Planet Sanctuary, Pef Empire
17 BBY, Next month
The newly repaired Kuat Shipyards have been repurposed to produce Dakka III-class corvettes, albeit a modified faster version with 0.6 hyperdrives and a view-through transparisteel bridge window, 3 meters thick. And two medium hell projectors on the dorsal side, instead of ion cannons. And no stealth modules, of course.
The Acclamator's design was elongated in the back, to protect the engines with armor, and a CIC bridge was built inside the armor.
The upper pod will be filled with sensors and holo-emitters.
So, for now, no new Acclamators III, till all the existing ones are upgraded. This will give the workers time to adjust to their higher salaries. Still, there are thousands of ships built already, and it's three times cheaper to upgrade a hull, than build a new one.
We're doing the same with our Orions and Meteors.
Because corvettes are still to fragile for a fully armored bridge to matter.
The Meteors I are being upgraded directly to Meteor III, with the powerful solar ionization reactors, and plated over with actual armor. The hulls of the next 13 thousand Meteors III are still being melted, all over our mining systems...and that series will take two years at least.
The Meteors II are busy, mostly transporting refugees, so they'll have to wait. Plus they are brand new.
Just Coruscant will take a whole year to empty out to about 50 billions. There are huge underground cities in there, some of them don't even know the Republic is gone for 4 years. They grow fungi and lichens and steal water from cooling pipes...
Man, they will be so happy to see the sun...
And here at Sanctuary, I brought planet Myrkr, with its ysalamiri. And also planet Yalara. The one with a planet sized cloaking device, which I am reverse-engineering right now.
Very useful to keep things hidden. Well, not from Centerpoint Station, which is a cheaters cheating dream, but from other things.
A similar device will be able to cloak the 350 kilometer long space station with ease. And the Manta battleship, the 50 kilometers one as well.
And while exploring Myrkr, I found a dozen dark Jedi and a few...family jedi, hiding with their kids in the shadow of ysalamiri, not even sensing each other. But even better is figuring how to use space alter to copy the trick Bendu does, floating ysalamiri in the air, by bending space in various shapes, like tubes and cups.
Not sure if Bendu uses the same abilities, but it looks the same.
I still have more to learn, but I'm approaching what the best of time can do. Possibly.
Still can't use plasma or acid alter. Though, if I study the Ancient Abyss and its stomachs more, I should figure out the last one.
Peffy is learning machine-biology magic, and how to control it. Mostly by draining Cronal's soul, and reading Sith scrolls. Sadly, it's a Sith ability based on Living force, with a tiny bit of Physical force. It will take me years to learn what Peffy can in a month.
Well, we are both learning at once, of course...but I lack the living part.
For example time alter is almost impossible for everyone, even Solanus. I can't reroll deaths yet, but material damage and organic resynchronization are a bit easier for me. This must be how Rakata self-repair works. Some kind of embedded self-actualization routines, which I'm trying to duplicate as well. 47% by my own appreciation.
Bit by bit and a thousands experiments later, and I discover another trick, and another layer in the Rakata forcefield.
If only there weren't trillions of layers.
Then again, if it was easy, the first mad jedi would have murdered this galaxy long ago, not that they haven't tried.
But the machine meld might be the solution to the droch plague. Lobotomize it, and control it.
Enough! Let's jump to Dantooine and travel north to visit the Gree.
Our expansion in the west has stalled, after taking a hundred more planets, like Orinackra , Xerton Nine then Kuratooine and Fhost.
There are a few more worlds known, and they'll be claimed soon. But the exploration droids do not return anymore.
Which is a bit worrying.
I know there is more...oh well. We can do it with observatories like that on Jakku, and map the hyperspace and nebulas and everything in between, but I fear the worst.
Okay Centerpoint Nav, set course for Sernpidal and then Gree.
I want my Tsil maid Ray back, and some answers. And better not be poetry or prophecy.
Or I'll copy Chewbacca rip a few limbs off. Sometimes they grow back...
And on we go...untill we reach the Gree space, at Asation.
Planet Asation, Gree Space
High orbit.
Huh, don't panic guys! They must think I'm a Celestial come back to finish them off...
Or perhaps the thousands of ships which came with me? One or the other, maybe both?
'Interdict the system, and find me some six tentacled cefalopode in charge' I muttered in dismay.
Can't someone just tour the galaxy with his own moon sized space station and a few escorts?
No need to panic!
Planet Asation, Gree space
High Orbit
Sigh, sometimes these commando droids are too literal.
At least they didn't summon that tentacled Lotek'k again. Dealing with another demon would have been...fun, I guess.
But a six tentacled Revwien is close enough. Pretty tall at 2 meters, and with all sorts of apparatus hanging from belts and neck chains. Pulsing in the force too, similar to that old Neti Master, Bnar.
This guy, Wuwuhuul has a type of Force called Tyia which is a mild form of living force. Telekinesis, telepathy, plant alter, animal bond. Nothing special, except some forms of rudimentary gene alter on certain plants, to make them function like machine devices. Grenades made from spore pods, pollen emissions, solar energy storage...
Then again, they discovered it by themselves.
'What do you want from us, Mighty Droid Emperor?' the Revwien asked me with some worry.
'Well, nothing yet Wuwuhuul. But your race should start preparing for war. The Vong are here, in our galaxy. Only millions for now, but trillions more are on the way. And from now on, those shriveled people of your race, which go mad and try to destroy life, either kill them yourselves, or I will.
Because like Palpatine and other dark users, they will go for plagues. And sterilizing a whole planet can be prevented at the source, I am right?' I asked a bit upset.
Now I remembered where I knew these guys from. They taught Palpatine...
'We are peaceful people...we do not desire war...' the plant guy replied, with a wave of two tentacle like arms.
'Your people taught Palpatine, the Sith Lord, am I right? Look what your peaceful ways caused. The Clone Wars with trillions of deaths. Plagues released to entertain himself and vanish political dissidents. And when you teach the Vong, it will be a hundred times worse.
You will go to the Revyia temple and explain to the Tyia masters what I need them to do. Mad people with superpowers are dangerous, not just insane. A few ships will come with you, and make sure the message is received and implemented.
As long with some uplift technologies and lessons about history and the correct use of the Force.
And don't worry, I brought your planet here, so the trip won't take long.' I replied more sternly, and signaled my droids to guide him to a dropship.
Ah, finally a Gree.
'Good job Sergeant BX11/6665544111111, just stay by his side while I...' and locking coordinates and teleport.
"Welcome to the Centerpoint Station, Master Crafter. I have questions." I said softly.
At one meter tall, with a breathing mask and octupi like tentacles, the Gree didn't seem much.
"Why do you bother us, with your foul Rhakti ship? It still screams in pain." the Gree guildsman replied with a nervous head shake, and the bulbous brain appendage, or perhaps leku... but a quite large brain sac which flopped oddly behind their head.
"It's a Celestial ship and a hyperspace lock. I just mounted a Rakata forcefield on it, since if this station is destroyed, possibly all life in the galaxy will be devoured by the evil entity beyond Kessel. If the Vong or the droch or that hyperspace demon of yours don't manage to anyway. Now about my questions.
Your people taught Dooku, or Sith Lord Tyranus a bunch of things, didn't they? How to craft powerful weapons and alloys, solar sails and cloaking, even energy weapons like those ion beams. Which he then used on my Empire and the Republic. I am not happy with you, Gree crafters." I said a bit upset, again.
Because everyone seemed eager to teach Sith Lords everything. Even Mother Talzin taught Palpatine.
"That demon was summoned by some Sith Lord, millenia ago, and it took hard work to contain him in the first place. In "the most ancient and forgotten days" . Before we served the Celestials, and the Rhakti as slaves..." the Gree leader complained, like it was my fault somehow.
"Yes, in those fabled times, when you built these Hypergates and even had ships. Your guilds hide their lessons, and when an artisan or crafter dies, all their knowledge is lost. Which is why the Gree have only one manned ship, the Baran, and one unmanned ship the Gray Secant . Which you can't even remember how to recall home.
Now, here what we're gonna do. I'm gonna repair this system, and build a thousand factories and shipyards. While you, personally, will go gather all your leaders and high ranking masters, and return to Asation next week. And we'll all have a little chat, how to save your race from extinction, and what can your race do to contribute to the war efforts. And I might be merciful and forget about those times when your race helped the Sith.
You agree? Of course you do. Now, you'll go with my maid Asajj Greyshade, and her ships, since you don't have the brains to buy one or the knowledge to build one anymore. Bye" I said more sternly, then teleported the slimy guy to Asajj's ship, and her whole battlegroup in orbit above Licha In, the farthest planet in the Gree Enclave, and one where the Gree practiced slavery.
hey'll soon learn to discontinue such cultural practices, or keep being dismembered.
We have our own customs too.
Now, where is Ray? There you are, learning biotechnology from a Gree artisan.
At least someone was doing their job.
'Hello Sunshine. You don't call, you don't write. Your planet almost got glassed last year...' I sent to my Tsil maid, interrupting her poetic approach to bioweapons.
'Many useless things you learned, this beautiful ray through mists sees. But at least a will was touched. And more will follow.
If only Ray could figure out the machine meld...' she proclaimed poetically, locking the stasis field on her experiments, and waving awkwardly with her droid hand.
'It is good to see you, my weird friend. You should go and meet my Avatar, and try to find that Sith ship on Ziost. And take this holocron to keep you warm' I messaged her telepathically, and dragging her chassis into a hug.
'Where is my new terror armor then? And why are those silly droids hiding in the corners?' Ray asked curious, going to poke around the Culexus assassins. Which were cloaked and masked with Taozin amulets.
'Bodyguards. Just in case...' I muttered in telepathic sigh.
'Just in case you wrestle with a god, and your left hand is too weak to strangle it?' Ray asked amused, as I wrapped her crystal self with a new feminine Centurion droid, and then a Terminator 1000 power armor.
'Accidents happen. Now off you go, a small step for a ray of sunshine, a giant step across the galaxy, next to Solana and my Avatar...' I proclaimed grandly, and teleported her to Ziost.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Now, I got to confiscate a Gree hypergate for myself, and one for Solanus.
They really were thoughtful, these Gree. Placing two hypergates here on planet Asation, so easy to pluck and whisker away...
'Solanus thanks you for your grace, silly droid. And even more for finding Ray. He likes her, for some reason' Solana sent with a tinge of envy. Why would she care if Solanus likes Ray?
Women...even gods couldn't really understand them.
Planet Asation, Pef Empire
Verdant Green Cube for the study of science.
Two weeks later
I'm trying to avoid getting too used with colorful and geometric verbs and adjectives but it's so kriffing Pink!
And oval in my taste...damn it. Learning the Gree language has scrambled this partition.
"Honored Gree deploy terminals expressing advanced data contributions which can be made in exchange for unique rewards. Consult and rejoice!"
"Honored craftsmen, and other various operators and administrators of lesser importance. I am certain you're all eagerly expecting me to leave, and let you rot in peace. But, it's not going to happen. Our galaxy is under attack from a dozen directions, by species and entities just as evil as the Rakata curses, the Lugubraa and the Mnggal-mnggal. My brave Admiral
of the Chiss species, simply known as Thrawn in galactic basic, will be beginning the pacification of the north-east quadrant, with his fleets anchored on Zeta and Huk. But just current technology will not be enough. There are vicious creatures out there 100 thousand kilometers wide. And trillions of those Lugubraa, and the Croke Conjurers, and even Vong and Vagaari and Ssi-ruu .
Your wonderful Karkak'k Marek scanner devices on the only ship of the Gree make will be reverse-engineered and the same as your Totth'k Lotos healing device. That gravity shear field named Varat'k Snarap will also be analyzed and reproduced. The Gree will receive 100 Acclamator transports ships, which are 5 times faster than the old circle, with 0.6 hyperdrives , in exchange. And all that, along with the new planets like Cilare and a few more class II planets and many asteroids, for free.
Because civilization means sharing knowledge, and benefiting the whole civilized galaxy. Thousands of smart people from all over the Pef Empire will come here at the Verdant Cube, and study your methods, while a million of your smarter young ones will study both modern and Gree tech, and merge our knowledge together.
As the same rules as proclaimed widely by my Avatar will apply, even in this corner of the galaxy. No force weapons, no mental coercion, no bioweapons. Along with slavery and mad force uses. Certain exceptions will be made for our assassins and paladins when they act to protect the galaxy against grave threats. But, those people undergo professional training and rigorous mental verification.
Now, any creative solutions this esteemed group can contribute?" I said politely, and not ripping any limbs.
"The operator's guild will not succumb to your feeble threats, Droid Emperor. You need us more than we need you. And we have heard of atrocities committed on Lincha In, by your droids..."
"That's the price we all pay for civilization, lesser important operator. Slavery is rewarded with dismemberment, and using bioweapons with eternal torture. Notice that our laws are not made to forbid such things. We couldn't actually, given how large the universe is.
But, we are graceful and reward such uncivilized acts with their appropriate cultural reverence. Your species is welcome to test our resolve, and we will gladly rip off more limbs or souls. Everyone can be happy, in doing what they know best" I explained gently and politely.
"And who will work in the factories or the fields then? Our feeble limbs are not made to plant crops or hammer iron..." some less valued administrator complained loudly.
"Droids, of course. I'm certain more solutions will appear and end the orange sphere of decay. Perhaps neural biochips to control exoskeletons? Miniaturized tractor beams and anti-gravity effectors? Your bodies are half made of brains, you will think of something, eventually. In the meantime, the Pef Empire will provide Imperial Servants and droids to feed the citizens. Also, one thousand ships will guard your feeble bodies with their hard armored hulls and their hot weapons. So, begin teaching your next generations, or I will. But you may find my methods...too civilized" I proclaimed civilly.
Damn them all, feeble races with brains too big. You'd think using droids would have been the first invention on their minds, not slaves...
Sigh. Over 100 thousands worlds from the Galactic Empire have decided to join Pef space, but they still had millions more.
And those Moffs and other leeches were clinging to power with desperation.
Time to give them something to do, on other vectors, like south west and west.
But first, let's 'borrow' the Gree Rokak'k Baran battleship and bring it inside the Centerpoint, along with all the tech I liked.
And teleport to Coruscant.
Huh, let's take over all these feral droids and the Navy and Intelligence supercomputers, and start finishing the cleanup.
We lost 50 million war droids already, in the lower levels of Coruscant. Time to use this ready made army of 5 billion junk droids to exterminate the ghouls and harvest the Taozin for their nodules, while deploying a quadrillion nanobots to repair the old Gree made sanitation and water treatment centers.
Yeah, who knew that Coruscant's lowest levels were full of Gree tech?
Luckily I learned enough to emulate a gree operator.
Cloning labs, bioweapons labs, energy research, assassin droids, even their own cloaking research.
The Galactic Empire was certainly busy, while I was civilizing the Outer Rim.
And, let's change the orders for half the Imperial naval groups to head into the unknown regions and explore.
15 thousands capital ships and 500 thousands smaller ones. They should find something, just by luck.
We'll know by next week, how many survive the 'exploration phase'
And let's 'confiscate' all their star charts and hidden locations. Databases with infiltrators and spies and double-agents...
Huh. Two Jedi on Humbarine were working for the ISB.
Really Fay? You still can't tell when one of yours is corrupted?
Not that finding out that you have 23 spies in the Paladins or a million spies everywhere was fun, but we had a hundred times more.
At least no three star Servant was turned. Not that they haven't tried...
And, my nanobots found 5 Vong infiltrators, here on Coruscant. With really hi tech devices, part slicing tools, part organic computers. Sadly...I can't grab them with teleport. Kriff.
Nevermind, lock them in air alter and sever their spines. One of them will talk, eventually.
What else? Right, 'accidents' to place our people in higher ranked positions.
About 10 thousand 'accidents' from gusts of wind, to turbolift failures and careless drivers.
There! Now the Imperial Senate and the Military should be easier to control.
Damn, another week has passed, while I was having fun.
Planet Coruscant.
Centerpoint station.
I guess I can bring 4 more planets here, one for mining and three for agriculture and cities. Barely a drop in the pond, moving 12 billion people to nearby planets. But it should make me more popular.
Here, some asteroids and a gas giant for tibanna as well. I'll even start a few factories and shipyards, so the planet is spared a few years of investments in technology and mining. But still, under a company I owned.
And start hiring smart people...half a billion for now, being offered new jobs at triple pay. Let's hope they'll like the new conditions.
Fresh planet, new apartment in skyscrapers, room for a family of five.
Yep, one million in the first minute. I did pick those who seemed smarter, after all.
Detach 1000 Servants and a million droids to oversee the new companies...
Okay, now let's check what happened in the unknown regions. Major loses, as expected. 90% loses, in fact.
Killiks and Vagaari and Ssi-ruu ships, a thousand new worlds, some of them infested with Mnggal-Mnggal...
Even a few Chiss ships, which smartly ran away...some Grysk Hegemony ships did not...
Star destroyers eaten alive by some large membrane creatures.
Smaller ships were eaten by the Lugubraa swarms, or electrocuted by Croke shamans and other cults.
Plus dozens more species that no one had seen before. Well then. New orders...teach the locals basic, and talk.
Also, about 30 humans colonies, seeded by the Anawa corporation, smack in the middle of some swarms. Form a defensive battlegroup for each.
Yes, conflicting orders, we know. Major upheaval and leadership changes on Coruscant, treat all further orders with circumspection.
A couple of Rakata worlds, mostly feral.
What to do about the aliens?
Well. If they don't look humanoid, blast them!
The rest, be polite and teach them basic.
The Galactic Empire needed enemies, and now it found them. They could do their part now, while they still had ships and troops.
With Kuat producing ships for Pef Navy, they may soon find that even their large Navy is not enough, especially when fighting in a fog of war.
Hmmm, and with the new leadership changes, 50 thousands more worlds requested to join the Pef Empire and receive credits and aid and jobs...
At about 1 trillion per planet, 50 quadrillions more credits could be spent on these new worlds...not bad. I might get to use the stolen treasury from Muunilist, in a decade.
Because all these investments? In a year or two they began producing profit somehow, through taxes on income and profits, even at a fixed 5%.
Well, it won't last forever, even with 98% of the hard work being done by droids and tractor beams and automated factories.
In a million years we'll need to shift to recycling and renewable resources, like wood and plastic and glass. Perhaps sooner in the Core worlds. Much sooner on the ecumenopolis planets, which were dependent on imports for everything.
Solar energy and hypermatter should be available for billions of years, as well as energy refineries around black holes.
Not gonna worry about energy for a long time.
But the free and cleaned lower levels of Coruscant could be used to farm mushrooms, and hydroponic cultures of vegetables and fruits, and even synthmeat factories. Which are not meats made from plastic, but rapidly grown clones of various herbivores like Shaak, or Nerf or Bantha.
Nothing amazing, I mean they did it with sheep back to the future, those primitives on my forgotten homeworld.
Yeah, let's detach 1000 more Servants and their droids, and start a dozen companies to use these huge caverns of durasteel and duracrete.
Now, any more 'accidents' to be arranged? About 2000 more. Good enough.
Our changelings and other agents should be promoted instead, and start influencing policy on my behalf.
And let's arrange one Vong agent to be 'captured' by the ISB changeling. Promotion well deserved, and news of extragalactic invaders should pull the Intelligence community towards the side with more guns.
That would be me, of course. One Meteor II had 6000 guns each, and this 'intelligence swoop' says that Pef Navy will have 20 thousands Meteors and 100 thousands Hammers in 2 years.
It would even be true. Sadly, it will be the last report that spy sent before he was discovered.
A million other spies were captured and turned or 'disappeared' during this week, so nothing will seem strange.
Pef Intelligence just got better all the sudden, or perhaps Emperor's Palpatine shadows didn't cover them anymore.
Okay, time to lift the blockade for diplomatic transports, after severe medical scans. The last of the Corridor ghoul and the Cthonon the lower levels were finally eliminated.
"Citizens of Coruscant, you might perhaps have noticed the gift of friendship that the Pef Emperor has offered. New planets and asteroids in the Coruscant system, and the eradication of the sith plague of ghouls in the lower levels.
Sadly, medical quarantine still has to be maintained, as 4000 diseases still lurk on Coruscant, but after health inspections and rigorous scans, diplomatic envoys can resume their normal activities. The evacuation of the lower levels will continue for at least one year, but as the population pressure reduces, wages and food demands will stabilize.
The Pef Empire is your friend, so be civil to our brave medical division and their droid helpers." I proclaimed on the holonews.
I hoped the Coruscant people will like my gift, but if not, I could take it back...
Anyway, it was time to go, and finish up those ghosts in the Sith pocket. Thousands of Sith ghosts...even if the Avatar and the maids did their best, they were strong and too many.
It was time to clean up that mess.
Next stop Korriban. There was nothing to fear there...
The hell it wasn't. Just that XoXaan's Temple , in my memories, gave me the creeps.
But it has to be done, and I'm probably the best thing for the job. Plus, draining thoussands of Sith ghosts will be fun!