to prepare the escape of the failed assassin. I was favoured by the fact that the Guard's tactics don't focus much on pursuit and capture, but more on repelling an attack. The guards are in power armour, so they're sluggish, but there are more than enough ways to escape. One of those ways is quite the sewers of the city of Keldabe. There is an extensive sewer network running beneath the city, in which I had hidden a few bikes for escape. All I had left to do was attack the Duchess herself, having first taken care of some good, dull armour and a red sword. Oh well, I have plenty of Sith swords. After taking out the guards by force, I made my way into the palace. It's really impossible for the casual killer to navigate here - every corridor can lead to a dead end.

After sneaking in, I slipped past the guards and then attacked the Duchess while walking in the garden. The guards were knocked out by lightning, and then, timing it just right, I brought my sword down on Satine herself-just as the rest of the guards appeared and I took a dozen shots and dashed off in the direction of the escape route. I stunned my pursuers, so I bought a little time - it's harder to find me once I've slipped into the stinking darkness. The sewers are as confusing as the city itself, only the map is different. So the pursuers found themselves on unfamiliar terrain, in a blind maze.

I got on my bike and sped towards the outskirts. It's good that the armour is deaf and has a supply of oxygen - otherwise you could suffocate from the stench. The exit to the surface was on the outskirts of Keldabe. There was a shuttle waiting for me there, so after driving the speeder into it, I shouted to Erdva to take off.

Just as I got into the shuttle bay, the ramp closed and the Kappa took off.

That's how the first assassination attempt on the Duchess happened. Frankly speaking, I was very nervous - if I was caught, they would not be sorry, and assassination attempts are not my business. I'd rather let Cinna take care of it. The shuttle overcame the atmosphere of the planet and went out into space - in the system was waiting for me Correlian corvette, on which I came.

Pulling off the armour, I dumped it in the compartment, then went into the cockpit and depressurised it while we were still in orbit. The speeder, armour and sword flew off towards Mandalore to burn up in the atmosphere.

- That was a neat trick we pulled off," I shared with Erdva, "a little scary, of course, but....

- Everything went well, - stated the droid, - now we can fly to Coruscant?

- Yes, that's right. Remember? Not a word to anyone about what happened here. And no data, not even your memory records, better erase them. Just in case.

- I'll do it," Erdva said in a sad voice. I didn't want to risk it, so I ordered the droid to erase the data about the operation.

The shuttle on sublight engines crawled towards the corvette. And on it, a crew of Sin's men who would keep quiet in case of trouble.

The corvette appeared on the visors, and in a minute the naked eye could see my means of transport.

Once docked, we climbed aboard and simply abandoned the shuttle in space. I stepped into the spacious corridors of the ship, where they were already waiting for me.

- We're going to Coruscant.

- Aye! - The captain pulled up and left to take command.

The slash, along with the lightning bolts and the red sword, had been demonstrated. I went to my quarters, where I was finally able to get rid of my armour, uncomfortable in close combat. Erdva obediently followed me. Twenty minutes later the ship jumped into hyperspace and the journey back... began.

The good thing about travelling in hyperspace on routes is that you can do your own thing and leave the control to the droid or the crew.

The time was about a week - that was how long it took to fly from Mandalore to Coruscant. After lying in my quarters for a while longer, I got down to business. Military and civil affairs to be exact. The legislation didn't have to be changed much - I tweaked some things, and some things I crossed out drastically, but in general, the Imperial legislation of the Seven Planets Alliance remained in force. In addition, I personally supervised the construction of Cinnagar, the design and construction of the space fleet and ground equipment.

In today's political realities, there are three fundamental political forces - the established order, military power, and economic power. I have tried to keep the key issues in all three and use them rationally and proportionately. The established orders are laws, traditions, superstitions, all those things that I cannot change by buying the media. For example, the laws of the republic, the laws and traditions of the aristocracy, the written and unwritten rules. On this point the compulsory programme was rolled out - I am the emperor according to the law of the aristocracy, there is no one higher than me. Well, with the capabilities of the Architect, it is not a big task to get any title, and to be happy about it is the height of idiocy. The old man destroyed the entire Rakatan Empire, but he wasn't proud of it, it was just a job for people like him. I'm also related to the Kriz clan, which means a lot. The Chancellor seems loyal and co-operative. The last item on the obligatory programme from this side was to build the capital. A noble don should have his own castle or other fiefdom, and what kind is not so important. Although it was still of great importance. Now Cinnagar was already at a decent level - in the process of construction dozens of high-rise buildings, corresponding to the latest galactic architectural fashion and my personal preferences, as well as hundreds of smaller buildings, floors of thirty, which will be given to offices, boutiques and other necessary needs of the city. In the outskirts of the neighbourhood there was no retail real estate at all - the architecture is designed so that on one side of the street there are courtyards of houses of the parallel street, that is, if necessary, you can build a shop with direct access to the street. Theoretically.

The second point of power was military force - I was fine with that too. Soon the first ships will be coming off the slipway. The plan is to keep only ten per cent of the fleet and army in full combat readiness, and the rest will be mothballed. If any war happens, it will be possible to recruit and train new recruits for the entire fleet in a couple of months, which is nine hundred venators and even more acclamators. In the conditions of the Republic, especially in the modern Republic, in order not to pay a lot of money it is necessary to calculate the tactics and strategy of combat operations, as little visible to the public as possible. The republic itself does not put a strict ban on clashes between sectors, they were, are and will be. Two years ago, with the support of the Chancellor, there was a scandalous project, but, in my opinion, politically correct. Its essence is as follows: if two noble dons, each with their own planet and army, decide to settle their relations by war, the Republic will not interfere. Another thing, if one planet attacked the other without a mutual declaration of war - this could lead to a fine, with confiscation of the entire fleet or anything else of value. That is, if both warring parties do not renounce hostilities, the Republic has nothing to do with it - it's an internal matter between the two sectors. The correctness of such a law is that with a total ban, a solid list of grievances will accumulate between the sectors and, sooner or later, it will still end in war. Or terrorism, or cold war, or something else bad. As practice shows - if the conflict is solved by diplomatic method, it does not solve anything, the issue remains open, and war is the only way to dot all the i's. After the war, even previously irreconcilable, "couch" generals, having felt on their own skin what it is, can become pacifist friends. And the cleansing of the gene pool from all kinds of slag. Justice is watching all this closely, also acting as a guarantor of fulfilment of the laws of war - if someone suddenly thinks of breaking them, the punishment will be severe, up to the entry of the corps into the war, and thus - the automatic surrender of the offender.

Under such circumstances, I honestly doubt that I will be declared war or agree to my declaration of war. So, in effect, there are no legal ways to fight. As I said, weapons are subject to registration, and information about a thousand Venators will be available to many who choose to dig deeper. And about the ships themselves, and their armament, which in the version of a heavy cruiser makes those who want to compete with blasters think twice. As well as information about NWR, fighter aviation, landing corps and countless military equipment. All of which will cool the heads of many who want to fight the Empire. But for there to be peace, you have to be prepared for war. And besides, no one can stop me from supporting my allies. Which means I can support any of the warring parties in the galaxy. In reality, I honestly don't care about anyone else's business at all. Except Mandalore and Naboo. I have sisters and other relatives there. No one knows I'm going to stand up for Naboo but me. But there's already a cunning plan in place. I've found myself a particular fan of cunning plans, though sometimes they're not so cunning, but they're effective.

In modern sector warfare, martial feats and soldier heroism, long gruelling battles and the mass participation of "light" units in warfare have been relegated to the dustbin of history. Sure, the peripheral sectors only fight like that, but to me it's already mauvais. The warlike noble dons of the central worlds have an army full of the most effective equipment, divided into many smaller groups, acting quickly and professionally, using any tactical advantage, be it the surprise factor, the range of blasters or the availability and technical advantages of combat equipment. And most importantly, the training of the personnel. On this point, I'll hit Sina some more. Airborne Corps, thanks to acclamators, was able to equip a variety of weapons. And most of them have already begun to arrive in the troops, and the troops themselves were already in full swing. After all, in addition to skyscrapers and small houses in Cinnagar was a military base, which already had more than a thousand soldiers. Building utilitarian boxes and military hangars, a spaceport, and a training camp was child's play by the standards of the assembled construction forces. The influx of new people was active, but not massively - with each regular flight I brought new recruits from the station, each time it was a small crowd, a hundred or two hundred people. I worked part-time as a marshaller two or three times a week when I was on Koros. It didn't take much time, and I was constantly bringing in container ships and heavy transports for the construction workers, civilian ministries, and the military.

Hortad Bralor, Sina's friend and experienced officer, was our chief of ground forces. Now a general and head of the paratroop corps. He had recently sent me a list of orders for approval before I left for Mandalore. Although de facto, the development of all weapons has already been ordered, the decision on adoption will be made after testing. The armament of the paratroopers in his view, impressive and fully consistent with his own concept of rapid warfare, relying on speed, training and competent co-operation of different types of troops, gathered under the unified command of paratroop brigades. The most massive unit of armoured vehicles were AT-RT. The walkers. At first I did not take these walking under-godzillas seriously, until I got acquainted with the history of their use. They appeared, of course, after caterpillar and wheeled vehicles, and not accidentally displaced them - pedometers could walk. In the literal sense of the word - to step over an obstacle, stretching legs to the maximum, or to duck, to step on such an obstacle, which would be insurmountable for repulsor, and even more so, for wheeled and caterpillar vehicles. He can duck, just like a man, to take cover. And look out for reconnaissance or fire. In urban combat, in mountainous terrain, in the forest, it gave tactical advantages over conventional wheeled, tracked and repulsor vehicles, which surpassed it only on plains, fields and deserts. Especially in urban combat conditions the ability to crouch, take cover, quickly turn around, turn the cabin with cannons up is relevant. I won't say anything about actions on planets with high gravity or magnetic and ion storms - repulsors are sensitive to EMP, so their effectiveness will be reduced many times during a storm. Behind the AT-RTs came the tanks, heavy assault vehicles, with powerful shields and armour, designed, like all tanks, to suppress enemy defences. These expensive, especially compared to the rest of the vehicles, had good heavy armament, capable of destroying both long-term fortifications, and armoured vehicles and even flying enemy vehicles, such as landing craft. On the basis of the same tanks were supposed to make air defence forces, that is, to equip them with anti-aircraft systems, anti-aircraft missiles and high-speed guns. Next on the list were speeders for various purposes, motorised speeders for reconnaissance, as well as artillery. The brigade, i.e. the landing forces of one Acclamator, consists of five hundred AT-PEs, fifty assault tanks, ten mobile anti-aircraft units, one hundred troop-combat transports, ten high-altitude reconnaissance and combat speeders, two command and control vehicles, five mobile repair shops and twenty heavy armoured cargo transports, ten thousand droids. Half of the droids are modified droidekas, the order for which has already been placed despite the risk of a copyright lawsuit by the kyllicoids, the other half are other machines. Strangely enough, a project that fully met our requirements already existed, but no one bought the droids. It was called the Desolator. I wrote in the margin, "Change the name to 'Dinii' and the design of the droid's head so that civilians don't shit when it approaches." With a conditionally neutral facial expression, the droid should be a bit more sympathetic. The same was true of the GX-1. And that's just the attacking troops and their supplies - in addition to them, a separate list included orders for defensive equipment - mine barriers, engineering vehicles, stationary batteries and military bases for rapid deployment. The list ended with several thousand more old as the world, but still effective kits for the construction of temporary firing points - universal armour plates, machine blasters, sensors and radars, guidance systems, short-range mines.

I signed the document with pleasure - now, after reading it, I had an idea of what my army would look like.

The third item of power was finances. And it's not only money - it's securities, which give me the right to vote in solving major issues, it's media, which work for me, supply of potential and real allies, as well as the psychological factor. The supply of money was constant - in addition to the KMC, there were other contracts for the sale of metals, so that five or six trillion a year, the Empire possessed. And that's more than the budget of a well-developed sector like Corellian. I don't count the "emergency" funds from the sale of coruscans - they are not imperial funds, they are my personal funds, which go to finance my personal projects, which are known to a narrow circle of people. But still, also counted, as a factor of money. Yes, I had to work hard and hard - to control everything, to make long-term and short-term plans, to devote enough time to the mining colonies and to study in the process all the issues I was concerned with - state management, military issues, markets and important for me processes in the galaxy... In order not to fall out of this stream, I had to devote all my time to my new job. Even though the ministers and heads of departments were quite professional, I had to participate in the process myself - each of them put the issues of his ministry above the others. With that approach they'd be fighting without leadership, even with plenty of funding - Kevin could fight with Sin over the patrol service, Warner with Jen over the location of relay stations, and so on and so forth. Only if they were nailed down and their disputes resolved would they then work together effectively. A meeting with senior staff, ministers and heads of departments had been scheduled for the time of the next visit to Koros. There were many issues that had accumulated recently that needed to be addressed. But first, the work with Kriz.

The corvette left near Coruscant, at the appointed hour, and immediately headed down to the planet. A personal landing pad was definitely not unreasonable in this city - flying was a frequent occurrence. I waited until I landed, and then I was glad to get out of the ship, heading for my flat. Lin had already settled in as if it were his own - there were plenty of rooms, so even the engineering team didn't bother him. He noticed me, of course, after landing. As I entered the flat, I bumped into Riekan.

- Anakin? Unannounced again...

- Do I have to report to you? - I raised an eyebrow," I said, "but you've got a lot on your plate, don't you?

- I'd at least know when you're coming," Lin frowned.

- I don't know when and where I'll be," I grinned back, "I have to meet someone. I won't be occupying your residence for long.

- Your flat," he shrugged, stepping further away.

Walking into the living room, I sat down on the couch and asked the droid that had followed me silently:

- Erdwa, put me through to the Chancellor.

Erdva remained silent and stopped moving for a few seconds before a hologram of Valorum appeared above him.

- Anakin? - wondered the Chancellor, -Why did it take so long to contact?

- Time, Chancellor," I sighed, "I'm always running out of time. And yes, I have not forgotten our arrangements with you. But there are some details that need to be discussed. Are you free?

- If it's business, I can skip the new production at the opera... would you like to come with me?

- I don't think so," I sighed, "I don't like opera. I like theatre productions on a slightly larger scale.....

The Chancellor thought for a moment, then agreed to postpone his business:

- Where shall we meet?

- In the same flat, in the five hundredth building. I have an almost permanent office here.

- I'll be there in the evening," the Chancellor nodded briefly and the connection was cut off.

Erdva finally raised his voice:

- 'What about Lin, and the other three tenants?

- They won't bother us. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to introduce Lin to Chancellor Valorum..." I grinned. Yes, it wouldn't hurt him at all. After sitting for a while, I got up and went to look for Lin. He was in a hangar, or rather a small garage for speeders, as I couldn't call it a hangar. Last time I was here, my fighter could barely fit in it.

- Lin! - I called out to him.

- Yeah?" Lin's head appeared from behind the speeder. By the way, my speeder - I'd bought a SKS-19 a long time ago, back on Corellia, before I became Emperor. I just never got round to it. The speeder was lying on the lower deck of the hangar of my yacht, and I remembered about it only when I had to remove everything on the lower deck during the production of fighters - the speeder stood in a corner, waiting for its time, and I took it with me on the next voyage, especially for this purpose, having taken the Corellian corvette C-er, ninetieth model. That's what I took to Mandalore, as a matter of fact.

- Get ready, my friend, the chancellor's coming tonight. Yes, by the way, I have a small task for you - dress up properly, tidy yourself up, it's not good to meet Valorum with oil stains on your clothes.... Especially since it'll be dinner time.

- Don't worry," Lin stood up to his full height, "I will. When did you say you'd be back?

- Tonight. He didn't say exactly. And if you want, invite your girlfriend to dinner.

- Tia? - Lin was surprised, are you sure?

- More than sure. It would be good for you. And nanotechnology is one of the most promising export topics, so you could introduce the Chancellor to future nanodroid engineers.

- Why "future"? - Lin frowned playfully, "They're very real. Not every case can be taken on the spot, you know.

We left the garage and headed for the house. Lin followed us in, and looking in his wardrobe, sighed and admitted:

- Absolutely nothing to wear to a business meeting. Not a single business suit...

- But fuck it, - I shrugged my shoulders, - a meeting in a small circle of persons, we can and without ceremony.

- Yeah, without ceremony, - Lin was not happy, - so, I'm leaving for more or less decent clothes.

- And bring your girlfriend," I said.

Lin left, but he promised to come back. I walked around the flat for a while - three bedrooms were occupied by the engineers, the fourth by Lin. So there wasn't much room left. In the absence of business, I went back to thinking about my devious plans - I'd have to go after Obi-Wan personally and make sure everything went the way it should. And I've been browsing the holonet in search of beauty. I'm sure he didn't find any.

Lin returned two hours later, having flown in with Tia. By the way, Lin found a decent girl - she looked very nice, a beautiful, searing brunette with brown eyes and a minimum of make-up. She also seemed to be smart, since she worked as an engineer with her team. This time, instead of a strict suit, she was dressed in clothes more suited to her soft character. And Lin, by the looks of it, was dressed by her.

- You haven't flown in yet? - Lin immediately asked as he entered, leading his lady by the hand.

- Not yet," I said, closing the holomonitor that Erdva had projected, "by the way, I ordered a light dinner and a couple of bottles of wine.

Tia remained silent, and Lin, smiling, asked:

- Should we attend the whole event?

- No, you don't have to," I said, waving my hand, "You can have the night off. Tia blushed a little, and Lin nodded in agreement.

Ten minutes later, dinner arrived. A few delicacies, two bottles of wine, and all the trimmings. Not that I was planning a dinner, but it would be rude not to treat the Chancellor, especially since he missed the opera because of me. Lin and Tia helped me set the table.

- Tia," I turned to the girl, deciding to kill some time with conversation, "how's your work going?

- Fine," she said, clearly uncomfortable with my company, "we're almost finished developing the medical droid. There was too much to take into account when developing it. We've never done anything like this before.

- There's a first time for everything. The main thing is that the project should be completed, as well as the developments on how we can use droids to treat various diseases.

- Ordinary diseases will hardly need to be treated with droids, - the girl disagreed, - they are needed for precise operations, like destroying diseased cells, they can perform operations at the cellular level and, if necessary, make changes in cells, deliver medicines directly.

- I see," I agreed, "Tell me, could nanobots theoretically be used to change appearance?

- Of course, - Tia nodded immediately, - it's the simplest thing - to add extra cells somewhere, to remove them somewhere, to change the colour of eyes, hair, skin, it's the easiest thing in general. It is largely determined by the presence of pigments, the amount of which can be artificially increased or decreased. Although you can change at the level of genes, then the changes will be long-term ...

- And this is short-lived? - realising where Tia was going, I asked.

- No, iris cells renew themselves. If you rewrite other parameters affecting the colour of the eye into the genes, then in a week the colour of the eye will change. Although to use nanobots like that-" Tia looked at me strangely. Right, she thought I was an idiot. There are much cheaper ways to change your body in the galaxy.

- My concern is that any invention, sooner rather than later, is used for military and criminal purposes. After all, there is nothing easier to hide from justice - change a part of your genes and you are a new person, and you have a certificate. I'll keep silent about military use - even if it is profitable for me, it's not worth the risk... - I was determined to stop any attempts to use nanodroids for military purposes in the future. It's worse than nuclear or chemical weapons, even worse than viruses. And if someone in the galaxy starts such a thing, the chances of intelligent life surviving will be slim.

- 'You're right,' Tia agreed with me, 'but it's still too expensive. And it will remain so.

- I agree. The galaxy has another five to ten millennia. Nanodroids are too irrational, conventional droids make them almost useless for military purposes, and most civilian ones as well.

Barely had I finished speaking before the Chancellor's speeder flashed outside the window. Valorum was flying a large speeder that could easily hold a dozen or two people. The speeder landed on our pad and I, alone, went out to meet the Chancellor.

Valorum arrived with his guards, as always, but this time he left them outside and approached me alone. His strict black clothes, which made him look like an immortal ogre, gave way to a light grey suit that looked remotely like a military uniform. Behind the chancellor's back, a darker cloak, more like a medieval mantle, swayed. This made Valorum look less like he was about to collapse and more like a dry but lively old man, with a keen gaze and vigorous movements.

- Good evening, Mr Chancellor," I greeted him.

- And to you, Skywalker. I take it you asked to see me for a reason? - He stopped in front of me.

- Nothing happens without a reason. Especially important meetings. Please," I stepped aside, allowing Valorum to lead the way, which he did. As he walked down the corridor, he asked:

- Is our meeting more specific this time?

- That's right. But first, I'd like to treat you to a light dinner and introduce you to a friend of mine.....

The Chancellor was the first to enter the flat, after which he looked around and smirked:

- Informal, then?

- I don't like formality," I shrugged my shoulders, "why would it be necessary in a business conversation rather than an exchange of pleasantries?

- I couldn't agree more," the Chancellor nodded faintly.

- In that case... please, come in and make yourself comfortable. I have much to talk about, if you are not pressed for time.

- Not at the moment.

Valorum walked to the table and sat down at it, just at that moment Lin and his girlfriend appeared. Lin looked as if he had been harnessed to a job he hated, and Tia was clearly tantalised around faces like us.

- Oh, there's my friend and Minister of Automation, Lin Riekan and his girlfriend, Tia. Lin, I'd like you to meet Finis Valorum.

- Nice to meet you," Valorum and Lin exchanged short bows, the Chancellor smiled at the girl, and then everyone sat down at the table.

- So, I see that things are going well for you....

- I'm not," I grinned, "but I have to keep busy.

- That's the job. Do you think it's easier for me?

- No, I don't think so," I poured the wine into glasses, "but I hope it'll get easier. We're not playing sabbac after all, so we're gradually improving our situation.

- I want to believe you, Skywalker. By the way, let's switch to the first name, because it's not proper to talk so formally in such a campaign..." the Chancellor smiled, looking at Lin and his friend.

I poured the wine for the others, and we drank. There were no toasts here, it's not customary. Afterwards, we all snacked and relaxed a bit.

- By the way, my business is going at a decent pace. The capital, Cinnagar, is almost built. Compared to the capitals of the major worlds, it's a backwater, but it will take many years to get it up to an acceptable state.

- The main thing is that we have a city," the Chancellor nodded, "for the record.

- Yes, the creation of the city is greatly hampered by many other factors. For example, the low demand for residential and office space.

- That won't last long," the Chancellor said, "I bet the merchants will get in there too.

- Of course they will. The problem is enforcing the law in the territory to be settled. Ten thousand droid patrols and three thousand Cinnagar police are modest compared to other sectors...

- Decent," the Chancellor disagreed, "the patrol droids are doing a pretty good job. I was thinking of increasing their number, but that's a matter for the local authorities, and from my position I can't influence them effectively enough..." he said.

- I see. Lin, you're the Minister of Automation, let me know what you think...

- Ahem..." Lin cleared his throat, "Well... I suppose if you lower their cost, they'll be more common. They cost fifteen thousand now, and twenty in our Imperial version... Yes, Anakin, I've made all your adjustments to the order.

- That's fine," I nodded briefly, "at that price, it's really more logical to keep a regular police force.

- But if you make them cheaper, their efficiency will decrease," Lin sighed, "five hundred one is the minimum that can be used to make a police droid cheaper. If you cheapen it any further, you'll reduce the efficiency, or the range of tasks, and that again, is in favour of regular police officers.

The chancellor listened to us for a moment before agreeing with Lin:

- You're right. Unfortunately, there are no cheaper options available to us, unless you count the small flying droids. Those are the mainstay of the patrols on Coruscant and many of the other central planets....

I sighed, summarising:

- I am, however, in a position to provide sufficient numbers of these droids. If, after purchasing large quantities for the Empire, the price of them drops, it will be useful for many other planets.

The Chancellor nodded and I had already turned the conversation in another direction:

- By the way, I've recently taken up nanotechnology... Some progress is already being made....

- Really? - surprised the Chancellor, - I heard that it's insanely expensive.

- So it is, - I did not immediately reveal the good deal I had on my hands, and at the same time to "wash" in front of the Chancellor a part of my expenses, in case he dug into the sale of corusok, - work on finding ways of mass production is underway ... but they take a lot of resources ... It takes a lot of resources, but if we can achieve a positive result, the effect will be enormous.

- Yes... - the Chancellor sighed, but, judging by my emotions, he thought that it was my foolishness to believe in technology too much. Which, by the way, have not changed too much over the last five millennia, and the current technological situation is quite stable. Now and then there are new inspired scientists and young men who believe that a new era is about to come, but they are quickly destroyed by reality. Let them believe, the main thing is that there should be an explanation for the fantastic expenditures on the "change of leadership". And the spending on this project has already reached the actual cost of a minor corporation like Merr-Sonn, producing a colossal amount of goods like repulsors, servo-motors, metal structures, communications equipment, packaging material, paints, coatings, electronics, medical equipment, building materials, droids, heavy machinery for manufacturing, and even weapons. However, these expenditures should be, if not secret, at least not in plain sight, and blaming everything on the costs of the nanoprogramme is the sweetest thing to do. The destiny of nanotechnology is such, to serve as something incomprehensible, but expensive and necessary, that through them to launder decent sums.

We chatted a little more about the weather, after which Lin, apologising, took Tia under his arm and together they left. The Chancellor sighed with visible relief, but as a decent person I didn't comment on it. He'd still need to get in touch with Lin, so let him be patient.

- I think I've had enough..." the Chancellor looked at the snacks.

- Me too.

I turned around and a few seconds later the droid waiter disappeared with the plates. It was time to talk business.

- Okay, let's talk about something more specific. Now, I promised you military support, and it will be provided within six months. In a month my first ships from the main squadron will leave the slipway, yesterday I approved the list of military purchases.

- That's good," the Chancellor nodded approvingly, "I've heard about your fleet. You're putting together a decent fleet, Skywalker... the politicians of the central worlds might not like having a fleet like that around.

- That's their problem," I shrugged, "they don't have a choice. Money and profit are on my side, and for that they will tolerate anything.

- That's true, too. However, I think you're arming yourself for nothing. Republic is not only a beautiful word, but it can also protect your interests, as the Empire occupies a strategically important area....

- I don't think so," I disagreed, "I'd rather have a strong army. Besides, one way or another it will influence politics as an additional factor.

- It won't work, - the Chancellor disagreed, - they won't declare war on you, but if you try to invade any system, they will hardly fight. They're more likely to start litigation.

- I'm not interested in aggressive politics," I disagreed, "but I'm a realist. Where there's money, there are always those who want to take it away. And I could use the opportunity to support my allies.

- See for yourself," Valorum shook his head.

I was silent for a moment, then changed the subject:

- By the way, I asked for a meeting for a reason, we could talk about the timing and results over comlink. I guess you're already aware of the recent events on Mandalore?

- Which ones? - The Chancellor didn't understand.

- Oh, two. The first is that not so long ago I became inbred with the Kriz clan, becoming the brother of Duchess Satine Kriz.

The Chancellor nodded, and I continued:

Satine, not long ago, was assassinated.

- An assassination attempt? - The Chancellor raised one eyebrow, -Who would attack the Duchess of Mandalore?

- Sith knows...

I pulled from my pocket the datacard with the recording I had previously posted in the holonet, after which the Chancellor and I, with Erdw's help, looked at what my work looked like. Darth Maul would have done otherwise, however.....

- I believe," I drew the chancellor's attention when the recording ended, "that this is the work of a Sith. The red sword and-" I rewound the tape to the lightning strikes, which I was doing remarkably well, "here.

- Electricity? - The Chancellor wondered.

- One of the powers of the force. The dark side of the force.

- Why don't you go to Mandalore yourself? - You're a Jedi, aren't you?

- Quite right. I shook my head, "I have a whole army and fleet, cities, financial deals, and a lot of tasks I have to do every day. If I help one girl, I'll be setting up tens and hundreds of thousands of my people. So as much as I'd like to, I can't.

- I see," the chancellor nodded.

- Besides, Satine is the only one who can keep the Mandalorians in line. If she's killed, there could be repercussions for the entire galaxy. That's why I'm asking you to talk to Yoda about security for Satine...

- 'It can be done,' agreed the Chancellor, 'it's a wise decision... but why don't you talk to him yourself?

- I am wary of contact with the Jedi," I shook my head, "we don't agree on many things, so it is likely that Yoda will not even want to listen to me, if not worse. So it's best if the Order doesn't hear from me at all for as long as possible.

- In that case, I'll talk to Yoda," the Chancellor nodded.

- And one more thing..." I wondered, "could you ask that the Duchess's guard be someone who knows her well? I know someone like that, Obi-Wan Kenobi. My sister doesn't trust Jedi too much, but she and Ben Kenobi seem to be friends...

- That's a possibility too," the Chancellor agreed, "I wonder what will come of all this? The Jedi have been on edge about the Sith for a while now, so this information will be very useful to them.