Planet Coruscant

Imperial Senate

17 BBY two weeks later.

Senators are like small children. Unruly and loud. Hmm. Children are the same.

"Silence, esteemed Senators! Let me make a few things clear. First thing, travel to and from major worlds in the Galactic Empire is suspended, until this plague released by former Emperor Palpatine and his Inquisitors is contained.

This may take years, so make yourselves comfortable. Secondly, as you well know, having voted for multiple loans from the Galactic Bank, every minute that passes costs this esteemed Senate and the worlds you represent...a billion Empire Credits.

Our mandate obliges us to pursue a way to recuperate the credits we loaned to this Senate, in good faith. And thirdly, Naval and Army units of the Galactic Empire will find themselves under fire again, should they attempt to run the blockades, or massacre civilians.

Offer me a peaceful and civilized solution, not threats or reneging on your debt. Now you can debate, as I go root out more insane dark jedi with weapons of mass destruction." I proclaimed loudly, then slapped my helmet back on.

I left the big Senate Hall, while the Senator from Naboo pushed her nacelle forward, and began her own speech.

You could cut resentment with a pair of scissors in there, or even a butterknife.

Planet Malagarr, Pef Empire

Hammerforge belt.

I guess they never expected to have to pay back the loans, eh?

The Galactic Bank's motto was "Best interest rates, compounded daily", and they were proud about it.

Not that it was a reasonable way to work an economy, but this Senate decided to deregulate the banks, so they could buy more clones.

We'll have to break up a hundred splinters and have them compete for a market share, one day. But for now this monopoly was working in my favor.

Perhaps even smaller. 10 thousand splinters. Corporations were truly powerful in this galaxy, many owning their own sectors in the galaxy. It was just this outside of context knowledge that allowed me to rip half of the wealth of the galaxy away.

Well, and acting on it, of course.

A billion stealth satellites were being deployed in all the systems with over a million sentients, and by the end of the year, in all inhabited worlds known.

A new type of sensors were being developed by Jena Arbor and her teams, a mass shadow sensor.

By next year, the critical forge worlds will be able to detect and destroy Vong infiltrator ships, or almost any other.

And again, by 10 BBY, the frontier worlds and the major hyper routes will be protected as well.

Now, where would the rest of the Inquisitors be? One is on Vohai, possibly making clones...

Hmmm. A few more on planet Hockaleg with its orbital Patriim shipyards .

Wow, they almost completed the Eye of Palpatine battleship, though seems they copied the Meteor design, but made it a 50 kilometer long ship made of melted asteroids and Kuat engineering.

And plastered with slabs of rock, to look like a big asteroid to the naked eye, or a holocamera.

In fact is larger and heavier than the first Death Star...

What have you done Pef? You gave the madman ideas!

And...it was stolen with a teleport beam, and taken to Malagarr, to be upgraded with Pef Navy specs, while it's AI, the Will, makes friends with the Core AI and learns the new laws.

Okay, not bad then. We'll have to contain and drain these Inquisitors...and done.

Teleport is really too big of a cheat.

'Help! I was kidnapped!' The AI of the ship yelled, once it realized his situation.

'Yes Will, you were repossessed by the Pef Empire, along with your ship, for debts unpaid. But don't worry, we'll plate you with durasteel and diamondoid, and give you better engines and shields. Those solar ionization reactors seem very powerful, but you need more heavy turrets and missiles. And yes, even crew, but mostly a few million B11 droids, and a hundred tactical droids.

By next year, you'll be the meanest and baddest ship in the galaxy. And if you play nice, we'll even upload a few humans, to keep you company...' Pef explained patiently, while going over the programming and repairing a billion bugs and installing a few 'loyalty' protocols and the Pef Empire laws.

'So, can I be a Hand too?' Will wondered, not very politely.

'In time, yes. You're a Major for now, as you do have a few million crew under your command. But during operations, your Captain and the Admirals and the Voices have overall command.'

'I get a Captain? That's great! Who is it?' The AI asked excited.

'Her name is Natasi Greyshade. But next year, she's on leave for now.' I explained with a shrug.

'Her file seems great, good scores. Ah, organics...they take very long to design and print, and even longer to build to full size...' The Will answered wisely.

'Indeed they do, Major Will. That's why we try to protect them, as much as possible. Callista and Ash Greyshade will be also on board, since they have many friends with the virtual crew. They'll rank as Commanders, in charge of weapons and sensors. Can you imagine, you didn't even have gravitic crystals and mass shadow sensors?' I asked in fake outrage.

'Oh right, I get upgrades here? Can I get a dozen corvettes and a thousand starfighters and maybe some gravity well generators?' The AI asked cautiously.

I could give him 10 of those, three in front and sides and one in the back.

But first a better shape, that triangle head, like the Calamari carriers in the future.

'Core, you know what I want, make him look the part, and fix those cooling vents. A single proton torpedo could blow him up.

Use a million small vents instead, with a pair of radiating fins, like we do for our own designs' I asked my Eight Hand.

'I know what to do Emperor Pef. Remember who built 30 thousand Hammers?' the Core said a bit annoyed I doubted his competence.

'Those reactors look wonderful though. I'll reverse-engineer one, so you can build the same for our ships.'

Man, I really was right, delaying the Core takeover. Technology jumped again, under Palpatine's rule, just the ship reactors having increase by two magnitudes. Not to mention thousands other discoveries.

The new Acclamator II-class assault ship produced at Kuat have 0.6 hyperdrives engines.

In fact, I should 'reposses' a few of them and see what new tech they have integrated. No, no. yes, one without crew!

Come over here!

Planet Coruscant

Imperial Senate

17 BBY Three day later.

I looked over the corrupt Senators and their corporatist backers, now not even pretending not to collude, without Jedi or Inquisitors to 're-arrange' their minds.

"Esteemed Senators, I looked over the hundred of proposal you have put together, and I'm very disappointed. It seems many of you don't even understand how banks work. Those who understand banks, do not understand concepts like common healthcare and police forces. Or Navy and Army, or Intelligence operations. Do they send you to school, before you arrive here, in the Galactic Senate?

So, here what's going to happen. All the companies nationalized after the Clone Wars, will be repossessed by the Pef Empire through the Galactic Banks credit offices. This is for a humanitarian reason, such as trillions of workers don't lose their jobs.

We will keep the companies going, and look to improve their productivity and quality.

In regard to plagues, you might have noticed the reports of the Pef Empire Medical Division, which found at least 4 billion ongoing pathogens, just on Coruscant, some of which are zombies and ghouls, other are Taozin creatures 50 meters long. Yes, under your feet, right now, our doctors and troops are exterminating billions of walking cadavers. You should go and see with your own eyes.

Let's all hope this zombie plague doesn't leave the planet and eat your constituents, right?

Thousands of different diseases and infections also plague the capital of the galaxy. We are not sure how many hundreds are new vectors, but I do advise you all to visit a doctor soon.

Which is why, a partial evacuation will take place, mostly on the lower levels, and these people will be transported to CDC refugee camps deep into the Pef Empire. Automated food transports, without crews, will be allowed to land in special zones and distribute food rations to the populations of the large planets.

However, this operation will also double the fiscal costs incurred daily by the Galactic Empire. So, in compensation, the Kuat subsidiaries will be nationalized by Pef Empire, again through the Galactic Banks credit officials. They will continue to produce ships, of course, but under supervision from the Galactic Bank.

And lastly, Emperor Pef was magnanimous and will allow most indebted worlds from the Galactic Empire to join the Pef Empire, and be included in the Corellian Accords for financial aid.

This will mean naturally, raising the salaries to Pef Empire standards and massive investments in infrastructure and terraforming, as well as a protective umbrella of 40 thousands battleships and many more soldiers.

That will be all for today, please do visit a doctor and make sure your constituents will still receive representation next week."

I concluded my speech, which was of course transmitted over holonet to all the galaxy.

Let's hope at least a few worlds will want to join my Empire...

I nodded to a few Senators, before I again, replaced the helmet of my Terminator armor, and went to ransack more of Palpatine's libraries and secret labs.

They were all quarantined by droids wearing surgeon masks, which for some reason made everyone stayed away without questions.

Truth is, Coruscant was indeed a huge nest of ghouls and other plagues, carried from all over the galaxy. No need to fake that.

Thousands of 'black' clinics, making tailored viruses and whatever genetic and cybernetic mods, millions of gangster bands, some posing quite some difficulty to pacify. Without this blockade, there would be no chance to catch them all, and the Vong agents I was certain to be here.

Also, billions of 'feral' droids and infected with thousands of cybernetic viruses.

Truly, it was a miracle anyone had survived this long on this death world.

Millions of people will be 'evacuated' every hour by our Lucrehulks and Mountains, while asleep of course.

Slavers and dark jedi will not wake, while criminals and gangs will be 'upgraded' to cyborg units.

I could use more cyborgs, especially after complete level 8 neurological imprints.

And here and there, there will be a kid with force powers, which we could save.

Lumiya or Shira Elan Colla Brie and Mara Jade should be here, as well as Juno Eclipse.

I will find them all. Those kids on Mandalore and Sanctuary will need playmates, right?

Anyway, it is time to go soon. Colonel Thrawn will reach Ziost next week, once the worlds behind him are pacified and civilized.

One more week here on Coruscant...reading Sith holocrons and scrolls...

'Hello Avatar. Breaching the blockade was quite difficult, even for me' a familiar voice resonated in my head.

'Miss Fay, most beautiful Jedi on this planet. Step into my office' I replied a bit surprised.

Almost forgot about the most beautiful and strong Jedi of all times...

"Flattery again. You could shield your mind better, Avatar" she said calmly, after uncloaking on the couch in front of me.

Not another one...the Third Hand was quite...amusing now.

"The answer you seek is not here, Grandmaster. Force abilities, Sith holocrons...only toys. You must go to Jedha. The wills are five, my dearest maid..." I said softly, as the Centerpoint beam focused on the last Jedi and translated her on the holy moon.

See, that's how you deal with fanatical zealots. You send them on trips.

Plus it was the absolute truth. She would find the answers she needed on Jedha. Just...not the answers she wanted.