Space combat is a captivating spectacle. Flashes and tracers from ship turbolasers and proton torpedoes, the shimmer of energy shields desperately trying to save the participants of the battle from imminent death, the slow waltz of heavy cruisers and the swift clash of wild swarms of space fighters eager to tear their rivals to shreds.
From the outside, observing this spectacle is unusually interesting. Almost as much as analyzing the results of the battle, noting successful tactical decisions and highlighting the mistakes of one side or the other. But it's a completely different matter to be in the thick of battle, on board one of the participating ships, let alone to be its commander.
Revan was one of those people who could boast that in his life he had managed to observe space battles, analyze their results in classes at the Temple, and participate in them. Moreover, the latter even in the role of a Republic army general.
Despite the fact that "Obsidian" was Revan's flagship and was associated with the soldiers of the Old Republic, and later the Empire, with the hero of the Mandalorian Wars, the former Jedi rarely commanded the ship himself. As a general of the Republic army, he was busy managing the entire fleet, leaving Obsidian in the hands of its captain. Malkol Reynol was a Corellian and a born fleet officer and remained the first and only captain of "Obsidian." He undoubtedly followed Revan when he decided to leave the Republic in the past and create his own Empire... and died on the flagship's bridge when Malak committed his betrayal.
Now Revan would give much to have Reynol and at least part of his crew back on board "Obsidian." The droids that now replaced the cruiser's crew carried out orders impeccably... but there were catastrophically few of them, and their programming was far from as advanced as HK or R2, without any possibility of developing pseudo-personality or creative thinking.
Two hundred sentient beings – the minimum crew required for "Interdictor-class heavy cruiser" to even fly. But for combat, this number is insufficient! Without competent gunners, technicians, and targeting system operators, the cruiser's weapons would not be able to show even a tenth of their potential. Targeting took too long, cannons took too long to load, capacitors overheated too quickly, forcing the battery to cease firing for cooling. Droids acted according to their programming, ignoring the specifics of the weapon systems. An experienced gunner, on the other hand, paid attention to the nuances of a particular weapon. Overheats quickly? We'll switch the battery to manual mode, disable the dual-shot option for twin cannons, and fire alternately from each barrel. At the same time, without waiting for overheating, we'll switch to the backup system and "juggle" power supply channels, preventing the temperature from reaching critical levels.
An uncalibrated targeting system can be compensated for by a competent operator who knows his weapons and can visually estimate the spread of charges, increasing the firing rate while maintaining accuracy at the desired level. Technicians, in turn, simply won't let the ship fall apart from the stress caused by combat and active maneuvering. And with only one reactor instead of the required three, you can't fight much.
Revan had only droids at his disposal. And it showed.
The successful "debut" of the damaged "Obsidian," which destroyed one of the "Lucrehulks" and damaged another, quickly transitioned into a maneuver combat phase, which, given the numerical superiority of the enemy, was not in Revan's favor. One of the main engines failed in the first minutes of combat, and most of the starboard maneuvering thrusters were not functioning, which made control difficult.
The situation was further complicated by swarms of "vulture droids," which continuously attacked the former Jedi's ship. The power of their cannons was insufficient to inflict significant damage on the shields or armored hull of the combat ship where the protective field emitters were faulty, but their numbers compensated for this deficiency. Moreover, the droids interfered with accurate firing at large ships, constantly getting in the way of the charge and, at the cost of their own destruction, reducing its power, or even forcing a priceless shot to be wasted on a small and insignificant target. The droids' programming was primitive, which is why the mechanical flyers increasingly lost control and crashed directly into the "Obsidian's" hull. The multi-layered armor of the combat ship was designed to withstand much more powerful attacks, such as the main caliber of heavy cruisers, or even full-fledged orbital fortresses, so it survived collisions without significant damage. The impact and detonation of a droid's fuel cell were clearly not enough to penetrate even the upper layer of armor plates. Revan tried not to expose vulnerable points like sensor clusters, targeting system emitters, and maneuvering thruster exhaust ports, adjusting the ship's position if the droids themselves did not react to the potential threat.
The cruiser was shaken by a series of explosions on the starboard side, forcing the former Sith to grip the tactical map table to avoid falling to the floor in shame.
"Well, the element of surprise is completely lost. They had to come to their senses sooner or later," Revan said grimly, regaining his balance.
"'Black Sun' ships on the starboard side. Shield emitter efficiency is ineffective. Damage on decks three through seven in sectors three, six, and twelve," reported one of the droids sitting at the auxiliary bridge control consoles.
The damage already sustained by "Obsidian" left the starboard side practically unprotected. The protective field projectors were disabled, which prevented the creation of a sufficiently dense barrier against enemy fire. The cruiser was surrounded by a single shield, but its density varied greatly in different areas. And if the port side could withstand a salvo from the main caliber of a battlecruiser, plus a couple of proton torpedoes, without major problems, then the starboard side could be penetrated even by vultures.
"They figured it out," Revan chuckled, "Aviation wing to cover the starboard side! We're going to low orbit, close to the atmosphere. Ionization of the hull will disrupt their targeting systems."
He said the last phrase to Risa Farr, who was ready to object and point out the danger of approaching the planet in combat conditions and with serious ship damage.
"Course change is being executed," announced the pilot droid.
"Containment fields activated, loss of atmosphere in starboard sections stopped," reported another mechanical soldier.
"Power supply failure. Reactor output reduced to seventy percent."
And this was already an alarming signal. The power plant was already heavily worn, and the increased load in combat was clearly not beneficial. Power consumption needed to be reduced immediately before the cruiser lost power altogether.
"Evacuate starboard sections up to the emergency bulkhead line. Then lower the blast doors, disable the life support system in the damaged section, and deactivate the containment fields," Revan ordered, recalling how captains of damaged ships often used this method during the Mandalorian Wars.
A belated thought occurred to the former Jedi that in the absence of a living crew, the atmosphere on board was not needed at all. Droids don't breathe. Therefore, the deck where they were with Farr should be isolated, and life support should be turned off throughout the ship. The atmosphere could even be completely dumped by simply opening the external hatches and emergency bulkheads. Without an atmosphere on board, breaches were slightly less dangerous, as the pressure difference did not worsen the damage. However, Revan was not sure if "Obsidian" had enough supplies to restore the life support system after the battle. Not to mention that there could be leaks between decks, which would result in it becoming very difficult to breathe even on the temporary bridge.
Meanwhile, "Interdictor-class heavy cruiser," having received several more hits from surprisingly powerful pirate ship weapons, changed orbit and was now literally rubbing its shields against the dense layers of Mandalore's atmosphere. The ionization effect caused glare on the targeting system sensors, making the cruiser almost invisible to enemy gunners. The "Lucrehulks," whose captains had finally pulled themselves together and stopped panicking due to the appearance of a combat ship on the battlefield, were firing randomly. The "Black Sun" pirates had it easier. Small ships, with weapons fixed forward, tried to shoot in direct fire, orienting themselves visually. But such shots were not distinguished by their power, allowing "Obsidian" to survive attacks without significant damage.
What was really good news was that, as Revan had calculated, the sensors of the Old Republic combat cruiser were much better protected from ionization than the similar systems on semi-civilian pirate vessels. So, "Obsidian" had nothing to prevent it from firing back.
Four surviving batteries of rapid-fire laser cannons, consisting of four turrets each with quad cannons, significantly complicated the enemy's life, increasingly piercing the shields of careless pirates and significantly reducing the number of "Vultures." The turbolasers, grouped into batteries of three twin cannons, relentlessly pecked at one of the "Lucrehulks," trying to "gnaw through" its shields as quickly as possible. The four ion cannons, grouped into two batteries on the upper part of the hull directly in front of the superstructure, miraculously survived the destruction of the bridge and actively helped in this.
The second of the remaining "Lucrehulks," without ceasing fire, tried to hide behind its more combat-capable counterpart with its damaged engines. Revan ordered not to finish it off, but only to distract its attention and severely damage its sensors and rapid-fire anti-ship defense system weapons. The former Sith had other plans for this Neimoidian ship.
"Message to 'Dawn Eagle' - 'We've started'," Revan ordered.
"Sent," Risa immediately reported, having long awaited this command, as Revan had initiated the ally into their joint plan with the Mandalorians.
Revan noted with some pleasure how on the tactical map the point designating "Eagle" changed course and, maneuvering actively, moved to close with the damaged Trade Federation ship.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded, and several points appeared on the sensors, indicating a serious threat to the cruiser. Namely, proton torpedoes, which were approaching the practically defenseless starboard side.
The cruiser, in accordance with the military doctrine of the Old Republic, moved exclusively as part of a combat group with escort from several corvettes. Therefore, "Obsidian" did not have full-fledged means to combat small targets, whether they were fighters or missile-torpedo armament.
He no longer had time to give the order to turn the cruiser. He didn't even have the opportunity to turn the guns towards the threat to try to intercept the torpedoes. But he still tried.
The first word of the order had not yet left his mouth when "Obsidian" was sharply thrown, pulling it off the attack line so that the not-too-maneuverable torpedoes missed the target. Revan managed to overcome his surprise and quickly identified the ships from which the torpedoes were launched. They immediately became priority targets. Something like this, the former Sith had feared, planning the operation. After all, if he could get a torpedo launcher through the Cartel and install it on a freighter, why couldn't pirates do the same. Especially since among the enemy ships were quite good CR-series corvettes. Not a "blockade runner" of the Republic fleet, but its distant descendant, which had lost its armor for the needs of the civilian fleet. There was clearly enough space on its hundred-meter hull for heavy armament. It is unknown whether this was the entire ammunition reserve, saved for a lucky moment, like an exposed defenseless side, or if there would be more surprises ahead. The former Sith did not intend to wait for a new attack.
Noting the targets and giving a new order, Revan contacted the Mandalorians and coordinated the next maneuver with them.
"Obsidian" was preparing to counter-attack, and the Mandalorian fleet was to cover its starboard side and intercept the still circling "Vulture" swarms.
"We won't last long like this!" warned one of the pilots from the Rau clan, who took command after their squad leader died with his fighter.
"Hold on! It will get easier soon," Revan said confidently.
"Understood," the pilot replied grimly.
Even without focusing on his feelings in the Force, Revan sensed confusion in the pilot's voice. Risa Farr was experiencing a similar feeling, and the former Sith felt it clearly. They didn't understand what their commander was waiting for.
Revan didn't like leaving allies in the dark, but now was not the time or the situation to play openly. It was unknown who could be trusted, so only Revan had all the details of the plan. Others were given information at the "necessary" level.
"New marks on the sensors!" the droid suddenly announced.
Revan had already noticed the appearance of new points on the tactical map and, at first, was even a little pleased... but quickly realized that the reinforcements had not arrived for him.
"Three ships, 'Munificent-class.' No allied identifiers," reported the droid monitoring the sensors.
"Damn it!" Farr exhaled.
Revan himself understood that things had just gotten significantly worse. Yes, the "Munificent-class star frigates," based on the information HK had dug up on the HoloNet, were something like armored transports and security ships of the Banking Clan. A civilian design, with many vulnerabilities and no redundant systems, and their weapons were not particularly powerful. Heavy turbolasers could theoretically be mounted on them, but in practice, this was not done, as such firepower was simply not needed to protect their trade routes from pirates and competitors. But even without heavy armament, they were still eight-hundred-meter armed ships, which had now formed a battle line. It seemed the Neimoidians had called for help... and the Muuns had responded? Why? The Federation and the Banking Clan were trading partners, not military allies. Besides, a clearly secret operation was underway on Mandalore, which they wouldn't have broadcast so openly. So... did they have an alliance? Or was it a group of renegades from both organizations, united to achieve their own goals? And were they pawns of a Sith? There was no doubt that a Sith was involved here. Too many coincidences. Especially if one recalled whose ship the previous owner of Revan's current body had been transported on.
However, the alliance between the Neimoidians and the Muuns could be pondered later. For now, Revan needed to focus on the battle.
"They're advancing in a standard pyramid formation, like a parade," Revan chuckled, spending a few moments assessing the disposition.
"What are your orders?" the droid pilot inquired.
Whoever was commanding the Muun ships had a poor understanding of how to conduct a battle under the current conditions. Yes, the numerical superiority gave them reason to relax, but the enemy should not be underestimated. And the "Interdictor-class" was undoubtedly a dangerous opponent, full of surprises. And very fast, too.
The main caliber weapons of the "Munificent-class" were fixed forward, which limited their firing sector and placed the responsibility for aiming on the pilot's shoulders. Given their size, a "Munificent-class" could not turn quickly, making the use of heavy weapons against fast and maneuverable targets extremely difficult. A "pyramid" formation could be used to break blockades or suddenly attack a single target, concentrating fire forward. But the Muuns had messed up their hyperspace exit. Instead of surrounding Revan's cruiser, they had given him a chance to hide behind the Neimoidian ships.
"Cease fire, let the turbolasers cool down. Prepare the torpedoes. We'll go around 'Lucrehulk-class' number three on an arc from the port side. Turn the cruiser along its longitudinal axis so that our port side faces them. As soon as we reach the direct engagement range of the 'Munificent-class' – fire all guns at the nearest one. Launch torpedoes in two stages with a five-second delay," Revan ordered.
"Acknowledged!"
"Acknowledged!"
The droids obediently began to carry out the order.
This maneuver would hide the "Obsidian" behind the "Lucrehulk-class," preventing the "Munificent-class" from targeting it. At the same time, the "Interdictor-class" would approach the Muun ships' flank before they could turn their hulks ninety degrees.
"We'll be open to attack from the 'Lucrehulk-class'," Risa reminded him with concern.
"An acceptable risk. The weapons on that side are damaged by our torpedo. The fire won't be as intense."
"But..."
"Continue to fly around the Neimoidian ship and take cover behind it again. Let that giant be our star," Revan added with a grin.
The counter-attack of the turning "Munificent-class," if the "Obsidian" wasn't caught off guard, would hit the "Lucrehulk-class'" shields directly. The lack of coordination between the Neimoidians and the Muuns was evident. If the "Munificent-class" had emerged not to the side, but directly above the Federation ships, Revan would have been in serious trouble. As it was, there was a decent chance to damage the enemy without significant harm to himself.
"Send a message to the 'Eagle'. Once they've completed their mission, have them support us with fire," the former Sith added to his instructions.
"Sending," Risa reported, "They're asking what happened."
"Relay a brief summary of the situation."
"Understood."
Revan, meanwhile, focused on conducting the battle. He didn't possess Battle Meditation talent on Bastila's level, but he had some skills that allowed him to ease his task with the Force. Thoughts flashed with unprecedented speed. The Force fueled his body, his consciousness plunged into a trance, elevating Revan's analytical abilities to a whole new level. Every order he gave was precise, every action calculated.
Suddenly, the former Jedi felt a familiar sensation... as if someone's hand was gently pushing him in a certain direction, someone's will insistently suggesting the next step. And, after spending precious moments analyzing this step, Revan realized it was the right move.
The enemy had made a mistake! The "Munificent-class" ships were too slow to turn! And how fortunate it was that the Mandalorians, along with the droid pilots from the "Obsidian," had cleared the firing sector, driving the "Vultures" aside, directly into the fire of the rapid-fire cannons. Amazingly coordinated work! As if...
"This is... No, it's... unlikely," Revan thought to himself.
He had encountered this before. The precise coordination of allies and the deliberately careless mistakes of the enemy. Battle Meditation...
This Force technique had a negligible effect on droids, but the droids were commanded by living beings!
But who here could employ such a complex technique, and for the benefit of the Mandalorians?
His thoughts were interrupted by a jolt, signaling a new volley from all guns. The "Obsidian" began a new attack.
"Contacts on sensors! Allied identifiers!" one of the droids announced.
"Requesting contact," Risa said immediately with surprise.
With a gesture, Revan ordered the communication channel to be opened.
In the corner of the tactical map, above a separate projector, a holographic figure of a vaguely familiar woman appeared. They had met on Coruscant, though they hadn't communicated closely.
"My Lord, the 'Blood Claws' are ready to execute your order," the woman greeted Revan with a bow.
The former Jedi recalled the speaker's name. It was Pana Dek, a native of the capital world, once a member of Black Sun. Now, Pana held the position of head of security for the Coruscant trading company "Obsidian," or, in other words, the civilian part of the "Blood Claws." And under her command, two dozen well-armed ships were ready to join the battle, including refitted decommissioned Judicial Forces corvettes, converted escort freighters, and even a pair of Corellian CR70s in the "Vanguard C20" configuration.
Recalling the size of the "Obsidian" company's fleet, Revan wondered if the overly active Ran Fevro and Tycho Dorma had left the transport ships completely without escort. However, the main routes passed through Hutt Space, and there, no one would touch the "Claws'" ships as long as their agreement with Jabba was in effect. And the crime lord of Tatooine himself had no intention of losing such a good source of income and trade channel with Coruscant, through which both legal and contraband goods flowed. And from all the traffic, of course, the Hutt received his percentage, which made his "favorite Jedi" an even more valuable ally. The Hutt himself hadn't noticed when he stopped considering Vaneer one of his debtors or subordinates, and now he mentally referred to him as an ally. Weak, but very promising. And it wasn't just that Revan was systematically breaking down the Hutts' natural resistance to Force suggestion, but the obvious benefit.
"Pana, you and your people are now under the command of the defenders of Mandalore. Contact them via the channel I'm about to send you. Coordinate your actions, engage one of the 'Munificent-class' ships, and draw the 'Vultures'' forces away," Revan instructed his ally.
"I have three torpedo bombers, My Lord. We can attack a 'Munificent-class' and quickly disable its weapon systems. This tactic was practiced by 'Black Sun' when attacking the Banking Clan's armored transports," Pana provided more precise details about her small fleet's composition.
"Then, after attacking one of the 'Munificent-class' ships, support my cruiser in attacking the remaining two. I will provide new instructions later."
"Understood, Lord."
"End transmission."
With such reinforcements, Revan had many more opportunities for a successful completion of the battle. Under his command, there was a fleet again. Small, composed of diverse ships, but still a fleet. Plunging back into a meditative trance, the former Sith grinned.
The battle picture changed. The "Obsidian," circling the "Lucrehulk-class," having managed to hit the flank of one of the "Munificent-class" ships with four proton torpedoes, two of which directly hit the unshielded hull, sharply changed course and moved to close with the Muun ships. The "Munificent-class" ships finally came to their senses and changed formation, turning their main caliber nose guns towards the cruiser. However, the very first volley missed its target and hit the flank of the "Lucrehulk-class," from behind which the "Obsidian" had emerged less than a minute ago. The Neimoidians didn't like this... so much so that they fired back not at Revan's ship, but directly at the "Munificent-class." And what surprised the former Sith even more was that the Muuns, along with the "Interdictor-class," were now also firing laser cannons at the Neimoidian ships. And even the one that wasn't attacking now, but was trying to leave the battlefield with damaged engines and no shields.
"Either this is a very strange alliance, or the allies are not allies at all," Revan mused thoughtfully, giving new orders to his ships.
The clash between the Muuns and the Neimoidians was only to his advantage, and Revan did not fail to take advantage of the situation. The "Black Sun" ships were destroyed first. The Mandalorians, along with the "Claws," simply tore the pirates apart. The "Obsidian's" air wing was lost in its entirety. Losses among the Mandalorians and the "Claws" were acceptable.
One of the "Munificent-class" ships, which had received its first hit from the "Obsidian," was disabled ten minutes after arrival. A torpedo hit an already existing breach and, judging by the fireworks that left the ship without engines, damaged the power plant located in the stern. The second was dismantled by the "Claws" through joint efforts, damaging its weapon and navigation systems, after which the Muun ship lost propulsion and went silent. By this time, most of the "Vultures" had run out of fuel. Those that could, returned for refueling. But those that had launched from the first destroyed "Lucrehulk-class" could not afford that. There wasn't enough space on the allied ships for everyone.
The last "Munificent-class," left without the support of its brethren, decided to withdraw from the battle, but two "Lucrehulk-class" ships wouldn't let it. Exactly two. The boarding party from the "Eagle" had managed to capture the Neimoidian transport in just forty minutes.
The emboldened remaining "Lucrehulk-class," believing its comrade was still on its side, decided to attack the "Obsidian" again, but was met with a treacherous close-range volley. There was only one decision – flight. Shutting down its weapon systems and diverting all energy to its shields, the ship sped away towards the system's edge. And the "Lucrehulk-class" would have had enough survivability to reach open space and jump into hyperspace. Except Revan had no intention of letting enemies escape... and witnesses, at that. The existence of the "Obsidian" needed to be kept secret. At least, he would try.
"Activate the gravity well projectors!" the former Sith commanded.
"They're malfunctioning!" Risa Farr immediately exclaimed.
However, the cruiser seemed to have a different opinion. The ship shook, a distant hum rose from somewhere on the lower decks. The indicators on the console before one of the droids, who mechanically followed the order and activated the generators powering the gravity well projectors, lit up green. The vibration lessened but did not disappear completely, and this sensation was familiar to Revan – it felt like the operation of one of the "Interdictor-class's" unique systems.
The gravity well generators, built on Corellia, created, as the name suggested, a special type of force field that mimicked a planet's gravitational field. This made hyperspace travel impossible within a rather large radius around the ship, allowing the "Interdictor-class" to block entire star systems. The navigation computers of other ships detected the gravitational anomaly and aborted hyperspace jumps, believing the ship was about to collide with a large celestial body. For the same reason, calculating a jump out of the blocked system was impossible.
And now Revan clearly felt the panic of the Neimoidian crew. They couldn't leave the system, even though they had already entered the area where hyperspace travel was possible. The projectors were working. The "Interdictor-class" would not let its prey escape, obeying its master's will. Now, more than ever, Revan felt his ship through the Force. It permeated him and resonated in time with the beating heart of the former Dark Lord.
Revan had heard of such things. When objects closely connected to their owner, under the influence of the Force, became true artifacts with amazing properties. Mitha had told him about a "Centurion-class" cruiser named "Devastator," which had survived the Mandalorian Wars and the war with Malak. It had been in the possession of the Sith Dark Lord Darth Nihilus. Revan barely remembered this... creature. He had once been part of Revan's army during the formation of his Empire, but then he disappeared. Nihilus's presence, coupled with what the cruiser had endured, had imbued the ship with Dark Side energy to such an extent that it made it anomalously durable. Furthermore, the cruiser moved almost independently, obeying its master's will, and it was practically impossible to destroy, as the Force itself held its parts together. Only after Nihilus's death was the "Devastator" destroyed.
Was something similar happening with the "Obsidian"? That maneuver to evade torpedoes didn't look like a simple burst from maneuvering thrusters. It was as if the ship itself had jerked, like a living creature, avoiding danger. And the gravity well projectors, which were supposed to be deactivated, suddenly started working as if before the droid even reached the control console. And all the damage sustained by the starboard side, for some reason, had not affected the integrity of the entire ship.
This discovery needed to be studied. After the battle.
The last "Lucrehulk-class" made the only correct decision – to surrender. The boarding was carried out by Mandalorians, enraged by the attack on their world. So, the information that most of the crew died during the assault was not news to Revan.
Control of the droids, which was managed from the control stations on the "Lucrehulk-class" ships, was intercepted. Several thousand droids simultaneously turned against their allies. The Death Watch's resistance was suppressed within hours, and a message came from the planet that Pre Vizsla had been captured and personally delivered by Jango Fett to the palace of Duchess Satine.
It was a victory.
The very next day, a meeting of clan leaders, combined with a government session, took place in the Royal Palace of Mandalore. A number of issues needed to be resolved quickly before the Senate sent a commission to investigate the incident. After all, the Neimoidian ships had been officially requisitioned by the Judicial Forces and had arrived supposedly to guard trade routes. What the Muuns were doing here remained a mystery, but ships didn't just disappear. This wasn't the Unknown Regions, or even Hutt Space. They would have been missed.
There had been an attempted coup on Mandalore, which the Senate might or might not be aware of. It was unknown what Sidious had done before sending his subordinates. There was no doubt that Ronar Kim had fallen under the Sith's influence. And this Sith could well have been the mysterious Sidious, who also had influence over the Republic Senate. Moreover, Sidious had a master who could also try to reach Revan, and had some connections with the Muuns. The resurrected one was of interest to this as-yet-unknown figure. Could the Banking Clan ships have belonged to him? Possibly. But how did he know about Revan's presence on Mandalore specifically? Sidious? But Bo-Katan shouldn't have mentioned anyone other than Obi-Wan and Jinn, so the Sith shouldn't have known about Revan either.
This was yet to be figured out.
"We are still calculating the losses incurred, but, overall, Mandalore's economy has not suffered critical damage. The 'MandalMotors' factories will be able to resume work within two weeks. Smaller production facilities and trading companies will recover even faster," the voice of an unfamiliar, newly appointed secretary to the Duchess, pulled Revan from his thoughts.
"What about the restoration work in the cities?" Satine inquired.
"The captured droids are actively helping with this. The pace of work is impressive. According to the Bureau of Construction, residential areas will be restored to an acceptable state in ten days. Within a month, complete elimination of the consequences of the fighting is expected."
"Excellent. Allocate aid to those affected by this conflict for a period of six months, in the amount of two standard wages of a 'MandalMotors' worker," Kryze ordered generously, causing the man, whom Revan recognized as the treasurer, to gasp sharply.
"Your Majesty, allow me to speak. The damage assessment is not yet complete, and such extensive expenditures from the budget could lead to serious problems in the next six months. I ask you to postpone such measures until the restoration work is completed," the treasurer addressed Satine in a honeyed voice.
"My people suffered from a civil war! They lost their homes and their livelihoods! I cannot let my people starve while we calculate how many credits we can allocate to support them," Kryze replied, her anger escalating with each word.
The treasurer winced and tried to object, but noticed an unfriendly look from Nimra Zol and preferred not to push it.
"Perhaps a compromise solution. The credits themselves are not particularly needed by the people now, as the shops and stores are also destroyed. It would be better to change the form of aid, replacing money with food and essential items," Fett suggested, surprisingly, on whose belt Revan recognized a very interesting item, which was nothing other than a lightsaber.
The mercenary had visited devastated planets during Jaster's time and had seen how their inhabitants fought for survival. Money didn't play much of a role there. Credits were useless if they couldn't be spent anywhere. But the fact that he had almost been killed for a pack of military rations, Fett remembered well.
The Duchess pondered.
"The 'Obsidian' transport company can organize food supplies from the nearest regions. We have the necessary number of ships," Pana Dek supported the idea, shaking her mane of red hair.
It seemed the commercial streak in the former pirate was very strong.
Revan nodded approvingly, catching Dek's eye.
"That is a sound proposal," said Sevras Nomad, who had become almost Kryze's closest advisor.
"Well, we will proceed like that. But there is still the problem of housing those who are left without homes," Satine frowned.
Jul Tarron rose from his seat.
"Allow me to make a proposal. We suffered heavy losses during the fighting, so the guard barracks are now partially empty. Some residents can be housed there. For the rest, I propose to issue survival gear. Tents, rations, portable kitchens, and so on."
"I have no objections," the Duchess agreed.
Revan listened to the further discussion with half an ear, noting only the key points. He himself was immersed in thoughts about the Sith's future actions. And their interest in Mandalore in general. What had attracted them? What was the conflict for? And it was planned for later, but Revan's intervention had accelerated the process. And the result was clearly far from what the puppet masters had expected. So, one should expect a counter-move... or adjustments to already planned ones. He should strengthen his network of informants to monitor any strangeness and excessive activity from the Trade Federation and the Muuns. And Molo would have to visit Coruscant. He would be better than anyone else at tracking down his former Master.
Revan returned his attention to the assembly only twenty minutes later, just as the new political program of Mandalore was being discussed. There were no radical changes in foreign policy. Mandalore still focused on trade and peaceful coexistence, but the ban on wearing armor and personal combat training was lifted. Defense forces were also being created based on the former law enforcement corps. Kryze had learned her lesson well: one could not rely on the Senate for protection of its sovereignty. Nor could one leave the planet without its own army, being so far from Coruscant.
What was surprising was how quickly Kryze and Fett divided their responsibilities. The Duchess took over the diplomatic part of the government, significantly reducing her pacifist stance, however. Kryze could not completely abandon her ideals, but at least she decided not to ignore her clan's legacy, which greatly pleased Bo-Katan.
Fett, on the other hand, took charge of organizing the army, which the clan leaders were only too happy about. Somehow, a Duchess and a Mandalorian coexisted on a warrior planet. Well, such an option was quite acceptable for Revan's future plans.
The assembly was suddenly interrupted by a pair of Jedi. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan entered the hall and bowed to the rulers of Mandalore.
"I have news from the Jedi Temple that cannot wait," Jinn announced.
The attendees reacted calmly to his statement, as well as to the unceremonious intrusion into the assembly. Their attitude towards the pair of Jedi had improved after they participated in the defense of Mandalore, saved the Duchess, and Jinn had even participated in the operation to detain the leader of the Death Watch.
"What happened, Master Jinn?" Kryze inquired.
Revan did not miss the moment when Satine smiled warmly at Kenobi. The latter, in turn, looked only at the Duchess with a gaze that made the former Sith no longer doubt his decision to stay on Mandalore.
I spoke with Master Yoda. It turned out that Ronar Kim arrived here without the Council's knowledge. This incident greatly alarmed the Order, and Master Dooku and Luminara Unduli are flying here to investigate.
Revan raised an eyebrow. An interesting choice. Neither of the Jedi assigned to the investigation harbored any ill will towards Revan. Yoda seemed to want to show with this move that he was ready to offer support to the former Jedi.
"Furthermore, information about the battle over the planet has reached the Senate. The Judicial Corps has also been notified. A commission is being formed to investigate the circumstances of what happened. They will be here within two weeks."
As expected. Revan was not surprised by the news. Well, it seemed it was time to leave Mandalore. And the "Obsidian" should be hidden. It would be good to find a dock for repairs, but there were certain difficulties with that. Officially, the ship did not exist. It could be patched up in space, by droids or hired specialists. But any involvement of specialists created a risk of exposure. Only the "Claws" and, possibly, the Mandalorians could be relied upon. Both had already seen the cruiser in action.
But this could wait and be discussed with Farr. Where had she been patching up the ship before?
After Qui-Gon's words, a murmur arose. The Mandalorians were not happy about the commission's visit. However, the Duchess managed to calm them down. Everything was as expected. Everything was going according to plan.
Upon arriving on Mandalore, the commission would see the traces of the conflict. Kryze would feed them a modified version about an attempted coup and assure them that the planet's legitimate government had managed to maintain control and suppress the rebellion.
Revan had no doubt that Kryze could pull the wool over the senators' eyes. The young Duchess was not lacking in diplomatic talent. The Senate might be wary of the creation of self-defense forces, but there were no direct prohibitions on creating one's own army in the Republic's laws. There were restrictions on armaments and ships, but all of this did not apply to self-defense forces. The Senate could not take away a world's right to self-defense.
Jinn, meanwhile, approached closer.
"I suppose you should lie low," Qui-Gon suggested, addressing Revan.
"I will do so," the former Jedi assured him.
Their brief exchange of remarks attracted the attention of the elder Kryze.
"I cannot express my full gratitude for your help to Mandalore. You will forever remain a friend of our people, and you will always be welcome here," the Duchess said.
Revan bowed, accepting the gratitude.
"And we will always offer you support. Although you are not a Mandalorian, you have earned the respect of my people. I will proudly call you a brother in arms and come to your aid if needed," Jango Fett added, approaching Revan and extending his hand.
Funny. Revan had heard similar words before. A similar conversation with Canderous came to mind when he accepted the title of Mandalore. Unfortunately, Revan had not been able to take advantage of the offer of help that time. The dungeons of Nyriss did not allow sending a message.
Revan nodded and shook the offered hand. This time, he was not going to wait.
"I am grateful for this offer and would like to discuss a possible alliance," Revan said, addressing both rulers of Mandalore at once.
"An alliance?" Satine asked again.
Fett tilted his head with interest.
"Yes, an alliance," Revan nodded.
"An alliance with whom?"
"With me and those who will join in the future," the former Jedi calmly replied.
"An alliance with one person?" someone from the Council of Clans wondered.
"And what bothers you? Sometimes, one person can be more valuable than an army. And an alliance of such people can be quite capable of saving the galaxy," Revan chuckled.
"And what will be the goal of such an alliance?" Fett asked with interest.
"Peace, security, and order. Balance," the former Jedi replied firmly.
The meeting promised to be lengthy.
And the next morning, the "Obsidian" had already left the Mandalore system. The "Dawn Eagle" also departed with it, and on board, Revan was already contemplating his next move.