Governor's Gambit - Star Wars SI into Imperial Governor

[Dantaliens]

Cad Bane shows up in the Book of Boba Fett series having been hired by Boba's enemies to stand against him since Boba laid claim to Tatooine

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Ahh so it did get retconed for recent show, few years ago that was what majority assumed was cannon

 

[Mistroz]

Excellent chapter.

 

[Nickjr104]

Ahh so it did get retconed for recent show, few years ago that was what majority assumed was cannon

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I mean even after their duel in book of boba fett they kind of hint that cad might be still alive.

 

[Mistroz]

Excellent chapter.

 

[Yacov]

Omake: Meat Lockers and Microfilm

POV: Kerr Kelen, in front of a newly franchised Shaak Strips and Races, Globobia, Myto Sector

"Welp, that's the last of the equipment. You good setting it up on your own?"

Manager Kelen gave a firm nod to the Jarell. This moving company was known for dumb labor. He didn't trust them to do more than move loads. Even if the moving company had a suspiciously glowing recommendation from an Imperial Governor. The fact they hired primarily Guineo affirmed Kelen's lack of trust. Poor fellas never got the chance to get a good education before having to make their way in the galaxy. It always saddened him when people were dealt a bad hand in life.

"My employees will be more than enough. Some of them are from another location, so they know their way around the equipment. Now here, a reward for being so efficient with the unloading. No word getting around to our competitors and Varanus' Busters may have more work from Shaak Strips and Races in the future."

What Kelen did trust them to do is be dumb labor, not look inside the crates they were moving, and not ask too many inconvenient questions. Breaking that part of the contract would hurt them far more than him, but it would still be an embarrassment. The boss finagled his tentacles in a way that suggested a warm smile, or a vicious grin. Hard to tell. Nevertheless the moving company loaded up and sped off with professional haste.

"Alright, I want everything from the kitchen to the Meat Locker in working condition by 1700 sharp for opening day tomorrow! Let's get moving!"

Kelen's employees unleashed a groan that could be heard across the lower rungs of society. Something all middle managers fed on as parasites to the working class. Perfect. He was going to be the bestest manager ever.

——

"Tri! How goes the set up?"

The once resting Twi'lek snapped to attention with an uncomfortable quickness. A speed born of the constant threat of displeasing the shouter. Kelen tried not to think about it. Appearances had to be maintained in public and he didn't want anyone outside to see him wince.

"All the kitchen appliances just got installed. Condenser units ready to cook when we open tomorrow. Really wished you could have let the Busters take care of some of the heavier stuff."

Kelen knew he was running his employees rather hard. That his employees had undergone the training necessary to move and install everything didn't stop the guilt. It was just he hated standing here "supervising" when he should be on his knees helping them. Someone who treats their subordinates as disposable has no defense when their boss treats them the same way.

However it was all for a good cause and they all knew it when they took this job. Middle managers could be lax, they could be incompetent, but no one ever expected them to be kind. Start being too nice and it might start spawning the wrong rumors. If he was to maintain his cover, some light poor treatment of his employees in public was needed to keep up the mask.

"And what of the Meat Locker? Ready to accept tomorrow's shipment?"

Tri nodded before leading Kelen into the back. The storage room was freezing and looked like any other back of a restaurant. At least those that didn't deal solely in "processed" ingredients. Logically he knew it was cheaper and people couldn't afford better, but the thought of someone paying their hard earned Credits just to get served that slop disgusted the service provider in him. Only proper food for proper Credits for his customers!

"Brrr. Really wished the we could and gone for thicker uniforms. Definitely don't keep warm enough when the temps drop."

Now that they were out of potential sight Kelen offered Tri his manager's coat on instinct, but she refused. Tri moved a lightweight box and tapped a code in a keypad that wasn't installed in the building until recently. A hidden staircase opened up leading to a room that wouldn't look out of place in a military base. The S2R safehouse and monitoring station was the true heart of the restaurant.

"We needed to keep the uniforms light Agent Tri. We needed them unobtrusive enough so it would be easy to put armor over them when required. Now Agent Duo, status update."

Agent Duo stood up from her chair to give Kelen a salute. Agents Tri and Duo were in the same training batch, and it showed in the warm smiles they gave one another. In private of course. They barely acknowledged each other when on the job.

"Sir! Just finished setting up the monitoring equipment. Venting some of cold storage's cooling into the server room is really helping. Credentials let us have discrete access to the satellite network without issue. Should have a decent infiltration of the system's HoloNet by the end of the week!"

Always good when things are progressing ahead of schedule. Agent Duo was a fantastic slicer even before we got our hands on her. Now with the resources at our disposal no one in this system is going to be out of her reach. Agent Tri ruffled the head of the Lepi woman.

"That eager to finish up and serve drinks to our clientele? I didn't know you had that side of you."

Hissing came from Agent Duo's lips. Perhaps it would be better to remind them to be professional. However it had been a long day, and Kelen was going to be enough of a no good boss during store hours. The reason for this sports bar business model was to cover up potential suspicions by keeping people distracted with the alcohols and a focus on mounted sports entertainment. He never had an alcohol before, but he knew how popular and muddling they were from his fellow sentients in arms.

"It is supposed to be just a sports bar. The customers are going too busy gawking at Swoopdueling to leer at me. You're lucky you will be mostly in the kitchen, Tri. Besides at least you got a nice cover name for this operation. With a cover name like Dyadia everyone here is going to assume me parents named be for my big ears, or my front teeth."

Alrighty then, this is starting to get out of hand. Any further and these two will continue long into the night. They'll be spending enough long nights here if they ever get a priority search order or need to use the detainment room in the back of the safehouse. Clapping his hands, Kelen drew their attention back to the status report.

"Okay enough banter. How is Agent Quad setting up the servers?"

The Kler'terrian was supposed to be handling the "supplemental" electronics being installed in the building. Kelen's Agents would keep an ear out as well, but being able to listen and store information digitally would prevent mistakes if someone misremembers something in their post-shift report.

"Both the main and backup storage server are set up and isolated. A slicer won't be able to access either unless they infiltrate the safehouse itself, and at that point we have bigger problems. She also got the bugs set up ahead of time while placing traps for the fleshy ones."

Excellent! Kelen has to remember to praise Agent Quad for her work ethic when he gets the chance. Keeping employee morale high is an integral part of being a manager. Not in public of course, he has to keep reminding himself of that. However that doesn't mean he can't share his real feelings in private.

Ooooo, maybe Kelen could scold Agent Quad for placing the bug traps too visibly while they are in the kitchen. Loudly enough that a conveniently open door can let some of it slip into the customer's ears. He'd have to check if that is okay with her first. Kelen didn't want to hurt her feelings after all.

"And I assume Agent Sept is finished unloading and checking over the weapons?"

The sheepish grin told Kelen that no, Agent Sept hadn't made as much progress as Agent Duo. Their Askajian weapons expert always did have a love for blasters bordering on the unhealthy. At least that meant their DD6s would be ready should they ever be activated.

Realistically they would likely stick to low level monitoring and occasionally providing infrastructure for outside agents to utilize. The whole point of Project S2R was quietly keep track of the mood and rumors in city districts containing populations with a history of civil unrest. The day-to-day would be gathering data to compile into weekly reports to be sent up the chain to be put in graph or database somewhere.

At most they would head off a planned riot or two, maybe pass along info from loose lipped criminals to the authorities. Little chance of them bagging something like an elusive Recruitment Agent, but that was what more elite teams are for. Not like their work wasn't just as important to safeguarding the Empire, as he keeps reminding his Agents during his weekly pep talks.

"Right, tell Agent Sept to be out by closing time. She has to report to her apartment and establish her identity on this world. Then you all can report five minutes before opening so I can yell at you in public for not being ten minutes early like we planned during our last Bad Boss Treatment Planning Session.

Let's make this place unremarkable Agents. T wants our operation seeded and rooted by the end of the year. I expect the S2R Division to be the least talked about division ever. Dismissed. Have a great rest of your evening everyone."

With the Guild's access combined with the Security Bureau's expertise, Shaak Strips and Races should be in the process of opening all across the sector by now. The flimsiwork trail depicting it as an inconsequential franchise with just the right combination of permits and Imperial benign inattentiveness to spread quickly. Serving customers, drawing eyes, and ready to answer the Empire's call at a moment's notice.

——

One of the culminations of HAVEN and ISB collaboration. Nobody expects your favorite restaurant to be an Imperial front! Or a cartel front. Or a mafia front. Or a Rebel fron… you get the idea. To be fair, if everyone is doing it, then the idea must have some merit. The Moff's intelligence network has to expand somehow and why not go with a classic?

Writing Manager Kelen was an interesting experiment. For this job they wanted someone who can act like an insufferable manager without being an insufferable manager. Someone who can yell at their "employees" with zero malicious intentions conveyed. The result was Kerr Kelen, quite possibly the nicest person currently working for the ISB. To an almost unsettling degree.

Crossposted on SB and SV

 

[SwaffleWaffle]

The Spartans in Halo were originally developed to combat insurgents. Given the rebel problem in the Empire, and how nonexistent the scruples of many in it are, I imagine that something like the Spartan program probably exists or is being developed somewhere, relying on kidnapped children trained and augmented from a young age into perfect weapons.

I imagine something like the Spartan III's might be closer to whatever's produced, given how relatively cheap they and their armor are compared to the Spartan II

 

[Doombringer]

The Spartans in Halo were originally developed to combat insurgents. Given the rebel problem in the Empire, and how nonexistent the scruples of many in it are, I imagine that something like the Spartan program probably exists or is being developed somewhere, relying on kidnapped children trained and augmented from a young age into perfect weapons.

I imagine something like the Spartan III's might be closer to whatever's produced, given how relatively cheap they and their armor are compared to the Spartan II

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Have you heard of the Dark Trooper program?

 

[SwaffleWaffle]

Have you heard of the Dark Trooper program?

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I've heard of it but I don't really know the details.

 

[OrderedOrb]

I've heard of it but I don't really know the details.

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It's all old plot Legends idea from the Kylae Katarn video game series of Dark Forces. It was a military project to create the perfect footsoldier by General Rahm Mocc (I THINK that's how his name is spelled) and went through three phases (technically 4 if you count Phase 0). The first was just some cybernetics and power armor, giving the wearers an attached wrist blaster and a deadly vibroblade. The second underwent even heavier cyberization with larger power armor, but Phase 3 was easily the scariest. At least 7 feet tall and so heavily cyberized that they were more droid than organic. They were walking tanks with phrik armor playing to make them damn near invincible, a jump jet system, a pair of missile racks on their shoulders and a handheld heavy blaster cannon that looked like it wouldn't stand out on a starfighter. They've been integrated into canon via The Mandalorian, but I still find the Legends versionnscarier.

 

[Freefaller]

Chp-97-Interlude

1.11
Governor Trice
Arkia System
Arkia Prime

Governor Trice was an annoyed man. His plans regarding that upstart Moff Mola had failed so far, and now his backer was getting scared.

Honestly, for all his supposed war scars, that man was a coward through and through. He simply refused to admit it.

Regardless, now Trice was looking to snip the loose ends of this whole debacle and get it all over with. It had been a few days since his last call with his backer, and he'd been trying to get in contact with Cad Bane, renowned mercenary.

Bane was a notorious fellow. Known for turning on his employers if offered more, and even threatening the entire operation if not paid more than agreed upon. Still, he was considered the best of the best, and Trice had more than enough to pay him with.

Sure, the tax statements for the Arkia system spoke of a measly 12 million credits a year in total revenue, but it was really closer to 30 million. Of course, all that money was laundered through a complex network of fronts and criminals, and therefore perfect for paying for an assassin.

He just needed Bane to kill that fool from the Braxant sector, since Surrde was continuing to fail and might be tracked back to him. The other slaver Governors would be working towards dealing with Moff Mola, though whatever plan they used was a longer term thing. Recent debacles had clearly showcased they needed better plans.

Honestly, the other slavers were all fools, but they were useful fools if nothing else.

Trice walked out onto his room's balcony, taking a deep breath. Arkia Prime was an arid world, hot and dry. Trice had paid quite the extra fee for the upper districts of the capital city to have atmospheric regulation towers, bringing a more moderate temperature and humidity.

As he admired the view of the city stretching below him, vivid proof of his wealth, he noticed something odd.

Off in the distance sat the city's space port. From it, what looked to be Lambda shuttles flew in the direction of his palace.

I have no appointments at this hour. Thought Trice, as the shuttles approached. It may well be a gift of some sort.

Imperials in his system, often those in charge of space stations or commandants of slave pens, sent him gifts. Bejeweled blasters, fine robes, and more. All to curry favor with him.

He took them, of course. It was only right. This gift, however, seemed a tad larger than the others.

Back in his office, he pressed a button, prompting an attendant to enter.

"Bring me my uniform." He said, not looking at the man as Trice instead plucked a fruit from his desk tray, popping it into his mouth. Soon, the attendant returned, Trice's uniform, belt, boots and blaster on a cart.

Trice said nothing as he turned around and held out his arms. The attendant understood immediately, moving to dress the Governor.

See, now this is a good slave. Well trained, obedient and quiet. This one doesn't even need a slave collar, though the marks on its neck are not the best sight. Perhaps I should issue a higher collar uniform, wouldn't do for my best products to show signs of wear and tear.

Within just two minutes, the Governor was fully dressed, and he began his journey to the landing pads.

The pads were staged behind the palace, on a stepped terrace. It was a way for Trice to subtly tell his guests how important they were. The further down the terrace they were told to land, the lower they were to him.

Trice's own personal ships had their own indoor hangars, of course. Situated on one of his palace spires, so he would always land above others. These subtle power plays were part and parcel with the position of Governor.

Yet, as he arrived at the landing pads, content that he would lounge in a shaded seat, sipping on wine while he watched the guests slowly approach from below him, he noticed something off.

The shuttles were landing on the top landing pads, those reserved only for Trices closest friends and allies.

Who dares!? All new guests are given instructions to land on the lowest terrace!

Before he can start berating the nearest attendant for the failures of those in the traffic tower, the shuttle ramps open.

And out steps an Imperial officer, the most average looking Imperial officer Trice had ever seen. Ever so slightly tanned skin, brown hair, brown eyes, and a face that could be lost in a crowd as easily as Trice was lost in the bottle.

"You! I demand to know who you are! Do you have no respect for your Governor!" He yelled angrily. No matter the gift presented now, he would have this man's head.

"So you confirm yourself to be Governor Trice?"

Now he was fuming. "Of course I am! This is my palace! Who else would I be?!"

"Governor, you are under arrest for tax evasion, bribery, and collusion with criminal elements."

Behind the man, Stormtroopers swarmed from the shuttles, two surrounding the Governors in seconds. Around him, the troopers put all his attendants in cuffs while more spread across the yard and into the palace.

"What?! No, you can't-" Before another word could be said, a stun blast knocked him unconscious.

The officer sighed, massaging his temples. This entire operation was going to require so much paperwork, he could just feel it.

The investigation itself was not a particularly long one. You'd think it would've been longer, considering they'd only arrested the Governor on suspicion of working with criminal elements.

But Governor Trice seemed to be a selectively careful individual. His outwards communications and dealings were fairly airtight for the most part, and only his slip ups alerted the Sector government that he was potentially working with criminal organizations to traffic illegal slaves.

And that was no good. After all, slavery is only permitted for non-sentients and prisoners. And plenty of the slaves at the palace seemed quite human.

The officer himself didn't really see why this operation was that important, nor why it mattered if the alien slaves were criminals or not. Regardless, he was ordered to do this, so he would.

It was as the investigation was wrapping up that one of his analysts came to him. A newcomer to the team, still bright eyed.

"Sir, I was looking through the recent comm logs… and I found this…" the young man, boy really he could only be 18 at the maximum, handed him a datapad with information downloaded from the Governor's terminal. It contained a recorded call to an obscure number out of sector.

The officer pressed play. A minute later, his eyes were wide as saucers. Treason of this level…

It smelled of promotion. Turning to the newcomer, he spoke. "This is highly sensitive data. Keep quiet about this while I get it up to high command. There might be a promotion in your future."

The analyst smiled and nodded before being dismissed. The officer almost snorted in amusement. The only one getting a promotion would be him, as clearly he was the one who discovered the information. He could just smell the pay raise.

The analyst, on the other hand, walked away with a genuine smile on his face. He knew there was no promotion in his future, but that was fine. After all, he'd done his duty as a HAVEN operative.

In his mind's eye, he could imagine the unbridled joy the slaves would feel upon their release. No matter his dreams before HAVEN, he knew with utmost certainty that this was a cause he could live in service of. A dream to fight for.

Hands in the dark, eyes on the dawn.

–

1.11 ABY
Lieutenant Trilo Bree
Dubrillion

The Lieutenant stared at the report before him. His emerald eyes scanned it head to toe, leaving no detail uncovered.

It was a report on a raid conducted by an Imperial officer and three squads of stormtroopers. They had raided the Governatorial palace of Governor Trice of Arkia.

From what ISB agents had collected, the officer had claimed to be doing so on the orders of the Moff.

If true, and these weren't imposters, then the Moff could be making a move. The Lieutenant had been keeping a decently close eye on the new Moff, wary of him. The Moff himself was not the danger necessarily, no. For all intents and purposes he seemed a competent and highly motivated individual.

The problem was he seemed to not take to the COMPNOR edicts quite so well. Records pulled from the Imperial Academy on Eriadu show that he was a willful student, talking back to teachers and only escaping punishment because of his mothers position as head of the academy itself.

Not to mention, throughout his reign as Governor of the Minda system he's been seen working closely with aliens of all kinds, and allowing aliens into the local governmental systems.

Admittedly, from what his agents told him, said the system was highly and strictly meritocratic, hiring agents screening prospective employees without knowing their species, gender, or really any information about them save their prior experience. Even the interview was conducted through voice only, and with voice modulators active.

Extensive systems meant to ensure that only those who truly had what it took were allowed in while attempting to curb bias as much as possible.

The Lieutenant would've been impressed if the system did not allow non-humans higher up into the government. The chance the now Moff repeated the process on the sector level was not to be ignored.

Perhaps the Lieutenant would finally make use of Agent Thorne. He'd relegated the man to Minda because despite his exceptional zeal, it would not be conducive to the ISB's image to be seen in relation to a near-human with such an obvious feature as Thorne's pitch black eyes.

It was a shame of sorts, the man was a true believer in every respect. He'd turned in his own parents when they rebelled and watched the execution himself. Still, he wasn't human, at least not fully, and the stain of rebellion in his family would never watch away. Best to keep him in a place where he might be of use later.

Of course, now would be the perfect time to make use of him. The Moff had bypassed the ISB in this matter, despite Governors colluding with criminals being the exact sort of thing the ISB existed for, internal failure. A mistake the Lieutenant intended to punish, if only to keep this Moff in line.

Before he could begin drafting any sort of order, his terminal pinged with another message. Another report on the same raid.

The only difference? It came from the Moffs office. An official report for the ISB.

It detailed the reason for the raid, the evidence used as justification and more. Sent mere minutes after he received his own agent's report. Was the Moff trying to appease him by having it sent? Insult him by sending it after the raid was done?

As he skimmed the report, seeing as it contained much the same information, he got to the end. A section marked urgent.

It contained an audio file, taken from the Governor's office, alongside other data sets taken from the same place.

Listening to it, the Lieutenant's eyes narrowed. This was a serious problem. His office had been working around the clock to catch the attempted assassin. He refused to be shown up in the next meeting at the Coruscanti headquarters.

Then, he spotted the note at the end of the urgent section.

Note: This information and evidence has been deemed by the Moff to be sensitive, and therefore has been sent only to the ISB branch of the Myto Sector and the Governor-General's office in order to maintain operational security.

Long live the Empire.

If the Lieutenants' eyes narrowed anymore they would be closed. If the Governor-General had this same information, he would act quickly in order to make up for the utter bungling that had been the gala. Hiral was ambitious and would not see this opportunity go to waste.

It also complicated things on the Lieutenants end. He'd made sure that the Governor-General's investigations had been hampered, to ensure his own succeeded first. But with this evidence, even accounting for time spent fact checking, would lead to swift action.

Was this some sort of scheme by Moff Mola? Was he pitting them against each other? Opening the man's file on his terminal, he scanned through it. Under the psychological section, one line stood out to him.

Political Ambition: Appears low. His maneuvers are consistently aimed at fiscal health rather than personal power.

That was the one hiccup in his theory. Las Mola had consistently shown himself to be aligned not with personal wealth and power but economic policy and health. His political ambitions and rises through power have all been the result of actions taken with economics in mind.

It was a puzzling thing, to be sure. But it also made the actual truth of the report clearer.

Moff Mola had sent the report directly after the raid to showcase that this was his sector but that he also respected the ISB. If he didn't, the official report would've come days or weeks after the event itself, almost as an afterthought.

But the damning evidence was sent to both his and the Governor-General's office because he doesn't wish to choose a political side. If his profile is correct, he only plays political games to ensure his sector's economic stability, which also explains his actions against those governors who rely on slave labor, as he likely has economic reservations against it.

The Lieutenant allowed the slightest hint of a smile to grace his stone cold features before it vanished.

All this meant that Las Mola was an interesting character, but more importantly one that could be very easily worked around.

And that boded well for the Lieutenant's future.

–

Yo. I tried to make fried chicken bites and pasta today. Fucked up the chicken though, the egg coating wasn't enough and the flour didn't stick well enough, so it came out more lightly toasted than anything else. Or maybe it's because I coated them all, piled them up, then fried them en masse? Maybe some flour fell off or the egg dried up or something. It was fine enough anyways, I'll just use breadcrumbs later.

As for the chapter, yes the evidence the officer was given by the HAVEN agent was evidence the agent planted. Yes, I will be releasing Las's ISB profile on the informational tab sometime tomorrow/later today since it's close to midnight over here.

And no, Las did not intend the political games with the reports that the Lieutenant thinks he did, he didn't send the report before hand because he wasn't under the impression that the ISB would care about a raid on a single Governor over criminal connections. Of course, the ISB doesn't care, but the Lieutenant would've used it as an excuse to punish Las. Political games and all that.

I wanted to get across how convoluted and competitive the Empire is internally even when it really doesn't need to be. This would've been a pointless thing to do, but the Lieutenant would've done so anyway for the power trip and the potential chance for some benefits to arise.

Fascists will do what they do, which is usually be really fucking stupid for no reason.

Go get them fat stacks, amigo.
-Freefaller

 

[Notsae66]

I love that, to the eyes of a career sociopathic beurocrat, anything and everything must fit a clean and clear box and be purely maliciously self interested. The idea that Las just genuinely doesn't care about these games and didn't even consider what his actions might "mean" to these soulless degenerates just never entered the lieutenant's mind.

 

[AldariSiradla]

And cleaning house is going well.
Oh, another one?
Looks like someone is underestimating our dear Moff again.

 

[OrderedOrb]

Regarding your chicken bites, it's honestly better to try and fry only enough to make a single layer at a time. Giving tbem a crust isn't something you can really count on happening perfectly if you pjt too many in at once. Also, dredging tbem with milk works better in my experience, egg is much mlre viscois and can slough off, taking the crust with it. I'm sure there IS a techniaue to make it work, but I don't know it.

Anyways, love the chapter as always. That little peer into the COMPNOR Lieutenant's mind was also an interesting little window into how dysfunctional the Empire really is. Palpy has a lot in common with Hitler in terms of internal politics, trying to keep everyone competing with everyone else so be has ultimate power of arbitration and making sure nobody can ever gain enough power to challenge him.

Looking forward to seeing how things progress with Moff Surrde as Las proves again why be's Hiral's golden bantha.

 

[Talimancer2]

I wanted to get across how convoluted and competitive the Empire is internally even when it really doesn't need to be. This would've been a pointless thing to do, but the Lieutenant would've done so anyway for the power trip and the potential chance for some benefits to arise.

Fascists will do what they do, which is usually be really fucking stupid for no reason.

Click to shrink...

Yup. Just look at the absolute clusterfuck that was Nazi Germany's leadership. Everybody constantly fighting each other, multiple intelligence agencies that refused to share intel, etc

 

[readsalot]

Yo. I tried to make fried chicken bites and pasta today. Fucked up the chicken though,

Click to shrink...

Great chapter, glad to see slaving scum getting done in.

Better luck next time next time with the chicken
Definitely spread them out than piling them together

 

[Notsae66]

Yup. Just look at the absolute clusterfuck that was Nazi Germany's leadership. Everybody constantly fighting each other, multiple intelligence agencies that refused to share intel, etc

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Of course, the biggest problem, both with IRL Nazi Germany and The Empire, is that all this infighting and competing organizations is intentional. Hitler and Palpatine both deliberately set their nations leaders against each other, in the former case because he was afraid of being overthrown if they did get along while Palpatine is literally empowered by the strife and suffering it causes... and is just kind of a moron, all things considered.

 

[Darik29]

If nothing else, the ISB and the Governor General are going to be sabotaging each other to get to the one asshole who nearly shot Kaine. So thats an issue mostly resolved.

Now given the current timeline, hmm…

Its what, a year on past Episode IV? He's got until 4 ABY for when the Death Star 2 dies and suddenly its civil war o clock as all the Grand Moff's start killing each other for power.

 

[Yacov]

Sure, the tax statements for the Arkia system spoke of a measly 12 million credits a year in total revenue, but it was really closer to 30 million. Of course, all that money was laundered through a complex network of fronts and criminals, and therefore perfect for paying for an assassin.

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The Akira system paying for less than half its actual tax base is horrifying. If the normal positions don't execute the Governor, the tax accountants will.

He just needed Bane to kill that fool from the Braxant sector, since Surrde was continuing to fail and might be tracked back to him. The other slaver Governors would be working towards dealing with Moff Mola, though whatever plan they used was a longer term thing. Recent debacles had clearly showcased they needed better plans.

Honestly, the other slavers were all fools, but they were useful fools if nothing else.

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I see Trice subscribes to the "everyone's an idiot but me" philosophy.

Off in the distance sat the city's space port. From it, what looked to be Lambda shuttles flew in the direction of his palace.

I have no appointments at this hour. Thought Trice, as the shuttles approached. It may well be a gift of some sort.

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Trice, you recently sent two assassins to the biggest gathering of Imperial leadership in the oversector. The investigation is still ongoing. If there was ever a time to assume malice, now's the time!

The officer himself didn't really see why this operation was that important, nor why it mattered if the alien slaves were criminals or not. Regardless, he was ordered to do this, so he would.

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"Good soldiers follow orders." That kind of thinking makes one an easy weapon for someone else to wield.

The analyst, on the other hand, walked away with a genuine smile on his face. He knew there was no promotion in his future, but that was fine. After all, he'd done his duty as a HAVEN operative.

In his mind's eye, he could imagine the unbridled joy the slaves would feel upon their release. No matter his dreams before HAVEN, he knew with utmost certainty that this was a cause he could live in service of. A dream to fight for.

Hands in the dark, eyes on the dawn.

Click to shrink...

Part of me wonders how much the Rebels know about HAVEN. Like would they believe there is a sector spanning Imperial abolitionist network near the highest seats of power in the sector?

It was a shame of sorts, the man was a true believer in every respect. He'd turned in his own parents when they rebelled and watched the execution himself. Still, he wasn't human, at least not fully, and the stain of rebellion in his family would never watch away.

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The issue with zealots is when the organization they serve doesn't meet their insane expectations. Then they start thinking they know better and have the motivation and willpower to act on it.

It also complicated things on the Lieutenants end. He'd made sure that the Governor-General's investigations had been hampered, to ensure his own succeeded first.

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Ah yes, I assume Hiral's faction was running interference on the ISB's investigation as well. Is it any wonder Rebels get away with stunts for so long?

 

[Wratus]

...so while the ISB and Hiral is going to scramble to act on the intelligence now sent to them, Moff Mola is going to use this opportunity to take out as many slaver governors as possible. The goal here is to get as many of them as possible in the hope that he gets the ones stupid enough, to have kept evidence of their sector wide sabotage campaign and coalition so that he can take them all down and replace them at his leisure.

 

[B00ki5h]

Yo. I tried to make fried chicken bites and pasta today. Fucked up the chicken though, the egg coating wasn't enough and the flour didn't stick well enough, so it came out more lightly toasted than anything else. Or maybe it's because I coated them all, piled them up, then fried them en masse? Maybe some flour fell off or the egg dried up or something. It was fine enough anyways, I'll just use breadcrumbs later.

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Look up "three coat fried chicken method" and always remember to keep even spacing between the pieces until you have finished removing excess oil after frying. The pieces should only touch each other when they're ready to be served.

 

[Nickjr104]

Part of me wonders how much the Rebels know about HAVEN. Like would they believe there is a sector spanning Imperial abolitionist network near the highest seats of power in the sector?

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they probably believe its been infiltrated by the rebels themselves who just haven't been able to contact the wider rebellion or its a trap meant to get them to try and make contact to catch other rebels cells. like how the empire used luminara's corpse to get jedi.

 

[Mistroz]

Excellent chapter.

 

[Inbredmartian]

It's nice that with the evidence he can easily take over all Slave owning planets and with a bit of doctored evidence if they weren't part of the plan, wrap them all up in a single conspiracy against the Moff and Empire. Gains a bunch of very loyal pops as well. Just look at the slave planet liberated by Vader. Some of the most rabid pro imperialists in the galaxy due to Vader breaking their chains.

 

[Heidao]

Yes fools, yes :}

Play your games of politics and power, just only pay enough attention to Las to believe he's truly genuine and not a player. Let him be or elevate him, he's not a threat, in fact he's a boon for everyone seeking to rise high. Just remember to put in a good word for him.


Once again our Boi escapes deep scrutiny cause he's lining everyone's pockets so legally, that his opponents and observers wished he'd do something dirty, just to make them feel less comfortable from his "Good Nature"

 

[LordEdric]

his family would never watch away

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Probably should be wash

 

[zecorezecron]

Yo. I tried to make fried chicken bites and pasta today. Fucked up the chicken though, the egg coating wasn't enough and the flour didn't stick well enough, so it came out more lightly toasted than anything else.

Click to shrink...

Not sure if this helps, but my method is flour, egg, flour. Not egg then flour. It also helps to season the chicken instead of the flour, and to do so about an hour before cooking. Be sure the oil is fully heated before adding the chicken. You can check by dropping a speck of flour into the oil and if it bubbles. Then it is ready.

 

[oscar e Sampedro Lopez]

Thanks for the chapter Great story as always

 

[Arrowthorne]

One of the best things about this thread is the fact that half the comments are about the chapter and the other half is about the food the author tries.

Magical.

 

[Aeroeng]

You know, its been a while since we've seen anything tech related, I'm hoping we get more on that, seeing better ships and equipment over a entire sector would be interesting, along with new bigger ship designs then what was created before.

 

[ExFelineServer3]

I am of the thought that we NEED a Die Hard Style Mugwuffin chapter.
She needs a chance to show off her Force Lizard Catness! Also, how is the production of Mugwuffin plushies going?